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Despite living through years of hardship under the French, the Americans and their Vietnamese allies, and, more recently, conflicts with China, a vendor in a market in the coastal city of Hoi An has a ready smile for customers. She wears the nón lá — a conical hat made of palm leaf and worn by Vietnamese of all ages and both genders. | © Steve Raymer / National Geographic Creative

Local Photographer’s Career Spans the Globe in Stories and Photos
Claude Cookman
Writer Claude Cookman sits down with photographer Steve Raymer to discuss Raymer's new book, Somewhere West of Lonely: My Life in Pictures. Cookman says Raymer shows how photojournalism is “the essential eyes for citizens in democratic societies to understand an increasingly complex world.” Raymer, an IU emeritus professor, was a veteran National Geographic photographer in the “golden age” of magazine photojournalism. Click here to read the full story and see many of Raymer's photos.
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Members of the Blockhouse Bar Call & Response House Band before a show. | Photo by Chaz Mottinger

‘Wednesday Is Jazz Night’ — A Conversation with Drummer Ben Lumsdaine
Jim Manion, Chaz Mottinger
With Bloomington’s jazz pedigree, it’s fitting that one of the hottest acts in town is a jazz band. On Wednesday nights at Blockhouse Bar, the Call & Response House Band features local and national jazz artists. Jim Manion, music director at WFHB, talked with C&R leader and drummer Ben Lumsdaine about the weekly jazz series. Click here to read the full story.
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Since 2010, the Bloomington Community Orchard has grown from a grassy acre into a fully planted orchard. But its roots stretch throughout the city and beyond, connecting with community members, businesses, and other organizations through such programs as skill-sharing classes and partner plantings. | Illustration by Mark Blaney

Guest Column: Roots of Community Orchard Spread Across Town
Megan Betz, Mark Blaney
Since 2010, the Bloomington Community Orchard has grown from a grassy acre into a fully planted orchard. But its roots stretch throughout the city, connecting with community members, businesses, and other organizations through skill-sharing classes, partner plantings, and other programs. In this guest column, BCO volunteer Megan Betz writes about the project — and the mysteriously vanishing peaches! Click here to read the full story.
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Creating a community of misfits isn’t what music entertainer Darran Mosley intended or expected. After growing up in a “super-rough” neighborhood in Indianapolis, then working in computer systems in Chicago, he landed in Bloomington, where he works in IT by day and in music by night. | Courtesy photo

Big Mike’s B-town: Darran Mosley, Misfit
Michael G. Glab
Creating a community of misfits isn’t what Darran Mosley intended or expected. After growing up in a “super-rough” neighborhood in Indianapolis, then working in computer systems in Chicago, he landed in Bloomington, where he works in IT by day and in music entertainment by night. Here, Michael G. Glab profiles this karaoke host, DJ, and vocalist. Click here to read the full story.
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For many students in rural areas of Indiana, STEM learning fades as the school year ends, writes Patti Danner. But a variety of programs are bringing STEM access to rural areas. For example, pictured here is Bloomington's Wonderlab Museum Educator Nick Whites as he demonstrates sound principles with audience assistants Fred Harvey, left, and Esse Harvey during his June “Symphony of Science” outreach program in Shelburn. | Photo by Patti Danner

Summer Programs for Rural Kids Halts STEM Brain Drain
Patti Danner
For many students in rural areas of Indiana, STEM learning fades as the school year ends, writes Patti Danner, a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. But Danner has found many activities and events — including an education outreach program from WonderLab — that offer science-learning opportunities to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Click here to read the full story.
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Ann Barlow stands on the porch of her house in Needmore, an intentional community in Brown County, in May 2017. Known in the 1960s and ’70s as communes, places like May Creek and Needmore have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka. And now, as the founding members continue to age, their biggest concern might be finding and keeping the next generation of community members. | Courtesy photo

Intentional Communities Must ‘Bend with the Times’
John Mikulenka
Southern Indiana has a long tradition of utopian communities, also known as communes. A few of the ones formed in the 1960s and ’70s — places like May Creek Farm and Needmore — have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka in this detailed and expansive feature. But as the founding members age, he asks, who will take their place? Click here to read the full story.
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While Ruthie Cohen's mother always kept a tin of dry mustard in the cupboard, Ruthie didn’t acquire a taste for the “nasty condiment” until years later. Now she uses it frequently in dishes such as her Middle Eastern–style Chicken in Mustard Sauce and Romain and Walnut Salad (both pictured here). | Photo by Ruthie Cohen

Stirring the Pot: Acquired Tastes, The Mighty Mustard Seed
Ruthie Cohen
In this edition of Stirring the Pot, writer Ruthie Cohen experiences a bit of Dijon vu. While her mother always kept a tin of dry mustard in the cupboard, Ruthie didn’t acquire a taste for the “nasty condiment” until years later. Now it’s a part of her well-stocked kitchen. Click here to read the full story.
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“All the love and irritability” of parenting can be hard to reconcile. But experts are finding one of the best ways to cope is through play. More importantly, says writer Jared Posey, play is crucial to childhood development. Here, Posey's wife, Katie, plays on the floor with their son. | Photo by Jared Posey

Reconcile the ‘Happy’ and ‘Pathetic’ Moments of Parenting with Play
Jared Posey
“All the love and irritability” of parenting can be hard to reconcile. But experts are finding one of the best ways to cope is through play. More importantly, says writer Jared Posey, play is crucial to childhood development — of motor coordination, emotional intelligence, creative thinking, problem-solving, and relationship building, among others. Click here to read the full story.
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WTIU Executive Producer Rob Anderson in the station's control booth. He says WTIU "has always produced documentaries or long-form programs locally, and we take that very seriously.” | Photo by Tommy DeNardo

56:46 — WTIU’s Legacy of ‘Meaningful and Relevant’ Documentaries
Michelle Gottschlich
Now in its 50th year, WTIU has an extensive history of making long-form documentaries that tell Hoosier stories — rural, small-town, and world-renowned stories. Creating highly regarded films is unusual for a local PBS affiliate — and no easy feat, says writer Michelle Gottschlich. Here, she talks with WTIU’s filmmaking team. Click here to read the full story.
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Metamora, Indiana. | Photo by David Wilson

8 Fun and Weird Hoosier Places to Explore This Summer
Allison Yates
From nightmares to utopias, from the classic to the kitschy, Indiana has many unique and unconventional places to explore. If you’re uninspired by the same old vacation spots, take a day trip or weekend excursion to these unusual places — all less than a three-hour drive from Bloomington. Writer Allison Yates leads the way. Read the full story here.
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David Brent Johnson works in the sound booth at WFIU. | Courtesy photo

Big Mike’s B-town: David Brent Johnson, Jazz Expert
Michael G. Glab
David Brent Johnson’s encyclopedic knowledge of jazz seems to have come from a lifetime of devotion to the music. But WFIU’s jazz director didn’t “see the light” until his 20s — while drinking coffee in a Kirkwood cafe. Michael G. Glab gets the story of this Bloomington legend in Big Mike’s B-town. Click here to read the full story.
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Syd Bohuk’s alarm dings, they swallow a bright blue pill, and continue with their day. Syd says this pill — PrEP, an HIV preventative medication — has become a part of their daily routine, and is much less scary than they had originally anticipated. | Photo by Nicole McPheeters

Gaining Access and Overcoming Stigma of Taking HIV-Preventive Drug
Hayley Miller, Nicole McPheeters
A medication can lower the risk of contracting HIV by more than 90 percent in some people. But obstacles, including the cost of getting it and the stigma of using it, prevent some people from even trying. Writer Hayley Miller and photographer Nicole McPheeters report on how Positive Link is working to break down these barriers. Click here to read the full story.
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