LWV

Sheriff Ryan Needham had at least one hypothesis about why he received so few applications for the open position for a school resources officer (SRO) he was trying to fill. “Our biggest challenge, you know, is getting quality people to fill those spots. It’s just hard to find people that want to do it. And…

In the midst of the pandemic of 2020, Emmett Bowman took his initials, EB, and created a philanthropic clothing line calling out EveryBody Stand for Unity and Everybody Unite. His efforts stood out that year for the message, for his age – he was only 17 – and because Crawfordsville had only a handful of…

Rachel Christensen always knew she wanted to be in a helping profession and discovered she loved her psychology courses at Olivet Nazarene University. While in college, she managed a local movie theater, where staff brought clients from a nearby state institution. “Even just buying a ticket and popcorn for their patients – I call them…

It’s the nature of many Midwesterners to be healthy skeptics of jargon and buzz phrases. Being pragmatic and skeptical, we hear a phrase like “social determinants of health” about three times and wonder what is being cloaked behind jargon. What is being foisted upon hardworking taxpayers? Because “social determinants of health” help our fire department,…

Numbers are not political. “Data is just data,” said Advi, an economics senior from Oman, who was talking about the course that most impacted her, the Economics of Racial and Gender Discrimination. The data demonstrates clear patterns that systems of law and culture have significantly impacted the economic health of minorities in the United States.…

Crawfordsville is one of many small towns struggling with the housing crisis. Our League of Women Voter’s Economic Health team members keeps asking, “What about housing?” because we have almost no options for homeless men, a shortage of affordable rental units for low-income earners, too few options for first-time home buyers, a struggle to draw…

Nothing about the guest speaker suggested power or prestige. She was the quintessential teacher, comfortable and ready to engage in a crushed velvet smock, black leggings, and comfortable shoes. She’d pulled her long hair up into a ponytail. Yet Dr. Jennifer McCormick was the last elected Superintendent of Education in Indiana, and she knew her…

The morning after straight-line winds pummeled Crawfordsville in May 2017, it looked like a tiny tornado had waltzed Main Street, crushing cars and bashing houses. Fat tree limbs rendered some blocks impassible except on foot. Milligan Park and dozens of other areas had lost venerable old growth. Thankfully no one was killed. High winds, flooding,…

Let’s play “what happens when?” What happens when a senior falls and no one there is strong enough to help her up? What happens after an adult overdoses in their driveway? What happens when a friend shows signs of a manic episode, talks about religious conspiracies and spends hundreds of dollars carelessly? Or, a man…

Happy New Year, Montgomery County! How about a David Letterman-style top ten list about Montgomery County’s year-long bicentennial efforts? Here’s a humorous recap of the hard work of the bicentennial planning team and will be almost as good as celebrating over tacos in January, which County Administrator Tom Klein said the team plans to do.…