Our town

Let's hear it for Allen Superior Court Judge Nancy Boyer. She is one of the eight judges who have agreed to be a part of an 18-month Indiana Supreme Court pilot program to allow trials to be covered with one still camera, one video camera and up to three microphones. Indiana is a little behind the curve on this one; lots of trials in other states have already been opened up to the public by technology.

I don't care how slick Fort Wayne International Airport's marketing campaign is. If it's a whole lot cheaper to fly out of Indianapolis, more people are going to fly out of Indianapolis. If there only a $40 or $50 difference, sure, some people might be convinced by billboards saying "Sleepless? FWA to Seattle -- 10 times a day" or even "Bonjour Times Four -- FWA to Pairs -- 4 times a day" (although that last one is doubtful).

So, Democrats want Republicans to reveal whatever "secret plans" they have for consoldiated government that might work to the disadvantage of Democrats. What are we talking here, tanks rumbling down Calhoun Street? A roundup of all Democrats and dropping them off handcuffed and blindfolded in Terre Haute without any money?

More fun with the Web-generator blog, this time with the create-your-own cartoon text bubble site.

A few more boring political comments before we get back to the fun stuff like UFOs and deer hunts:

No big surprises in yesterday's primary, but a couple of smaller ones. I thought the Marla Irving-Bill Brown commissioner contest would be the close one, but Brown took almost 63 percent of the vote. The Linda Bloom-Roy Buskirk race turned out to be one of the closest ones of the day -- Bloom won with 53.6 percent of the vote. The GiaQuinta-Paddock race was a little closer than I thought it would be -- GiaQuinta won 56-44 percent -- but Ken Fries won the GOP sheriff's race as handily as everyone thought he would, with 52.2 percent, more than his three opponents combined.

Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards took her time and in the end made the right decision to seek the death penalty against Simon Rios. The death penalty isn't automatic in Indiana just because you kill someone in cold blood -- there have to be aggravating circumstances, in this case the fact that Rios is alleged to have killed more than one person and killed children younger than 12.

I know your heads are just filled with campaign information, from the candidates and newspapers and radio and TV and even blogs. In the case there is a race or two you are still trying to decide about at the last minute, I offer this timely election graphic that should give you all you need to know to make up your mind.

I don't mind if somebody strains credulity a bit in passionate argument. But Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, writing in the Journal Gazette this morning, really goes overboard in his zeal to push billboard restrictions in Fort Wayne. I concede his point that no one has proved how much signs add to the economic activity of the city.

I know I find this sad because of my job, but I can't help feeling that others might also read it with a twinge of regret:

A young teen riding his bike at dawn reaches into his shoulder bag, grabs a tightly folded newspaper and deftly throws it to the front steps.

It's an image as American as apple pie, but the paperboy has gone the way of the milkman.