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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

I recently had the opportunity to interview an author from Salem. Her name is Tanya Coats Konerman, and she graduated from Salem High School in 1985.

Konerman lived in Salem until she went to college at Indiana University and stayed there. She has a double major in Journalism and Psychology, with a focus on childhood development. Her home now is in Bloomington where she lives with her husband, who is an electrical engineer for Crane Naval Base. The couple have three daughters.

She specializes in children’s books and has written several. In July she had a book signing at Morgenstern’s Bookstore and Café. This is the largest independent bookstore in Indiana, located in Bloomington.

The book was “Haunted States of America”. It is a collection of ghost stories, published by Macmillan’s Laura Godwin Books. Several authors sent in stories geared for middle school students, and it is an anthology of ghost stories.

Konerman's contribution to the collection was “Danger at the Dune.” It a tale about a young woman, Dian from Chicago, who moved to the dunes in the 1900’s. She married a petty thief who was a suspect in the killing of a female found in the dunes. Well, the husband goes to the sheriff, who has no respect for him, to prove he didn’t do it. The sheriff shoots him in the foot. In the altercation he hits Diana in the head with the butt of his rifle. She dies later, and her ghost is now roaming the dunes. Today she is known as Diana of the Dunes. She now has a headstone.

Konerman's ghost story was chosen to represent Indiana in the anthology for middle school students. Her new book is “Mud to the Rescue.” It is a lyrical nonfiction look at the ingenious ways animals use mud to survive. This will be released in the spring of 2025.

Konerman's agent is Mona Kanin at Great Dog Literary.

Konerman is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she publishes their Indiana edition newsletter.

She is 55 years old and is a very creative person and winner of several awards. She has over twenty years experience writing for magazines, newspaper, and websites, as well as a background in advertising and public relations.

July 21, 1969
Purdue University graduate Neil A. Armstrong walked on the moon as a member of the Apollo 11 Space Program.

July 22, 1934
John Dillinger was killed by FBI agents as he came out of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Dillinger was born in Indianapolis and in his teens moved with his family to Mooresville.

July 24, 1916
35,000 mourners passed by the body of Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley as he lay in state in the rotunda of the Indiana State House.

July 25, 1948 Carl Erskine of Anderson, began his major league pitching career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He spent his entire career with the Dodgers and helped the team win five pennants. He set a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in a single game.

July 25, 1917 The Ball Brothers of Muncie purchased the Indiana Normal Institute. The next year, they gave the school to the State of Indiana and it evolved into Ball State University.

CORRECTION - Orville Redenbacher's birth date is July 16, 1907.

Our Where in Indiana? from last week was taken in Indianapolis at University Park.

Where in Indiana?

Do you know where this photograph was taken?

Visit us on Instagram to submit your answer.

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Indiana Statehouse Tour Office

Indiana Department of Administration

Guided Tours of the Indiana Statehouse are offered Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact us.

(317) 233-5293
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Indiana Quick Quiz

1. Where on the outside of the Indiana State House can a group of sculpted limestone figures called "The Westward Journey" be seen?

2. What kind of music did Hoosier Michael Jackson perform?

3. What state executive office is held by Elise Nieshalla?

4. Name the three Indiana counties that border Lake Michigan.

Answers Below

For more activities

in IN

https://www.visitindiana.com/

Answers

1. Above the South portico

2. Pop

3. Comptroller

4. Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” — Abraham Lincoln

Please send your favorite Hoosier quote to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.der text.

Indian Pink, another beautiful Indiana native plant.

INDIANAPOLIS (July 22, 2024) – Indiana Grown and the Indiana Farmers Market Community of Practice (INFMP) announced the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market is returning this summer for its second year. Previously called the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market Challenge, this contest is a chance for customers across the state to vote for their favorite hometown farmers market to encourage local engagement and statewide recognition.

“The Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market allows for communities to support their local farmers market by voting for their favorite," said Christina Ferroli, INFMP Program Coordinator. "Not only can consumers show support of their favorite farmers market, but by voting, it helps others discover local products."

Is your farmers market the best? Nominate them for the Indiana's Ultimate Farmers Market distinction on INFMP's website beginning July 19 through July 26. Once the nomination period is complete, voting will begin July 29 and will run through Aug. 11. Farmers market fans are allowed one vote per person, per day. The winning farmers market will be announced Aug.13.

"One thing is certain, Hoosiers love their farmers markets," said Caroline Patrick, Indiana Grown Program Director. "Farmers markets are an integral part of Indiana communities' economies, and it is great to see consumers supporting them!"

Editor's Note: Salem's Farmers Market is set up in the parking lot of the Washington County Justice Center, 801 S. Jackson St., every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.

ABOUT INDIANA GROWN
Indiana Grown is administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in partnership with the lieutenant governor’s office. The initiative educates consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products, helps Indiana farmers and producers sell more products and supports Indiana businesses in their efforts to process more Indiana Grown products. Indiana Grown members and partners include farmers, producers, processors and artisans, as well as retailers, grocers, hospitals and restaurants. For more information, visit indianagrown.org.

If you’re traveling internationally, you may need to renew your passport. Consumers unaware of the passport renewal process may fall victim to online scams. These scams trick U.S. citizens into paying a fee to fill out a renewal form that is a free download on the government’s website. As a result, consumers may be tricked into providing their personal and financial information on potentially unsecured websites.

As of June 2024, eligible U.S. citizens can renew their passports online through a new test system. If you do not qualify for online renewal or do not want to use the online renewal system, you can still renew your passport by mail.

How this scam works

You have planned an exciting international trip, so you go online and search for how to renew your passport. At the top of your search results is what appears to be the U.S. passport renewal website. The site tells you what forms need to be provided and that you can fill out the forms right there. You’re asked to provide your personal information, such as your social security number, home address, birth date, and much more.

After completing the form, you’re asked to pay a “processing fee” or an “application fee.” You’re then told that you’ll receive your completed form as a PDF in an email confirmation. (Easy!)

When you receive your confirmation email with your completed PDF form, you are told that you still need to pay money for the actual renewal of your passport. At this moment, you may realize you’ve been scammed into paying to fill out a form instead of actually paying to renew your passport. On top of that, you may have just handed your personal and financial information over to a scammer.

BBB Scam Tracker has received reports of online passport renewal scams. One consumer shared the following experience, “I went into the site assuming it was the State.gov site because it resembled it completely, including the URL. I did not notice that it ended as state.com, not state.gov. By the time I had submitted the application for my passport renewal and payment, I noticed that it was a fraud by the language on the confirmation page.” Another consumer reported this experience, "I went online to renew my father's passport. I inputted all his personal information and was charged 68.00--this company is posing as a government agency and scamming people."

How to avoid similar scams

Do your research. Before renewing your passport, look up the most recent information on the renewal process. Check with the U.S. government to confirm if online renewal services are available for passports. Remember that you should not have to pay a fee to fill out the required forms for a passport renewal – you’ll only need to provide payment for the renewal itself.

Give yourself plenty of time when renewing your passport. Processing times for passport renewals can change often. In addition to the indicated processing times, you should also consider the time it takes for your passport to arrive at the passport agency and then be mailed back to your home address. Check state.gov to see current processing times and plan ahead. Giving yourself plenty of time may reduce your likelihood of searching for quicker options, some of which could be scams. You can expedite your passport renewal with the U.S. government for an extra fee, but it may take several weeks.

Confirm the website’s URL before providing sensitive information. It can be easy to click on a sponsored ad or an impostor website without noticing. Remember, government websites end in .gov but always take a closer look. Scammers can trick you into thinking URLs look legitimate when they aren’t. Before typing in sensitive information, check that the website and link are secure. Learn more about identifying fake websites.

Be wary of third-party websites. There are legitimate passport assistance services, but check with BBB.org and BBB Scam Tracker first to ensure you aren’t sharing your personal or financial information with a scammer.

If you see a scam or fall victim to one, help others by reporting it to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker.

When Grief Comes as Wolf Disguised, by Susan Yanos

Artist Profile- Susan Yanos

From Henry County, Indiana, Susan Yanos is a fiber artist who "paints" with fabric to create art quilts. Sometimes blending traditional and non-traditional quilt design elements, many of her quilts are inspired by her native Hoosier landscape and by what she sees and does on her farm. Susan was a member of the 2023 cohort of the On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator, which teaches entrepreneurship to artists and creative professionals by focusing on a portfolio career, a community-engaged artistic practice, and key business concepts.

Susan is also the first place winner of Intertwined II: A Contemporary Fibers Exhibit, the newest exhibition at the Anderson Museum of Art. The exhibition aims to include innovative work rooted in traditional fiber materials, structure, processes, history, and art that explores unexpected relationships between fiber and other creative disciplines. You can experience this innovative exhibition through August 2, 2024, and learn more on the Anderson Museum of Art website.

On-Rampers view a gallery at the Swope Art Museum during the 2024 training.

Art Industry Trends 2024

Staying up to date with key topics shaping the gallery landscape is important for artists and gallery professionals. From discounting practices, to collector behavior, to the artists driving the most sales, gallery professionals from 68 countries reported the main factors affecting their businesses in 2024. Read the report findings about art industry trends in 2024 in this Artsy article.

Resources For Indiana Artists

How to Find Art Grants: Research Tips and Strategies
For artists looking for grants and other funding opportunities, Googling will only get you so far. Finding unique opportunities from smaller funders or organizations that are neglected by search engine or social media algorithms require open-minded foraging, disciplined hunting, and community building. Learn strategies for finding fresh grant opportunities on this Fractured Atlas blog post.

Grants for Arts Projects: Applicant Resources
When it comes to grant applications, there are many resources available to first-time applicants and other artists looking for tips. The National Endowment for the Arts provides webinars, office hours, application checklists and guides, and more for grant applicants. Learn more about how to apply to National Endowment for the Arts funding opportunities here.

Navigating the Copyright Claims Board
The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) helps artists by providing them with knowledge, networks, and financial tools to strengthen their self-sufficiency and creative independence. If you're an artist who wants to protect your intellectual property, use this guide to learn how to navigate the Copyright Claims Board.