The Richwine Group Blog

Earthquake was strongest to hit area in 40 years

The 5.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled windows and nerves across Indiana on Friday was not an anomaly, experts said, and even larger quakes are likely to rock the state in the future.

That's because Indiana sits near the New Madrid seismic zone, which generated the largest quake ever recorded in the continental U.S., and on top of a smaller fault that runs along the Wabash River valley.

Friday's was the strongest quake to strike the area in 40 years.

It is impossible to say when or where the next quake will hit Indiana, or what the magnitude might be, said Scott Wilkerson, chairman of the geosciences department at DePauw University in Greencastle.

"Predicting earthquakes in the future is a dicey game, at best," he said. "But I would expect to see this kind of earthquake probably in the next 10 to 20 years, maybe longer, with smaller quakes from time to time. It is something that is going to continue."

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The IRS has a few new hoops for you to jump through, so be careful

I'm looking forward to warm weather, the kids' summer break and daylight that stretches past 8 p.m.

But there are a couple of hurdles first. My kids still have several months left on the school calendar. There's no doubt another snowstorm or two in our future. And then there's tax season — already in full swing.

Even if you obtain outside help, taxes can be a daunting project to tackle. But this year, there are a couple of new twists that could throw you for a loop if you're not careful, starting with the one that everyone's talking about — the economic stimulus package.

My inbox has already been flooded with questions about this plan, which President Bush announced in January in response to the dwindling economy. Most of you are wondering the exact same thing — what's the catch?

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