VIDEO: A man of strong conviction

A man of strong conviction from Jake May on Vimeo.

He tied his shoes slowly, lace by lace. He buttoned up his jacket with such grace. Life is about the small details that make up the picture, together, everyone sees for this man.

As he put on his dark black hat, a feather protruding from its side, he walked into Second Baptist Church on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to commemorate a man of strong conviction in Jackson, Mich. A man that he, James Kelley, 64, modeled a living mentality after.

"After he was killed, (the movement for equality) sort of dwindled because you didn't have enough people with the same conviction," Kelley said as he lit up a cigarette in his kitchen. "There are a lot of things that could be done, even today."

As a child in Jackson, Kelley faced animosity and hatred from neighbors, store owners and many non-black residents. He joined the freedom marches through the city in the '60s, where he saw the most racial controversy to a non-violent pursuit of equality.

Kelley said he and other men wore baseball gloves to catch and avoid being hit by rocks, bottles and other solid objects thrown at marchers.

"I met such opposition from those who I knew," he said. "I knew there was segregation. I knew that there was differences in people. The hostility seems to elevate. These same people would be your adversaries and your marching for equality.
"Equality is something every man can put his hand on."

Kelley said Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message, purpose and drive showed him that there is always a way to succeed. He said King's stance with a relentless passion for a goal of a better tomorrow stuck with him the rest of Kelley's life.

"If you try, you can do it, you can succeed. Regardless of what anybody says, you can be better today than you (were) yesterday," Kelley said.

PORTRAIT: Libby March, photojournalist

In-class project for JRN 521. Portrait of my class partner, Libby March. Also, she's my best friend (dork alert).

PROJECT: James Kelley

Jackson resident James Kelley, 64, stands solemnly as he prays during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day church service on Monday morning at Second Baptist Church in Jackson, Mich.

For our first project in my JRN 521 class, we were asked to follow a subject through their experiences for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I followed up with someone I found during a peace march on Jan. 1 in Jackson, Mich. He was a well-versed, stoic gentleman named James Kelley. I made some calls, and tracked him down. He was incredibly willing to allow me into his life, and he has a fantastic view on King, and his life lends to tell quite the story. I will post my completed multimedia piece her one week from today.

SPORTS: CMU gymnastics meet

Sophomore all-arounder Meaghan McWhorter leapt into the air as she tumbled on the mat during her floor routine, scoring 9.650 during the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena. CMU took first place in a meet of four teams, including Wisconsin- La Crosse, Wisconsin Eau Claire and Centenary.



Senior all-arounder Kristin Teubner takes a breath as she prepares for to compete in the balance beam at the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena. Teubner scored an 8.525 in the event.



Teammates applaud as freshman all-arounder Taylor Noonan lands successfully while competing her floor routine, scoring 9.575 during the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena.



Freshman all-arounder Rebecca Druien tumbles backward as she competes in the balance beam, scoring a 9.350 at the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena.



Junior all-arounder Samantha Piotrowski center, reacted as she screamed joyously with teammates after she saw the overall score, putting CMU in the lead after the first event of four at the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena.



A judge watches on as head coach Jerry Reighard, left, positions himself to help freshman all-arounder Taylor Noonan as she competes on the bars Sunday at McGuirk Arena.

SPORTS FEATURE: Come from behind victory

Northeast Dubois' Cameron Riecker sat while he caught his breath, head in hand as he thought of game strategy to come back from an eight-point deficit against Forest Park during halftime in the locker room Friday night in Dubois.



Northeast Dubois' Cody Newland, center, cheered as he high-fived teammate Jace Gordon in the locker room as the team celebrated a come from behind victory in the fourth quarter against Forest Park Friday night in Dubois. The Jeeps beat the Rangers 70-61.

GEN. NEWS: Windell's Cafe closing its doors

The “Horseshoe Club” — named for the shape of the bar at which they regularly sit — at Windell’s Café in Dale includes Jerry Sanders of Santa Claus, clockwise from top left, Ray Striegel of Dale, Ray Harpenau of St. Henry and Jack Troth, Bob Reinke and Gerald Spurlock, all of Dale. At about 5:30 a.m. Thursday, the men enjoyed some of the final cups of coffee being served at Windell’s. The café opened in 1947 and Betty and Darrel Jenkins, owners for the past 20 years, are closing it Sunday. Of the six men, they total 226 years in collective attendance. "These guys, they're like a family to me," said Patty Gogel of Dale, a Windell's waitress for 17 years. "When they don't show up, I worry, but once we close, it's going to be hard for all of us. It'll be like losing a part of my family."

SPORTS: Double-teamed

Heritage Hills' Kaebra LaGrange, center, tried to fight off Southridge's Victoria Schaefer, left, and Cassie Wertman as they double-teamed her on defense Tuesday evening in Lincoln City. The Lady Raiders beat the Lady Patriots 45-21.

FEATURE: Mama Cindy

While mother goat Chloe, left, tended to one of her newborn goats Colton, "Mama" Cindy Leinenbach of Huntingburg shared some love by holding and kissing her other two babies Katie, left, and Caleb, who were born on Dec. 7, while sitting in a gated pen at her animal rescue barn Friday afternoon in Huntingburg. Leinenbach ensured that each received enough colustrum, a necessity for baby goats bodies' digestive and immune systems to get up and running. Leinenbach cares for 20 goats, nine ducks, about 40 chickens, one lamb, three donkeys, and a myriad of other animals. "It's so therapeutic. It gives me a good feeling in my heart to be here for these animals," she said. "There ain't nothing better."

FEATURE: Shop with a cop

Jasper Police Patrolman Allan Foy, left, smiled as he watched three-year-old Logan use a popcorn tin as a drum as they finished their shopping spree Wednesday during the annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart Super Center in Jasper. The shopping spree, which benefited 61 children, was sponsored by the local Fraternal Order of Police and funded through donations from local businesses and individuals. Each child was given a $100 budget, $60 to be spent on clothes. The 61 children are all members of Tri-CAP Head Start, a comprehensive pre-school program for low-come families.



Indiana State Police Master Trooper Ken Miller of Shoals held the hand of four-year-old Leyla as he guided her through the toy section Wednesday during the annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart Super Center in Jasper.

FEATURE: Pucker up your clucker

Nicolle Cyrill of Jasper, left, leaned in to kiss a chicken in the arms of Kenny Wehr of Birdseye, one of about 20 chickens in a fenced in coop at his home Tuesday morning in downtown Birdseye. Cyrill and Wehr meet up about once a week for dinner after she bought farm-fresh eggs from him in July to swap stories, and she visits to help feed the chickens and the rabbits he breeds. "Chickens are a nice animal," she said. "You can find love within them, so they deserve to be loved."