Scott’s Blog

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Anytime one of those godawful social media chatter sites posts an announcement that a local business is closing, you can count on a quick firestorm of angry comments. And you can also count on a large share of those commenters blaming local government … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) One of our readers has noticed some candidates for school board seats promise to eliminate what they presume is objectionable content in classrooms, textbooks, and other educational materials. She wondered just how much influence school boards really have on what and how curriculum … Read more

(As appeared in Inside Indiana Business, October 13, 2026) Companies everywhere have discovered the power of video. Scroll through LinkedIn, company websites, or social media feeds and you’ll see videos featuring executives explaining strategy, engineers describing new products, and customers praising the results. And yet, many business videos feel – well, painfully awkward. You’ve seen … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) “If this is what they call progress, I don’t want it.” The words vary, but it’s a common sentiment from some of your neighbors when they hear about something that’s changing. “This town was nice when I was a kid, but the politicians … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Nobody loves data centers. They require astounding amounts of resources – especially water and electricity – and most employ only a handful of people. Some rely heavily on fossil-fueled backup generators that can affect air quality in the surrounding area. I’ve yet to … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) “Why are we not teaching kids how to be responsible in public?” Someone on the local chatter site was furious that local schools hadn’t lived up to their responsibility to teach proper behavior to young people. A couple juveniles had been photographed causing … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Want to know what many of your neighbors don’t realize about local elected officials and local government workers? They’re human. Mere mortals. They live their daily lives much the way the rest of us do. They glow in moments of joy and struggle … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) I’m pretty sure that Siri thing knows more about me than I do. I’m even starting to suspect it’s capable of mind-reading. I wouldn’t be completely surprised if Siri started taking the initiative. “Please tell me you’re not going to wear THAT blue … Read more

(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.) Last time, I responded to the common myth that local districts either pretend no bullying happens in their schools or simply choose to ignore it. (The short version is that state law contains very specific rules about how public schools must respond to … Read more