Our town

Maybe "Buy Indiana" doesn't sound as scary as "Buy American" or "Buy Chinese," but it's part of the same mindset:

Council members Mitch Harper, R-4th, and Liz Brown, R-at large, voted against recommending passage of the ordinance.

[. . .]

Worry about what you serve your kids in your own home, not about what they might get at the new McDonald's that just opened up, say IUPUI researchers in Indianapolis:

It was found that the addition of fast food restaurants to neighborhoods did not have a significant impact in children's obesity rates. Restaurants located within one tenth of a mile from home were associated with slight elevations in obesity rates within certain high school ages.

Could they please hype the downtown hotel a little more? This was almost too subtle for me:

The long-delayed construction of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at Harrison Square officially began Monday with a groundbreaking overlooking the construction site.

Representatives of Fort Wayne city government, local lenders, civic leaders and White Lodging, the company building the hotel, gathered for the groundbreaking and expressed their enthusiasm for the project.

City Council President Tom Smith: Let's try not to use our electronic devices during council sessions; people find it distracting and disrespectful.

Council member Tim Pape: Shut up and quite bothering me while I'm reading my text messages.

That's what he was doing, too. He even seemed amused that, during Smith's request, he got a text from a constituent expressing disapproval of such an unreasonable request:

I didn't know there were so many brave people in Indiana. A Muncie Star Press editorial praises the fearless in that part of the state:

Five of the seven Delaware County Council members demonstrated courage that is sometimes too rare among public officials Tuesday when they approved a wheel tax. It's now up to us to ensure our money is spent wisely.

The city and county haven't always gotten along as much as they should, even when both were run by Republicans. Now, the city seems set on undoing one of the few good city-county cooperative efforts:

Allen County officials have begun to prepare for the city's move from the building that the two governments have shared for four decades.

Paul Helmke, former Fort Wayne mayor and currently head of the Brady Campaign, spoke in Akron, Ohio, and Chad D. Baus of the Buckeye Firearms Association, referencing the story in the Beacon-Journal, takes him to task on the usual charge of using misleading facts and statistics. He also says Helkme inadvertently spoke the truth a couple of times.

Jack Murrah came to Fort Wayne to explain to local leaders how the foundation he headed helped turn Chattanooga's downtown around. He offered advice that may be a little too late (and which city leaders have heard before anyway and chosen to ignore):

I notice that I've failed lately to keep you abreast of exciting developments on the Saving the Planet front. I will attempt to make up for it by calling your attention to this blog, in which the author offers eight tips for being a good green citizen. Go paperless. Turn off unnecessary electricity when you're not home. Use cloth grocery bags. And, of course, my personal favorite: Recycle!

This probably isn't a good time to be overbuilding hotel capacity, huh?

Call it the frugal fan 500.

Ticket sales for Sunday's Indianapolis 500 are holding steady, but race fans and sponsors appear to be cutting corners this year, opting for cheaper choices that could put a pinch not only on local hotels but on the economic impact of the city's most significant tourism event.