The economy can never get so bad that it hurts the consulting business; there are just too many government units willing to hand over taxpayer money to these "experts":
Fort Wayne Community Schools' board Monday night approved a three-year $355,000 contract with a company to help the district communicate more effectively with its students, teachers, staff, parents and the public through surveys.
It's a bad sign that the question is even posed, isn't it?
Is South Bend a dying city?
Thursday a group called the Young Professionals Network sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County had a chance to weigh in. They also got to learn about what's being done to move the city forward.
Rats! We aren't escaping after all:
Two more Indiana Borders stores have been added to the list of those the company plans to close as part of its filing for bankruptcy protection.
Borders Group announced last month it would close about 200 of its 642 stores, including six in Indiana.
Thirteen years ago, Earl Dashawn Terrell became a quadriplegic when was shot. Brandon J. Gaither was convicted of aggravated battery and sentenced to 15 years. Terrell has just died, and the coroner has ruled it a homicide because the death resulted from complications related to his condition, which resulted from the gunshots. But it looks like Gaither is going to get a pass:
Blogging has been a little light this week. I'm on the panel that got to interview 17 high school students for the journalism scholarship we award each year, and this was also the week the editorial board began doing endorsement candidate interviews for the May primary. I'll to pick up the pace next week.
(The students were exceptionally bright and talented this year. Usual crop of candidates so far, though.)
The story of Chico, the severely neglected chihuahua found during a drug arrest, has a happy ending. Chico has recovered, and Allen County Sheriff's Department Officer Brock Williams, one of the officers who found him, has adopted him. But even a heartwarming tale can have a sour note:
1. Announce with great fanfare that citizen suggestions are being sought for a name for the new home of 40 city and county departments.
2. Flatly reject the name that got the overwhelming majority of citizen votes.
3. In a carefully worded announcement that omitted mention of the former mayor's name, Mayor Tom Henry said today the building will be known as “Citizens Square."
This is a proposed cut in state funding that hasn't been getting much attention. It's escaped mine, anyway. From a letter to the editor in the Indianpolis Star:
Is this naivete or wishful thinking?
Tim Pawlenty said the GOP field needs to avoid "wailing on each other" and that he doesn't plan to attack his Republican rivals in the leadup to the 2012 primaries.
I have a country boy's love of downtowns, so I like to see vibrant ones. But the people who want to keep funneling time, effort and, especially, money downtown need a reality check:
