Fort Wayne Observed

Public Input Dates Set for IN House and Senate Redistricting: Fort Wayne March 26

Indiana State Senate President Pro Tempore David Long (R - Fort Wayne) has announced the dates for public input sessions regarding redistricting of legislative boundaries.

The Fort Wayne input session will be from 2 to 4 PM on March 26th at the Allen County Public Library downtown.

Senator Long remarked:

Members of the House and Senate Election Committees will be holding public hearings on redistricting in eight separate locations throughout the state. The hearings are designed to allow for the public's input regarding new legislative district boundaries for the Indiana House of Representatives, the Indiana Senate and the nine congressional districts.

Under the Indiana Constitution, the General Assembly elected during the year in which a federal decennial census is taken shall fix by law the number of senators and representatives and apportion them among districts according to the number of inhabitants in each district, as revealed by that census.

The dates of all the hearings across the state can be seen be viewing the extended entry after the break.

A Good Time to Start a Law School? Applications Drop Sharply

Fort Wayne Observed noted in February that the world is not exactly crying out for new lawyers.  The FWOb post was in response to the news the Fort Wayne's Indiana Tech announced that the school was exploring the creation of Indiana's fourth law school.

Prospective law students seem to have gotten the word that demand for lawyers in an already saturated market is not great.  The Wall Street Journal reported this week that - nationwide - the number of applications to law schools has dropped sharply over last year.

This would not seem to bode well for creation of a new law school even if an institution of higher learning were willing to manufacture more lawyers.

As we pointed out before, law schools are pretty inexpensive to establish compared to other graduate and professional schools.  However, they are expensive places for the students; particularly students who find the job prospects after being handed a sheepskin to be fairly limited.

The Wall Street Journal's Nathan Koppel wrote in his story headlined "Law School Loses Its Allure as Jobs at Firms are Scarce":

The number of law-school applicants this year is down 11.5% from a year ago to 66,876, according to the Law School Admission Council Inc. The figure, which is a tally of applications for the fall 2011 class, is the lowest since 2001 at this stage of the process. The Council estimates that the application process is 86% complete, based on historical patterns.

Prospective law students increasingly are aware of the grim job market for lawyers and the challenges they would face in paying off law-school loans, college career advisers said. Corporate law firms, long the employer of choice for many graduates, have cut back on hiring in recent years, and most firms haven't raised salaries for starting lawyers.

[ ... ]

Even the American Bar Association has seen fit to drive home the risks of law school. "The rising cost of a legal education and the realities of the legal job market mean that going to law school may not pay off," the ABA said in a 2009 report, which noted that the average law student could expect to graduate with more than $100,000 in school debt.

[ ... ]

"When the economy first went down, students saw law school as a way to dodge the work force," said Ryan Heitkamp, a pre-law adviser at Ohio State University. "The news has gotten out that law school is not necessarily a safe backup plan."

[ ... ]

Kent Syverud, dean of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where applications this year declined more than 11%, said it was a good thing prospective students now were more "clear eyed" about the risks and rewards of a law degree.

"The froth in the applicant pool—those who were just going to law school because they didn't know what else to do and everyone told them it was a safe bet—is pretty well gone," he said.

 

2012 Lt. Governor Talk: Moses and Berry in the Speculation

Today's Indiana Legislative Insight reports on the speculation in political circles on the second spot for both parties in the next Indiana statewide election.

Two names mentioned have Fort Wayne origins: current State Auditor and former State Treasurer Tim Berry and current State Representative and former Mayor Win Moses.  Mr. Berry had previously served as Allen County Treasurer and Mr. Moses as the 5th district common council member.

From Indiana Legislative Insight on the possibilty of teaming Mr. Berry with potential Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Pence:

Second-term State Auditor Tim Berry (R) is another guy who has the statewide contacts from two terms as state treasurer and his time in the auditor'ss office. He knows local government officials around the state every bit as much as [former Indiana House Speaker] John Gregg from his time as Allen County treasurer and making the rounds since, and there isn't an R or D who has an unkind word for Berry.

If one legitimate criticism of Pence is that he lacks detailed knowledge of state government or the state budget, Auditor Berry – a proud ‘Hockey Dad’ – can be the inside yin to Pence’s outside yang. Berry can also help Pence in the strong GOP collar counties, where he now has ties.

And this on Mr. Moses as the running mate to former House Speaker John Gregg:

One name you may not have heard associated with a Gregg candidacy is that of Rep. Win Moses (D) of Fort Wayne, a veteran lawmaker who has dealt with utility and budget issues as a lawmaker after two terms as mayor of the state’s second-largest city. Moses, a successful businessman, brings to the table local government experience long on dealing successfully with natural disasters and negotiating the federal bureaucracy, and he has become a senior statesman within the Democratic caucus who may be willing to run for LG rather than simply serve out his time in the minority . . . and that thought pattern may have particularly been exacerbated by the events of this session to date.

A factor in the speculation regarding Mr. Moses is the same as that regarding a US Senate bid by US Representative Joe Donnelly: redistricting taking place following the decennial census may see the creation of districts less favorable to re-election chances in their current positions.

Other names mentioned by Indiana Legislative Insight for the Republican Lt. Governor's nomination in 2012 include Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, Cathy Langham of Langham Logistics, Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill, Jr., and .... current Lt. Governor Becky Skillman.

Mayor Harry Baals Home for Sale: Open House Today

The renovated Wolf & Dessauer building may not be renamed in honor of former Fort Wayne Mayor Harry Baals, but that doesn't prevent you from owning a real Mayor Harry Baals building.

Mayor Baals' former home at 4518 South Wayne Avenue is for sale. Real estate agent Jill Brigman of Century 21 Bradley Realty Inc has the house listed for $129,900.

You may tour the home at an open house today from 1 to 3 PM.

From the description in the classified advertisement in today's JG:

Historic Mayor Harry Baals Former Home located in Southwood Park.  Completely remodeled. 3 Bedroom 3 Bath, Hardwood Floors, Full Finished Basement, Attach Garage, Fenced Yard, Appliances Stay

Gary Group Ask Governor To "Revisit" Mark GiaQuinta Appointment

A Gary, Indiana, group has passed a resolution asking the Governor to revisit his appointment of Mark GiaQuinta of Fort Wayne to the Distressed Unit Appeals Board of the State of Indiana.  You may read the entire press release regarding the resolution here.  The Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) considers appeals by local governments that  expect "to have a reduction in their property tax collections of at least five percent (5%) in a calendar year as a result of the Circuit Breaker caps on property tax bills".

Indiana Legislative Insight reports in today's edition:

The Miller Improvement Group of Gary is "demanding that the Governor revisit his appointments to the Distressed Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) in light of the fact that two of his appointees have an open conflict of interest and are not capable to issuing an objective and impartial decision on Gary's request for property tax cap exemptions."

MIG seeks the removal of Fort Wayne attorney Mark GiaQuinta from the board "inasmuch as GiaQuinta is an attorney for Allied Waste, the contractor hired by the city of Gary for curbside trash removal in a $5.5 million annual contract, and he has specifically spoken out at DUAB meetings in favor of the Allied Waste contract."

From the Press Release issued by the Miller Improvement Group:

"Last year GiaQuinta referred to the people of Gary challenging the city's trash collection ordinance as being in 'La-La Land'," said Leonard.  "This year at the January 7th hearing, he openly advised Gary residents in attendance to not challenge or appeal Judge Webber's decision and 'just get on with it.'" It was later learned that GiaQuinta admitted to having Allied Waste as one of his clients.

Mr. GiaQuinta is a member of the Fort Wayne Community Schools Board and is a former member of the Fort Wayne Common Council.

Fort Wayne Eco-tourism at Eagle Marsh

The Eagle Marsh on Fort Wayne's southwest side attracts numerous birdwatchers.  The wetlands attract migratory birds as they make their seasonal journeys along flightways.

Last Friday, I met two camera toting folks from Goshen at Eagle Marsh. They were in Fort Wayne on the chance that they might photograph white fronted geese.

The report that drew them to Fort Wayne can be found on this Indiana bird-watching mailing list.

Eagle Marsh is the result of vision and hard work on the part of the Little River Wetlands Project.  The organization is working to preserve and restore to wetlands one of the key geological features of northeast Indiana - the ancient glacial sluiceway between the Maumee and the Wabash River Systems.

Michiganders for Updike

The Honorable Steve Updike is running for re-election as mayor of Huntington, Indiana. 

He has garnered the support of at least one Michigan resident as evidenced by the Steve Updike for Mayor bumper sticker spotted on a Michigan plated vehicle Saturday.

The vehicle was photographed on westbound US 24 (W. Jefferson Boulevard) near I-69 in Fort Wayne. Left of the Michigan license plate is a dealer marque reading 'Les Kaskinen Bellaire Mich.'.

 

Credit Worthy: Fort Wayne Consumers Lead Nation in Reducing Card Debt

A report by Experian on credit card useage sheds some interesting light on the use of credit cards by Americans in 2010.

Fort Wayne residents topped the rest of the nation's metropolitan areas in reducing credit card balances. CNN Money reported:

Consumers in a handful of cities managed to significantly whittle down their debts. The biggest savers in 2010 were in Fort Wayne, Ind., where credit card balances dropped an average 24%. Meanwhile, residents of El Paso, Texas, and Boise, Idaho reduced their credit card balances by about 14%.

Largest average balances were in San Antonio, Jacksonville and Atlanta, according to Experian's report.

Photo credit: Fort Wayne Observed private collection - newspaper advertisement from July 22, 1969.

Peoria TV: News Staff Fears Peoria News to Shift to Fort Wayne

MORE: Chicago Tribune story of March 2, 2011.

            Peoria Journal Star coverage here, and here.

            Billy Dennis on the Peoria Pundit weblog.

Columnist Phil Luciano of the Peoria Journal Star warns that Peoria, Illinois, residents might soon get their television broadcast news from "that noted media mecca, Fort Wayne, Ind."  He just doesn't think that newscasts originating from Fort Wayne would play in Peoria.

Under current contract negotiations, the Granite Broadcasting news team in Peoria doesn't think they'll be very lucky, Luciano writes. He thinks Peoria may follow the path of Detroit - where folks in the Motor City watching Channel 20 can see Melissa Long, Dean Pantazi and Curtis Smith delivering their news.

The photo at right shows Melissa Long delivering Detroit 'Top Stories' on Channel 20.

Mr. Luciano makes his observations in a column published today titled "Newsflash: Fort Wayne, Indiana, not so local":

Sounds like "Your Home Team" might become "Your Homeless Team."

That's fear among the news staffs at WEEK-TV and WHOI-TV. In the midst of contract talks, they think their corporate bosses aim to outsource work and cut jobs. The skimpy newscasts would be a sham, with a talking head babbling from a studio in that noted media mecca, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Mind you, the WEEK-WHOI news operation remains highly profitable. But out-of-town owners demand more green. So, expenses - as in people - get slashed.

[ ... ]

Certainly, in all but the biggest markets, news operations have been drastically cut back. You don't see much depth these days. But you do get local focus. At that counts for a lot.

Yet you wonder how that'd be possible under a radical revamping described by the stations' reporters, anchors and photographers. [... ]

The contract battle comes down to whether Granite will be able to - as it does with stations elsewhere - shoot newscasts out of its broadcast hub in Fort Wayne. As a TV consumer, you probably don't care as much about union rights as you do about the news product. Me, too.

Under a scorched-earth switcheroo, current news personnel would get pink-slipped. [ ... [

Meantime, Granite hires a handful of minimum-wage 20-somethings with video cameras. They flit about the area, hoping news hits them in the face. The footage is sent to Fort Wayne, where a middle-age blonde woman at a nondescript desk reads the script.

That's how it's done, for example, for WMYD-TV "in" Detroit. Three whole reporters cover the entirety of Motown. Mind you, it's the 11th biggest city in America, with a population eight times that of Peoria.

[ ... ]

[T]he WEEK-WHOI employees have been shotgunning a video all over Facebook to rally support. It's well produced, though the message seems a bit off-target. It beats the drum of "community": news staffers stress that they raise kids, shop and eat here.

Well, that's nice, I guess. [ ... ]

Bottom line: Local TV employees know the area. They realize what's news and what's important in Peoria. Fort Wayne does not.

[ ... ]

If you want to weigh in, go to "Peoria Aftra" on Facebook for contact information for the stations' bosses. If you want to really make a point, call their local advertisers.

If you don't care? Well, when local TV news nosedives, don't complain. Go to Fort Wayne.

Wabash Flooding at Bluffton

This was a view of the Wabash River along the Rivergreenway in Bluffton earlier today.  The photo was taken near the East Market and Mulberry Street intersection.

Photo credit: Ward Moya.