E E R
F
COVER
February/March 2017
WARRICKNEWS.COM
rock
My
y mom and I haven’t always had the best relationship, but that was my fault. I wasn’t exactly an easy teenager to get along with. Over the years, though, she’s grown into my best friend. Recently, I had to tell my mom that one of her close friends had committed suicide. Obviously, she was devastated, as was my dad. I spent the next day cooking with my mom. We reminisced a little, goofed off a little and kicked my dad out of the kitchen a lot. Bringing food to the grieving is a somewhat antiquated ritual, but it felt like we were doing a little something to ease the pain of our shocked and saddened friends. These moments are the ones I love the most with my mom. I see her strength. I know she wants to cry, but her instinct is to make others feel less pain. When I got pregnant with my oldest daughter, my mom quit her job to become a full-time grandma. She absolutely embraced it. She has been there for them from the moment they were born. She is their biggest cheerleader, maybe even more than me at times. She tears up when she hears Chloe sing. She fawns over Calle and her baking abilities. She’s even embraced my dogs — even if she wasn’t exactly excited when I came home with them. While I’m more appreciative than she’ll ever know for what she does for my kids, I’m even more grateful for what she’s been for me. My mom is my rock. She’s the calm to my crazy. She reminds me to be a little more level-headed when I want to fly off the handle. She is always a phone call away and has no objection to me just showing up at her house and walking in the front door. She’s become much more than just a mom over the years. She’s now a partner on my journey instead of a tour guide. We’ve shared many memories over the years, but I’m excited to see where our epic adventures take us. Mom, I love you more than words can say.
M
Emily May Editor
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[ON THE COVER] #singforsophie Sophie Rinehart is continuing to bring people together with her legacy
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Farewell, Princess The death of Carrie Fisher was a sad day for many who lost an icon. One local family felt the sting a little deeper.
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Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
CASTLE
WE ARE ALL
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#singforsophie
F
or six months, the Castle Marching Knights prepared to be on that stage. They took the field at BOA national competition on Friday, Nov. 11 and scored third in the nation in their class for their school size. They would go on to compete against bands of all sizes as one of the top bands in the nation. The Marching Knights — comprised of 272 skilled and determined students — left everything they had on the
By Wyatt Squires
field in their performance. Sophie Rinehart’s celestial voice moved spectators who traveled from across the nation to see the artistry of high school marching bands. The Knights took 10th in the competition for the national title among bands from Indianapolis, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Florida. The awards ceremony ended late Saturday night and Sophie’s family — her father, David, her grandmother, Ruth Ann, and her older sister, Josie — left to return home.
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
Photos courtesy of Facebook Sophie Rinehart’s doodling has turned into a jewelry line at Brinker’s Jewelers in Evansville. Proceeds are helping fund a scholarship in Sophie’s name.
In the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 13, their car hit a deer as David was driving the family home on I-69. He pulled the car to the side of the road before calling in the incident to police. When Indiana State Police Trooper Cory Knight arrived on the scene, he found a mass of debris in the roadway and a passenger car and an inverted pickup truck near an embankment. The investigation revealed that David had pulled to the side of the road after the incident with the deer, but some time afterward, a pickup truck driven by Mason Hartke, 19 of Jasper, left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck their parked car. Sophie, David and Ruth were lost in the wreck. Just hours after an inspiring performance, tragedy struck the Rinehart family, their church family and the Castle family. Members of the community in Newburgh, the state and the entire nation have lent their grief at the loss of a beautiful voice that affected so many. Band students from across the nation expressed their condolences on social media with the tags #singforsophie and #weareallcastle. Nationally-known singer Sara Bareilles learned of the tragedy and tweeted, “Tragic loss of a young girl, her father, and her grandma last night in a car accident. I’m so sorry for the loss. Absolutely heartbreaking.” Bareilles even e-mailed Band Director Tom Dean expressing her condolences and her honor that her song was included in the band’s performance. “To hear my song Gravity, sang and played so beautifully and with so much heart by such a talented group of young people was a gift to me and I will remember hearing and watching that video forever. Thank you for that,” she wrote. Dean said it would be impossible to express the full range of emotions felt by Castle Bands. He said the outpouring of support is remarkable. “It is impossible for me to personally respond and thank everyone who has sent messages, videos, cards, e-mails and gifts,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“Please know that I have read every message and my heart is absolutely filled again, overflowing with your love. Tears of grief and heartache are replaced with tears of thankfullness and love.” In his post, Dean spoke of the last time he spent with Sophie. After the semifinal performance that qualified the band for national competition, Dean was asked to do a video interview about the Castle Marching Knights and to bring along a student for the interview. He asked Sophie to accompany him. “What I didn’t know at the time was that Sophie and I would get to share some time together for the last time,” he wrote. Dean wrote that their conversation on the way back from the interview fell onto the topic of the origins and inspiration for this year’s show, “A Siren’s Song.” In the show, Sophie not only lends her talents on flute, but also as a vocal soloist. Dean told Sophie that the show was inspired by her performance in her middle school talent show.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
“
“I told her [Sophie] moved that I heard thousands to tears her sing at the and her life’s work middle school in music ministry talent show will continue to and I was comlive on and touch pletely amazed more people than at her maturity she could have ever and passion,” imagined. he wrote. Tom Dean Dean wrote Castle band director that Sophie responded by saying she almost didn’t participate in the talent show, but was convinced by friends at the last minute. “I told Sophie, ‘Imagine that if you hadn’t done that years ago, none of what happened today would have been possible. This whole show was inspired by that recording. It’s crazy to think about how one small decision changes everything.’” Dean said that the two smiled and laughed about the way God works while on the way back to the buses. “I am a better person today because of her and her and the influence of three generations of the Rinehart family I have known,” Dean wrote. “[Sophie] moved thousands to tears and her life’s work in music ministry will continue to live on and touch more people than she could have ever imagined.” Sophie was also very active in ministries at Crossroads Christian Church where her father, David, was the Worship Arts Academy Director. “There are no words to describe the pain and shock we all feel. This is one of those moments in life that is extremely difficult to understand,” Pastor Patrick Garcia said in a statement. “We can take comfort knowing that David, Sophie and Ruth Ann are currently experiencing the joy of Jesus’ presence for eternity.” The Warrick County School Corporation dispatched its crisis team to assist those in need at Castle High School and in nearby schools. The team seeks to provide support and direction in times of tragedy. “This is obviously a terrible tragedy,” Superintendent Brad Schneider said. “We want to be with our students and staff as they go through the grieving process. Academics are not a top priority today. Our priority is helping kids cope.”
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Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
A lasting legacy
As the Castle band family mourned, so did many around the nation. After the devastating loss, members of the community surrounded the family and friends struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. Then the messages began pouring in. Notes of support came in from across the nation, pledging to stand with Castle Bands as they struggled to deal with the loss of their soloist. Band programs from all over the country have expressed their condolences on social media with the tags #singforsophie and #weareallcastle. Now, the Warrick County Community Foundation is hosting a Castle Band Program Fund with the Castle Band Boosters to provide annual scholarships available to Castle Band students in memory of Sophie. “When a community suffers a tragic loss, many look for ways to understand and also ask themselves what they can do to help,” a release from the foundation read. “Many members of the band community — a community that stretches across the nation because of its common love of music and each other — would like to contribute to something in memory of Sophie and the Rinehart family.” Those interested in making a charitable gift in Sophie’s honor to support the Castle High School Band Program can visit the Community Foundation website at www.communityfoundationalliance.org/warrick/ and select Castle Band Program Fund in the drop-down menu. “Your gift will become part of a community band family effort to help create an even stronger future for students, music and the Castle High School Band program, in loving memory of a beautiful, talented young lady,” the release read.
Wyatt Squires is a staff writer at Warrick Publishing. He can be reached at jsquires@warricknews.com.
Photos courtesy of Facebook Top: Schools from all over the country offered their love and support to the Castle band program following the deaths of Sophie, David and Ruth Ann Rinehart. Bottom: This photo was taken following the Marching Knights’ performance. Pictured are: David Rinehart, Sophie Rinehart, Josie Rinehart and Ruth Ann Rinehart.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
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Tragedy after tragedy U By Emily May
nfortunately, the Rineharts were not the only family to feel great loss last year. On Dec. 17, Skylar Robinson-Williamson, 15, was on her way home from a night out with two friends, Whitney Winstead, 20, and Megan Ripperdan, 18. The trio was heading eastbound on S.R. 62 just west of Chandler when their vehicle was struck by an SUV traveling at a high rate of speed. That vehicle was driven by 18-yearold Osiel Marroquin. According to police reports, Marroquin had blood alcohol content of nearly three times the legal limit. Marroquin was driving the wrong way on the divided highway when the accident occurred. Skylar died at the scene. Megan is still recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Neither Whitney or Marroquin were seriously injured. Just a couple of months earlier, Jesse Lechner, 34, was driving his scooter along the same stretch of highway near Chandler when he was struck from behind. Bridget Lafferty, 18, told police that a “terrible song” had come on the radio, so she looked down to change it. When she looked up, she saw Jesse, but was
Photos courtesy of Facebook Skylar Robinson-Williamson was killed by an alleged drunk driver just days before Christmas.
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
Photos courtesy of Facebook Clockwise from top left: Jesse Lechner, Ruth Ann Rinehart, David Rinehart, Skylar Robinson-Williamson and Sophie Rinehart were all killed by alleged drunk drivers in a matter of 55 days.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
unable to stop in time. He was pronounced dead at the scene. She was charged with both drunken driving and driving with a schedule I or II substance in the body. In April, an erratic driver crashed his vehicle into another, causing it to roll over. James “Stan” Ensor was ejected and died at the scene. Justin Birdwell, 29, pled guilty to a single count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Level 4 felony, and was sentenced to 10 years in jail. As families are being forced to deal with unthinkable loss, the community is left to question so many things. Birdwell was sentenced to just 10 years for taking a life. Mason Hartke, the man who allegedly killed the Rinehart family, and Lafferty are facing Level 4 felonies. Marroquin is facing a Level 5 felony due to a prior operating while intoxicated conviction. Theoretically, they could all be out in much less than five years, if they serve time at all. Level 4 and 5 felonies are eligible for sentence suspension, which means it is possible that they serve no time at all. I did not know the Rineharts, but I grieved with the community when their lives were taken so abruptly. I didn’t know Skylar, but I grieved with my 14-year-old daughter when she sang at her friend’s funeral. I didn’t know Stan Ensor, but I grieved with my community, who was dealt a devastating blow. I did know Jesse. We went to school together and, because we both live in a tiny town, I saw him often. I grieved for my old friend. A very wise friend told me that in order to incite change, we must use our voice. This is the best voice I could think of. One drink is too many. If you have had a drink, don’t drive. When you see someone prepared to get behind the wheel after drinking, speak up! I have driven that stretch of road between Chandler and Evansville thousands of times in my lifetime. It could have been any one of us. Skylar was in several of Chloe’s, my oldest daughter, classes at Boonville High School. She was just a freshman. She had an entire lifetime ahead of her. Someone else’s decision took that away from her. The idea that the person who destroyed so much could be free in just a handful of years is infuriating.
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Granted, none of these drivers put a gun to anyone’s head and pulled the trigger. Instead, they got wasted and got behind the wheel of a 4,000 pound weapon. The dangers and consequences of drinking and driving are well documented. The “I didn’t know” defense doesn’t work here. These people made a conscious decision to drink or do drugs. Unconscious or not, these people made the decisions that put them in a position to kill people. Big change doesn’t happen until we, as a society, make it happen. It’s time to petition our legislators to toughen the drinking and driving laws. It’s time for us to stand up to those who think they’re great drivers when they’re drunk. Teach your children that drinking is a privilege awarded to adults — whether they can handle the responsibility or not. If all you can do after a tragedy is learn, please let these senseless deaths be a lesson to all of us.
Emily May is a copy editor at Paxton Media Group. She can be reached at emay@warricknews.com.
Partners
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February/March 2017 |
in
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
crime By Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt
File Photos Eric Mitchell walks with Alex, his co-chief of police.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
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E
ric Mitchell and his dog, Alex, will never part ways. Mitchell was previously the canine officer for the Newburgh Police Department. When he was under consideration for the new chief of police, he made it clear he would not take the position if he was forced to separate from Alex. Mitchell, 40, was recently promoted to chief of pvolice and you could say that Alex, his beautiful German Shepherd, was promoted as well. In fact, you could say that Alex is co-chief. “Fortunately, I was not put in a position to request that Alex stay with me, but if I were pressed to decide between my partner and my position, I would have chosen Alex because we have a very strong bond, which I believe any animal person can relate to,” said Mitchell, who was appointed by the Newburgh Metropolitan Police Commission. He is not Newburgh’s youngest Chief of Police. “I have always felt that age was just a number and years on this earth doesn’t always equate to wisdom,” Mitchell said. He said his new duties are to ensure the cohesiveness for his officers and making sure their needs and the needs of the citizens are met. “A new thing I am now tasked with is concerning the budget,” Mitchell said. “But I’m kind of ‘numbers guy’ so it’s been very easy for me to comprehend and straighten out.” He said it is his responsibility to lead by example. “I believe a good supervisor has to be firm but most importantly, fair, as I need to balance the needs of the officers and the needs of the department as these are not always the same,” Mitchell said. He said how many calls he receives depends on the day of the week, “time of year and whether there is a full moon, as cliché as that sounds.” With his new position comes even more
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
hours on the job. “Sometimes it feels like I am always working, with covering my normal shift, to filling in on other shifts, to never-ending phone calls and meetings I am now required to attend,” Mitchell said. “But I believe this is all part of the responsibility.” Although he is proud of his solid core of officers, Mitchell said the department is in the process of hiring additional staff to fill vacant positions. For the most part, he considers Newburgh a “very safe community, which I attribute to its vigilant citizens calling when something looks awry as well as the efforts made by our department and the sheriff’s office working together to
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keep our streets as crime-free as possible.” Mitchell was honored and relieved to officially be named Chief of Police. “I believe I initially made some positive changes for our department when I was first named Interim Chief of Police, and to know that another person was not going to come in and undo these changes was a relief,” he said. Newburgh is lucky to have a man like Mitchell and of course his pal, Alex, to make sure we are all safe and secure in our daily lives.
Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt is a staff writer for the Newburgh Magazine. She is the mother of two grown sons and lives in Newburgh with her husband, Gordon, dog, Spencer, and cat, Fogerty.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
Farewell, princess 18
February/March 2017 |
To some, Carrie Fisher was part of a childhood fantasy. To others, she was more like family. By Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt
Photo by: Mary Evans/Lucasfilm/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection(10341713).
T
o most people in the area, the death of Carrie Fisher and her mom, Debbie Reynolds, was a very sad news story. To my family, however, it was a much deeper loss. When my son, Michael, first moved to L.A. several years ago, he stayed in Carrie’s guest house. He became very close to Carrie and he got to know Debbie, as well. Mike also spent time with Billie, Carrie’s daughter, when she was a young child. Obviously, it was a devastating time for him when he lost his friend, Carrie, and Debbie the next day. When I flew to visit Michael seven or eight years ago, we climbed into his car and without a phone call, we just popped in on Carrie at her house. She was so happy to see us and I was so comfortable that the first thing I said was, “I am starving, Carrie. I am grabbing a banana.” Her house was really eclectic and not like some fancy movie star’s home. We talked as we walked around the house. Carrie told me stories about everything from finding a friend dead in her bed to the fact that her dad’s (Eddie Fisher} new woman was many years younger than she was. She spoke about her mom, Debbie Reynolds, and how she
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
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could be so funny. I was surprised when Carrie said to me, “Of course I am crazy. Would you be normal if your dad was the biggest tramp in Hollywood and your mom was Tammy?” Her humor was so spontaneous and natural. Fisher talked to me about my son and how much she liked him and what a pleasure he was when he had spent time living in her guest house and how great he was with Billie. Michael adored that little girl. She laughed when she explained that she was surprised that out of the blue the father of her child told her he was gay and moved out. The day of my visit, Billie was visiting her dad. Carrie’s relationship with her ex was not hostile and he was very much a part of Billie’s life. As we plopped down in her comfortable and inviting home, we talked like we had known each other for years. She talked about the latest diet she was on and had more funny stories than I ever heard at one time. Carrie was so real. She had no makeup on and was wearing a big shirt and shorts. She looked like the antithesis of a movie star or Princess Leia. She looked like an everyday person. It is ironic that the women who live
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” -Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds at The Auction finale reception in 2014. Photo by Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection.
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017 around us, including myself, usually have some makeup on and are dressed in some kind of outfit. However, Carrie Fisher had nothing to prove. What you saw was what you got and I saw an adorable woman who had a bit of wackiness I often find in myself. I felt an instant closeness and it was like being at the home of an old friend. Next door down a little hill was Debbie Reynolds’ house. Debbie was out of town at the time. We went in and walked right into a huge closet. It was full of hundreds of beautiful outfits. It was like a dream to me. Carrie said, “Put your name on whatever you want and when mom passes away, it is yours.” I said, “These are size two or zero, I am size eight. They would never stretch that much.” This was Carrie, a woman who was so giving. A few nights later, I was back home and got a call from California. It was my son, Michael, saying, “Somebody wants to talk to you.” On the other end of the phone was Debbie Reynolds. She was as talkative as her daughter. We spoke about my visit to her closet and how much she adored my son. I told her that when I was a little girl I thought of her as royalty. When I told her I had to go and what a joy it was getting a call from
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her, my son took the phone and asked, “Mom, did you blow off Debbie Reynolds?” I told him we just finished our conversation. When tragedy struck and we lost Carrie, Michael was beside himself. He was so very sad and then Debbie died the next day. Her son, Todd, said that right before she died at his home, she said, “I want to be with Carrie.” She died of a broken heart. They were inseparable and even in death that proved to be true. I picked up the book Carrie sent me, “The Best Awful,” a fiction book she wrote which was partially autobiographical. She wrote me a long note at the beginning saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” talking about Mike and myself. She also sent me “Wishful Drinking,” in which she wrote to me, “We will always have Paris,” but crossed out “Paris” and wrote in “Michael.” While the world lost much with the death of Debbie and Carrie, our family lost a friend. I felt a kinship with Carrie. I will never stop being amazed by how brilliant and witty and how real she was.
Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt is a staff writer for the Newburgh Magazine. She is the mother of two grown sons and lives in Newburgh with her husband, Gordon, dog, Spencer, and cat, Fogerty.
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
Don’t
bully breed the
By Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt
eople who own a certain breed of dogs are forbidden to move into apartments, dorm rooms and face much discrimination. It can be likened it to racism and sexism and is called “breedism.’’ Dr. Jordan Baker, a Newburgh veterinarian who comes from a family of vets, says there are no bad breeds of dogs, only either bad or neglectful owners. A “pit bull” is born and needs to be put into a home with people who treat him right. He needs to be housebroken and learn family life like any other dog. However, if he or any dog is hit, starved or left out on a chain all the time, the chances of the dog being sweet and loving go down. However, some dogs who were taught to fight and treated horribly, were given to homes with loving people and are doing great. A prime example is the “Vicktory Dogs,” who were rescued from Michael Vick’s fighting dog ring in 2007. Baker said there is a lot of media hype when it comes to pit bulls. “The sad part is that more people are injured by canines of other breed characteristics than pits,’’ Baker said. “We just are bombarded by what makes a better news story.” Pit bulls represent powerful working dogs with strong jaw muscles and dominating physical stature. “They have been developed and bred for such jobs as guard animals, personal protection and livestock guards/shepherds,” Baker said. “These breeds, especially pits have been associated with criminal activity, especially dog fighting. This is likely what makes them more popular news stories.” When any dog is treated inappropriately it has the potential to behave badly.
P
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
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Photos submitted Pit bulls and other large breed dogs may get a bad rap, but many families in the tri-state and across the country see them as part of the family.
“
My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the ‘70s, they blamed Dobermans. In the ‘80s, they blamed German Shepherds. In the ‘90s, they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the pit bull.
”
Cesar Milan dog trainer and pit bull advocate
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February/March 2017 |
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine
“This is the reason most children are bit,” Baker said. “Not that the dog was bad, but it was put in a position where it felt threatened and the result was a natural response of defense. This, unfortunately, still results in severe or deadly consequences for children.” Although smaller dogs are more likely to be the canine party involved in these scenarios, when it is a pit or other large breed, the results are far more serious and possibly fatal, Baker said. “Breed doesn’t matter,” he said. “It is canine behavior that drives these interactions. There are not breeds that are more likely to respond, just breeds that can cause more damage due to their size and physical attributes. Dog owners and parents/guardians have a responsibility to prevent and discourage these negative interactions. There is no dog regardless of breed and degree of training that can be fully trusted around very young children who don’t know how to interact appropriately.”
Although Baker hopes that prospective dog owners would take the necessary steps to prepare themselves for the care of animals, just like having children, there is no pretesting to ensure someone is capable. “The other down side of this idea would be in regulation and enforcement,” Baker said. “If a county even has an animal control department, they tend to be understaffed and underfunded. Who would be responsible for this training and ensuring that it has been completed before someone brings pets into the home? I would hope that shelters and other adoption groups would try to help spread good information and ensure good homes for the pets they adopt, but again I feel this is often overshadowed by the fact that the need for continued and fast movement of animals to allow for the next one its chance.” He has seen poor information given to new dog owners coming out of shelters/rescues. As far as property owners are concerned, they should not let preconceived miscon-
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017 ceptions influence their decisions. Although he would like to say there are no bad animals, that would be a false statement. “I have personally seen dogs that were well taken care of and appropriately trained end up in a negative situation causing an injury,” Baker said. “It is animal reaction to fear and self-defense that lead to these type of bad interactions.” However, is it far more often that bad dogs are created by bad owners, not bad genetics, he said. “There are people who purposely encourage bad behavior in animals for stupid reasons,” Baker said. He doesn’t necessarily equate “breedism” to racism. “Racism is about hate,” Baker said. “I don’t feel these dogs are unfairly hated. I believe that they are unfairly portrayed and unfairly take the blame for bad human behavior. In regards to breed bans, I feel that the property owner has a right to choose their tenants and uphold rules of their choosing, realizing insurance companies play a huge role in these breed bans as well. I just wish they would choose to listen to animal professionals who have been trained and better understand the prevention of these negative interactions, instead of following unproven and unneeded breed bans.” He is strongly against municipalities and governments issuing breed bans. Time and time again, these type of bans don’t actually reduce the number of negative dog and human interactions. “They only serve to overwhelm an already overwhelmed adoption and rescue system and result in the unnecessary destruction of beautiful animals that could have been in loving homes,” Baker said. While Baker says racism is about hate and he does not feel these dogs are hated, the reputation that some of them have leads people to want to stay away from them. These animals are warm, sweet dogs just like other breeds and education is needed. People must get to know these animals and they just might fall in love.
Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt is a staff writer for the Newburgh Magazine. She is the mother of two grown sons and lives in Newburgh with her husband, Gordon, dog, Spencer, and cat, Fogerty.
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Colombia DESTINATION:
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realism By Amanda Mosiman
F
ew people associate Colombia as a premier travel destination. It’s more closely associated with the likes of Pablo Escobar, narcotics trafficking and guerilla warfare. But that’s a far cry from the Colombia I found this past year. Colombia’s Ministry of Tourism uses the tagline “Experience Magical Realism,” which conjures thoughts of beautiful locations, exotic cuisines and a unique cultural immersions. From my experience, this narrative rings true. Last February, in conjunction with Indiana AgriInstitute’s Agricultural leadership program, 25 colleagues and I set out to explore Colombia and experience a new culture. We landed in Cali among sprawling fields of sugar cane nestled below the Andes Mountains. Cali is Colombia’s third largest city and has one of the fastestgrowing economies in the country. However, among the three major cities in Colombia, Cali has the least investment in security and the recovering wounds of historic violence are most recent here. Soon after arriving in the city center, we were scurried off for lunch and a service learning project at the Forming Futures Foundation (FFF). FFF offers a safe haven for young people who have no other support systems. While we worked on construction and cleaning projects at the FFF facilities, some of the volunteers and current beneficiaries bravely shared their stories with us. One story, in particular, is forever ingrained in my memory. It was the story of a young woman whose own mother had sold her into prostitution. FFF saved her life when she had no one else and her strong desire
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Colombia is a haven for agritourists.
to help others and further her education shined through. Thanks to public\private partnerships and organizations like FFF, stories like this are decreasing and communities are moving forward. We enjoyed a delightful evening with our new friends, which included Colombia barbecue and even a little salsa dancing. Day two took us up the mountains to visit a traditional Colombian farm. The farm is the site of the largest conservation areas in the district, the Cali River Basin. Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, after only Brazil, which is 10 times its size. It is one of only 17 “megadiverse” countries in the world and it’s this region that is known for its exotic bird populations with almost 1,900 species found here — 20 percent of the world’s species. Ornithologists and birdwatchers flock in from all over the world will come in for the Colombian Birdfair. The Birdfair has as a mission to promote and enhance bird tourism in Colombia as a strategy aimed at sustainable rural development and the conservation of Colombia’s biodiversity. The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed leisurely hikes on the mountainside (8,000 ft above sea level) through thick jungle trails during a misty rain that damp-
Photos courtesy of Amanda Mosiman
ened everything but our spirits. Our next plane ride took us to Medellin and we learned why Citi and the The Wall Street Journal named Medellín, Colombia, the 2015 World’s Most Innovative City. Colombia’s “second city” was once the murder capital of the world with 17 murders every day in 1991. It has since undergone a massive renaissance and is now one of the country’s main cultural hubs. The city received this honor in part for the creative ways people move from place to place. From a metro cable system (gondola lift) that moves low-income people from rural mountain villages to the city for work, to the mountainside escalators that alleviate the grueling hike to and from the grocery store, Medellín is putting big ideas to work. For our last stop we finally arrived in Bogota — the capital and largest city of Colombia. The city is located in the center of Colombia, on a high plateau known as the Bogota Savanna. Here, we again encountered the reoccurring theme of cooperation. Public-private partnerships for social improvement abound. European paperbased packing company Smurfit Kappa has tree nursery facilities and forestland outside of Bogota and a sense
Newburgh on the Ohio Magazine | February/March 2017
of social responsibility that leads them to give back to the communities in which they work. Their commitment to the low-income town of Yumbo through an early childhood development center has changed the lives of hundreds of families for the better and offered countless children opportunities to be successful in the future. The work of PROCOLOMBIA in promoting trade and tourism has helped put Colombia back on the map. Bogota is responsible for 56 percent of the tourism that arrives to Colombia and is home to 1,423 multinational companies. Bogota also ranks highly as a global city where business is done and meetings are held, hence, it is a growing international meetings destination. Bogota’s many cultural venues including 58 museums, 62 art galleries, 33 library networks, 45 stage theatres, 75 sports and attraction parks and over 150 national monuments. Many of these are renowned globally. One can easily spend days taking in all Bogota has to offer. Our group’s final tour took us through the beautiful and expansive greenhouses of the country’s cut flower industry. It accounts for 80 percent of all of the cut flowers imported by the U.S., and has been a major economic driver. Despite its reputation as a drug-peddling dangerous place, in reality, it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world with a diverse nation that is helpful, hopeful and deeply endearing. Add in a dash of Juan Valdez coffee and I’m not sure there’s anything that can stop Colombia now. This country is a perfect example of how perseverance and ingenuity can change everything.
Amanda Mosiman is the Purdue Extension Educator for Warrick County. She is also a world traveler. She can be reached at bailey1@purdue.edu.
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A
dvertiser
INDEX
Access Storage..............................................27
Midwest Facial Surgery....................................2
Benny’s Flooring ...........................................32
Miller’s Garage..............................................25
Caliber Home Loans........................................19
Newburgh Magazine.........................................31
Kim’s Consigned Designs..................................15 Pets 1st..........................................................29 Larry’s Automotive..........................................23 Town of Newburgh............................................6 LNB Investment Services................................13
TRU Event Rental, Inc...................................21
Meuth Carpet .................................................11
Women’s Health PC..........................................9
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Benny’s