It’s getting more and more difficult for people to surprise me.

I've never really considered myself a nervous driver, save for the first time I was on I-94 and found myself surrounded by semi-trucks.

It always warms my heart to see civic particpation in any form.

The rise of Donald Trump from businessman to TV star to President of the United States has sparked many conversations.

I used to love social media. Mindlessly scrolling through Facebook — chuckling at the occasional meme or dipping my toe into a debate on a hot topic — used to have some entertainment value.

The Michigan City Historic Review Board usually meets in a conference room, large enough for the board members to sit around a table and discuss agenda items, with maybe a couple members of the public and other interested parties to squeeze in if they choose.

Welcome, 2017. It's good to see you.

I can remember when Donald Trump was considering getting into the race for President — I was in favor of it.

Wednesday at around 7 p.m., I strapped myself in for a roller coaster ride of a lifetime.

Not long after I became Managing Editor here at The News-Dispatch, I came across a list of city employees and their salaries, ranked from highest to lowest.

I wrote back in July about the need for people interested in living in a united society to listen to one another.

When I first heard about it, I was amazed that this was happening in my hometown.

As someone who makes a living dealing with news, I should — at least in theory — have a tougher skin than most when it comes to processing bad news.

As long as I’ve lived in Michigan City, which has been always, I’ve heard complaints about the maze of one-way streets in the downtown.

There are many words that wind up being associated with major government projects. Most of them are not fit for print in this space.

The other day, we were going through our "normal" morning routine.

During Wednesday's meeting of the Michigan City Common Council, Kyle Kazmierczak of the Michigan City Fire Department gave a report about the progress of the fire science program at the AK Smith Career Center.

The interminable march that is the presidential election doesn’t always get to storm through Indiana.

Over the last several years, Michigan City has gone to great lengths to attract new business. Specifically, restaurants, places to shop and other tourist-oriented businesses have been popping up like a sophisticated game of Whack-A-Mole.

As I've found out over these last 15-plus weeks, the joys of fatherhood are pretty much neverending.

The Mount Rushmore of Michigan City boys basketball, in no particular order: Dan Palombizio, Delray Brooks, Doug Adams and the 1965-66 Elston Red Devils.

Call it being older or pin it on being a new father, but man, when it comes to the roadways, everyone needs to slow the (bleep) down and pay (bleeping) attention.

On this day, every Feb. 14, we celebrate love, per tradition.

As a young kid, I couldn’t imagine having more fun than what that $5 bill got me.

Hopefully you're not one, but you know the type.

I've been gone from this space for several weeks tending to the birth of our daughter, Cecily Harper Parkhouse, who was born on Christmas Day.

Roger Brooks, the man whose firm was tasked with facilitating Michigan City's branding effort, gave a vibrant, energetic presentation Friday morning at City Hall to a standing-room only crowd filled with citizens, community stakeholders, politicians and other interested parties.

Any group of people that is supposed to represent a larger group of people should be, well, representative of that larger group.

I'll never forget the day my wife and I made the final payment toward my vehicle.

It appears as though the federal government is close to ringing the final death knell on daily fantasy sports.

My grandfather was one of the biggest Cubs fans anyone has ever known, but you'd never know it to be around him.

It's interesting to me how a major life event can drastically change your perspective on things.

Nobody particularly likes it when someone comes into their life, only to tell them all the stuff they're doing wrong. Even if they finish it with, "But you have a great personality!"

I've attended a couple of Cubs game this season at Wrigley Field and — like other fans — have noticed many of the changes happening at the Friendly Confines.

Football is a violent sport. Over recent years, we've come to understand more and more just how violent it can be.

It was 20 years ago — almost to the day — that I stepped into Michigan City High School to begin my sophomore year.

Time for some #RandomThoughts.

In every version of the N-D newsroom I've ever been in, there's been some kind of board on which we'll pin things that make us laugh or items of particular interest.

This week — and for the last several, actually — ESPN has been heavily criticized for giving Caitlyn Jenner the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

My brother and his family were in town from Toronto these past couple weeks, and prior to his trip, he told me of one of his plans for the upcoming visit.

For a while now, I’ve been writing about how Michigan City is faced with a unique redevelopment opportunity.

Growing up in an age where technology always has advanced rapidly, I've often found myself wondering what life would be like if a certain advancement was ever made.

Just when we thought the county's property tax nightmare was nearing an end, a bombshell dropped. Michigan City is facing another massive shortfall and will need to find ways to make up the lost money.

A few years ago, my Dad — who always seems to be hip to new music before me — tipped me off to a band of Brits who love the banjo, Mumford and Sons.

At our age, we hear the question about as often as we hear casual greetings.

"Truth is, I've been voting for 42 years and nothing much changes."

I saw the number and cringed, just like some of you did.

In this week's installment explaining why social media is simultaneously the best and worst thing to happen to the world, I bring you the saga of the ill-fated garage sale ordinance.

I've never affiliated myself with either of the major political parties. I don't view myself as a Republican, though there are viewpoints in the party's platform that I identify with. I also don't see myself as a Democrat, though I often agree with the major tenets of that party, too.