1970: Remembering Apollo 13

Cape Canaveral, Florida (April 13, 2025) - It was 55 years ago today that the world held its breath as three astronauts began a harrowing journey back to earth after an explosion aboard Apollo 13 crippled their spacecraft.

Apollo 13 lifted off on time from the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm EST. The first 55 hours and 55 minutes of the mission went smoothly until, just over 3/4 of the way to the Moon, shortly after the one and only TV transmission of their journey, Apollo 13 had a problem.

A liquid oxygen tank exploded, pushing the flight off course, robbing the capsule of breathable oxygen and fuel for power generation.

An accident investigation board later found that upgrades to the tank, designed by American Rockwell, had overlooked thermostatic switches while being made to work with higher voltage test equipment at the Kennedy Space Center. These switches were likely welded shut during preflight tests allowing temperatures in the tank to rise to over 12 times the original design's limits.

Systems, including guidance, were shut down to conserve power. Over the next 6 hours, the astronauts with assistance from flight controllers on the ground, manually calculated a free return trajectory to get them back home.

The crew used the on board sextant, which required no power, to determine their position looking for two stars from a list of 37 known to the guidance computer. This a common task used many times during all Apollo missions to provide updates to the guidance, but was particularly complex for Apollo 13.



Had everything gone to plan, NASA’s third mission to land astronauts on the moon would have deployed a pallet of science instruments and brought back samples from humanity’s first visit to the lunar uplands. Instead, 55 years ago this month, Apollo 13 “had a problem.”

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Google Limits Free Photo Storage

Oakland, California (November 11, 2020) – Alphabet Inc’s Google will start limiting how many high-quality photos users can store on the company’s cloud back-up service starting next June, it announced on Wednesday, in a move that could help protect profit margins. 

“Growing demand for storage” means Google Photos can no longer honor a years-old policy of unlimited capacity for high-quality images, the company said in a blog post. Storage of images, along with files in Google’s document editing services, will instead be capped at a combined total of 15 gigabytes.

“Original quality” images, or incredibly high-resolution copies, were the only ones to previously count against the limit. Google’s plans for additional storage, dubbed Google One, start a $2 a month.

More than 1 billion people use Google Photos each month, but the company estimated fewer than 20% of them will need to upgrade for extra storage in the next three years.

Google has faced eroding profits in recent years as it invests heavily in cloud storage systems without experiencing a related increase in revenue. But the company this year has been aiming to close the gap by adjusting perks of its Google One offering to draw more sales.

SOURCE: Reuters 

PayPal Opens Network to Cryptocurrency

Indianapolis, IN (October 21, 2020) - PayPal Holdings said on today it will allow customers to hold bitcoin and other virtual coins in its online wallet and shop using cryptocurrencies at the 26 million merchants on its network.  The new service makes PayPal one of the largest U.S. companies to provide consumers access to cryptocurrencies, which could help bitcoin and rival cryptocurrencies gain wider adoption as viable payment methods.

The San Jose, California-based company hopes the service will encourage global use of virtual coins and prepare its network for new digital currencies that central banks and companies may develop, President and Chief Executive Dan Schulman said in an interview. “We are working with central banks and thinking of all forms of digital currencies and how PayPal can play a role,” he said. 

U.S. account holders will be able to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies in their PayPal wallets over the coming weeks, the company said. PayPal plans to expand the service to its peer-to-peer payment app Venmo and some other countries in the first half of 2021. The ability to make payments with cryptocurrencies will be available from early next year, the company said.

Other mainstream fintech companies, such as mobile payments provider Square Inc SQ.N and stock trading app firm Robinhood Markets Inc, allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, but PayPal's launch is noteworthy given its size. The company has 346 million active accounts around the world and processed $222 billion in payments in the second quarter. PayPal’s shares were up 4% at 1418 GMT, set for their best day in a month.


Bitcoin and other virtual coins have struggled to become established as widely used forms of payment despite being around for more than a decade. Cryptocurrencies’ volatility is attractive for speculators, but poses risks for merchants and shoppers. Transactions are also slower and more costly than other mainstream payment systems.

PayPal believes its new system will address these issues as payments will be settled using traditional currencies, such as the U.S. dollar. This means PayPal will be managing the risk of price fluctuations and merchants will receive payments in virtual coins. “We are going about it in a fundamentally different way to make sure we provide the maximum amount of safety to our merchants,” Schulman said.

PayPal's service comes as some central banks have announced plans to develop digital versions of their currencies, following a Facebook-led FB.O cryptocurrency project Libra in 2019, which was met by strong regulatory pushback.. PayPal was among the founding members of this project but dropped out after a few months.

PayPal has secured the first conditional cryptocurrency licence from the New York State Department of Financial Services. The company will initially allow purchases of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies called ethereum ETH=BTSP, bitcoin cash BCH=BTSP and litecoin LTC=BTSP, it said.

PayPal is teaming up with cryptocurrency firm Paxos Trust Company to offer the service.

SOURCE: NBC News

Amtrak Jobs and Service Cuts in the Works

Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2020) - Amtrak President William Flynn has told members of Congress that the company needs a $4.9 billion appropriation for fiscal 2021 to avoid employee furloughs and reduced long-distance train frequencies planned for October.

Flynn, Rail Passengers Association President and CEO Jim Mathews, and labor officials representing the Transport Workers Union and Transportation Communications Union testified Tuesday at the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Rail Subcommittee hearing titled, “Amtrak’s response to COVID-19.”

Amtrak CEO William Flynn testifies during Wednesday's online House hearing on Amtrak's response to COVID-19.

Amtrak declined to provide the figure needed to avoid the job and service cuts to Capitol Hill staffers until late last week, despite requests from elected officials in June [see “Senators seek more details on Amtrak service, job cuts,” Trains News Wire June 29, 2020.

That drew sharp criticism in the opening statement from subcommittee chairman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) for “just now submitting their amended FY21 supplemental request to Congress less than one month before the current fiscal year expires and Amtrak plans to implement these furloughs.”

If Senate and House conferees don’t come up with the $4.9 billion (which includes the $2 billion Amtrak originally asked for in its annual Grant and Legislative Request in February), Flynn told Lipinski that with a “cash burn at nearly $250 million a month right now, we would have to make very dramatic reductions across the company to stave off bankruptcy.” He added that this would include “substantial reduction in all services and perhaps some elimination of some long-distance services if that’s the cash burn we’re having with no supplemental funding.”

In questioning from U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), Flynn repeated management’s previous assertions that in fiscal 2019, “we were generating a surplus on our Northeast Corridor — essentially a break-even level of operation in our state-supported network, but the operational subsidy fundamentally underpins the long-distance services. So the vast majority, if not all, of that subsidy, if we were to do it on a service line basis, would be on the long-distance service.”

Rail Passengers Association President and CEO Jim Mathews pushed back against Flynn and the assertion by Babin and four other GOP lawmakers that Amtrak is required to make a profit.

“It is not — it is only required to minimize subsidies,” Mathews said. “A conversation about (Amtrak) profit ignores the benefit that communities receive.” In his opening statement, he unveiled research that quantifies by long-distance route exactly what those benefits are.

The document lists the direct and indirect economic impact of daily service, and the negative effects when four of seven weekly departures are eliminated.

The model, developed by the Rail Passengers Association with the help of Transportation 4 America, contends that the cuts will result in a “$2 billion bomb on ‘Flyover Country.’” It is available here.

Other revealing exchanges during the session:

— Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) raised concerns about aspects of Amtrak’s accounting methodology, such as considering taxpayer-funded state payments as revenue and not including depreciation in operating results.

— Flynn said that there were no plans to furlough any employees at the Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, and in fact Amtrak had to hire essential workers after some employees decided to take the company-wide buyout offer.

— Acela lead service attendant Amy Griffin, who testified as Local 1460 president of the Transport Workers Union of America, recounted a July incident in which she had been ordered to continue working after a co-worker tested positive for COVID-19. She eventually was told to quarantine, but then was ordered back to work after 10 instead of 14 days by Amtrak’s medical staff because she showed no symptoms

— Flynn was criticized by several lawmakers for reinstating a 401K retirement plan company match for management beginning Oct. 1 at the same time it counted on receiving bailout money and was laying off 2,000 employees. He defended the decision because it helped the company retain personnel and would not agree to reverse it, but did say Amtrak would withdraw a communications Request For Proposal that allowed outsourced bidders to shift jobs offshore.

--Near the end of session, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) told Flynn, “I fully support using money you make on the north end of the Northeast Corridor to provide service to some of those rural areas — the ‘red’ states. Those lines don’t necessarily benefit my district but they benefit the country. … I hope you take very seriously the credibility that you will lose by engaging in these furloughs, and the representational damage that comes to Amtrak management. I’m asking you to reconsider that [because] it is not going to save the day.” Cutting 2000 employees, Lynch said, “is going to reduce service and spiral that bottom-line deficit. You’re going to lose the faith of members of Congress like me, who are behind you, because of this decision.”

Video of the entire 2 1/2 -hour hearing and links to the witnesses’ prepared testimony is below.

Amtrak’s Response to COVID-19
Subcommittee: Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM

There Won’t Be Any Holiday Peeps

Beech Grove, IN (September 12, 2020) - Don’t look for any pumpkin stuffed marshmallows this Halloween, or green trees at Christmas time.

Although Peeps traditionally releases seasonally-shaped marshmallow treats for Halloween and Christmas, due to the coronavirus pandemic, that won’t be possible this year.

Just Born, the family-owned candy manufacturer behind Peeps, Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales, confirmed that the festive seasonal releases “will not be in stores again until 2021.”

“While PEEPS® Marshmallow Candies, MIKE AND IKE® and HOT TAMALES® would typically be available in fun shapes and packaging sizes for the Halloween and holiday seasons, unfortunately, the seasonal varieties will not be in stores again until 2021,” the company said in a statement.



Due to coronavirus concerns, the company “temporarily suspended production” earlier this year, and “resumed limited production” in May “after making extensive changes in our plant that ensure the safety of our associates.”

SOURCE: WBNS

Taco Bell unveils "At Home Taco Bar"

Indianapolis, IN (May 1, 2020) - Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Bell® is giving fans the perfect recipe to recreate their favorites from home with the At Home Taco Bar, available via delivery and contactless drive-thrus nationwide starting Friday, May 1, for a limited time. From virtual parties with friends to family dinners, the At Home Taco Bar is a surefire way to satisfy cravings and spice up any virtual or at-home gathering.

The At Home Taco Bar comes deconstructed, packed and sealed for an easy and safe way to feed a party of 6 for $25*. Complete with staple Taco Bell ingredients including flour tortillas, crunchy taco shells, nacho chips, seasoned beef, shredded lettuce, nacho cheese sauce, hot sauce packets and more, fans will have the chance to recreate beloved favorites from the comfort of their own homes.

#TacoBell is now offering an at home taco bar (via @KimberleyDS84) https://t.co/vTMlxJg5Nz

— Kimberley S (@KimberleyDS84) April 30, 2020

To help inspire the inner chef in us all, Taco Bell is also rolling out a series of recipe cards straight from the Taco Bell Test Kitchen. The cards provide step-by-step instructions on how to use the ingredients to whip up iconic Taco Bell classics, beloved favorites from the past, like the Double-Decker Taco and recipes fans have yet to see. And since no party is complete without refreshments, fans will also find recipe cards to make Taco Bell-inspired cocktails and mocktails, like the Taco Bell Strawberry Freeze Tequila Sunrise. The recipe cards will be available on Taco Bell’s Blog beginning Sunday, May 3

“Our food has always been a catalyst of bringing people together, and we’re finding new ways to do this from a safe distance until we can all be together again,” said Melissa Friebe, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing and Consumer Insights at Taco Bell. “No matter the meal they create, we’re excited to give fans a new at home Taco Bell experience.”

The At Home Taco Bar, which serves 6, will be available for at participating restaurants nationwide and includes 8 flour tortillas, 12 Crunchy Taco shells, 6 oz. of nacho chips, seasoned beef, shredded lettuce, refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, reduced-fat sour cream, Hot Sauce packets and napkins for $25*.

The At Home Taco Bar has something for everyone - the adventurous, the classic taco lover, the vegetarian or the roommate who wants it all. Fans can order ahead on the Taco Bell app and pick up their order via contactless drive thru or place an order via Grubhub for free delivery from participating locations.** Fans can share their unique Taco Bell menu creations on social and follow the conversations with #TacoBellCreations.

*Call local restaurant for pricing and participation which vary. Tax extra.

**Please visit www.tacobell.com/deivery to check delivery availability and additional terms. Free Grubhub delivery available for a limited time at participating U.S. Taco Bell® locations for users who order $15 or more, before tax, tip, and fees.

SOURCE: Taco Bell

Donated Hand Sanitizer Helps Coronavirus Fight

Beech Grove, IN (April 24, 2020) — After learning that a veteran of a local non profit was hospitalized due to the coronavirus, it was decided right at the moment they had to do something. The Mishawaka veteran, a volunteer for their organization was diagnosed back in March.

The major news sites are chock full of groups, organizations and individuals stepping up to help their community and Beech Grove, Indiana is no different. The many local Facebook groups are literally filled with offers of free food, drives to markets and free services.

We recently received an in kind donation of locally produced 71% Ethyl Alcohol hand sanitizer to our organization. They are currently being dispersed to several local community groups that are directly involved with veterans and high risk individuals. pic.twitter.com/yiZ4tLtKyB

— Bikersinc (@BikersincOrg) April 17, 2020

And countless folks in this small, friendly community have done food drives, made masks, donated services and many have sacrificed their own health to help at-risk people. That is how they are, neighbors helping neighbors.

First load of donated hand sanitizer 

Hand sanitizer is a necessity in a pandemic. It's especially important for essential workers and those on the front lines. After reading several news stories about local distillers switching to hand sanitizer production to help fight coronavirus, a small non profit called Bikersinc.org figured this could be something they could run with.

Gary Hall, District 2 Councilman has handed out over 100 bottles alone.

They reached out to several local distillers and some as far away as Oregon for in kind donations or even to purchase at a discount, but their inbox was silent on this issue. But one answered back, Charles Haywood, president and CEO of Mansfield-King in Indianapolis donated several hundred bottles of hand sanitizer to the their organization with more bottles committed when needed.

Bethany Village, a retirement assisted living facility received many bottles with more on the way.

The donated bottles are being distributed both close and far.  Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana, a non profit initiative that restore grave markers for veterans received a bag full to pass out to veterans in the Elks Lodge and the VFW in Greenfield.


Mansfield-King recently changed their operations from manufacturing cosmetic and beauty supplies to making hand sanitizers at its facility in Indianapolis. The bottles of hand sanitizer are not for sale and are being distributed free of charge.

SOURCE: Bikersinc

Albert "Bud" Anderson

Beech Grove, IN (April 15, 2020) - Just shy of his 82nd birthday, Albert "Bud" Anderson passed away on April 10, 2020, he was 81 years young. Known locally as just "Bud" he was born to the late Abner and Alberta Anderson on May 11, 1938.

Bud lived most of his life in California and returned to Indianapolis a few years ago to be near his family that he loved dearly. Bud loved antiques and walking along Main Street visiting the various shops with is "one of a kind" wooden cane. Bud will be remembered as a being a great storyteller, a charmer and he loved to tell jokes.

Just shy of his 82nd birthday, we must say goodbye to one of our dear and loved friends. Bud passed away this evening...
Posted by Victory Rolls and Baked Goods on Friday, April 10, 2020

Bud is survived by his daughter; Irene "Shelly" Michelle Johnson, brother; James Anderson, nieces; "Red" (Joe Gilliland) Anderson, Tamara (Frank) Chaney, Kelly Anderson, nephew; Bobby (Corina) Anderson along with many other extended family members.

He was preceded in death by several brothers and sisters. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at Little and Sons on a later date.


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1970: Remembering Apollo 13

Cape Canaveral, Florida (April 13, 2020) - It was 50 years ago today that the world held its breath as three astronauts began a harrowing journey back to earth after an explosion aboard Apollo 13 crippled their spacecraft.

Apollo 13 lifted off on time from the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm EST. The first 55 hours and 55 minutes of the mission went smoothly until, just over 3/4 of the way to the Moon, shortly after the one and only TV transmission of their journey, Apollo 13 had a problem.

A liquid oxygen tank exploded, pushing the flight off course, robbing the capsule of breathable oxygen and fuel for power generation.

An accident investigation board later found that upgrades to the tank, designed by American Rockwell, had overlooked thermostatic switches while being made to work with higher voltage test equipment at the Kennedy Space Center. These switches were likely welded shut during preflight tests allowing temperatures in the tank to rise to over 12 times the original design's limits.

Systems, including guidance, were shut down to conserve power. Over the next 6 hours, the astronauts with assistance from flight controllers on the ground, manually calculated a free return trajectory to get them back home.

The crew used the on board sextant, which required no power, to determine their position looking for two stars from a list of 37 known to the guidance computer. This a common task used many times during all Apollo missions to provide updates to the guidance, but was particularly complex for Apollo 13.


Had everything gone to plan, NASA’s third mission to land astronauts on the moon would have deployed a pallet of science instruments and brought back samples from humanity’s first visit to the lunar uplands. Instead, 50 years ago this month, Apollo 13 “had a problem.”

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Interstate Construction Starts Today

Indianapolis, IN (April 13, 2020) - With a lot fewer drivers are on the roads due to the Pandemic, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) plans to close major sections of Interstate 70 in the metro area starting today and lasting throughout most of the summer.

The construction will start with the closure of all lanes and ramps of eastbound I-70 from the North Split to Interstate 465 on the east side of Indianapolis. That work is scheduled to be completed on May 13. The westbound route will close on April 23 and is scheduled to reopen on May 23.

On the east side of Indianapolis and in Hancock County, eastbound I-70 from Post Road to Mt. Comfort Road will be closed from May 26 to July 3. The same stretch of I-70 westbound will be closed from Aug. 3 to Sept. 4. Crossover configurations will be built to carry traffic during the construction.

Work on I-70 between Post Road and Interstate 465 on the east side of Indianapolis will take place from April until October, but no full-time closures are planned.

More people are staying home due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s provided an opportunity for INDOT to complete planned construction in a relatively short window that otherwise would have taken place throughout the summer without as much disruption to traffic. “Full interstate closures are being used to ensure safety for workers, reduce the overall construction time, and maximize use of taxpayer dollars,” the INDOT statement said.

Mallory Duncan, a spokeswoman for INDOT, said the decision made sense in light of the decreasing traffic the highway is seeing while social distancing guidelines are in place across the state and the country. “We are seeing a reduction of about 40 percent of traffic volume,” she said.

According to INDOT statistics, all traffic was down 39 percent Tuesday, March 30, in comparison with an earlier “base date” of Tuesday, March 3. On the lowest date so far — Saturday, March 28 — total traffic was down 55 percent.

Light-duty vehicles, which include ordinary cars and trucks, have seen a more dramatic decrease than heavy trucks. The decreased levels of driving are continuing around the clock, Duncan said. “We don’t really have any peak hours anymore,” she said.

Duncan said it’s likely some of the decrease comes from people who are no longer commuting into and out of Marion County. The cancellation or rescheduling of major events, like conventions and sporting events, is also a factor. While the construction continues, Duncan advised people who need to travel in the area to plan their route ahead of time.

The construction is part of the Next Level Roads program, which will invest $60 billion in highway construction and maintenance in Indiana over 20 years. The work will be completed by INDOT and partner Milestone Contractors.

Indianapolis Emerging COVID -19 Hotspot

Indianapolis, IN (March 29, 2020) - The United States highest doctor called Indianapolis an “emerging hotspot” on his recent twitter post.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams posted the statement saying in part, “We must now focus on flattening the curve and raising the bar in emerging hotspots like New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, LA, Miami, and Indianapolis.”

According to Indiana State Health Department, nearly 8,500 Hoosiers have been tested for coronavirus. At 9:30 a.m. today, 1,232 positive cases have been identified in the state, so far.

7/n We must now focus on flattening the curve AND raising the bar in emerging hotspots like New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, LA, Miami, and Indianapolis.

We have the playbook, - but we must all increasingly run the plays faster and better as #COVID19 spreads the field.

— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) March 29, 2020

Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered all Indiana residents to hunker down last week with a two-week shelter-in-place order as state health officials continue to provide daily updates on COVID-19 cases in Indiana.

Dr. Jerome Adams said it was difficult to say if the worst is yet to come for the U.S. as the spread of virus is different in each area of the country and "everyone's curve is going to look different."

Despite the warnings, Adams said there is some good news as there has been an increase of testing for COVID-19 in the country.

"We're approaching a million tests. We're trying to give people the data so that they can make informed decisions about where they are on their timeline and what they should be doing."

Firefighters Battled Large Fire

Indianapolis, IN (February 11, 2020) — Fire investigators say three people possibly living inside of a vacant building on Indianapolis' south side may have accidentally caused a large fire while trying to keep warm.

Photo by: Indianapolis Fire Department

Indianapolis Fire Department firefighters received multiple calls around 5 p.m. about a large fire in the 800 block of East Sumner Avenue, IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith said in a press release. The fire was upgraded to a two-alarm response three minutes after crews arrived at the scene.

Residents in the area said three people were believed to be living in the building, Reith said. Investigators say they were believed to be using pallets inside to build a fire to keep warm. Chromium, a hazardous material, was possibly inside the building, Reith said.


Two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were checked out by medics for smoke inhalation, but were not transported to the hospital, Reith said. No firefighters were injured.

It took crews more than an hour to get the fire under control, Reith said.

The incident remains under investigation.

SOURCE: The Indy Channel

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What You Want to Know About Your Home

Beech Grove, IN (February 10, 2020) — The anxiety of buying a new home can form in any number of ways, and you might find yourself questioning the property you’ve chosen – is the backyard really that small? Is the soil contaminated from the nasty-looking stream nearby? Is your house haunted?

Maybe you’re not asking the last one, and maybe you’re trying to convince yourself you’re not asking the last one – but it’s not unreasonable to wonder. Rest assured you can investigate your concerns before you purchase a home, and you can do most of it online.

Four websites provide a wide of range of property details, and then some – from historic aerial images to documents that show the home was used as a meth lab. These tools can help you see what might be a game changer before you sign the deed.

DiedinHouse.com

True to its name, DiedinHouse.com can tell you the name of every person associated with the address at any point in time, if someone has died in a home, if there were any previous fires on the property or if it was ever used as a meth lab.

Roy Condrey, founder and co-CEO of DiedinHouse.com, says he got the idea for the site when a tenant in one of his rental properties claimed the house was haunted. Condrey found no evidence of the paranormal, but it made him wonder. “I started thinking, I didn’t know the history of these homes,” Condrey says.

When Condrey found no websites offering information about deaths in homes, searchable by address, DiedinHouse.com was born.

At $11.99 for a single search, you receive an instant report that pulls from data providers that partner with DiedinHouse.com. For the next 30 days, DiedinHouse.com will continue to search the address in case the initial report missed anything and will notify you with any new results, as well as provide a final report at the end of the 30 days.

Condrey says it’s up to the consumer to decide whether certain results are a deal-breaker on a home, but having the information keeps you from wondering after you’ve moved in.

“A lot of people say one-third of Americans admit to believing in ghosts – and I say those are the ones that admit it. There’s a lot of people that don’t admit it, but also there’s more to it than just paranormal [activity]. ... I still don’t want to live in Andrea Yates’ home where she drowned her five children,” says Condrey, referencing the 2001 case in Houston. "I don’t want to live in a home with any deaths, that’s just my opinion.”

Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management has digitized its collection of more than 5 million federal land title records, making it possible to pull up images of original documents signing land over to private individuals dating back to 1820.

Survey plat maps, land patents and field notes on properties show the formation of property lines. All the information is searchable with the state name, name of the patentee or even minute details for the property, such as township number, survey number and issue date.

The free searchable collection of documents only covers property in the 30 states formed from the public domain, which excludes the original 13 states, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia. However, details for properties in those states should be available through an online or in-person search through the state’s archives.

NETROnline.com

Originally launched as a portal for environmental records, National Environmental Title Research, better known by its acronym, provides an array of information from its databases and partner information companies, as well as links to local assessor offices across the country.

NETROnline.com’s property data has become a standard resource for many financial institutions. As Brett Perry, president and founder of NETROnline.com, explains, the site streamlines the research process on a home, “essentially making it easier to get those documents, as opposed to going to the courthouse [in person].”

While property data reports can be purchased through the site for additional information not readily available, the site provides free access to environmental records, links to county assessors' offices with online records and aerial images that date back to the 1920's.

While much of the information is used for professional use, Perry says features like the historic aerial photos are popular among metal detecting hobbyists who research where buildings once stood on a property and may have artifacts buried in the soil.

“It’s a virtual time machine,” Perry says. “It enables the user to put in their location and see what it looks like not only today from a bird’s-eye view, but going back in time in some instances to the 1920s and the 30s … you can look at different decades and see what existed on your property.”

HouseFax

Providing reports of a wide range of property information, HouseFax aims to increase the transparency of property information so homebuyers know what they’re getting into.

HouseFax CEO Eddy Lang explains the site started in 2002, inspired by an ongoing lawsuit at the time between Ed McMahon and his home insurance company after mold grew and spread throughout his house. A Los Angeles Times article from 2003 reports the case was settled; McMahon was awarded $7.2 million for a shoddy cleanup job from a home flood caused by a pipe burst, which made McMahon and his wife ill, and forced them to put their dog to sleep.

After following the case, Lang says he wanted to give homebuyers a better understanding of properties they view before they make the purchase. He adds that homebuyers should know the previous insurance claims on the home, what construction has been permitted on the property and what damage the property might be prone to based on the location and topography of the land. "Usually, insurance is the very last piece of [the transaction], and that’s when you find out: Is it in a flood zone? Has there been damage? Was there a fire in the house? What are the previous claims?” Lang says.

Housefax offers the first Property History Report for free, with each report after that costing $9 each – which includes property details, building permits, records of carbon monoxide or use of the property as a meth lab, natural disaster risk assessments and loan history.

The site meets homebuyer and seller needs, which make up 70 percent of HouseFax’s users, according to Lang. But for real estate professionals looking to pull reports en masse, subscriptions are available as well. HouseFax also offers an offline service – the pre-appraisal report – which brings an appraiser to your home to inspect it, take photos and make an appraisal estimate for $199 to $399, depending on square footage. The service is intended to provide buyers or sellers with a better understanding of the value of a home before a lender gets involved and conducts an appraisal.

Whether you’re curious about the construction history on a property or want to confirm your house is inhabited by the recently deceased, an increasing number of sites are offering greater transparency with property records and can provide you with the answers to questions that the deed, or maybe even the listing agent, won’t tell you.

SOURCE: Business Insider

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February is Heart Month

Southport, IN (February 8, 2020) — Heart health is among the most important factors to an individual's physical well-being. Heart disease is the leading cause of death nationally in adults, and everyone should know its risks factors, as well as how to promote good heart health overall. There's no better time to take such steps than now: February is American Heart Month.

Observed every second month of the year, American Heart Month represents a critical time for raising awareness of preventative actions and healthy lifestyle choices that lead to better heart health.

Responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths, heart disease is a subject that needs to be addressed. Take the time to recognize symptoms and brush up on how to make better decisions for your heart. You can start by learn more about American Heart Month.

What is American Heart Month?

February has been designated American Heart Month since 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson made the observance official with Proclamation 3566, signed Dec. 30, 1963, according to the American Heart Association. Since that time (when half of U.S. adult deaths were due to cardiovascular disease), advocates have launched efforts to educate the public on how heart disease can be prevented and identified.

A key date in American Heart Month is the first Friday of February. While that date this year (Feb. 2) has already passed, what's known as Wear Red Day is a highlight for every American Heart Month. As implied, people across the country wear the color red to raise awareness of heart disease and prevention; it's a chance to engage with communities, families and friends on the basics of good heart health.

In 2018, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) announced a social media campaign to inspire Americans to "#MoveWithHeart." A general resolution to get more physical activity done each day, NHLBI recommended participants record a short video of their #MoveWithHeart pledge and share it across their social networks to reach others about the importance of heart health.

Facts about heart disease

American Heart Month is such a valuable time to conduct outreach about heart disease because of the scale of its lethality. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 630,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, making it the No. 1 killer of both men and women. Each minute, more than one person in the U.S. dies from a heart disease-related event, while every 40 seconds an American experiences a heart attack.

While there are many types of cardiovascular disease (including congenital heart disease, arrhythmia and high blood pressure), coronary heart disease is the most common, responsible for around 366,000 deaths in 2015. It's also worth noting the demographic effect of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in African-Americans, Latinos and whites.

Altogether, the CDC estimated heart disease costs the United States around $200 billion annually. The sum of health care costs, medications and lost productivity results in a huge net financial impact to the country, not to mention the social toll.

Recognizing risk factors

Considering the scope of heart disease in America, it's important to become well-aware of the risk factors that negatively affect cardiovascular health. The most prevalent and highly associated risk factors to look for include:

• High blood pressure.
• High cholesterol.
• Smoking.

According to the CDC, about half of Americans have at least one of the above three factors. Those learning more about heart disease should also be aware of the effects of:

• Diabetes.
• Obesity and being overweight.
• Diets with poor nutrition and high in trans fats.
• Physical inactivity.
• Substance abuse.

It's just as vital to know what symptoms indicate a cardiac event. Being able to identify warning signs means being able to act more quickly and effectively, which is crucial when time is of the essence. While chest pains and discomfort are clear red flags, the CDC noted most people aren't aware of all the major symptoms, like shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweats, and upper body pain and discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.

"Small steps to improve lifestyle choices add up."

Leading a more heart-healthy life

As ominous as the statistics about heart disease are, even those most at risk can take small steps to improve lifestyle choices add up. Heart disease is largely preventable, and there are a number of steps an individual can take to mitigate their risk and improve his or her heart health and overall well-being. Let's begin with a few changes that are relatively easy to make:

Cut down on takeout; shop for groceries more: It can be easy to fall into a rut of eating out often. Grocery shopping takes time, and the cooking afterward can be even more time-consuming. But that's no reason to rely on unhealthy and fatty fast food to constitute the majority of your diet. Grocery shopping itself is an exercise in taking more control over your life, and finding quick and easy recipes can make the process all the more enjoyable. Focus on the food groups by getting plenty of vegetables, fruits, and healthy proteins and grains.

Walk whenever and wherever you can: If you have the option to walk somewhere, always consider it as your first choice. Getting your steps in each day goes a long way toward improving heart health. Even if you have to drive to work, think about parking further away. Even a quick walk around the block is better than nothing; avoid being sedentary at all costs if you can.

Schedule an appointment with a doctor: There's no harm in knowing what risk you're at of developing heart disease. When you have the clarity that a doctor can provide, it's easy to identify ways to live a more healthy lifestyle. Though it can be scary, there's no substitute for a medical professional's expertise and advice. Besides these steps, there are other more intensive actions that others may need to take:

Quitting smoking: Ask anyone who's tried to quit smoking before on their experiences and it's understandable how difficult the task can be. However, it's massively important to heart health that smoking is taken out of the equation. If ready to quit, get in contact with an expert, join a support group and research treatment options and alternative products (like nicotine gum). Any progress made in quitting smoking is good progress.

Losing weight: An ask as challenging as the one above, losing weight can have a marked effect on heart health. It starts with small steps like fitting in small amounts of exercise and building up, as well as eating better and reducing unhealthy habits. It may be a long road to embark on, but shedding pounds also sheds risk of heart disease.

Take the time today to learn more about American Heart Month and how you can lead a more heart-healthy life.

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Car crashes through Beech Grove Apartment

Beech Grove, IN (January 17, 2020) — Neighbors are rallying behind a woman and her three children who were out of their home Thursday night after a car drove into their apartment.

It happened just before 5 p.m Thursday at the Park View at Beech Grove Apartments. That’s near Emerson and Churchman avenues in Beech Grove.

Damaged Apartment

Police told the woman who lives there that the 19-year-old driver meant to hit the brake, but hit the gas instead. Neighbors ran out to help after hearing the crash, including, Rickey Barnett.

“I was inside my apartment and I heard a kaboom. So I came out to check on it and then I immediately called the apartment complex to have them come out and shut the electricity and the water off so nothing would catch on fire and everybody on both sides of the apartment would be safe,” Barnett said.

He works for the contracting company who is going to fix the giant hole in the apartment. He says his crew is going to work quickly to fix it in about five days.

Police say the driver was not given a ticket since it happened on private property.

SOURCE: WISH

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Captured: Turkey that flew the coop

Beech Grove, IN (January 11, 2020) — Police rescued some customers in Beech Grove Friday after a turkey took roost in front of a business.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Lt. Jeff Duhamell responded to a call of a turkey in front of Corsi Cabinets in Beech Grove.

The customer was not able to enter the business, as the turkey was blocking the door, possibly trying to get the customer to stop shopping cold turkey.

Lt. Duhamell picked the turkey up and placed him in a dog cage. Police did not indicate if fowl play was involved.

The turkey was taken to a nearby farm where he was fed until he was stuffed and has plenty of space to roam.

SOURCE: CBS4

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Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers diagnosed with Parkinson’s

Greenwood, IN (December 13, 2019) — The mayor of the Johnson county’s largest city announced Friday he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers, 58, said in a statement he was diagnosed with the central nervous system disorder last month, and that it wouldn’t affect his role as the city’s top leader.

Mark Myers, Mayor of Greenwood, Indiana 

“As with every challenge life has presented, I intend to take a head-on approach and have never known any other way,” Myers said. “Thankfully, we discovered the disease early, which provides a much greater opportunity to treat and manage symptoms.”

Myers said he has an excellent team of doctors and has started kickboxing sessions at 9Round Fitness on the southside. Studies done by Butler University and the University of Indianapolis have found that intense exercise, particularly the kind that forces people out of their comfort zones such as boxing or kickboxing, can slow the progression of the disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative and relentless neurological disease in which the brain produces increasingly less of a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for allowing the brain to communicate to the muscles throughout the body, so as less becomes present, it becomes more difficult to move normally.

Myers has reached out to both the Indiana Parkinson Foundation and Parkinson’s Awareness Association of Central Indiana seeking to learn more about the disease and offering his assistance in raising awareness, according to his statement.

“I feel strong, fit and more passionate than ever about leading Greenwood’s resurgence. As always, thank you for your support,” he said.

During the last seven years, the life-long Greenwood resident and son of a former mayor helped revive downtown Greenwood by working to fill vacant storefronts, beautifying facades and improving city streets. He added jobs, attracted Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon to the outskirts of the growing city and built a staff he raves about.

In Greenwood, conversations have centered around future development, particularly downtown and on the southeast side of the city.

Redevelopment of the 16-acre middle school property is part of the mayor’s years-long $24.5 million plan to turn downtown Greenwood into a place to live, work and play. His hope is the area will eventually be home to more than 580 apartments and townhouses, 75,000 square feet of retail shops, restaurants and office space, 9.9 acres of open green space and include 1.9 miles of new or renovated streets, something he hopes to see come to fruition in the next five years.

Myers was just re-elected and will start his third term next month. He plans to continue serving Greenwood as mayor.

SOURCE: Daily Journal
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Trains stored in Beech Grove return to Milwaukee

Beech Grove, IN (December 10, 2019) — The passenger trains the state of Wisconsin ordered more than a decade ago are coming home, if only for a little while. An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed Monday the trains built by Spanish train manufacturer Talgo to run in Wisconsin are back at the company's maintenance facility in Milwaukee.

Talgo originally built the trains to run on Amtrak's Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago, but they were caught up in a legal battle that was born out of Wisconsin's high-speed rail debate.

The state purchased the trains in 2009 under the leadership of former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. The state of Wisconsin defaulted on the Talgo contract in 2012 after Republican lawmakers decided not to pay for their maintenance.

The state settled a lawsuit with Talgo in 2015. Under the terms of the agreement, Wisconsin paid Talgo $50 million and Talgo got to keep the trains. According to an analysis by the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office, the deal and subsequent settlement expenses cost the state about $59 million.

As reported by WPR's "Derailed" podcast, Talgo had been storing the trains at Amtrak's Beech Grove, Indiana, maintenance facility for the past five years while it searched for someone to buy or lease the trains.

The trains are being considered for use as interim equipment on Amtrak’s Cascades line through the Pacific Northwest, after a 2017 derailment on that line took several trains out of commission.

The Federal Railroad Administration granted Amtrak a waiver in November 2018 that would allow it to operate the trains, although Amtrak has yet to announce whether it will take that step.

Asked Monday about the movement of the Talgo trains, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari released a statement that confirmed the trains are in Milwaukee but stopped short of confirming that they were headed to the Cascades line.

"The Talgo Series 8 rail equipment that had been stored at the Amtrak facility in Beech Grove, Ind., has been moved to the Talgo facility in Milwaukee," said the statement from Amtrak. "These train sets are among the interim equipment options being considered by Amtrak for use in the Pacific Northwest."

While these trains won't run in Wisconsin, Talgo still has a presence in downtown Milwaukee where it performs maintenance on train sets that run in California. The company announced earlier this year that it was expanding, growing its workforce from about 30 people to 90.

Nora Friend, Talgo's vice president of public affairs and business development, released a statement from the company Monday that hinted at where the trains could be headed next.

"Talgo is working with Amtrak to place the Series 8 train sets in service in the Pacific Northwest," the statement read. "They have been moved to Milwaukee for preparation of that service later next year."

Part of the reason the trains might be put into service on Amtrak's Cascades line through Oregon and Washington is that Talgo built two identical trains that are currently running on that line. Those trains were also built at the Milwaukee facility.

While the trains that were moved over the weekend were originally designed to run on the Hiawatha line, the Doyle administration hoped its deal with Talgo would make Milwaukee a Midwest rail manufacturing hub.

Doyle also hoped Talgo would build trains to run on a new high-speed passenger rail line connecting Milwaukee to Madison. That prospect seemed close to reality after Wisconsin was awarded $810 million to build the rail line as part of the 2009 federal stimulus bill.

SOURCE: Wisconsin Public Radio

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Josh Fryar honored as an All-American

Beech Grove, IN (December 9, 2019) — The All-American Bowl Selection Tour was at Beech Grove High School on Monday to award four-star offensive lineman Josh Fryar with his jersey to play in this year’s game.

Fryar is tabbed as the No. 1 recruit in Indiana and No. 12 offensive guard in the country. He is committed to Ohio State.

“It was great,” Fryar said of his ceremony. “I loved it. It was kind of exciting seeing this whole All American thing. I’ve been seeing it for the past few years and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Fryar is part of roughly 90 of the nation’s best high school football players headed to San Antonio to play in the All-American Bowl on Jan. 4. NBC will have the national broadcast from inside the Alamo Dome.

“Competition,” Fryar said of what he’s looking forward to. “Just competing against the best guys in the nation and especially seeing how I match up against them.”

The 6-foot-5 1/2, 305-pound Fryar committed to the Buckeyes on July 4 over his other finalists Indiana, Oregon and Penn State. He remains fully locked in and will put pen to paper during the Early Signing Period on Dec. 18.

“The atmosphere around the program right now is electric,” Fryar said. “Coach (Greg) Studwara has the offensive line right and Coach Mick (Marotti) obviously I think is the greatest weight lifting coach, strength coordinator, whatever you want to call it in the nation. They’re just rolling right now and it’s all built on toughness.”

Fryar is part of an Ohio State class that ranks No. 4 nationally. He is joined by Paris Johnson Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott Jr., Lathan Ransom, Luke Wypler, Cody Simon and Kourt Williams as an All-American.

SOURCE: 247 Sports

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Beech Grove Library offers genealogy sessions

Beech Grove, IN (December 8, 2019) — The Samuel Bryan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be offering to the public two types of genealogy sessions through the 2020 calendar in partnership with the Beech Grove Public Library.

The Lineage Research Workshop, formerly Ancestry Workshop, will have both afternoon and evening sessions, and representatives from the Samuel Bryan Chapter will provide genealogy research assistance using the library edition of Ancestry.com and other online resources.

Kim Shepherd, team leader for the upcoming sessions

The Samuel Bryan Chapter will be introducing the Genealogy Learning Series, focusing on several genealogy topics that would enhance any family historian’s research skills. These sessions are geared for both the beginner and the intermediate learner. Kim Shepherd stated that “these sessions are progressive or they can stand alone. Take some or take all,” of the Genealogy Learning Series. Nine sessions are being held at the Beech Grove Public Library.

Participants can register for both the Lineage Research Workshops and the Genealogy Learning Series sessions through the Beech Grove Library’s link HERE. Early registration is encouraged as there is limited seating available.

SOURCE: The Weekly View
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