That moisture on the cheeks of Wabash Valley residents today is probably sweat, not tears of sadness at the passing of July 2012.
It was the hottest, driest July in history for this community. We sweated through 29 days (out of 31) of temperatures above 90 degrees. On 12 days, thermometers hit triple digits. (All of those were in the 100s, thank goodness. If we had hit 200, you might not be reading this.) Three times — thrice — the mercury climbed to 106. Rainfall in Terre Haute measured a paltry 0.47 inches going into Tuesday (the final day of the month), well below the previous record of 0.55 set in 1997 and a whopping 7-plus inches below normal.
The U.S. Drought Monitor rates the situation here at its worst level, calling it an “exceptional drought.” Many of us would choose more colorful adjectives.
July contributed heavily to the Drought of 2012. It touched families, public services and businesses. Air conditioners ran almost non-stop. Gardens withered. Parched farmland left corn crunchy and curled, as if in October, but without ever maturing its harvest-ready grain. Lawn care crews and landscapers lost income, as did mower repair and gardening shops. The future of water-starved trees, even those aged 50 years or more, became iffy.
None of us should wish our lives away, but all who endured last month can be excused for waving it goodbye and good riddance.
We will look to August with a sense of optimism, despite the possibility of more of the same. The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s 30-day outlook calls for above-normal temperatures and below-median precipitation. That forecast does not sound like a drought-breaker, but nothing about the weather is certain until it happens. With that in mind, let’s look ahead with hope.
When it rains (and we are trusting it will), relish the moisture; pop open a lawn chair and get soaking wet as it pours down.
When the temps dip into the 80s (see, we are getting bubbly already), take a walk around the neighborhood.
When a cool breeze stirs, slip on a jacket, just for kicks.
Fire up the lawn mower, simply to make sure it still works.
Cheer the schoolkids as they pass by in school buses (yes, the first day of classes in Vigo County is near, Aug. 14).
Arid, scorching July is over. August, finally, has arrived. If the desert-like conditions do not abate, the month offers plenty of other things to celebrate — the Perseid Meteor Shower (it peaks in the early-morning hours of Aug. 12 and 13), National Water Quality Month (on second thought, scratch that one, for now), National Goat Cheese Month, National Panini Month, and, most reassuringly, National Happiness Happens Month. For the record, we hope a little rain happens, too; that would make us happy.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: Goodbye to a dry July
We can all hope August brings rainy relief
- Editorials
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EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
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EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
Our kids, truly, are ‘Making a Difference’
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Some words in praise of boring government — Indiana’s
A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government leads to major changes in public policy. This did not happen in 2013 in Indiana.
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EDITORIAL: Doc’s prescient prescription
Viewed through a 2013 prism, Doc Bowen’s response to the AIDS epidemic looks merely prudent, routine.
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EDITORIAL: Education remains worth the cost
Within the next few weeks, each of the local colleges will have conducted graduation ceremonies. A few days later, a different Class of 2013 will don caps and gowns for commencement — the seniors at five Vigo County high schools. It is still a smart, worthy aspiration for those high school grads to replicate the achievement of those college students by earning a higher-education degree.
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EDITORIAL: Good news for downtown
For decades, it seems, downtown Terre Haute has been in the throes of change
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EDITORIAL: Overall, state budget step in the right direction
For average Hoosiers uninterested in political point-scoring, the budget crafted by the Indiana Legislature inspires only muted, if any, fanfare.
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EDITORIAL: The lessons of organ donation
The range of emotion surrounding life-saving transplantation of a vital organ is extreme. It is the ultimate “good news-bad news” scenario.
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READERS’ FORUM: April 26, 2013
• Pence’s tax cuts benefit wealthiest
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
This does not qualify as a surprise in any way. But the Wabash Valley’s response to widespread flooding of recent days has been nothing short of impressive, even inspirational.
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EDITORIAL: Still waiting for the jobs reward
The forces in control of Indiana government for most of the past decade need to show some results to Hoosiers in one primary category.
Good-paying jobs. -
MARK BENNETT: Littered with irony: Why do people callously discard their trash, and who are they?
Though they aren’t acknowledged by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are basically two demographic groups of people … Those who would dump their old toilet on the banks of the Wabash River or a rural roadside. And those who wouldn’t.
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EDITORIAL: Doing the dirty work to clean up tossed trash
A first-of-its-kind, coast-to-coast project to remove litter from U.S. roadsides brought the Pick Up America crew through the Wabash Valley two years ago.
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EDITORIAL: Keep school security a local issue
The decision to provide armed security inside a schoolhouse should be made locally.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
Indiana’s parks need your help.
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EDITORIAL: The return of terror
Emotions today remain strong and raw in wake of Monday’s terror bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
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EDITORIAL: A solution to distracted driving … stop it … now
You’ve got to stop. You know you do it. It’s a miracle you haven’t caused a tragedy already.
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EDITORIAL: ‘Women of Influence’: 2013 selectees have given much to their communities
For the second year, United Way of the Wabash Valley has teamed up with local sponsors to select and honor a group of women who have made outstanding contributions to their communities, professions and families.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: A new honor for our veterans
A commendation goes out today to state Rep. Clyde Kersey, a Terre Haute Democrat who led the charge this week in the Indiana House of Representatives to pay tribute to the nation’s Purple Heart recipients.
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EDITORIAL: Shifting view on marriage
One could argue, as many have, that Sen. Joe Donnelly did the right thing last week when he dropped his support of government-sanctioned opposition to same-sex marriage. It wasn’t a radical move, considering most Democrats have now made the switch.
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
It happened again this past January when all those “looking at the year ahead” stories started popping up on Internet “news” websites and broadcast “news” programs. Under a provocative headline reading something like “Five industries/businesses doomed to tank in the coming year,” there it was, a prediction based on an unsubstantiated “expert” analysis that the newspaper industry will continue in 2013 to suffer its slide into oblivion.
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EDITORIAL: A chance to change our bad cultural habits
The sight of diligent, eager young people dragging trash out of the Wabash River wetlands is both inspiring and sad.
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EDITORIAL: Maintaining high standards
Standards
It’s the raging buzzword in education circles these days. Everyone insists that higher standards must be met. Anything less is, doggone it, unacceptable. -
Noteworthy in the news
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EDITORIAL: Crack down on dumpers
There is a reason it’s called “illegal” dumping. It’s against the law. And there is a very good reason illegal dumping is against the law.
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Season of Day 2s arrives
Calendars in Cincinnati contain one extra holiday — Opening Day, traditionally the first Monday in April.
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Congress fails to recognize problem of education costs
Who hasn’t gotten this message yet? The cost of a college degree has become unaffordable for a wide swath of middle-class America.
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EDITORIAL: The cause of public safety: Firefighter group dedicates itself to preventing tragedy
Ensuring that smoke detectors are in working order is one of those periodic chores that’s so simple, yet seemingly so difficult in terms of follow-through.
- More Editorials Headlines
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