By Richard G. Biever On the drizzly windy Sunday afternoon before Thanksgiving, two wildlife biologists with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources stood in mud and manure beside a cattle barn. They stared up at a silo and scratched their heads. Deep inside the 22-foot-tall cylinder were five Indiana-endangered barn owl chicks. The empty unused… Continue reading.

LaGrange County was settled and founded in 1832 by mostly Yankee immigrants from New England. They so admired the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat and military officer who fought alongside the Americans in the American Revolutionary War, they named their county after his French estate outside of Paris.  But within a dozen years, LaGrange… Continue reading.

America was founded on a cooperative spirit. Working together, helping each other for the mutual good – this is the American way. And for good reason: cooperative organizations provide their consumers economic, social and cultural benefits that often wouldn’t be available otherwise. That’s the way it is with electric power cooperatives which were formed to… Continue reading.

By Colin Mahoney As Hoosiers, we can’t control the cold weather pushing down from Canada but we can control the temperature inside our homes. The difference in indoor/outdoor temperature can be more than 50 degrees. This gap is known as weather variance and it has an impact on the comfort of your home and the… Continue reading.

Even if the weather outside is already frightful, your heating bills don’t have to be. Here are 10 easy, low- and no-cost ways to stay warmer indoors without cranking up the thermostat this winter. Open the drapes. The sun’s rays will help heat your home for free. Let them shine in through south-facing windows all… Continue reading.

Saving energy at home can be simple and free: Turn off the lights and TV when you’re not using them; lower the thermostat at night. But for a bigger impact on your electric bill, make a little bit more of an effort and invest a few bucks in energy-saving equipment. Here’s what to buy: LEDs…. Continue reading.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to save energy in your home is to add insulation to your attic.  Some clues that your attic needs more insulation: some of the rooms in your home are drafty; their walls feel hot or cold to the touch; or you feel cold in some rooms or… Continue reading.

Make sure your computer and office equipment are energy-efficient.  Here are five ways to save energy in your home office: Using an ENERGY STAR-labeled computer can save 30%-65% energy than computers without this designation. Buy a laptop instead of a desktop computer. A laptop consumes considerably less energy. Computers and battery chargers continue to draw… Continue reading.

Your family probably spends in the neighborhood of 18 percent of your utility dollars on water heating, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. Here are eight ways to lower your water heating bill: Replace old showerheads and faucets in every bathroom. Older models push out way more water than you need to take a… Continue reading.

If you run your dishwasher when it’s loaded to capacity instead of washing a half-load at a time, you’ll use way less water and electricity. Here are five other energy-saving dishwasher tips: Stop rinsing. You’ve been doing it for years, but newer dishwashers do such a good job that you’re simply wasting water and time… Continue reading.

Laundry day may not be your favorite day of the week, but by following these six tips, it can be an opportunity to save some cash. Wash your clothes in cold water and use cold-water detergents. Unless the stains on your clothes are oil-based, warm or cool water in your washing machine will do just… Continue reading.

With the holiday season upon us and the new year just around the corner, I can’t help but reflect on the gratitude I feel for our community. I think most will agree this has been a year like no other ­— certainly in my lifetime. And while we’ve seen our share of challenges, I am… Continue reading.