It’s cold. You need soup. Not from a can. Not as an excuse to cast-off New Year’s Eve party leftovers. Soup that’s handmade, hearty, robust. And not just warm. No, no. Face-of-the-sun temperatures to fill your stomach, warm your bones, get the blood going, start 2019 off right.

It’s been nearly a year since Tipmont’s board unanimously voted to authorize the construction and delivery of fiber internet, video and voice services. In that time, we’ve completed a tremendous amount of work toward realizing the vision that you created for us. Your feedback through surveys, letters, phone calls, and in person was key to the board’s decision. Affordable high-speed broadband, in particular, is an essential service that so many of you need.

Congratulations to Tipmont right-of-way coordinator Eric Summerfield on becoming an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist.

Tipmont REMC will be retiring capital credits from 1987 beginning with the December 22, 2018 billing cycle.

As of January 1, 2019, Tipmont will acquire Wintek Corporation, this area’s premier technology and fiber solutions provider. Together, the two companies will deploy residential fiber internet access to Tipmont’s current 23,000 customers.

There’s never been a better time to get all of your television programming via the Internet. You could save hundreds of dollars a year by transitioning from traditional pay TV to online streaming video.

I’ve talked a lot about Tipmont’s mission of empowering the communities we serve. To empower is a recognition that you, our customers, are the engine of success. Our role is to simply provide the necessary raw materials like electric energy and very soon, broadband. When you have better tools at your disposal, more options with your local power supply, or integrated energy management systems in your home, you will have the capabilities to be more efficient and productive. We believe you shouldn’t be limited in how you utilize those tools.

It’s safe to assume most of us refer to restaurants by their names 95 percent of the time. But sometimes, maybe after a long and stressful day, it’s “you know, that place next to the grocery store!” Or in the case of Lafayette’s “Secret Chinese Restaurant” (which I’ve heard will reopen soon after renovations), you refer to it by its unexpected location at the back of a grocery store.

Anyone who appreciates a peaceful stroll in a beautifully wooded setting would rank the Indiana Veterans’ Home grounds among the best locations in Indiana. With 120 years’ worth of well-matured trees across 242 wooded acres, the Veterans’ Home presents unique maintenance challenges.

At Bistro 501, perhaps the only thing larger than the portions are those beckoning windows. If you’ve ever strolled down Main Street in Lafayette, you’ve no doubt gazed through them — curious about the fowl-themed interior décor … and likely envious of the food folks are enjoying inside.