Headlines from Bloomington, Indiana – Ides of March, 2024
Local woman wears a hardhat when outside in her yard; permanent jewelry store opens; wheelchairs available in state parks; and, seven in ten (7 in 10) pregnant women test positive for toxin found in weed killers.
Story one: Angela Connor, 64, has been doing battle with a pair of red shouldered hawks in her back yard. For over a year, the protective raptors have dive bombed down attacking her from behind when she is gardening. After suffering several attacks and lacerations from their talons a friend offered a remedy of sorts. “For some reason they don’t attack the white DeWalt hard hat” when I wear it she said.
Story two: “Permanent Jewelry Store opens in the Mall.” Is it the jewelry that is permanent? or is the store? I suspect neither. Perhaps my epistemological understanding of “permanence” needs an update.
Story three: Motorized wheelchairs are now available for free in many Indiana state parks. Good news. Thanks to the ADA this may be a permanent option — for a while at least!
Story four: Speaking of permanence and mobility, recent research finds four times more amounts of the poison dicamba in the urine of pregnant woman than was present ten years ago. In Indiana, we value healthy corn and soybean crops, (5.4 and 5.5 million acres respectively) and our lovely lawns. Are we choosing healthy corn and weed-free-yards over healthy children? Weed killer residue is carried in wind and water miles away from where it was applied.
Summary: I’m glad (sorta) that raptors are protected by federal law; in the future my impermanent body may still see natural beauty via a motorized convenience; I pray we learn to value healthy soybeans less and healthy children more. And, amid this cavalcade of news, I failed to mention the governor authorizes carrying of firearms in State House. That’s the news that’s “printed to fit” the majority sentiments from Indiana today.
philipamerson 
I thought the same thing! Is this ALL the news that we need to hear about today??? The story about the “mall” was confusing, as much everyone would think mall= College Mall. and the “nice-guy” story about the Indiana basketball victory and local hero Anthony Leal was too “late” to get into the paper. How about follow up on why the School Superintendent was booted? Or a real religion story about Ramadan, Lent, or Passover upcoming? Oh , yeah, we get “Jesus on the dance floor!!” What a neat, local story! How about something on refugees coming here and their welcome, or the unhoused “homeless?” Oh well, guess I just must wait for the “2nd coming”–whatever that means!
LikeLike