River Mill Trail opens in Middlebury
'At DNR, outdoor recreation is core to our mission,' said Dale Brier, DNR deputy director of community grants and trails. 'We're proud to support Middlebury with the new River Mill Trail that makes important connections between existing trails, the regional Pumpkinvine Trail, and other local businesses.'
More than one mile of asphalt multi-use trail was constructed by the town of Middlebury's Parks and Recreation Department with help from a $717,370 grant administered by the DNR.
The River Mill Trail links existing park trails in the town of Middlebury to a 9-mile section of the regional Pumpkinvine Trail. The new trail also connects Middlebury residents to several businesses along the trail corridor.
'The funds from the DNR grant provided the bulk of the money to launch the town of Middlebury's newest trail,' said Tom Enright, park superintendent. 'The River Mill Trail connects two of the town's parks to the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and allows residents on the east side of the town to access the Pumpkinvine without needing to cross Ind. 13.
'The River Mill Trail is already being used on a regular basis by providing more opportunities for safe recreation, exercise and transportation.'
DNR has led the largest infusion of trails funding in state history, with $180 million in dedicated trail funding administered through DNR that facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. A total of 45 of the 89 projects are complete, with another 21 under construction. With this opening, more than 134 miles of trail have been built since the program's inception.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Three Things That Just Aren't Worth It
By its very definition, 'waste' means using your time, money, and resources on things unlikely to return value. It's an opportunity cost. By inverse, skipping wasteful things spares you from those stupid headaches. You invite more happiness and efficiency into your life. In 2024, a friend announced on her Facebook feed, 'If you plan on voting for Biden, just unfriend me now!' Shortly thereafter, she appeared in a comment section, all-caps replying to people over election issues. Each comment got more corrosive and insulting. People were name-calling and going deep into bitter 37 reply threads. A week later, she made another post ranting, 'Facebook is so toxic. I have found out who my real friends are. Time to take a break from this place.' Yet she was the one who invited this toxicity into her feed. To be fair, we live in an important swing state (Florida). Tensions run extremely high during elections. I've seen friendships dissolve over elections that went well beyond clicking 'unfriend'. John Stuart Mill, the father of modern utilitarianism, once wrote, 'So long as an opinion is strongly rooted in the feelings, it gains rather than loses stability by having a preponderating weight of argument against it.' More plainly, Mill saw that emotion entrenched people's beliefs. He inferred, 100 years early, that internet arguments are futile. Without underlying respect, two people can never hope to convince each other of anything. And in the veil of internet anonymity, respect is fleeting. Let's face it: Most internet users are only interested in being right. So don't bother reasoning with them. It's like arguing with a drunk person. The funny thing? When I've gone to writer meetups, the nastiest, most aggressive online writers who argue 24–7 with readers, are often the shyest in real life. They are meek. They stand in the corner during cocktail hour, smiling and not saying anything. And so I say to you — is it really worth going through your day, angry about what a stranger said to you online? Just as so many people are banefully toxic, many of you keep these exact people in your everyday life. You reason with them. You give them second chances. They cheat on you once again. They flake on dinner plans. You get begged into trusting them and being their friend/partner again. Only to get burned, over, and over, and over again. I never thought I'd be one of those people who got burned and then was talked back into being friends with that person again. I was just reading about a woman and her abusive partner. She described going back to him repeatedly after he apologized. I sat reading the story pleading to myself for her to stop doing it, even though this story took place in the past and that she was now free. On paper, these decisions are always so easy, especially from the outside. There's no emotion or shared history to cloud your judgement. The healthiest thing I ever did was face this hard reality: just because I love and care about a person, doesn't mean they should be in my life. My open-door policy and being too forgiving were ruining me. I was losing my spine. I was becoming a person I hated, letting other people completely walk all over me. Walking away is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It hurts and feels like having a death in the family. But if you don't cut toxic out, they'll just bring more havoc to your life. You'll be looking back 10 years from now wondering why it took you so long to figure things out. This chapter should have been closed in middle school. The number of unintended pregnancies continues to hover around 50% in the United States. Granted there are very real needs around education and access to contraception—there's also quite a bit of willful ignorance at work, as I've seen firsthand. People continue to wing it on birth control, or opt out entirely, using highly unreliable methods that just create an enormous problem they have to contend with (women especially). My friend told me a interesting story. He was 18, and still in high school. He was parked in front of a pharmacy during a storm. He needed to buy condoms but was so embarrassed and scared to do it, worrying about being judged. He kept sitting there, delaying and delaying, watching the rain hitting his windshield. He tried to pretend the rain was the reason he couldn't go into the store. Then, he had an epiphany, and realized, 'If I am not mature enough to buy condoms, I should not be having sex.' I thought it was a rare and candid moment that you rarely hear from a person. It's never my goal to call an unintended child a 'problem'. However, these surprise babies create a world of other problems for people who aren't ready to be a parent. They end up co-parenting with someone they can't stand — or hardly knew. They end up in a legal battle over visitation. I see friends, still dealing with drama co-parenting a kid they had more than 10 years ago. And then there's the cost of daycare, food, and the infinite list of unexpected problems you have to squash each day. Every tiny aspect of your life is forever changed because you didn't spend a few extra bucks on protection. After my divorce, I was absolutely stunned by the number of single parents I saw on dating apps. It felt like 1 in 3. Every other profile was a car selfie with a kid in the backseat. Sure, it might feel good to break rules and be naughty. Just mark my words — there's a haunting feeling that sinks in later. The affirming question I try to repeat to myself with risky decisions is, 'Will I be glad I made this decision, hours, days, or months from this moment?' I don't always get it right. But it was that exact question that helped me quit smoking. I knew I'd never look back and think, 'I wish I'd just smoked for a few more years.' Life is full of wasteful activities. Avoid them and you'll be ahead of the pack. Getting tied up in internet debates. Just move on. Trying to save dying friendships and relationships. Cut out toxic people. Treating birth control like a game you can wing it with.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Family recounts parents' efforts to save children in Ruidoso flooding. GoFundMe launched
The family of two children who died in Ruidoso, New Mexico, is recounting the horrific moment floodwaters swept the young siblings away and the desperate attempt by their parents to save their lives, as detailed in a GoFundMe page. Charlotte and Sebastian Trotter, 4 and 7 years old, were found dead on July 8 after flash flooding swept across the village of Ruidoso and into Riverview RV Park. The children and their parents, Sebastian and Stephanie Trotter, had arrived just two days prior for a camping trip from El Paso, Texas. "On July 8th, what was supposed to be a carefree family vacation in Ruidoso, New Mexico, turned into a nightmare no one could have imagined," wrote Hank Wyatt, the children's uncle, on the GoFundMe. Wyatt described a typical day ahead of the flash flooding, which included exploring the village, shopping, playing soccer and pizza for lunch. The family was packing up the RV when flooding hit, he said. "They received no warning or alerts on their phone when suddenly water began to flood the campsite at a rapid pace," Wyatt wrote on GoFundMe. "The RV began to fill up with water before they could even step out of the door. Their efforts to escape the RV and seek refuge failed. As the water got more and more violent, the RV was nearly half way filled with water when the wall of the RV cracked in half and the mother and kids were sucked into the water." The children's father, Sebastian, dove into the water to save their daughter, Wyatt wrote, as Stephanie and her son climbed up a tree. Charlotte continued down the river until trees and debris hit and separated them. Stephanie then started drowning until she was rescued, he said. "It was impossible for them to fight against the speed and depth of the water at this point," Wyatt said. The family also lost their two dogs, Zeus and Elle. Both parents sustained serious injuries and are recovering at a Texas hospital. Sebastian is a soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, while Stephanie is a nursing student. Sebastian faces a long road of recovery, Wyatt wrote. The family is raising funds for medical bills and rehabilitation, and to cover funeral expenses for the two children. The GoFundMe had raised over $52,000 in donations as of 2 p.m. on July 10. On GoFundMe, Wyatt said the two siblings were among the "brightest, most joyful souls you could ever meet." "Little Sebastian loved nothing more than chasing a soccer ball across a field, dreaming of playing professionally one day," he wrote. "Charlotte was our little performer. Always singing, always twirling, and lighting up every room she entered. They were kind, curious, and loved harder than anyone I've ever known." The third victim, identified by officials as a man between 40 and 50 years old, was swept away at the same RV park as the Trotter family. In an interview with the El Paso Times, the owner of Riverview RV Park identified him as Tim Feagin, who worked and lived at the campsite. Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@ @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook. More: Where could Ruidoso Downs horse racing season relocate if moved in 2025? Here are options This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Family creates GoFundMe for children who died in New Mexico flooding
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
El Paso residents demand answers after fire, smoke erupt at Marathon refinery
El Pasoans were left with little to no answers as huge black plumes of smoke overtook the city and flames burst through smokestacks at the Marathon Refinery in South Central. "We deserve to know what is going on at the refinery," said Matthew Moriel, who lives in the Corbin-Sambrano neighborhood a few blocks from the refinery. "We need to know if we need to be indoors and whether we need to turn off our swamp coolers to keep the polluted air from coming inside. It is unacceptable for a refinery in the middle of the city to be unreachable by those who live closest to its pollution." Large plumes of black smoke and flames started coming out of smokestacks from Marathon Refinery, located at 212 North Clark Drive near Alameda Avenue, about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8. Moriel and other neighbors began calling the refinery for information on what was happening at the plant, but only heard from a security guard, who took a message. The neighbors never heard back from the refinery operators. In an unnamed emailed statement, a Marathon Petroleum Corp. spokesperson told the El Paso Times the incident was caused by a power outage. More: Family recounts parents' efforts to save children in Ruidoso flooding. GoFundMe launched "Due to a power outage from a third-party provider on July 8, operating conditions at Marathon's El Paso refinery made flaring necessary," the statement said. "Flares are safety devices that allow for the safe combustion of excess gases during certain operating conditions." The company reported no injuries during the incident or harmful environmental impact on the area. "Air monitoring was deployed as a precaution, and no off-site impacts were detected," the statement said. Houston in Action's Sembrando Esperanza Coalition, a group led "by residents of 11 of the most historic, resilient, polluted, and hottest working class neighborhoods in El Paso County," is asking for more transparency and communication from Marathon Refinery leaders, a news release from the coalition said. 'Even if what happened (July 8) does not result in a violation of state or federal rules, it does not mean the fumes were not toxic and dangerous to our health, environment and pets," Sembrando Esperanza Coalition's Climate Justice and Civil Rights organizer Veronica Carbajal said. "Further, we won't know what was in the fumes or how it affected our air quality until the monitoring data is released. In the meantime, nearby residents deserve to know what precautions to take and who to call in such emergencies.' The group is asking for Marathon Refinery to: Host a meeting for neighbors to attend and discuss their concerns Create an alert system for neighbors close to the refinery Provide neighbors a number they can call 24/7 and speak with a human being every time neighbors see, hear or smell something out of the ordinary Regular reports of the monitoring data Air quality monitors to be placed in the neighborhood, including those that read the carcinogens released by the refinery More: In photos: Ruidoso begins recovery after New Mexico flood kills 3, including 2 children Marathon Refinery officials said they already have policies in place to alert residents to any dangers. "The safety of workers, our neighbors, and the environment is our top priority," Marathon Refinery's statement said. "If a situation potentially requires action by members of the community, we advise designated local authorities, following pre-established frameworks, and then work with those authorities, media and others to convey information to the community as needed." The El Paso refinery "processes sweet and sour crude oils into gasoline, distillates, heavy fuel oil, propane, asphalt, and NGLs (Natural Gas Liquids) and petrochemicals," according to an annual report by the company. Flaring is the process of burning off excess or waste gases that cannot be processed or reused, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Flaring safely releases excess pressure from refinery equipment, especially during emergencies or maintenance. Flaring can release harmful pollutants like sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, a study published in the Science research journal. The pollutants released by flaring can lead to health issues like asthma, heart attacks, and premature deaths, particularly in communities near refineries, the study states. Data on the types and quantities of pollutants released during the El Paso Marathon Refinery's flaring have not been released. Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@ or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso residents seek answers after Marathon refinery flaring
