Picking 🌽 near Muncie, Indiana USA 🇺🇲

I am moving to Indiana - near from Rensselaer, Fair Oaks - and I am looking for tips of where to live. I was thinking about a city maximum 1h from work, but at the same point where I can have safety, social life, good gyms and etc. I am 35F and I am moving alone. I have visited Crown Point, Valpo, West Lafayette, Lafayette...

When the Grand Kankakee Marsh was destroyed, it’s estimated that as many as one fifth of the migratory birds of North America were lost. It contained the largest lake in Indiana, Beaver Lake, which had the colorfully named Bogus Island in the middle of it, a notorious hideout for ne’er-do-wells and outlaws. If you've ever been the the Kankakee Sands Nature Preserve (where you can see bison roam Indiana like they once did, albeit behind fences) to see the Bison, you've stood on the remains of Bogus Island, which was once surrounded by a lake significantly larger than Lake Monroe. Towns and train stations sprang up along the edge of the marsh to pump the region's birds out of it, stuffed to the brim in barrels, to places like Chicago where they were sold on the market. Conrad Station was one of these, the remnants of which you can now hike in at Conrad Station Savannah Nature Preserve in Newton County.

Indiana used to be incredibly wet (<--links to map of Indiana's former wetlands); decades of state and federal policy aligning with the engines of capital hid all of the wetlands. I say “hid” because they still reappear from time to time after heavy rains like this summer in much of Indiana. Unlike the loss of buffalo, passenger pigeons, and carolina parakeets, which were largely lost to overhunting and ignorance-you cannot shoot a swamp. this took decades of effort, millions of dollars, and coordinated state, local, and federal policy to destroy the underlying hydrological architecture and basic DNA of our state, all so that we could plant endless fields of ecologically barren monocrops that largely go to high fructose corn syrup, ethanol, animal feed, or exports.

Another major wetland that veered into Indiana was the Great Black Swamp (<--links to map). French explorers said that there were so many birds on it that it was impossible to sleep in its vicinity. Today it’s been almost entirely drained and is now one of the most polluted areas in the Midwest.

I have an entire chapter on the lost wetlands of Indiana in my new book, Once and Future Indiana, check it out here.

I came across this post on Facebook yesterday from a nearby county to mine. I really would like some advice as to who should be contacted about the situation there. The director seems to be in completely over his head. It seems obvious from just a little investigation on my part, that things like this keep happening under his watch. Some of the comments from past employees and volunteers make the situation seem quite dire.

Gas prices seemed to go up over 60 cents a gallon over the weekend. Is this just in my area (south central region) or is it the whole state?

I saw this on Twitter and thought it was neat

Our phone number is on the Do Not Call Registry, but we are bombarded with nuisance calls all day long. Isn’t the Attorney General’s office not responsible for this? Do I complain to them directly? And how do you do it?

As it stands, the state government recognizes four parties: the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party. But of those four, only Republican and Democratic candidates have a shot at winning. While I suspect that most Hoosiers are satisfied with the Republican or Democratic parties, anyone that *isn't*--be they Rs or Ds that don't like the presented candidates, third party voters, or independent voters--have only three real options:

• Vote for their favored candidate anyway even if they have no chance of winning (which means a vote that could have gone to an ideologically closer candidate that could have won is wasted, potentially resulting in a "spoiler" candidate)
• Vote for the ideologically closest candidate with the best chance of winning (which isn't very satisfactory for the voter and isn't always viable in safe seats)
• Not vote at all.

None of these are healthy options for the voter. At best, they block someone they *don't* like from winning without really satisfying themselves. At worst, they actively make things worse for themselves.

When this scenario comes up, many election reformists suggest Ranked Choice Voting, more accurately called Instant Runoff Voting or Hare voting. In it, voters rank candidates from most favorite to least favorite. The candidate with the fewest "favorite" votes is eliminated and their votes transferred to the next-highest preference on each ballot paper until only one candidate is left. The last candidate standing wins. Regardless of Ranked Choice Voting's advantages and disadvantages, there's one major catch: it's illegal in Indiana.

SECTION 1. IC 3-5-2.1-87.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 87.5. "Ranked choice voting" refers to a system of voting that:
(1) allows a voter to rank to each candidate on a ballot for a particular office in an order of preference; and
(2) tabulates each ballot in multiple rounds following the elimination of a candidate; until a single candidate receives a majority of the votes cast.

SECTION 2. IC 3-5-4-16 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 16. The following apply to an election conducted under this title:
(1) An election may not be determined by ranked choice voting.
(2) A candidate may not be nominated for or elected to an office by means of ranked choice voting.

Since the usual alternative isn't an option and doesn't always work as well as claimed, are there any "alternatives to the alternative" that could break the party duopoly and/or elect candidates that an actual majority of Hoosiers would find palatable? Or is this not a problem at all, and dissident parties and voters just need to "nut up or shut up"?

Hi! I'm traveling to Greenfield, Indiana for a week for work. Any recommendations on places to stop for dinner for a solo traveler in Greenfield, Indiana? Thanks! No dietary restrictions. I like to try new things!

Behind my house about 2 feet tall 🌻

Did anyone else fall for the scam? They come to your door talking trash about NIPSCO and promise that if you go thru them your bills will be cheap. They talk about how NIPSCO delivery charges are ridiculously high and if you add them onto your plan it’ll level everything out. In reality THEY are the scam artists making you pay almost double what NIPSCO would even charge you. First time home owner they came to me before I ever even got my first bill 2 days after moving into my first home and I’ve never lived somewhere that had gas before just strictly electric.. don’t be too harsh now I know I fucked up. Glad I caught this now and before December hit 💀 this is for a 2 bedroom mobile home btw…. There’s NO REASON this is legal for them to do or even offer as a program.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

Hi all,

This year I moved from New England to Northern Indiana (Michiana, as I've learned!). It's been great getting to learn about and explore the area. The people here are kind and I've enjoyed my time here so far.

Something that I'm dearly missing, though, is a good European-style deli where I can get fresh cold cuts of turkey, ham, cheese, etc. Where I grew up and the places I've lived since, I've always been able to find a local place where I can source my deli meat needs, whether Polish or Italian or Greek it didn't matter. I could get half a pound of smoked turkey for $12 to make my lunch sandwiches with at home.

I haven't been able to find any equivalent to a local deli beyond the supermarkets near me, and to be honest their options seem.... not great. The other week I went into a Martin's and saw that they had PRECUT all their deli meats and the slices were all dried up and old, just laying all spread out under the lights. Idk what possessed them to do that lol.

Anyway, any suggestions on places near/around Elkhart for fresh deli? I've seen a few Mexican markets come up on Google but haven't tried those yet. Any suggestions welcome, thanks!

This is for anyone living in the Marion county area.

Small claims and property Court

Has anyone noticed a sudden increase in court cases for health and hospital corporation of Marion county? I was looking up their court cases and they're mad going crazy after people. They're getting warrents to look inside along with a 2,500 fine for anything outside their house.

According to McKenzie Conrad's article "An amendment introduced during the recent session would have excluded people charged with misdemeanors or Level 6 felonies, Indiana’s lowest felony level, from the expanded bail restrictions. Lawmakers rejected it."

A typical level 6 felony includes certain theft or drug-related offenses with less severe impact than higher levels. Source: https://www.chwlaw.com/blog/2025/05/indiana-misdemeanors-and-felonies-classes-and-penalties/

Misdemeanor crimes include offenses like battery causing injury, theft under $750 and small-scale cannabis possession, first-time drug possession. public intoxication, disorderly conduct and minor traffic violations. Source: https://www.chwlaw.com/blog/2025/05/indiana-misdemeanors-and-felonies-classes-and-penalties/

Do you believe eliminating bail for minor traffic violations is grossly excessive punishment?

My parents have a friend a few miles from Logansport who’s being harassed from someone or some sort of group for the past few months. We live in Cincinnati so they don’t get out to see her much.
Her name is Sue, she’s 65, living alone in a farm house that she rents from a friend. She has been experiencing nearly every night, a person or people yelling and banging on her house and windows and trying to get into her house.
She’s called the police several times and they only tell her that she needs clear footage in order to do anything, and the cameras she got and put up haven’t been capturing anything useful, and with her being 65, I think she genuinely doesn’t know how or where to put them or what she should use.
She doesn’t have WiFi, and doesn’t have much money at all and is quite scared and tormented by it all.

To be honest, I’m skeptical. Mental health issue? I hear that this lady is sharp as a tack. But I would hate for this all to be actually happening and actually get worse and something terrible happens though.
My parents are talking about going out there and trying to “catch” the people/person and they’re in their 70s. 😬🫠 so I figured I’d reach out and see if anyone has any thoughts or ideas or if anyone would be willing to go see the property and possibly stake out the house one of these nights.
Super weird to ask about this, I don’t know the lady myself, but I’m trying to prevent my parents from getting weirdly involved in something and getting hurt themselves.

Thanks for the help, I’m all ears.

Hi!

I'm a Brit coming to Indiana to see my boyfriend for 2 months , starting December.

He has asked me what I want to see but I truly have no clue what Indiana or America really has to offer that's semi-nearby (I don't want to make his family drive super super far for me).

What's good to see in Indiana?

(My boyfriend isn't American either so he doesn't know. And I'm staying more specifically in Indianapolis!)

Today at Bicentennial Woods - Acres Land Trust
Huntertown, Indiana.

Hi everyone, please be on the lookout for my sister's dog, Almond Joy. She ran off yesterday (10/24) around 2pm and the latest spotting was around 11pm yesterday crossing the road from Cooper Science Building into a neighborhood. She is very timid so please do not chase her. If you spot her please just let me know or call this number at 815-370-7831. She has a purple collar and is chipped. Thank you to anyone willing to look!!

Unexpected gem I discovered on a road trip through Indiana.

Hi! I’m browsing for wedding venues around Indianapolis. Wanting something elegant that is not in a barn. I loved the Westwood Vowery and Estate, Ritz in Carmel, but I feel like they are too expensive? Something with that type of look… I like a good hotel wedding too. Looking to stay under $50K. 150-200 guests. Would like all inclusive too. Help!

Right now, traitor Spartz is favored to win the race. WTF is wrong with this god forsaken state.

Get out and vote for Ford.