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Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Osterman: Longtime sportswriter Bob Hammel was a bridge for all of us, covering IU and beyond
BLOOMINGTON — My first occasion at meeting Bob Hammel came in his office at the Cook Medical complex on the far west side of town. Working on a project for Mike Conway's history of journalism class, I reached out to Hammel — this would be the last time he would allow me to call him anything other than 'Bob' — hoping for 20 minutes of his time. We sat for two hours. To know Bob Hammel was to have a friend and confidant in all weathers and on all subjects. For someone in this job, he was something even greater. Bob was a bridge for all of us, connecting more people, more moments, more places in time, than anyone else I've ever met. He was the keeper of the history of this place, and a willing, eager one. He leaves behind him an unfillable void matched in its size only by the remarkable legacy it reflects. Hammel died Saturday night at 88, his family told the Herald-Times. Anyone who knew Bob had at their fingertips the answer to seemingly anything. He was among the smartest, most learned people you could hope to meet. To the place he called home for nearly 60 years, he provided connective tissue binding generations of Indiana University, IU Athletics and Bloomington itself together. An IU student at 16, Bob eventually returned to Bloomington for good in 1966. Herman B Wells was still chancellor then. Seventh Street ran all the way through campus. Indiana had not been to the Rose Bowl yet. Bob Knight's hiring was five years out. For decades, Bob Hammel bore witness to the way this place, its people and its culture evolved. He chronicled it dutifully. His output was legendary — sometimes thousands of words per day, for a paper that through much of his tenure there still published in the afternoons. On the average football game week, for example, Bob would produce reams of copy on every inch of Indiana's forthcoming game. He would also often take time to write with care about newsworthy members of the opponent's roster. His reasoning was delightfully simple: Those players deserved recognition too. For IU fans across decades, he became a central figure in the story of their alma mater. He was an ever-present figure at Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall, and across the Big Ten, in addition to consistent coverage of national events like Final Fours and Olympic Games. His career is perhaps most synonymous with the talented, tempestuous Knight, whose tenure all but mirrored Hammel's: The former served as IU men's basketball coach from 1971 to 2000, the latter Herald-Times sports editor from 1966 to 1996, when he retired. Doyel: Bob Knight didn't like many sportswriters. But he trusted Bob Hammel. Why? Spend time with him. I did The confidence they shared became an inexorable part of the story of Bob Knight's Indiana tenure. But it also conveyed upon Bob Hammel an importance to college basketball as a sport. At a time before social media could bridge the thousands of miles separating parts of the country that cared deeply for the sport — New York, New England, the mid-Atlantic, Tobacco Road, the Midwest, the West Coast — men like Bob bound the game together. Alongside other legendary sportswriters like Dave Kindred, Dick Weiss, Jim O'Connell and John Feinstein (to name just a fraction of a long, long list), Bob was a keeper of the game that meant and still means so much to the school he covered, the city he served and the corner of the world in which he lived. It was for good reason he was a charter inductee into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame. That did not stop with retirement. He remained more than happy to pass on his knowledge and memories from a lifetime spent gathering both, accommodating students and sportswriters alike. He served the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame, and for as long as he could, he remained a fixture at IU basketball games. 'One of the kindest and funniest': Bob Knight chronicler Bob Hammel dies at age 88 When word got around Bob had entered hospice care this spring, a procession of friends and former colleagues made their way to Bloomington to pay respects. It was impossible to venerate the man too much, even if he might have disagreed with that sentiment. The ripples Bob leaves behind flow across so many of us today, and will continue to indefinitely. But none of us can replace his impact fully. He was, as the many tributes flowing forth Sunday attested, one of a kind. And we will all miss him dearly.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Indiana man dies after lighting large firework while holding it over his head
A Bloomington man died during the Fourth of July weekend after witnesses say he tried to light a large fireworks mortar while holding it over his head, the Herald-Times reported. The incident took place about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 5, near Stinesville. A news release from the Monroe County Sheriff's office stated that people interviewed at the scene told officials they tried to stop the man. "He dismissed his friends, claiming he had done this before," the release said. Among other recommendations, the National Safety Council advises against holding lighted fireworks and to maintain a safe distance after lighting them. Tyler Pinkley, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene. ▶ Read the full story from the Herald-Times in Bloomington. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fireworks death in Indiana resulted from injuries after mortar exploded
Indianapolis Star
07-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana man dies after lighting large firework while holding it over his head
A Bloomington man died during the Fourth of July weekend after witnesses say he tried to light a large fireworks mortar while holding it over his head, the Herald-Times reported. The incident took place about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 5, near Stinesville. A news release from the Monroe County Sheriff's office stated that people interviewed at the scene told officials they tried to stop the man. "He dismissed his friends, claiming he had done this before," the release said. Among other recommendations, the National Safety Council advises against holding lighted fireworks and to maintain a safe distance after lighting them. Tyler Pinkley, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
Wally, the corpse flower, bloomed recently at IU. See past photos of the smelly celebrations
Amorphophallus titanum blooms in IU's Jordan Hall greenhouse in 2016. The "corpse flower" emits a foul odor during its limited bloom to attract insects for pollination. David Snodgress | Herald-Times David Snodgress / Herald-Times Amorphophallus titanum blooms in IU's Jordan Hall greenhouse in 2016. The "corpse flower" emits a foul odor during its limited bloom to attract insects for pollination. David Snodgress | Herald-Times Visitor Wylan Hill reads an infographic in front of Wally's base Monday, June 26, 2023. The signs teach viewers about the life cycle and history of the corpse flower. Maya Gray Amorphophallus titanum blooms in IU's Jordan Hall greenhouse in 2016. The "corpse flower" emits a foul odor during its limited bloom to attract insects for pollination. David Snodgress | Herald-Times John Leichter, a greenhouse gardener with Indiana University, smells the corpse flower plant in the Jordan Hall Greenhouse in 2016 to see if it the odor that is released when the plant flowers could be detected. He didn't smell anything. Carol Kugler | Herald-Times IU's corpse flower, Wally, currently stands at over 6 feet tall Monday, June 26, 2023. It will keep growing until it completes its bloom. Maya Gray / Herald-Times A sign in the IU Biology Building Greenhouse points visitors toward Wally when the plant bloomed in 2023. Maya Gray / Herald-Times
Indianapolis Star
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Here's what journalists in our network saw at Indiana 'No Kings' protests
Mass protests took place in cities across Indiana as part of the nationwide "No Kings" movement. The movement focuses on actions of President Donald Trump's administration that protesters believe are authoritarian and threaten democracy, including tariffs, immigration policy, spending cuts and reproductive rights. Here's a look at what happened around the state. Indy's protest was organized by the volunteer-led 50501 movement, which organizes peaceful national protests across all states on the same day. Amid Saturday's rain and humidity, which included a downpour in the afternoon, thousands of attendees flocked to the Indiana Statehouse. Police detained one protester during the event after a scuffle with a counter-protester over a pro-Trump flag. 'No Kings': Thousands attend rain-soaked Indianapolis Anti-Trump protest In Bloomington, protesters gathered on the Monroe County Courthouse square on Saturday afternoon. During the first two hours, there were no major incidents, according to Herald-Times reporting. Herald-Times staff reported that at 1:40 p.m., a vehicle stopped near the site of the protest. After talking with some protesters, the man got out of the car and smashed a window of his own car with a large stick. He got back into the car, according to journalists on the scene, and threw a backpack outside, causing protesters to back away. He exited the car again, and one protester restrained him until police officers arrived, according to the Herald-Times. According to South Bend Tribune reporting, the Michiana Alliance for Democracy organized a rally in the northern Indiana city. Saturday's event included a moment of silence for Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were killed that morning in a shooting at their home. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and wounded at their home. Thousands of demonstrators came out for a Tippecanoe County rally, not deterred by an incident at a previous rally in April, according to Lafayette Journal & Courier reports. At the April 4 "Hands Off" protest, bystanders said a man retrieved a gun after an altercation with a protester. Protesters at the June 14 event criticized their representatives with a chant that interchanged the names of U.S. Rep. Jim Baird and U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks, according to the Journal & Courier. "What's Baird doing? Kissing the ring," protesters chanted. "What do we say? We have no king." Hundreds came out in the rain in Evansville, the Courier & Press reported, to protest outside the Winfield K. Denton Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse. Two advocacy groups, Indivisible Evansville and Evansville Resistance, organized the protest. In Muncie, activists gathered on the Fallen Heroes Bridge on Wheeling Avenue over the White River, the Star Press reported. Traffic was not blocked by the protest, according to a journalist on the scene, and motorists honked and interacted with protesters as they drove by.
