INDIANA PARLEY

From the UC-Davis California Aggie today comes the word that the UC-Davis Women's Cross-Country team was not quite able to reclaim the top spot in the Division 1 Independents Championships at Corpus Christi, Texas. UC-Davis was topped by the women's team at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, which finished third. The D-I Independents is a postseason race for cross-country teams in NCAA Division Division 1 who are not affiliated with a conference.

While some Aggie women had the best race of their career, the improved competition proved to be too much for UC Davis as they were narrowly defeated by Indiana-Purdue-Ft. Wayne. The top four women’s teams all finished within 20 points of each other while the next best team, Utah Valley State, finished far behind them.

John Fund, writing for the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal, has a great commentary today on the great changes being wrought in politics through the new media of blogs. He uses the Miers nomination as his exemplar.

Granite Broadcasting certainly has had its financial woes. Those woes have been well chonicled by Indiana Parley, Fort Wayne Observed, and Linda Lipp at the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.

The stock now trades in the neighborhood of 25 cents per share. A year ago it was delisted from NASDAQ and is now traded on the Over the Counter (OTC) market.

How badly would your own investment in Granite have performed over the years? Well, let's say that you had decided to invest in Granite during the boon years and you held on to the stock through...well, thin and thinner. Maybe you made the investment when 21Alive was in its prime. The fine folks of Granite Broadcasting have put a handy investment calculator on their website to help you do the math.

Here's a sample: If you had invested one-thousand dollars ($1,000.00) two years ago today, your stock would be worth one-hundred nineteen dollars and a little bit of change ($119.05) now. That's a drop of 88.10%.

(Figures based on use of the Granite calculator at 8:36 AM EST October 31, 2005)

Secretary of State Rokita Checks Out New System in Whitley County
NEW - Allen County to be Online November 28th

Todd Rokita, visited Columbia City last week to talk with the County Clerk's office about implementation of the new Indiana computerized voter registration system by First Vote. Rokita told the Columbia City Post & Mail that 83 counties of the 92 were already online with the system. He said that the most populous counties will be be implemented last.

NEW: Barry W. Schust, head of the Allen County Voter Registration office told Indiana Parley today that Allen County expects to be online with the new system on November 28, 2005.

One of the goals of the new system is to reduce incidents of voter fraud.

One way the system helps reduce fraud is by keeping track of old addresses and raising flags at both ends of the system when a repeat name occurs.

A Global Information System is also part of the new program, which allows the clerk's office to pinpoint a voter's residence and helps with instances of fraud.

“It's a little clunky sometimes,” said Deb Fairchild, with the clerk's office, about the GIS part of the program.

Most GISs are not updated until after a census, so new roads or subdivisions may not be able to be automatically mapped, requiring someone in the clerk's office to manually enter the location.

Rokita held out the possibility that the Secretary of State's office will organize a mock election to test out the new system before the 2006 election. Indiana Parley's observation would be that voter turnout will be so light for the 2006 Republican and Democratic primary election that it will effectively be a "mock" election.

Indiana Parley Right to Raise Issue

All week I've looked askance at the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health's recommendation that flu shots be restricted to high-priority persons as defined by the Centers for Disease Control. Here's the link to the original post on Tuesday where I raised concern that the policy was going in the opposite direction of Monday's recommendations by the CDC, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Lung Association. My concern was that the anomalous Fort Wayne-Allen County policy would have the effect of discouraging people from getting flu shot when it is important for the general population to be building herd immunity.

NOW COMES WORD THAT THE BOARD HAS REVERSED ITS POLICY. THE JOURNAL-GAZETTE CARRIED THE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING.

I know that WANE-TV monitors this blog. I was pleased to see on Wednesday that WANE-TV News had gone back to the Board of Health to ask about the restrictions. The Director told WANE-TV that the Board of Health was sticking with the CDC recommendations. HOWEVER, THE CLEAR WORDING OF THE CDC RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT FLU SHOTS BE MADE AVAILABLE STARTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2005.

Indiana Parley has continued to work on this story. We had contacted several of the continguous county health departments to see whether they had such restrictions. We had not yet completed that survey with all the counties. We had yet to find a restriction. This was important because a recommendation by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health is carried across the whole northeast Indiana media market.

We had also contacted other entities and physicians in tracking this story in preparation for an additional report for Monday and Tuesday. I am glad - and relieved - that the need for additional reportage has been lessened.

SOUDER: NOMINATE CLEAR PRO-LIFE JUSTICE THEN DUKE IT OUT IN THE SENATE

The Annual Allen County Right to Life Banquet was held at the Grand Wayne Center on Thursday evening. Presidential adviser Tim Goeglein was the featured speaker of the evening. Goeglein, pictured above, talked about pro-life issues but did not comment on the failed Harriet Miers nomination other than to remark that it had been a difficult week.

However, 3rd District Congressman Mark Souder had prepared a message for the audience of over 600 persons. Diane Souder, wife of the Congressman, delivered his statement. In part, Souder said:

I believe [that Harriet Miers], based upon what appeared to be her dedicated conservative Christian commitment, ... would have been pro-life. I believe that she worked hard and achieved honors when it was hard for female attorneys to do so.

But what I - and other conservatives - were hoping for was someone we knew had a pro-life record. As a practical matter, I believe - ironically - that Harriet Miers would not have been confirmed in part because she is now perceived as too pro-life and also potentially too Christian on other issues like faith-based grants, prayer in school and intelligent design.

What I am saying, actually, is this: I question whether an openly pro-life judge can be confirmed in the present U.S. Senate. But we in the pro-life movement are asking this question: if that is the case, why not nominate an experienced judge with a pro-life record and have a clear battle?

Pro-lifers in Washington and across America are as upset about the underlying assumption - that we should hide our views to win - as we were about Harriet Miers.

Photograph © 2005 by Mitch Harper

Indiana State Libertarian Party Chairman Mark Rutherford announced that Brad Klopfenstein has stepped down as Executive Director of the State Libertarians to become head of the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association. His replacement is Dan Drexler (pictured left).

Photo courtesy of The Libertarian Party of Indiana.

"We are very concerned about the direction of Granite"

Peter Passi reports in a story today for the Duluth News Tribune that a group of investors has become so dissatisfied with the performance of Granite Broadcasting Corporation, parent company of Fort Wayne television station WISE 33 and operator of WPTA 21 that they have exercised their power to add two outside directors to the Granite Board.

It's a telling development when a firm named Harbert Distressed Investment Master Fund starts buying up a corporation's stock.

Lately, Harbert has taken an increasingly active role in the affairs of Granite Broadcasting Corp., owner of KBJR-TV, Duluth's NBC affiliate.

Granite repeatedly failed to make dividend payments to Harbert and other holders of its preferred stock, and this week, those investors flexed their collective muscle.

Harbert joined forces with the John Hancock High Yield Fund and Somerset Capital Advisers to form a block of shareholders controlling a majority share of preferred stock in Granite. Together, they asserted their right Tuesday to appoint two members to Granite's board of directors.

Passi also quoted Falcone as saying:

"Selling assets to fund interest payments and continuing losses is not a viable business plan.Granite is highly leveraged and, with its current capital structure, we do not believe that it will be able to meet its ongoing and long-term obligations."

News Release from Harbert.
Related: LIN Broadcasting, parent of WANE-TV reports third-quarter earnings.

Newspapers & Technology reports that Fort Wayne Newspapers and TKS (USA) have signed the contractural agreement for the new ColorTop 7000 CDH press. The press is to be operational in 2007. An illustration of the press is included with the story.

Take a 100% Deduction of Charitable Giving Until End of Year

The New York Times' Stephanie Strom is reporting today that a little noticed provision in the bill just passed for Hurrican Katrina relief will be a big boost for charities.

It allows donors who make cash gifts to almost any charity by the end of this year to deduct an amount equal to virtually 100 percent of their adjusted gross incomes, double the normal limit of 50 percent of income.

The provision extends the 100% deductibility to all income levels. While universities and large charities have been promoting the provision, many smaller charities are unaware of the provision.

Funeral Arrangements set: A memorial service for the Honorable Jesse E. Eschbach will be held at 2:00 PM Monday, October 31, 2005, at the Titus Funeral Home of Warsaw, Indiana. Reported by Indiana Parley at 5:42 PM Wednesday October 26, 2005.

Federal Judge Jesse Eschbach, who retired from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2000 died Tuesday. Judge Eschbach had been appointed by President Kennedy to the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in 1962. President Reagan appointed the Judge to the 7th Circuit in 1981.

Judge Eschbach died in Florida. He had a home in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In addition to his service on the bench, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Indiana University by Governor Roger Branigin. Judge Eschbach served from 1965 to 1970, when he was succeeded by another Warsaw attorney, John D. Widaman II*. As Trustee, Judge Eschbach served with Harriet Inskeep of Fort Wayne. Mrs. Inskeep is an owner of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.

The Journal-Gazette was the first news outlet to report the news of Judge Eschbach's passing.

Judge Eschbach's father, Jesse Eschbach, was Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives in the 1917 and 1919 sessions.

View the tributes published on the occasion of his retirement in 2001.

A fascinating and detailed evaluation of Judge Eschbach as 7th Circuit Judge prepared by the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

Terry Eastland wrote in the Weekly Standard on how Judge Eschbach learned of his 7th Circuit appointment directly from Ronald Reagan.

Biographical brief:
Eschbach, Jesse Ernest
Born 1920 in Warsaw, IN

Federal Judicial Service:
U. S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
Nominated by John F. Kennedy on March 12, 1962, to a seat vacated by Luther Merritt Swygert; Confirmed by the Senate on April 2, 1962, and received commission on April 13, 1962. Served as chief judge, 1974-1981. Service terminated on December 11, 1981, due to appointment to another judicial position.

U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on October 20, 1981, to a seat vacated by Luther Swygert; Confirmed by the Senate on November 24, 1981, and received commission on December 1, 1981. Assumed senior status on November 4, 1985.

Education:
Indiana University, B.S., 1943

Indiana University School of Law, J.D., 1949

Professional Career:
U.S. Navy Lieutenant, 1943-1946
Private practice, Warsaw, Indiana, 1949-1962
U.S. Office of Price Stabilization, Washington, DC, 1951
City attorney, Warsaw, Indiana, 1952-1953
Deputy prosecuting attorney, 54th Judicial Circuit, Indiana, 1953-1954
President, secretary, general counsel, Dalton Foundries, Inc., 1959-1962
President, Endicott Church Furniture, Inc., 1960-1962

(Information from the Federal Judicial Center)

*Indiana University Trustee John D. Widaman II and his wife, Marjorie, were killed in the explosion of a Cathay Airlines aircraft over Viet Nam in 1972. The Widamans had been flying on Indiana University business.

Mike Pence Pronouncement Differs From Dick Lugar's Recent Remarks

US Representative Mike Pence of Indiana told the Inland Press Association Monday that certain bloggers would be protected under the Free Flow of Information Act that he has co-authored with Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana.

It was reported in Editor & Publisher that Pence's interpretation of the Act would shield bloggers from being compelled to reveal sources if the blogger was a person engaged in original reporting.

Pence said bloggers would likely have to be considered on a "blog-by-blog" basis.

"Frankly, there are some that are out there gathering news," Spence (sic) said at Inland's 120th annual meeting. "There are many people though, who just link to your newspapers. It would be hard to argue to anyone that privilege applies to those people just because they have a Web site."

Two weeks ago, Lugar stated that his assessment was that bloggers would probably not be considered as protected under the proposed legislation. However, Lugar thoughtfully noted that the discussion over the interpretation of who was protected was an ongoing one as the legislation was being considered.

MORE: View the full webcast of Mike Pence speaking Tuesday on the topic "Should Journalists Have a Federal Shield Law?". He delivered The 2005 Distinguished Journalist Lecture at the Heritage Foundation.

Pence, who has a law degree, represents several townships in Allen County. The communities of Monroeville and Hoagland are in that area.

Fort Wayne Appears Alone in US in Urging Restriction for Flu Shots

Could it be that Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health officials are depressing the numbers of people who should be getting flu shots? The Journal-Gazette and the News-Sentinel both carried stories on Tuesday reporting that the Board of Health on Monday recommended that medical providers should restrict flu shots for highest-risk patients.

Yet the national news was all flowing in the opposite direction. Norman Adelman, chief medical officer of the National Lung Association was quoted in the Washington Post Tuesday that there was plenty of vaccine. USA TODAY carried a story Tuesday headlined "Seasonal flu shots now available for all." The story cited Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for its story. USA TODAY's lead was:

Starting this week, flu vaccine is available to anyone who wants it, health officials said Monday. Until now, the vaccine has been prioritized for people at highest risk of serious flu complications, including the ill and elderly.

Dr. Gerberding was not the only one of the nation's health officials speaking out Monday to encourage vaccination for all. She was joined in a joint press conference by Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, Acting Director of the Food and Drug Administration Andrew von Eschenbach, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The Washington Times, in a United Press International report, carried this further explanation:

U.S. government officials expanded their recommendations for annual influenza vaccinations Monday while trying to dispel public confusion over the vaccine's ability to fight avian flu.
The heads of the four top public-health agencies said annual flu vaccinations -- which last year became the subject of rationing caused by vaccine shortages -- are now available for all age groups. For the past month they have been attempting to discourage vaccinating anyone except senior citizens, infants, adults with chronic diseases and others at high risk of flu complications because of continuing uncertainties about supply.

Leavitt said that

[s]till, some patients have not been able to obtain recommended shots, because companies have fallen behind in delivering ordered doses to smaller doctors' offices and clinics.
Leavitt called the reports "anecdotal" but said they could encourage patients to be persistent in seeking flu shots.

Earlier today, I was at the office of a health care provider. I overheard the receptionist take a telephone call from a patient. Although I only heard one side of the call it was clear that the patient was asking whether vaccine was being restricted. The receptionist urged the patient to come to the office; that there were plenty of doses. This was confirmed when I talked to one of the medical professionals in the office.

Leavitt is urging persistence; Fort Wayne-Allen County officials are urging a wait. A Google news search indicated that Fort Wayne was the only city in the country where restraint was continuing to be the recommendation. Will patients who could be getting protection at this time be too discouraged to get the vaccine before full flu season hits? Will there be enough herd immunity if flu strikes this area hard?

Comments: Fort Wayne Observed cited this post by Indiana Parley on its website. Two readers of FWOB posted comments that deserve some additional in-depth documentation and response.

First Comment- The first person to comment wrote that:

This is a great use of blogs - to ask these sorts of questions. Theoretically the "regular" media could ask them, of course, but they don't often seem to.

And on the specific topic at hand - there have been studies done that the best use of vaccine is on 2-5 year olds (rug rats, in technical public health parlance). This makes sense since it's the snotty noses that spread flu among everyone else. So why doesn't the Board of Health focus resources on that age group? I'm sure there is a reason - I'm not accusing, but it does seem like something they should think about. # posted by Anonymous : 10/26/2005 8:00 AM

Indiana Parley response- Great comment. Here is link to one study courtesy of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The NCBI is part of the National Library of Medicine operated by the National Institutes of Health.

Highest attack rates for influenza occur in children. Immunization of schoolchildren with inactivated influenza vaccine in Michigan and Japan was associated with decreased morbidity and mortality, respectively, in older community contacts.

Second Comment- The second person wrote:

Snotty noses don't spread flu. The flu doesn't cause snotty noses. It's an ailment of the lungs. In shortages, vaccine goes to those most likely to die of flu, which includes the elderly.
Nevertheless, that's a good question, about why the vaccine is restricted here and nowhere else. # posted by Anonymous : 10/26/2005 8:46 AM

Indiana Parley response-Given the studies cited above which do show that vaccinating the young is a powerful way to get herd immunity in order to effectively limit transmission to those at-high-risk such as the elderly and chronicaly ill this comment may have already had an adequate response. However, it is important to correct the mistaken notion that "snotty noses" can't transmit the flu virus. The following is from the Dr.Greene.com website.

Classically, the flu begins abruptly, with a fever in the 102 to 106 degree range, a flushed face, body aches, and marked lack of energy. Some people have other systemic symptoms such as dizziness or vomiting. The fever usually lasts for a day or two, but can last five days.

Somewhere between day 2 and day 4 of the illness, the "whole body" symptoms begin to subside, and respiratory symptoms begin to increase. The virus can settle anywhere in the respiratory tract, producing symptoms of a cold, croup, sore throat, bronchiolitis, ear infection, and/or pneumonia.

The most prominent of the respiratory symptoms is usually a dry, hacking cough. Most people also develop a sore (red) throat and a headache. Nasal discharge and sneezing are not uncommon.

...Is it contagious?
The flu is very contagious. It can be spread by airborne, droplet, or contact transmission and by fomites.

How long does it last?
Inhaling droplets from coughs or sneezes is the most common way to catch the flu. Symptoms appear 1 to 7 days later (usually 2 to 3 days). Symptoms (except the cough) usually disappear within 4 to 7 days. Sometimes there is a second wave of fever at this time. The cough and tiredness usually lasts for weeks after the rest of the illness is over.

The Newark City Council is going to pay a start-up weekly $100,000.00 under a contract to only publish "good news." One assumes it will be a very thin publication.

This report is from Editor & Publisher.

IvyLeagueSports.com picked Columbia University freshman Jon Rocholl, an R. Nelson Snider High School graduate, as "Rookie of the Week."

ROOKIE Columbia freshman kicker Jon Rocholl [Fort Wayne, Ind.] hit two field goals of 39 yards to account for all the Lions' scoring at Dartmouth. He improved to 10-for-12 for the season and is back on pace to break the school record for points in a season by a Columbia kicker (58 by Joe Aldrich '96). After having his school record-setting string of seven consecutive made field goals snapped at Princeton, he has hit his last three.

Rocholl had been cited earlier in the season by The Sports Network as a national player of the week for special teams in football. The Sports Network is the leading news service for Division I-AA.

Photo from Columbia University Athletics website.

St. Peter's Voted to Disaffiliate from the United Church of Christ Over Same-Sex Marriage

The Huntington Herald-Press reports that a temporary restraining order was granted Friday by the Huntington County Circuit Court concerning St. Peter's United Church of Christ.

The split follows a Sept. 18 congregational vote by the to leave the 1.5-million-member United Church of Christ after the church's General Synod voted July 4 to allow congregations to hold same-sex marriages. By 115-92 margin, a faction led by Royer carried the day, and a vote was set for last Sunday to change the name of the church to reflect its separation from the UCC denomination. The restraining order delayed that vote.

Huntington Superior Judge Jeffrey Heffelfinger, sitting as judge pro tem of Huntington Circuit Court, granted the order forbidding anyone from changing the name of the church, altering its constitution and bylaws, or doing anything to jeopardize the church's tax-exempt status or convert any of its assets. The order also requires that any collections or gifts to the church be placed in a trust.

Doug Davidoff of Indianapolis has a comment on his blog, Straight Talk PR, about the nature of public relations and the blogosphere. He uses the recent experience of the News-Sentinel initiated by Derick Gingery's story in the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly as a mini-case study.

As an afternoon newspaper, the Fort Wayne(Ind.) News Sentinel is prone to being the subject of rumors. Circulation is dropping, in many ways the Internet has replaced the need for afternoon newspapers (morning newspapers, watch out!), and newsrooms rarely keep secrets well.

Stir it all together and you get a business problem that becomes the subject of intense community interest, even as the community -- by any objective standard -- is in the process of rejecting the product, no matter how good it is. When I was at the Indianapolis News and before that at the Raleigh (N.C.) Times, both now-defunct afternoon dailies, I'd tell people, "I work for the smaller but better newspaper in town." And I believed it, which made their demise hard to take.

But this post is not so much about sentimentality toward newspapers. It's about the free-wheeling nature of the Internet, especially about the rise of blogs, and how your business can be under the microscope -- if not under attack -- before you know it.

In Fort Wayne, the story started with a no-attributed-sources story by the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly speculating that the News-Sentinel would convert to a multi-media online publication. It was picked up in the blogosphere by two blogs (click for Fort Wayne Observed - click for Indiana Parley). The editorial page editor of the News-Sentinel entered a blog entry to loudly deny the stories. His counterpart at the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, while admittedly not privy to his competitor's plans, contributed a useful post on his own blog setting the whole matter in perspective vis-a-vis the newspaper industry nationally.

Doug Davidoff is an old acquaintance from his days as a Statehouse reporter. I had already been thinking about the public relations aspect of this when I sent an earlier comment to the (so far) anonymous blogger at TRIB. My thought was that, from an objective view, the News-Sentinel had engaged in some clumsy initial public relations in regards to the Gingery story. My comment, in part, from October 16:

Part of my purpose ... is to put some issues in a larger context. I think I did that in relation to the News-Sentinel story. [In fact] I think I did a better job of relating what the News-Sentinel is going through to larger trends within the newspaper industry and within Knight-Ridder than the N-S did.

Note: Straight Talk PR has been added to the Indiana Parley link list

The classic division between conservatives and liberals is often described in terms of pie. Liberals believe the pie should be cut into equal slices; conservatives believe the answer lies in creating a bigger pie.

Indiana Parley has scanned the regional news and found news of two groups who really do believe in making a bigger pie. One is just over the line in New Bremen, Ohio, and the other is in Michigan. The groups are contesting the title of "World's Largest Pie." Each pumpkin pie was made earlier this month.

The Lima News covers the battling claims. The Celina Daily-Standard has the original New Bremen story.

So enjoy a little light reading this weekend. But to bring this back a bit to our mission Indiana Parley takes note that these efforts occurred in our neighboring states.

So, what is Indiana doing to make a bigger pie?

# posted by Mitch : 7:40 AM  0 comments links to this post

Veteran journalist Mike Dooley wrote an excellent follow-up in Friday's Fort Wayne News-Sentinel about the Three Rivers Apartments fire.

As an afternoon paper, The News-Sentinel can distinguish itself - and does - in stories that are forward-looking or, as in this case, in stories that provide more information in a follow-up that is not possible to provide in day-to-day coverage of breaking stories.

Dooley brings some valuable experience to this story that was not mentioned in the coverage. He had more than a nodding acquaintance with the Muncie (IN) Fire Department in his younger days.

Sinclair News Central LLC is suing former Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan S. Leiberman in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Why? As Caryn Tamber reports in the Daily Record: "[i]n a lawsuit filed late last week in Baltimore County Circuit Court, Sinclair accuses Jonathan S. Leiberman of violating the terms of his contract by speaking about the inner workings of the company without permission...".

Tamber quoted directly from the initial complaint:

"Leiberman spoke to the media without permission and divulged confidential and proprietary NewsCentral information to individuals outside of the organization," the suit reads. "In fact, Leiberman admitted to the media after his termination that he violated Company policy, and knew that termination of his employment was a possible consequence of his breach of his Agreement."

Sinclair's employment contract has a particularly severe liquidated damages provision in its employment contract for employees who are terminated for cause. Sinclair is seeking recovery on that provision from Leiberman. The liquidated damages consist of a percentage of the employees compensation.

Anyone want to weigh in on the provisions in the employment contracts of Indiana news media employees and the willingness of employers here to seek after-dismissal enforcement?

Take a look at Journalism.org's State of the News Media 2004, An Annual Report on American Journalism here. The report contains great charts and copious historical data on the decline of American newspaper readership.

Where Dana is cutting jobs the sword has been swift. Bristol, Virginia, found that to be the case.

Lima, Ohio, will be losing 100 jobs at its Spicer Axle Plant. Tim Rauscher of the Lima News reports on that cut as well as listing the remainder of the job cuts and shifts.

Not even local officials were notified before the announcement in one Virginia city. Dana said it will be closing its Bristol, VA, driveshaft plant. The closing process will go on through 2006 and "possibly even 2007." The closing will cost about 270 jobs. Much of the production is expected to be shifted to Mexico.

"They never contacted us," Mayor Doug Weberling said. "We were never in the mix to see if there was anything we could have done to change this. "I know the city, state and Congressman (Rick) Boucher would have done anything in our power to keep those good jobs here. It’s just another loss due to NAFTA, with jobs going to Mexico instead of staying here. It’s a sad day for Bristol."

That Bristol plant is near the Tri-Cities area on the Virginia/Tennessee border. The closing will affect a metropolitan area containing the cities of Kingsport, Johnson City, Elizabethton and Bristol in Tennessee as well as Bristol in Virginia. Another plant primarily making axles will be closed in Buena Vista, VA,near Roanoke and Lynchburg, VA. Its production will be shifted to Dry Ridge, Kentucky near the Cincinnati OH area. The Buena Vista plant closing will affect approximately 275 jobs.

The Buena Vista plant is the largest property tax payer in its county.

Coach Rick Pitino blasted Kentucky's legislature for not wanting to pony up for a new arena. The cost of a new arena in Louisville is estimated at $299 million. Local government officials in Louisville have pledged one-third of that; Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher wants the state to borrow $72 million of the cost.

Some [Kentucky] legislators have not expressed support for the project because they don't believe their home regions would see any economic benefit from a downtown Louisville arena. Some say there are more pressing needs, like education, health care, Medicaid and highways.

Pitino said that Kentucky legislators were not "visionary" and that they should look to states like Indiana and Tennessee as models. Presumably Pitino sees these two states as places of vision, sunshine and lollipops.

No word yet from the Club for Growth as to whether they will be designating the Governor as a RINO (Republican in Name Only).

Purdue lecture missed? No problem, just catch it on a podcast. Today's Chicago TRIBUNE carried a front page story by Jodi S. Cohen that featured Purdue Senior Marcos Kohler and his iPod.

When Purdue University senior Marcos Kohler skipped a physics class to attend a concert in Chicago, he didn't have to borrow a classmate's notes to catch up.

Instead, he connected his iPod to a computer, downloaded the lecture, and from the comfort of a campus coffee shop, listened to the two-hour discussion on particle physics.
"It re-creates the entire class experience," said Kohler, 22, who missed another lecture at the West Lafayette, Ind., campus when he overslept for the 1:30 p.m. class.

Our colleague at The Dogwood Files noted a USA Today story on the decreasing percentage of males attending college. Women now make up 57% of underclassmen. Maybe there needs to be a college for men consisting of podcast lectures recorded by the female students. Wabash College needs to think about this.

The South West Area Partnership met Wednesday evening at Study School on Brooklyn Avenue. While the new Buckner Farm Park was to have been the featured topic, burglaries were of primary concern.

A rash of questions were directed at Allen County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mike McAlexander and Fort Wayne Deputy Police Chief Doug Lucker regarding the large jump in burglaries in the neighborhoods near Foster Park on Fort Wayne's south side.

Lucker said that the Fort Wayne Police Department has drastically increased the number of uniformed officers and detectives patrolling the areas affected during the times the burglars have been most active. He detailed a number of steps that have been taken to identify potential suspects. He stated that one of the further steps will be contingent on a request he has made to Chief Rusty York to suspend some of the union rules regarding police officers.

Lucker also said that the FWPD believes that the burglaries are not the work of one group of burglars.

When one attendee asked whether the Police Department could share some of the specific information known so as to aid citizens in identifying vehicles or suspects who may be in their neighborhoods, the Deputy Chief and several neighborhood officials said that information is shared with those involved with Citizen's Crime Watch groups. The Chief urged concerned citizens to consider joining.

However, he related that committment of neighborhood residents following increased crime can be fleeting. Lucker said that following a shooting at Harrison and S. Seminole Circle a few years ago, 41 people signed up to participate in Citizen's Crime Watch at a well-attended neighborhood meeting held immediately after the crime. Several weeks later, when the next training session was held for Citizen's Crime Watch volunteers, none of the 41 showed up.

Jeff Baxter of the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department made the presentation regarding the proposed development plan for Buckner Farm Park. The new Park is located on the north of Bass Road adjacent to the west side of I-69. Plans for the park include a paved trail, a sledding hill, a nature center, and restoration of a tall-grass prairie.

The South West Area Partnership is one of four area partnerships in Fort Wayne consisting of neighborhood association presidents.

Jeff Baxter is shown in the photo above. We may not have video cameras yet but we do have digital photography. Photo credit: Mitch Harper

© 2005 by Mitch Harper

More: Leo Morris comments on this story.

Leo Morris' posting of his five favorite songs the other day provides an opportunity for some good-natured ribbing. His fab five are:

1."Imagine" by John Lennon
2. "Secret Gardens" by Judy Collins
3. "The Dutchman" by Michael Smith
4. "Shelter From the Storm" by Bob Dylan
5. "From a Distance" by Julie Gold

He wrote that his list was subject to constant change.

So, in that vein, Indiana Parley has a modest recommendation of an album Leo might find matches his contemporary thinking. The album of this group of Japanese artists is pictured above.

Escalade Inc., based in Wabash IN, released its third-quarter earnings report today. Net income rose 26% over the prior year's comparable quarter to $5,452,000. Year to date net income is 29% ahead of third-quarter 2004 net income. Net income is already greater than all of 2004.

Year to date net sales are 13% behind those of 2004.

Escalade is listed on NASDAQ under symbol ESCA.

The maker and distributor of sporting goods and office supplies is based in Wabash IN. Its Martin-Yale Division, a maker of office equipment, is based in Wabash. The larger operations of Escalade Sports are based in Evansville IN. The company is the leading manufacturer and distributor of billiard tables, table tennis tables and game tables. It also has a substantial presence in archery supplies, portable basketball goals and other sporting goods.

Indiana a Battleground in Specialty Food Store Fight

Supervalu has just announced this morning that it will be launching a new specialty food store brand called "Sunflower." The first store is planned for Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, the Northern Indiana District Federal Court sitting in South Bend has denied a request for a preliminary injunction sought by The Fresh Market in its trademark infringement battle with Marsh Supermarkets over the store branded "Arthur's Fresh Market."

The Fresh Market operates a store at Covington Plaza in Fort Wayne as well as a store in the Indianapolis market. It is planning an additional store in Indianapolis within the year. The first Arthur's Fresh Market was opened in Syracuse, Indiana. Marsh also operates Arthur's Fresh Market in the Indianapolis metro area.

Supervalu operates a distribution center in Fort Wayne as well as the Scott's Foods and Pharmacy chain in northeast Indiana.

Marsh is a publicly traded company based in Indiana.

More: TRIB cites Indiana Parley

US Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta issued an emergency order Wednesday night directed at all US railroad companies to improve track switches. The Federal Railway Administration has set a November 22, 2005 for the railroads to be compliant. It is unknown, at this time, whether any such switches are located in Indiana.

From the DOT release:

Mineta said his department's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has set a Nov. 22 deadline in an emergency order mandating all railroads take specific and immediate steps to end the problem, which has led to nine serious train crashes, ten fatalities and injuries to more than 600 people since January.

The accidents have occurred when employees working in areas not equipped with remote electronic signal monitors failed to follow track-switching procedures, Mineta said. In every case, the failure to reset the hand-operated switches has led to trains running onto the wrong tracks and derailing or colliding with locomotives or rail cars or both, he added.

“Railroads must put an end to these avoidable and deadly mistakes,” Mineta said.

Any railroad company, supervisor or employee who violates this emergency order may be liable for a civil penalty of up to $27,000, according to the order.

“There is absolutely no excuse for a switch to be left in the wrong position,” said FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “This dangerous, preventable, and increasingly frequent situation must stop, starting now.”

Such errors caused the Graniteville, South Carolina, train derailment that Indiana Parley cited in its October 13 posting.

The Journal-Gazette finally covered the story of the Emerald Ash Borer found in Adams County in today's October 19th edition. And this was by publishing an Associated Press story.

You would have found out sooner by reading Indiana Parley coverage on Sunday, October 16. That is the day you would have seen the link to the Decatur Daily Democrat story from last Friday.

WANE-TV picked up the item on Monday, October 17, with original reporting by producer/reporter Matt McCutcheon on the reaction of the City of Fort Wayne Arborist.

Indiana Parley and WANE-TV both recognized the wide news value of the story and made available the information by the Decatur Daily Democrat with added information or comment. This is of interest state-wide and throughout the Midwest.

The Indiana Parley commentary is that the Emerald Ash Borer is likely to be confirmed in Allen County within the next two years. Residents of Fort Wayne, where Ash trees, have been planted extensively in the last fifteen years by the municipality of Fort Wayne, may see an impact on the urban forest approaching that caused by Dutch Elm disease starting two generations ago.

Despite the growth in blogging, few elected officials have ventured into the sphere. In Indiana, it’s a miniscule number.

That seems odd. These are folks who wouldn't turn down many opportunities to speak or do a meet and greet. It used to be said of one elected office-holder in Allen County that he would even go to a garage sale to campaign. Maybe they just need to start thinking of blogging as the equivalent of a big fish fry.

Credit needs to be given to State Representative Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) for creating a weblog. It's a good quality effort.

You would think that many elected officials would embrace weblogs. It would give them a way to communicate directly with constituents without the mediating institutions of newspapers, radio or television. It would allow them the chance to address issues in real time. It would allow them to address misperceptions and misunderstandings. It would give constituents a glimpse into the personality of the people they elect.

Government websites are already eliminating one of the common constituent refrains heard by elected officials – “Why wasn’t it in the newspaper?” The explanation that the government official can’t control what goes in the newspaper was often inadequate for people who felt they hadn’t been properly informed of an issue.

However, a long catalogue of meetings and minutia can’t perform the function of a well-functioning news organization. That is an editing function that informs the reader, viewer or listener what is regarded as important in the community. As the newshole shrinks and news organizations consolidate that function is declining in its impact.

The weblog of an elected official can at least inform the public what that official is seeing as important.

And a good weblog can give readers a glimpse into the elected official's point of view. The elected official has access to many sources of information; he or she would be able to share those sources with their readers. It would be fascinating to know what journals, studies, news sources or academics influence a particular official.

So, why aren’t more doing what Representative Dvorak has done? Part of the answer would be a lack of familiarity with the technology. Others would be a little unsure of their written communication skills. Many are comfortable in having their views somewhat vague or obscured; it's a trait part and parcel of how they approach their duties. Others would be unwilling to have a written record that a future opponent might gleefully mine at the next election.

And we should be lucky some officials don’t take up blogging. Some of the efforts would be painful to read. Many would be boring, particularly those that would be outsourced to a public information officer or intern. Pick up an Indiana weekly during the legislative session and you are likely to find an example. By the way, the fault isn’t with the staff person or intern; it’s the canned style that seems to be a requirement.

But there are many officials who could do them well. These would probably be the same sorts of people who wrote candid columns for newspapers years ago. Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm (D) would be a national example. Former Indiana State Representative Jeff Linder (R) was well-admired for his candid writing and observations about the Statehouse.

Who today would be good? That is, folks who would be both candid and informative. Congressmen Mark Souder and Mike Pence come to mind.

And you know you would HAVE to read a daily Mitch Daniels blog, don’t you? The Governor already does quite a bit through his website and email. It wouldn’t be that big of a transition to a daily blog. And I think if the Governor went daily each morning before the legislative session it would drive a fair number of legislators to start blogging, too.


Thanks to Masson's Blog.

STEEL DYNAMICS BUYS VIRGINIA PRODUCER

It's good to see a Fort Wayne based company making acquisition.

Steel Dynamics has just released information that is purchasing Roanoke Electric Compan of Virginia. Keith Busse said it would spend $50 Million to $80 Million to upgrade Roanoke's facility.

The CBS Network will be broadcasting the third episode of the new series "Close to Home" tonight. The series was created by New Haven High School graduate Jim Leonard, Jr. It is set in Indianapolis and its suburbs. The reviews have been almost uniformly favorable.

I didn't see the premier episode but got a chance to catch the second one last week. My opinion agrees with the favorable reviews. What really struck me, though, is that one of the characters has the same name (with one letter change) of Jim's high school debating partner.

Both are bright, driven and creative people. Jim couldn't have picked a better name to emulate for one of the key characters in the show.

A related note: While at Hanover College, Jim wrote "The Diviners." That play won the 1980 National Student Playwriting Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The play is still frequently staged and it is still winning awards. The latest nomination for an award in Atlanta was recently noted by Playbill.

Granite Broadcasting, owner of WISE-TV and former owner but now operator of WPTA-TV, has hired Kevin O'Brien as a consultant for its broadcast properties. O'Brien was formerly the head of Meredith Broadcasting Group.

The Des Moines Register published a small item about O'Brien's appointment. The full news release regarding the consultant's hiring can be found here.

On the ocasion of O'Brien's release from Meredith last year, the IMDb summarized the termination this way:

The president of Meredith Broadcasting Group, whose 13 stations reach 10 percent of the U.S. audience, was abruptly fired Friday for what was described as "violations of Meredith's Equal Employment Opportunity policies." The company declined to provide further specifics about the dismissal of Kevin O'Brien. News reports suggested that O'Brien had instituted a reign of terror since taking over the broadcast division three years ago, forcing the resignations of five general managers and six news directors within a few months. O'Brien has also been under relentless attack from some TV critics in Meredith markets for sensationalizing the news and knocking down the traditional wall between news and sales. A Nashville newspaper recently accused O'Brien and the local station of defying basic journalism standards.

Addendum: Journal-Gazette story on resignation of WPTA News Director.
Adweek story on O'Brien's termination from Meredith Broadcasting.
Column by Richard Prince of the Robert C. Maynard Insititute for Journalism Education.

Jack Shafer, over at the online magazine SLATE, says of all the factors newspapers publishers may cite for cutting staff and slashing newsroom budgets, rising newsprint costs shouldn't be one of them. He reports that newsprint costs in constant dollars have been holding steady.

Shafer writes:

Dow Jones isn't the only publisher scapegoating "pricey" newsprint. This week, Knight Ridder, Media General, and the Tribune newspaper chains all sobbed about how increased newsprint costs are contributing to declining profits. Tribune, the New York Times Co., and Knight Ridder are using newsprint costs, along with falling circulation and advertising, as justifications for recent newsroom layoffs.

1) Paul Okeson, formerly of Fort Wayne, has been appointed as Deputy Secretary of State of Indiana and Chief of Staff in the Secretary's office. The announcement was made this morning by Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita.

Paul now lives in Fishers, Indiana, and replaces Heather Willis, who is leaving to head a non-profit. He is the brother of John Okeson, former Clerk of the State Supreme and Appellate Courts. And as an aside, Paul completed his first triathlon earlier this year.

2) State Senator Tom Wyss of Fort Wayne was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Permanent Committee on Transportation by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Wyss, a 20-year veteran of the Indiana Senate, has been involved in transportation and public safety issues from the start of his legislative service. Drunk driving and seatbelt and child restraint use are several areas in which he has focused his attention. Senator Wyss chaired his chamber’s Transportation Committee for several years and has served on it for the past 10 years. He is also currently the chair of the Indiana Senate’s Homeland Security, Utilities and Public Policy Committee. He has utilized his expertise in these areas at NCSL as well, serving on the organization’s Transportation Committee for a decade, and its Task Force on Homeland Security.

New Yorker Likes The Style of Rocien Romero -
Architect and Branstrator Corporation Make Camp Structures

Paul Goldberger, writing in the Skyline column of a recent issue of The NEW YORKER magazine, highlights the work of cutting edge architect Rocio Romero. She is the designer of prefab houses with great style.
She started off with a house called the Laguna Verde. However,she joined forces with Branstrator Corporation of Fort Wayne this year to design, make and market two smaller buildings, the Base Camp and the Fish Camp. The new company is called Rocio Romero Branstrator.


Goldberger wrote,

The L.V. is an exceptionally beautiful house. Other designers, such as Charlie Lazor and the firm Resolution: 4 Architecture, are building innovative prefabricated structures, but Romero’s designs stand out for their clarity, simplicity, and grace.

Further, he wrote,

Later this month, she plans to erect a sample of her third design, the Base Camp, a medium-sized guest house, as soon as it rolls off the assembly line at a factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Wall Street Journal gives more depth to the modern prefabricated trend here. Prefabs.com is another good source for more context to the story. Branstrator Corporation of Fort Wayne has its website regarding patio rooms here.

Jim Kelley was a giant presence in Fort Wayne. He was also a giant in the struggling country of Moldova. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jim Kelley devoted his time, his talent and money to helping the people and the economy of Moldova.

It was just a few weeks ago I was talking with Mick Lomont of New Haven about his brother, Jim, who heads the Kelley Grains operations in Moldova.

The Journal-Gazette covered Jim Lomont in a story from 2003 when he had returned to Allen County for a few weeks. He had invited Kelley Grains employees, some Moldovan farmers and agricultural specialists to accompany him back to the United States to look at American agricultural practices and to purchase needed farm equipment.

Additional: Jim Kelley talks about Moldova, business success, and passion at Tri-State University in 2002.
1999 story regarding the Kelleys, Moldova, and the start of Kelley Racing.

MORE: Released October 17, 2005

U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar made the following statement on James E. Kelley, of Fort Wayne, who died Sunday at age 87:

“Jim Kelley embodied that special Hoosier spirit of entrepreneurial and civic leadership. During a long and successful career, and an equally fulfilling life, Jim never ceased to explore new and different opportunities to create jobs and better opportunities for people in Indiana, and throughout the world. Jim Kelley will be missed, but his life of risk-taking, friendship and helping others lives on as a roadmap for all of us who follow his dedication to the future.”

Contact: Andy Fisher (Office of Senator Lugar) 202-224-2079 andy_fisher@lugar.senate.gov

First up -The Decatur Daily Democrat reports the State has confirmed the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Adams County. Indiana may be losing the war against the tree destroyer. It was first found in Steuben County; the borer has also been confirmed in Hicksville Ohio. Although not found yet in Allen County the Adams County news is not good. The City of Fort Wayne has used Ash trees extensively for planting in park strips along streets.

Meanwhile, Michigan gets tough on the smuggling of firewood. A man was arrested trying to smuggle wood across the Mackinac bridge on Wednesday. Michigan DNR has plans for a UP infestation but they have lost over 15 million trees in lower Michigan already.

Second - Lori Lobsiger, Director of Fort Wayne's historic Embassy Theatre suddenly resigned this week. Bluffton News-Banner legend Jim Barbieri wrote a tribute to Ms. Lobisiger's work.

Finally - Indiana University Professor Elinor Ostrom was cited by 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics Vernon Smith as one of the persons deserving of possible Nobel recogition in the future for her "contributions to the study of behavior" and her "pioneering contributions to political economy." Smith, professor of economics and law at George Mason University, was writing for the editorial page of Saturday's Wall Street Journal . Smith wrote approvingly of the choice of 2005 winners Robert Aumann and Thomas Schelling for their work on game theory.

T. Craig Ladwig, formerly an associate editor of the News-Sentinel and now of the Indiana Policy Review (IPR), has some interesting thoughts on the topic of newspaper JOAs over at the IPR website. You can access his writing here. Mr. Ladwig has been published on the topic of the effect of large chain ownership of newspapers on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

At the beginning of the month, I posted a piece on Indiana Parley titled "Museum on Main Street" that referenced an article by Denny Wilkens that appeared in Editor & Publisher. The article concerned Mr. Wilkens' views about the changes wrought by the publicly traded newspaper chains.

Several comments on the piece were posted. Leo Morris of the News-Sentinel asked:

Corporations try to balance making a profit that makes their shareholders happy and making a useful product that keeps their customers happy. Are you saying: 1)that no longer applies or, 2) the rules should be different for newspapers?
# posted by Leo Morris

My reply was:

I assume Leo is addressing me and not Mr. Wilkins. I'll respond by addressing the general Indiana Parley readership.
I don't believe corporations should try to BALANCE making a profit that makes their shareholders happy and making a useful product that keeps their customers happy.
It is an imperative that a corporation does both.
There is an implication in the phrasing of Leo's question that HE views the two things as mutually antagonistic.
As for the comment that the rules should be different for newspapers; my goodness, the rules ARE different NOW for newspapers.
To address Leo directly -
Your employer operates under a Joint Operating Agreement. That's a specific federal law to exempt newspapers which are organized following certain procedures from the regular federal anti-trust laws. I'm well aware that Fort Wayne Newspapers had one of the first JOA's in the country; it predated the arrival of Knight-Ridder by decades. So, it's not really a matter of publically-traded corporate ownership.
Leo, are you suggesting that the rules SHOULDN'T be different for newspapers?
Would you support Congressional repeal of the JOA Act?
# posted by Mitch Harper

Leo never replied to that question. So I'll ask again: Well, Leo, would you support Congressional repeal of the JOA Act?

What the Editor of the Greensboro(NC) News-Record wrote today on his blog:

Alum in the news

I haven't spoken with Linda Austin lately, but I should. She was the managing editor here from 1999-2002, and then she went to The News-Sentinel in Ft. Wayne, Ind., as executive editor. Now she's in the middle of a media/blogosphere dogpile.

The local business weekly there published a story saying "a plan has been discussed to turn the 172-year-old afternoon newspaper into a predominately online publication." Both Linda and her publisher denied such a plan exists.

Some bloggers weighed in, and today the editorial page editor strikes back on his blog.

We are having a series of meetings -- small groups, led by Executive Editor Linda Austin -- to talk about what the future might hold for us. The idea is to have lively discussions to get the best ideas from all staff members. What use will we make of the Internet? How can we make the best use of our information-gathering capabilities? How will we integrate the print product with all the other technologies we need to be experimenting with? What will that print product look like? These are the same kinds of conversations going on in newsrooms across the country.

Indeed. We've certainly been having them here.

I don't know anything more about it than I've read and cited here (thanks, Romenesko). But I know that Linda is sharp, thinks deeply about the future and isn't the least bit duplicitous. For the record, I hope there's some truth to it. Transforming an afternoon paper into a rich and dynamic online publication would be a bold and exciting opportunity for a newspaper company, if you ask me.

Interesting analysis from PR WEEK.

Some key observations:

Media transparency

It is no secret that traditional media have suffered in credibility and reputation over the past few years. While promises by public editors and apologies by editors-in chief for publications' transgressions have become far too common, some outlets are now considering other ways to regain readers' trust.

Business woes for newspapers

With a host of circulation scandals, a series of layoffs at some of its largest companies, and indications that readership is down, the newspaper industry has seen better days. The New York Times Co. and Knight Ridder were the latest to announce layoffs, a significant amount of which will be in editorial operations.

Digitalization of print media

When The New York Times announced in August that it would merge the operations of its digital and print news, it signified the latest step in the evaporating line between print and online content. Trylon Communication's Trufelman says that such an evolution will likely impact newspapers the most.

"There will be more of an impact on newspapers in [the next] two to five years than has happened in the past 100," he says. "Online news is going to impact the traditional newspaper much quicker and faster."

While online content has served as an adjunct to print for many years now, Trufelman believes that in the future the inverse will be true.

Two Northwest Indiana residents who were convicted of violating Indiana's hunter harassment statute are appealing their convictions. Attorneys for the couple plan a challenge to the statute's constitutionality. This is apparently the first legal challenge to the law.

Bob Kasarda of The Northwest Indiana TIMES reports on the Beverly Shores (IN) couple.

The Future is Now at The State in South Carolina

Former News-Sentinel Executive Editor Lou Heldman has been appointed as the publisher at Knight-Ridder's flagship in South Carolina. What he will find there when he takes over January 1st is TheColumbiaRecord.com - a site that bestows "Knighthood" on blogging readers. Readers aren't just readers; they are the reporters too. This from the press release of the company supplying the technology to Knight-Ridder.

Related: Heldman gets new post.
State Columnist C. Grant Jackson blogs about Heldman
State Columnist Brad Warthen blogs about Heldman


Ed. note: I was pleased to see that one of the "beKnighted" columnist/bloggers at TheColumbiaRecord.com is ultramarathon runner Ray Krolewicz. I've read Ray K's posting to a running ListServ for years. Ray also writes a column for The Running Journal, a sports publication which covers running in the South.

The Los Angeles Times takes a look at the long - or short - horizon of the daily newspaper business in this recent report.

Third Quarter Earnings Expected to Show 20% Drop

Knight Ridder will be releasing its third quarter earnings report on Friday, October 14th. The company has told investors to expect a 20% earnings drop.

The company (traded under symbol KRI) will announce its third quarter financials in a conference call at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. The announcement will be available to the general public by telephone or by webcast.

LATEST RELATED FRIDAY: Financials released.
Revenue and Linage.

Knight-Ridder's Tony Ridder writes about new web initiatives and praises News-Sentinel Publisher Mary Jacobus in a recent letter to employees:

Something else that's gratifying - at least to me! - is the way a number of our newsrooms are reaching out to the Web to try new and interesting ways of delivering news and information digitally. In Kansas City, it's the use of video to break news online, pioneered by veteran Kansas City television reporter Mark Hellig, recently hired to teach our staff how to shoot and edit video for the Web site. Other examples? In San Jose, it's Jon Fortt's A+E Interactive (edgy combo of Web page and weekly arts-and-entertainment print section, designed for young audiences).

Targeted publications have become a buzzword in the industry because readers are voting with their eyeballs: They want all kinds of content. We're giving them what they want. Our Circulation, Content and Readership Task Force (CCRTF), led by Fort Wayne News-Sentinel Publisher Mary Jacobus and Kansas City Star Executive Editor Mark Zieman, and involving approximately 80 people, is well launched.

It has resulted in about a dozen projects including: segmentation and data mining, "totally relevant" content focus, new approaches to newspaper marketing shared content with focus on a shopping section (under discussion), a compact - a.k.a. tab - conversion and several others. Just listing them, however, hardly does justice to the work that has gone into the CCRTF. Each project begs careful analysis with regard to resources required and proper market fit. Dozens of people have spent hundreds of hours making those assessments. If there is a better way to manage circulation, the CCRTF will find it.

Full content of letter from Tony Ridder to employees here.

It was confirmed yesterday at the Allen County Republican Luncheon Club that incumbent Allen County Council member Calvert (Cal) S. Miller will seek re-election.

Miller represents the 4th District.

Derrick Gingery has a provocative article at the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. Gingery is reporting that the Executive Editor Linda Austin has talked to staffers about a plan to convert the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel to an online edition with occasional - meaning less than daily - special sections over the next two years.

Could it be that it won't just be Leo Morris blogging at what once had been Fort Wayne's largest daily circulation newspaper. Is the Kevin Leininger blog far behind?

Some observers had wondered whether the Knight-Ridder investment in the massive new printing plant for Fort Wayne newspapers wasn't part of a plan to get the property "detailed for retail." The speculation stemmed from the recent sale of the KRN-owned Detroit Free Press after completion of a new printing plant for that paper.

What Gingery doesn't cover - and probably won't - is some speculation around town that KPC Media Group, Inc., the parent company of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, might someday launch a daily to serve Allen County.

Business Week has profiled former Vice-President Dan Quayle who is Chairman of Cerberus Global Investments, a part of Cerberus Capital Management.

Former Senator John Edwards, who unsuccessfully ran for the vice-presidency, will be following in the footsteps of the former Indiana Senator and 4th District Congressman.

Business Week also reports that Edwards is joining Fortress Investment Group.

Fort Wayne's Valbruna Stainless Steel One of the Affected Producers

The Specialty Steel Industry of North America released a study this week prepared by the Georgetown Economic Services. The study examined the amount of specialty steel imported to the United States.

Fort Wayne's Valbruna Stainless Steel, the successor to Slater Steel, is one of the American producers affected.

The study reported that

[i]mports of total stainless steel (comprising [all] product lines) YTD through July 2005 were 399,708 tons, a 13% increase; U.S. consumption was 1,361,595 tons, a 4% decrease; seven-month import penetration was 29%, a four percentage point increase.

The importation of stainless steel bar showed an increase of 72% although that was somewhat offset by an increase in United States consumption of 27%. Even so, import penetration in stainless steel bar is now over 50%. That represents a 13% increase over last year.

The press release from the Specialty Steel Industry of North America was released on Monday.

This strikes me as one of those stories affecting the Fort Wayne and Indiana economy that should be reported by the "regular news media." However, a Google news search indicates that no regular media outlet in Indiana has yet to cover this story of increasing import pressure. The last story done by Fort Wayne media was on September 21, 2005. That was a "soft" story carried by WPTA/WISE TV on September 21st and the Fort Wayne Newspapers on September 22nd regarding a sizeable donation by Valbruna to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

If someone can show me an earlier report by an Indiana news outlet other than this humble blog posting let our readers know.

Study of US by Intel Puts BSU on Top

In the 2nd annual study done by Intel Corporation, Ball State University of Muncie was ranked as the "Most Unwired Campus." Ball State has more than 600 Wi-Fi access points on its 600 acre campus.

OpenNet Initiative Report Released Today

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has the highest rate of internet censorship in the world. This is according to a stinging report issued today by the OpenNet Initiative at Harvard University.

Fort Wayne has the highest population of Burmese immigrants outside of Burma.

The OpenNet Initiative wrote that their

legal, technical, and political research finds Burma uses Internet filtering technology to conduct surveillance of communication methods such as e-mail, and to block users from viewing Web sites of political opposition groups, organizations working for democratic change in Burma, and pornographic material. Burma's on-line restrictions mirror off-line regulations implemented by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), a group of authoritarian military officials who run the state.

The New York Times reported that much of the technology for blocking comes from United States companies.

Reporters Maura Reynolds and Edward Chen wrote:

Sheldon said he had been in frequent contact with White House officials about Miers, beginning with an early-morning call from White House evangelical liaison Tim Goeglein on Monday, the day Bush announced his pick. "He said, 'Lou, you're going to be thrilled,' " Sheldon said.

Asked if his conversations with administration officials left him sure that Miers would help achieve evangelicals' goal of overturning Roe vs. Wade — the 1973 high court decision establishing a right to abortion — Sheldon was coy.

"I don't want to answer that question because I don't want to create a negative reaction among some Democrats who have already signed on to her," he said. "But I can only tell you that the more I'm hearing and making phone calls to friends who go to her church and know her, the more comfortable I'm feeling."

However, the report also noted the uphill climb that Goeglein faces in expanding that support:

Other religious conservatives were unconvinced. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins e-mailed supporters Friday expressing concerns about Miers' role in organizing a lecture series at her alma mater Southern Methodist University. The series featured what he described as "an apparently unbroken string of pro-abortion speakers."

Tim Goeglein is scheduled to speak later this month at the Allen County Right to Life's 8th Annual Banquet for Life on Thursday, October 27th. The event will be held at the Grand Wayne Center.

Peter Wallsten was a contributor to the Los Angeles Times story.

Tracy wrote:

Still, it's hard for me to believe that we're reaching the point where counties are replacing jails as often as Indianapolis builds new basketball arenas and football stadiums.

So, it's refreshing to note that Huntingon County Sheriff Kent Farthing did not immediately jump to the conclusion that Huntington County taxpayers should be burdened with financing a new jail when two inmates made a break this past weekend.

Huntington County's reaction was to recapture the escapees, place them in solitary confinement, and put the jail on lockdown.

The full story by Cincy Klepper of the Huntington Herald-Press can be found here.

The Sheriff's website notes:

The Huntington County Jail was built in 1984 at a cost of $2.2 million dollars. It is designed to house 96 inmates, but averages 100-120 inmates throughout the year. In 1998 a second floor was added which consists of office space, a workout room, and a large meeting room.

Farthing told the Herald-Press the jail was holding about 114 or 115 inmates Saturday night.

Taxpayers in Huntington County ended up protected...two ways.

San Diego Story cites Goshen's Radio Kañón 1460 AM
Latino radio is taking the top spot in major radio markets across the United States. A story in the San Diego Times-Union cites Goshen's Radio Kañón in illustrating the growth of Spanish-language radio.

More on this radio station broadcasting in Indiana's 3rd Congressional District can be found in the Elkhart Truth.

OHIO DOES NOT RESTRICT PSEUDOPHEDRINE SALES
Last week's fatal trailer fire in Fort Wayne revealed equipment and supplies for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Indiana has restricted the sale of over-the-counter cold medicines which contain one of the key ingredients in the making of meth.

How do northeastern Indiana meth labs continue to get access to pseudophedrine? The answer is found in a short drive across the state line to Ohio.

The Chicago Sun-Times has an illuminating story by Ryan Lenz on those states that do, and those states that do not, restrict pseudophedrine sales.

BREAKING - Former Fort Wayne-based Lincoln Financial Group and Jefferson Pilot Financial announced this morning that the two insurance giants will merge. The companies have established a special website regarding the merger.

The remaining company will be known as Lincoln Financial Group. The deal is valued at approximately $7.5 billion according to a news release by law firm King & Spaulding, which is representing Jefferson Pilot in the merger.

Lincoln Financial Group becomes a media company with the new acquisition. Jefferson Pilot also owns Jefferson Pilot Communications which owns TV stations in major southeastern markets, 18 radio stations in top 50 markets and Jefferson Pilot Sports, a television production company.

From the company press release:

PHILADELPHIA, PA and GREENSBORO, NC, October 10, 2005 - Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC), the parent company of the Lincoln Financial Group of companies, and Jefferson-Pilot Corporation (NYSE: JP), the parent of the Jefferson Pilot Financial group of companies, today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement, unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors. The merged company, which will operate under the brand name of Lincoln Financial Group, will be a premier provider of life insurance, annuity, retirement income and investment products and services, supported by top-tier retail and wholesale distribution platforms that provide industry-leading financial products and solutions.

Terms of the Transaction

The terms of the merger were negotiated to provide Jefferson Pilot shareholders with an 11% premium based on the average closing prices of each company's common stock from September 7, 2005 to October 7, 2005. Jefferson Pilot shareholders will receive 1.0906 Lincoln shares or $55.96 in cash for each Jefferson Pilot share, subject to proration. The aggregate amount of the cash payment to Jefferson Pilot shareholders will equal $1.8 billion. This represents a total blended cash and stock consideration of $55.48 per share based on the October 7, 2005 closing price of Lincoln Financial Group common stock and total consideration of approximately $7.5 billion.

Fort Wayne native Reid Nelson has been hired as "senior aide" to help direct the gubernatorial campaign of Texan singer Kinky Friedman according to a story by R.G. Ratcliffe of the Houston Chronicle's Austion Bureau.

Friedman , a favorite of Don Imus, is running as an independent to succeed incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry. Friedman was the headliner of Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys and is now a mystery novelist. He may best be described as a satirical songwriter. His songs included titles like “They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore.”

Nelson is described in the story as the manager for Dan Quayle's first Congressional campaign, although those close to the Quayles might characterize that as a rather brief tenure. He is a close friend of brothers Paul and Mark Helmke. Nelson worked overseas for the governmental relations firm formed by Mark Helmke two decades ago.

Nelson comes on board at a time that the Friedman campaign is showing some shakiness.

Ratcliffe wrote:

"The rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated," [Friedman] campaign manager Dean Barkley said. "Nobody's jumping out of the second-story window over here or committing hara-kiri."

Reid is a something of a free-spirit and adventurer. That he has taken a position with Kinky Friedman seems entirely fitting. It ought to give Reid some more great stories to tell in the future. And I can't help imagine but that Friedman, once exposed to Reid Nelson, will end up with some new stories of his own.

More:
Kinky Friedman profiled in The NEW YORKER.
Kinky Friedman Official Website.

Elkhart County's Democracy for America held a meeting on September 15th in Goshen. The group had invited Fort Wayne City Councilman Tom Hayhurst to talk about the 2006 3rd District Congressional race. The organizer estimated that 18 people attended.

The August meeting featured Fort Wayne Presbyterian minister Tom Boyd.

Rod Liechty, the event organizer, remarked of the September meeting on the 4-member organization's Meet-Up site:

"There was a lively exchange of information on issues after Ft Wayne City Councilman Dr Tom Hayhurst gave his presentation. The candidate for (3rd Dist IN) Congress covered many issues including health care, the extent of privatization, real needs in security, and domestic programs, head start and education. Questions and comment ranged from opposition to no bid contracts for reconstruction after Katrina, decent pay scales for workers, models for improved rail service and mass transit (A RR Labor Leader was in our group), to an exchange of information between a hospital administrator and Tom on health care and insurance problems. It was clear that Hayhurst has a grasp of the issues and the temperment to search for solutions to solve problems. From comments I heard afterwards some would rate the session great."

Dr. Hayhurst seemed to avoid some of the unfortunate comments made by Rev. Boyd at the August meeting. Again, Mr. Liechty gives the wrap-up:

Rev. Kevin Boyd gave a spirited presentation on his candidacy for Congress, the first in a series of candidates. He answered questions directly on his positions. He is pro choice and pro life to care, nurture, and educate all who are born.

Indiana's late U.S. Senator R. Vance Hartke has been accused of a lot of things over the years. But did you know that he has been blamed for blocking the release of a motion picture?

Albuquerque film commentator Devin D. O'Leary recently interviewed Tom Laughlin, creator and star of the 1970's Billy Jack series. His interview was on the occasion of the release of the 35th anniversary Ultimate DVD Collection by Ventura Distribution.

The series includes Born Losers (1967), Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), and, Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977).

Billy Jack Goes to Washington was not released theatrically. That's when our R. Vance Hartke entered the stage.

O'Leary writes about his interview in Alibi.com:

Q: You've refered to your next film, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, as the film that was not “allowed” to be released. Was that a function of political pressure in the country, or a result of changing corporate structure in Hollywood, making studios and theaters much more corporate controlled?

[Laughlin] Well, not only controlled, but [the studios] were the chief fundraisers for any politician, Republican or Democrat. Universal's Lew Wasserman, my dear friend, took care of the Democratic party. Pat Scrieber, the second-in-command, took care of the Republicans. They played the game.

We had a screening of [Billy Jack Goes to Washington] and Sen. Vance Hartke from Indiana came in. He stands up and attacks me afterward. Present is Lucille Ball, Walter Cronkite's daughter, Sen. Bill Cohen from Maine, and he attacks me. “You son of a bitch, you'll never get this movie released.” And, indeed we didn't. Now, three years later, he gets indicted for the exact same crime as we expose in that movie.

Mr. Laughlin maintains a website which shows the, uh, extensive range of his beliefs. He is planning another Billy Jack movie. Presumably, if his new effort fails to win release it will not be blamed on Vance Hartke.

The State of Indiana recently named Reynolds, Indiana as "BioTown USA." The goal is for Indiana citizens to underwrite, subsidize, and otherwise pay for the White County town to become a big user of an energy source that grows all around Reynolds - corn. A later phase of the project is planning to use something else that is plentiful around Reynolds - animal waste.

Now comes word from the Indianapolis Star that gas stations in eight Indiana communities have received $1,000.00 grants to convert one pump to E85 fuel. One of those gas stations is in Fort Wayne.

City gas station gets grant to offer E85 fuel

INDIANAPOLIS -- One gas station in Indianapolis is among eight that will receive grants to offer E85 fuel -- a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Joe's Junction No. 9 at 2210 Kentucky Ave. will receive $1,000, as will stations in Bargersville, Columbus, Etna Green, Fort Wayne, Trafalgar and Wakarusa.

Three of the stations -- in Bargersville, Etna Green and Wakarusa -- already have E85 pumps. Once the others come online, 11 in Indiana will offer the clean-burning fuel.

The grant money comes from the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, part of the Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program. (Star report from its October 8, 2005 Morning Briefing.

Now, there are a few unknowns about the Reynolds BioTown project. Like, oh, how much its going to cost. Charlie Van Voorst, head of the Reynolds Town Board of Trustees was reported in a story appearing in the Ball State Daily News to have said that he didn't know how much the price tag will turn out to be.

Voorst added:

"It’s all a learning situation," he said. "Hopefully, the town will benefit with lower utility costs and lower gas costs."

Hope springs eternal. But whatever the costs savings may turn out for Reynolds there will be costs socialized far beyond White County.

Reporter Abby Leitz of the Monticello Herald-Journal expanded on the unknowns facing Reynolds in her report on this week's Town Board Meeting which ran the gamut from discussing BioTown to setting the date for this year's Halloween Trick or Treating.

Leitz reported on some of the costs that won't be socialized outside of Reynolds - such as the cost of converting vehicles to run on E85 fuels. However, General Motors, as it turns out, is standing by to lend a helping hand. She first quotes Andy Miller, Director of the Sate of Indiana's Department of Agriculture. Then Van Voorst explains more about the project.

“At some point in the next six months, Reynolds will be one of the highest percentage towns in hopefully all of America,” Miller said at the White County 4-H Fairgrounds last month of putting residential vehicles on E-85.

VanVoorst explained that there is little presently known about how the transition will take place, what it will cost and specific details, but he assured town residents present at Tuesday night’s council meeting that General Motors — who is partnering with the state on the BioTown initiative — is committed to helping Reynolds achieve the goal set before them.

“I believe (GM) are going to make it so Reynolds is able to use this fuel - I really do,” VanVoorst said. “They’re really trying to make this work for us, make it affordable for the people of Reynolds.”

It was previously announced that GM would raffle off E-85 compatible vehicles to several Reynolds residents and also work out an incentive program so residents could affordably make the switch to E-85 cars and trucks.

None of these unknowns or cost-shifting deterred Fort Wayne's News-Sentinel from waxing enthusiastically about BioTown USA in an editorial brief from September 15.

The state has an intriguing goal for Reynolds, a small town in northwest Indiana, which it hopes will become BioTown, USA. The plan is for the town and its some 550 residents to be among the nation’s first communities powered entirely by agricultural-based fuels. A gas pump selling the ethanol-blend fuel E85 could be operational by the first of the year, which will be used to power the town government’s three vehicles, and hopes are that town residents also would use the corn-based fuel. Later phases of the plan include using other bioenergy sources — including methane gas — to power electrical generators and heat homes, officials said. The alternative energy sources will come in part from animal waste gathered from local livestock farms. State officials said farms within a 15-mile radius of Reynolds have some 150,000 hogs.

Energy is going to be an increasing challenge in years to come, and every experiment will help. As much agricultural output as Indiana produces, a bioenergy experiment makes a lot of sense here.

One can only imagine how excited the News-Sentinel will become over the $1,000.00 grant for its hometown.

Related story: Journal-Gazette editorialists waxing enthusiastically on October 1 about increased school spending for something other than education.

MARION COUNTY INFANT BRAIN DAMAGED DUE TO ABUSE

Tim Evans reports in a story today the Indianapolis STAR that Marion County Superior Court Judge Marilyn Moores issued an order yesterday that was requested by the Marion County Department of Child Services.

The Marion County Department of Child Services requested the removal of the ventilator that is keeping Hamad Elijah Sanda alive. The agency took custody of the baby Sept. 26, four days after he was brought to the Methodist Hospital emergency room with a skull fracture and brain injury.

Citing the boy's grave condition and testimony from medical experts who said there was nothing more they could do, Superior Court Judge Marilyn Moores issued the order over the objections of Hamad's mother, Tiwanna Sanda. The judge also issued a "do not resuscitate" order. requested the removal of the ventilator that is keeping Hamad Elijah Sanda alive. The agency took custody of the baby Sept. 26, four days after he was brought to the Methodist Hospital emergency room with a skull fracture and brain injury.

The Star also provided a link for the full text of Indiana's medical consent law, go to: www.in.gov/legislative/ic_iac. Click on Indiana code; then Title 16, Health. Go to Article 36, medical consent; then Chapter 1, health-care consent.

It's football season which means it's puffball season.
Chris Grondahl wrote perhaps the definitive piece on the connection between the two.

Puffballs are the giants of the edible mushroom family. Their sheer size makes them hard to miss. They favor fields and meadows so it is difficult to hide.

They are simple to spot, non-poisonous, and one puffball can serve for a couple of meals. That's why it's the perfect wild mushroom for me.

They also have a quality that is a drawback for some and an advantage for others. It is the tofu of the fungi world. Sauteed in a little butter, it has less assertiveness than your store-bought buttons. But the flesh of the puffball is solid and meaty.

About a week and half ago, I spotted my first puffball of the season. It was along a trail in Fox Island County Park. Fox Island allows mushroom hunting. However, the puffball was a little small and immature. I knew it had slim hopes of propagating more mushrooms given its open location but I figured there would be other opportunities.

I emailed a friend of mine that it seemed to be a good time for puffballs. My friend, Jerry, is an experienced mushroom hunter and much more knowledgable about edible fungi than I will ever be (even if I wanted to be). My only contribution to his store of fungi knowledge was my relating that, as a boy, I had brought back a ripe puffball from the woods. I punted the orb in my backyard, releasing spores. The next year, our yard sported home-cultivated puffballs. Why go hunting when you can raise puffballs like tomatoes?

Last Sunday, I drove past a field along a county road. There were two large puffballs in the field visible from the road. I dutifully reported on this latest development to Jerry. I didn't divulge the location, thinking I might go back and ask the landowner if I could have one of the two.

Well, I didn't have to go back and beg. On Tuesday night, I came back from a meeting and the large puffball pictured above was sitting by my garage door.

Neighbors reported that a silver-haired seen running between the houses had dropped something off at our house. Aha, Jerry had made a delivery!

He later confessed to the caper but, like every true mushroom hunter, he did not reveal the source of this Hoosier truffle.

What does all of this have to do with public policy? Oh, probably nothing. But northern Indiana is a particularly glorious place in the first two weeks of October. And puffball season is a marker of that.

Well, there is one possible public policy connection. On the way to looking up information on the internet regarding new ways to prepare Puffballs, I came across this story from the Centers for Disease Control about respiratory disease which can arise from inhaling the spores of a ripe puffball. The jumping off point for the story was a party in Wisconsin where teenagers cut open a puffball possibly hoping for some psychedelic properties of so-called "magic mushrooms."

Does Mark Souder know about this yet?

© 2005 by Mitch Harper

Breaking - AP is reporting that former Indiana Senator Dan Coats is to be interviewed from the White House by one of the network morning news programs. Coats has been chosen to shepherd Harriet Miers through the U.S. Senate confirmation process.

Indiana Senator Dick Lugar and former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn were highly touted to win the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Committee has, instead, awarded the prize to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its director general, Mohamed ElBaradei.
It was widely thought that the Nobel Committee would award the prize to individuals or an organization which worked in the area of nuclear non-proliferation in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the first use of atomic weapons.
The bright side for Dick Lugar? Bono was not the winner.

Reported by UPI
Story from the Washington Times

From Dave Remondini, Chief Counsel to the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court:

Descendants of Mary Clark, a black woman who played a key role in the Indiana Supreme Court's 19th century decisions regarding slavery, will tell her dramatic story in the Indiana Supreme Court chambers on Friday, October 14, 2005 at 2 p.m., Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard announced today.

Clark's descendants will join two other presenters in an hour long event showcasing the Court's efforts to develop new ways to access information about Indiana's legal past including: a searchable database of early Indiana cases, dramatic re-enactments about the lives of key figures in Indiana legal history, and a new biography series about Indiana lawyers and judges.

The event is part of a new Supreme Court-sponsored lecture series aimed at addressing legal topics of current interest to lawyers, judges, educators, and citizens in a variety of formats. Each talk will be free and open to the public.

Chief Justice Shepard will introduce this inaugural lecture and the speakers. Douglas Fivecoat, the editor of a new biography on Isaac Blackford, will provide insights on the longest serving judge of the Indiana Supreme Court and Indiana's first Speaker of the House. His remarks will cover Blackford both as a jurist and as a prominent participant in Indiana's formative years. Vicki Casteel, from the Indiana State Archives, will demonstrate a new database that for the first time allows electronic searches for Indiana Supreme Court cases from 1816 to approximately 1862 - covering Blackford's entire career on the Court. The final panelists, Ethel McCane and Eunice Trotter, are direct descendants of Mary Clark. In re Clark is one of the most important pre-Civil War cases heard by the Court. In Clark, the Court struck down indentures binding Mary Clark, a black woman, to a white man.

Accessing Indiana's Legal Past is sponsored by the Indiana Supreme Court "Courts in the Classroom" Project and the Indiana State Archives. The seminar will take place from 2-3 p.m. in the recently renovated Supreme Court chambers on the third floor of the State House. Light refreshments will follow.

One hour of free Continuing Legal Education credit has been approved, which also qualifies for credit for newly admitted attorneys.

The event will webcast "live" at www.in.gov/judiciary/webcast. Visit the "Courts in the Classroom" website for information about the book Isaac Blackford: Indiana's Blackstone, the database created by the Indiana State Archives, and for documents relating to In re Clark. www.in.gov/judiciary/citc

Eunice Trotter was formerly the Associate Editor of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. She now works for the Indianapolis STAR. David Remondini was formerly a reporter for the Indianapolis STAR, where he served 15 years.

Indiana Parley is pleased that the Indiana Barrister has added this site to its list of Indiana legal weblogs. Indiana Barrister is the distinguished product of Joshua Claybourne.

Full Text of Trial Court Decision

Marcia Oddi at the Indiana Law Blog has kindly scanned and posted the full text of the Home Point v Carmel annexation decision here.

The News-Sentinel's Leo Morris salutes this site's quickness in a note on his blog, Opening Arguments.

Leo wrote:

George vs. George
In tonight's paper, we have the presidential smackdown column by conservative commentator George Will, which many are seeing as evidence that the right has had it with George W. Bush. It's definitely the hottest thing in the blogosphere right now. (The blogometer site, by the way, is a good one to check every day to keep track of what's being said on the major blogs.) Local blogger and former State Rep. Mitch Harper was ahead of the pack, posting his reaction early yesterday morning.

Little did I know that making mention of Walter Cronkite yesterday was so timely. Uncle Walter, 88, made the news this week with remarks about Americans (too dumb) and the blogosphere (scary) at the Annenberg School of Communication where he was handing out the eponymous Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the former CBS News anchor had this to say about the state of the polity:

"We [as a nation] are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders."

Further, Cronkite told the interviewer

'he fears the blogosphere, still in its "infancy," could threaten the standing of mainstream media as a news source for consumers already confused by cable's "opinion journalism." It is the function of the educational system, he believes, to train people to understand the difference.'

He also told the interviewer that his

"fellow journalists — primarily broadcast — [should]pressure "our employers, those who are more concerned with profits than they are with performance," to replace the current roundups of celebrity profiles and personal health and finance pieces with "the news of the day."

Well, they can't get the gate closed on that darned celebrity news soon enough for Walter. John Widdicombe of the New York Daily News and Liz Smith of Variety report that Uncle Walter has been keeping company with 60-something opera singer Joanna Simon, the sister of Carly Simon. Smith went on to report the two plan to marry.

Nathan Gotsch over at Fort Wayne Observed wrote about Bob Caylor's editorial in last night's News-Sentinel which concerned a Knight-Ridder study showing declining teen pregnancy rates.

Bob Caylor praised the study as having good news. Nathan Gotsch rightly pointed out that perhaps Caylor had missed the real story. That story is that there exists a rising rate of teens engaging in oral sex with all of the consequences that can arise from increased STD's.

Gotsch wrote:

That's why Caylor's editorial misses the point. Our goal shouldn't just be to reduce teen pregnancy, but to make sure our kids know and understand all the potential ramifications their decisions can have on their health.

When it comes to oral sex, we're failing.

The Brits may have a somewhat different view than that of our young American writer. Incredibly, government sponsored studies there in the past two years have officially encouraged oral sex.

Mark Townsend, writing in the Guardian, in May of 2004:

Encouraging schoolchildren to experiment with oral sex could prove the most effective way of curbing teenage pregnancy rates, a government study has found.

The government, heartened by the study, Townsend continued,

... will recommend the scheme, called A Pause, to schools throughout England and Wales following the success of the trial in 104 schools where sexual intercourse among 16-year-olds fell by up to 20 per cent, according to Dr John Tripp of the Department of Child Health at the University of Exeter, who helped to design the course.

"A Pause," indeed!

A year earlier, the Guardian's John Carvel wrote:

Compulsory sex education for five-year-olds will be demanded today by government advisers on teenage pregnancy, as an essential step towards halving the under-18 conception rate by 2010.

It was said that Lyndon Johnson knew his Viet Nam policy had lost the support of the American people when Walter Cronkite announced his opposition.

President Johnson was wrong in trusting the opinion of a new anchor as a barometer of public opinion even if it was Uncle Walter. If it wasn't clear then that Walter Cronkite nurtured his own peculiar biases, it certainly has become clear in the years since he stepped down as the CBS anchor.

Yet, the critique of one current day opinion leader in the media is a different matter. Certainly one who has more intellectual heft than anyone else in the media. And certainly one who serves as a beacon for much of the conservative community.

Today, George Will published a stinging critique of President Bush's choice of Harriet Miers to fill Justice O'Conner's seat on the Supreme Court. President Bush's recent slide in the polls is not so much a sign of people increasingly siding with his liberal critics. The slide has much to do with conservative disenchantment.

George Will famously characterized the President's father as having the "tinny arf of a lap dog." Is today's Will critique the equivalent of that famous Reagan-era column?

The Hamilton County neighborhood of Home Point won at the trial court level yesterday in its battle with the City of Carmel over annexation. Judge William Hughes ruled that Carmel had not demonstrated that it could afford to provide services to the target area.

It was a victory for Home Point's attorney, Steve Buschmann.

More on this can be found in Bill Ruthhart's story in the Indianapolis STAR here.

Today's news flash from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen:

BLET gets CF&E shortline organizing victory

CLEVELAND, October 4 -- BLET National President Don Hahs today welcomed the operating employees of the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad (CF&E) as the newest members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

The CF&E win represents the latest in a string of 13 shortline organizing victories for the BLET dating back to 2002, bringing more than 1,000 workers into the house of labor.
The National Mediation Board certified the election on September 28.

"This was a total team effort by the BLET Organizing Department,” said Tommy Miller, the BLET’s Organizing Director.

A Rail America subsidiary, the CF&E is the BLET’s second organizing victory this year, as workers at the New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway voted to join the BLET in January.

“I welcome these new Brothers and Sisters into the House of Labor and look forward to securing a collective bargaining agreement on their behalf,” President Hahs said.

The Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad, which was acquired through a lease agreement with CSX by the Central Railroad of Indianapolis, commenced operations on August 1, 2004.
Major customers on the line are Central Soya, Steel Dynamics, Procter & Gamble, Cargill and National Lime & Stone. Commodities shipped include agricultural products, chemicals, metals, paper and minerals.

The 276-mile line runs from Crestline, Ohio to Tolleston, Ind., east of Chicago.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005bentley@ble.org
The press release can be seen in context on the BLET site here.

Is a 1,000 membership gain over a 3 to 4 year organizing period significant?

...during the budget hearings, but there will be one other little addition to everybody's household expenses coming up."

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson announced yesterday a plan for major improvements to the city sewer system that would "nearly double sewer rates and storm water fees". This from a story by Brendan O'Shaughnessy in the Indianapolis Star of October 3, 2005. Businesses would see increases in the range of 60% to 90%.

Why wait to make the announcement until after the budget hearings have been held on the Indianapolis and Marion County budgets? The dollar that a taxpayer pays for increased property taxes or for the increased food and beverage tax is the same kind of dollar that will be paid for in increased sewer fees.

Economics is the allocation of scarce resources. Rational economic choices can only be made in the presence of all material information.

Bill Colbert died this week. I first met Bill when I was 16 and serving as Otis Bowen's state high school chairman in Doc's 1972 campaign for Governor.

Most recently a lobbyist for the Indiana REMC's, Bill was long a presence in the Statehouse. He helped Indiana in ways great and small. Always friendly, always humorous and always frank, Bill did everything with a style all his own.

The full obituary written by John Strauss can be found in The Indianapolis STAR "here".

I have a nominee for the title of "Worst sentence from the weekend papers."

It occurred in a story written by Paul Salopek in the October 2, 2005 edition of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Midwest Edition, on page 1 in a story titled: "Last Stand in the Arctic."

The story is about a dwindling herd of caribou in the Yukon Territory. I'll not go into the merits of the story; you can decide that for yourself. The set-up is that Old Stephen Frost, a Gwitchin Indian elder has just fired his rifle twice at eight caribou in the water. The shots go high. The caribou head to the bank of a stream.

Here's the sentence:

Peering back at Frost with the large, frank eyes of children, the animals vanish into a maze of willow branches dense as basketry.

I'm not wondering how the animals can be peering back and vanishing into the woods at the same time. (However, I do have a mental picture of the caribou backing into the woods). No, most readers will be familiar enough with how deer behave to know what Mr. Salopek was describing.

It's the "large, frank eyes of children" part.

Perhaps my title is a little harsh; the description of the brush along the streambank being a "maze of willow branches dense as basketry" is a gem.

Denny Wilkins wrote a provocative column in Editor & Publisher last month. He is now a journalism professor but the larger part of his career was spent as a working newspaperman. We quote a little bit here; you can read the whole column in Editor & Publisher here.

So: Should I tell my college j-students today that the Mighty Media Corporations that own the newspapers they will work for don't worry about journalism but rather fear:

* company stock prices that go down instead of up
* federal regulation that pre-empts corporate profit-maximizing efforts
* exposure as anti-consumer in pricing their products and their advertising space?

In newsrooms controlled by this worldview, only rarely do bold new ideas emerge about how to significantly improve journalism.

In this worldview, the traditional Great Mission and Moral Imperative of a newspaper as considered by the Founders -- to provide information that allows the public to make fully informed consumer and political decisions -- will further erode the ability of journalists to gather information and report it without fear or favor.

He writes a lot more about shrinking news staff, the shrinking news hole, and shrinking circulation. Once you read the whole column and, perhaps the countervailing view linked on the Wilkins piece, you can sound off here.

Is there anyone out there who would disagree that all of the things he writes about are on exhibit at Fort Wayne Newspapers?