Tag Archives: Big Talk

Science has become a controversial topic in today’s political discourse. Sean Buehler, a senior studying public health issues at Indiana University, is helping clear the air about scientific topics ranging from the environment to the mind. He’s the founder of Science on Tap, a monthly, open to the public presentation of issues in the scientific realm at a revolving set …

Bloomington is home to a wide variety of do-it-yourself, grassroots entertainers. Sue Rall is one — an aerial silks acrobat and drag king. She and her cohorts perform at various special events around town as well as at venues featuring exotic and envelope-pushing fare. Sue graduated from the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls to aerial acrobatics, defying gravity and combining her …

Newspapers are old school and it takes an old school character to get them to your door or your neighborhood store. Jack Dopp has been in the newspaper delivery business since he was a grade schooler in Gary, Indiana, back in the 1950’s. He and his crew have been bringing newspapers from all over the country — and at times …

Martin Luther King Jr.’s record of success against all odds has inspired a consortium of Bloomington environmental groups who’ll get together Sunday for a celebration of solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. The event — The Fierce Energy of Now: Time to Choose — will feature a documentary film on our energy and climate future. There’ll also be representatives …

Actor and beloved drama teacher Francesca Sobrer appears in this weekend’s final performances of the Bloomington Playwrights Project production, “Home”. She plays a manipulative Texas mother desperate for her daughter’s love and understanding. It’s a challenging role as Sobrer is on stage for almost the entire length of the play. She deals with her daughter as three different times in …

Restoration architect Cynthia Bruhbaker helps Bloomington retain its past. She has been responsible for the rebirth of such historic structures as the I. Fell Building and the old Coca Cola bottling plant that now serves as the multipurpose headquarters for Middle Way House. Bruhbaker knew early on she wanted to be involved in resurrecting nearly forgotten architectural treasures. She joins …

An institution in local politics, Dan “Carp” Combs has been Perry Township trustee since the mid-‘eighties, providing services for the needy and even making sure the abandoned Shortstop lot on the south side remains relatively clutter-free. Uniquely among American states, Indiana depends on the township form of government. Former Governor Mitch Daniels tried to eliminate the township system but failed. …

The Bishop bar and live music venue doesn’t cater to the stereotypical binge-drinking, hell-raising undergraduate crowd. So how does the place stay open? Amid a number of live music venues coming and going in Bloomington, The Bishop has survived. Together with its building neighbor, the Comedy Attic, it forms a lively entertainment locus just south of Courthouse Square where townies …

The Book Corner on Walnut Street has anchored the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square through lean times and boom times for more than a half century. The story of the family-run business reads like a history of the town. The shop has weathered the advent of e-readers as well as the demise of newspapers and magazines but proprietor Margaret …

Arts advocate Marc Tschida makes hand-crafted, wooden jigsaw puzzles featuring photographic images and artwork specific to Bloomington and South Central Indiana. His puzzles have become so popular, he’s now scaling back his job as a theater company administrator to produce them on a full-time basis. You can view his work at press puzzles dot com and they’ll be available in …