Power outages are never convenient. Sometimes, it’s no mystery why we are left in the dark, like when lightning and thunder rattle windows and walls. Other times, an outage may come out of the blue.

It’s only been a few years since East End Grill opened at its titular edge of Lafayette’s Main Street. But it has more than earned its claim as a staple of downtown dining. With an opening just before Christmas 2020, owner Scott Trzaskus has broadened out into a new space across the street — Ripple and Company, which complements East End’s sit-down splendor with a fast-casual feel perfect to grab and go or for quick bites onsite.

Over the last several months, so many of our favorite in-person gathering places had to pivot in ways few of us could have imagined at the beginning of 2020. We saw sit-down institutions turn to takeout turnabouts for dinner and develop delivery strategies for lunch. And yet there always seemed to be a meal that served as a final frontier for this new era, and that’s brunch.

For fans of baked goods, all sorts of delectable decisions await you in downtown Lafayette. I’ve extolled the virtues of Sweet Revolution’s personal pies here before. Scones and Doilies offers a more European spin with filled rugelach pastries and savory spinachand- cheese galettes.

Although it’s technically autumn now, it’s the time of year that we latch onto the last few shreds of summer we can find — a few more splashes in the pool, rounds of golf, and evenings relaxing outside … even if we occasionally need some jackets or blankets.

My article last month centered on Indiana’s utility disconnect moratorium and Tipmont’s commitment to help those of you who are struggling with unemployment, reduced hours, or furloughs from the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium expiration date was extended to Aug. 14 after the July Indiana Connection deadline and may be extended further if COVID-19 cases continue to increase. 

Many Hoosiers are experiencing unemployment, reduced hours, or furloughs from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those jobs may not come back, meaning workers will need to learn new skills to help them realize new opportunities.

Last month, I shared that our board of directors decided to postpone the 2020 Annual Meeting, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 25. We’re all hoping that the pandemic continues to ebb, but the safety of each member we serve will always be our primary consideration.

Tipmont REMC will be closed Friday, July 3, 2020, in observance of Independence Day.

I wrote last month about how our delivery of critical infrastructure makes our responsibility more important now than ever. Cooperatives routinely plan for emergency situations, and our emergency plan has served us well in a variety of circumstances — from ice storms to tornadoes. In these unprecedented times, we’ve taken some additional unprecedented steps to make sure our team is in place to power your world.