Election candidates and farewells (just temporarily!)

Good morning and happy Friday!

I promised you some big personal news yesterday, and so here it is! Over the past week, if you've listened to my songs of the day, you may have noticed a pattern: They were all Eurovision songs from this year.

Why? Because tomorrow I will be leaving for Sweden to attend this year's contest! It will be my first time ever outside of the country, and my friend and I will be in Sweden, Denmark and England over the next couple of weeks.

I'm so excited! I'll be sure to take lots of photos to with you when I return.

Ses snart! (See you soon!)

🎶 Songs of the Day! (Let me know your favorites!) 🎶

Submit your questions for my weekly mailbox to eweaver@gannett.com and I'll answer them when I return. Help spread the word about this newsletter: Forward this email to your family and friends and encourage them to sign up here .

Election candidates answer questions ahead of Tuesday

I won't be around for next week's election, but I wanted to make sure to get to you one more story ahead of Tuesday.

I sent out two-question questionnaires to each of the candidates in the local elections this cycle (county treasurer, county coroner, council at-large, etc.) and asked them why they are running and feel they are qualified for the position, as well as what they hope to accomplish over the next four years (or six as Superior Court Judge).

See what they had to say here.

📰 What else you should know today:

📢🏫 Pro-Palestinian protest at Ball State: The Pro-Palestinian protest movement continues to make waves on college campuses, this time coming close to home just 40 miles north.

💜 WWII Purple Heart recipient seeks help: German shrapnel remains in Gene Moody's knee eight decades later, and while the federal government rejected his family's first bid for medical support, they will try again.

💵 Money talks politics: Self-funders in this year's statewide elections have driven up the price of running.

🌳 One million trees planted: Four years ago, Gov. Eric Holcomb promised 1 million trees would be planted across the state in five years. That promise has been fulfilled.

🎢 Your guide to weekend fun!

• 🕯 From this morning at 9 a.m. to Sunday at 7 p.m. Warm Glow Candle Company in Centerville will be having several sales with its spring open house . Wine, beer and food samplings will be available as well as food trucks and more.
• 🌱 Listen up moms and children of moms! The Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will be having its plant sale at 28 Waterfall Road this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. just in time for Mother's Day If you're a mom and that doesn't interest you, Lotus Hall (185 Ft. Wayne Ave.) will be treating you to a Ladies Day out this Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.!
• Also on Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Jack Elstro Plaza will host the Garr Heritage Ride, where you can ride back to Richmond's Golden Era of industrial innovation and cultural evolution. The ride is 10 miles long and is a free tour past several historic buildings and homes. A pre-ride social hour begins at 9:30 a.m. with free hot coffee, tea and chocolate, as well as custom iced cookies for the first 18 riders provided by Sweet Blessings Bakery.

A full list of events going on this weekend can be found on the Convention & Tourism Bureau's website and Kicks96's community calendar , as well as Eventbrite which includes additional events not listed on the bureau's site. Earlham College and Indiana University East also have events going on throughout the week.

Thank you for taking the time to read through today's newsletter! Send your questions for mailbag to eweaver@gannett.com and you can follow me on X (@evan_weaver7).

See you all on May 16!

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Election candidates and farewells (just temporarily!)