Via Oliver Willis

Jeff Wiehe of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette wrote one of the more slanted stories I’ve seen in awhile. This isn’t Republican v. Democrat. Rather, the Journal Gazette wanted access to video tapes of an incident involving a police chase that resulted in the shooting death of the suspect.

The Journal Gazette complained to the public access counselor when the tapes were withheld, and the public access counselor decided the public records laws allowed the Fort Wayne police to withhold the information. The news story that resulted wasn’t so much informative as it was a bitch fest by the Journal Gazette about not getting what it wanted.

“There may be a problem with the law,” said Tracy Warner, editorial page editor of The Journal Gazette. “There seems to be no deadline on how long investigatory materials can be kept from the public.”

Or maybe it’s not a problem, but a feature. Perhaps the General Assembly included the investigatory exception to the public access laws for law enforcement agencies to encourage forthrightness during criminal investigations without fear that whatever is disclosed will be splashed over the public news. Opinions can differ on whether the exception ought to apply to this police video — but that doesn’t strike me as “a problem with the law.” (Incidentally, if I were the paper, notwithstanding the public access counselor opinion — I would argue in court that the video was a public record before it was part of an investigation and, therefore, ought not to be exempt. Not sure it would work, but it seems like a fruitful angle. Tracy Warner, in the article, seems to be ahead of me on this thought.)

But, back to the article’s bias:
#City paid “what it called” an independent consultant.
#Makes sure to note the consultant’s report absolving the city is merely a one page report.
#Scare quotes used around “investigatory” a number of times.
#Quotes from people who disagree with the ruling, no note of whether people who agree with the ruling were available for or declined comment.
#Quote from “local businessman” whose connection with suspect/victim is unclear with no particular training or expertise who says he’s seen the tape and the “death should never have happened and that no police officers were in harm’s way.”

Overall, the article seems designed to lead to the conclusion that the police wrongfully killed a man and now they are acting wrongfully to cover up their shadiness. Maybe that’s the case. But, maybe, just maybe, the public access laws are being faithfully adhered to here; aside from the public access laws, the police
are in a litigation posture because of the civil suit that legitimately calls for limited distribution of the evidence, and the situation was such that the police officer was acting in an objectively reasonable fashion when he fired the shots. But the alternative is not really suggested by the article, and I get the sense that the reason the alternative is not suggested is because people at the newspaper are irritated about not getting the tape they wanted.

Update A shorter, more neutral version of the story is here.

There is very little that is guaranteed in this world, but one bed rock principle you can bank on is that babies love rocket fuel as surely as they love onions.

Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what’s considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.

The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula. It was published last month, but the Environmental Working Group issued a press release Thursday drawing attention to it.

The chemical has turned up in several cities’ drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee indicated their desire to turn Judge Hamilton’s confirmation hearings into a political food fight by boycotting them. Hamilton has been nominated to move from his current position as a District Court Judge in the Southern District of Indiana to the 7th Circuit Court Appeals.

Senator Lugar, for his part, indicated his “enthusiastic support” for Judge Hamilton.

Some commenters on the right have made it clear they will try to score points against Judge Hamilton by misrepresenting his decision on the legislative prayer case. For an example, read this excellent evisceration by Ed Brayton of such a column by Jonathan “Son of Jerry” Falwell.

The feds have issued a report indicating some significant problems with the Department of Workforce Development, its error rate in handling unemployment insurance payments, and its handling of contracts.

I have read several news reports about the report, but I am having trouble getting a grip on how the Department mishandled unemployment insurance payments. In particular, it’s not real clear to me if it was overpaying people who were supposed to get payments, paying people who weren’t supposed to get payments, or not paying people who were supposed to be getting payments.

According to the AP article by Ken Kusmer:

[The report said ] Workforce Development was responsible for 11.2 percent of improper unemployment insurance payments in 2007 – five times the national rate of 2.3 percent – and noted that some managers averaged 250 cases, increasing the risk of poor service.

It also chided the agency for failing to check a database known as the National Directory of New Hires when it calculates unemployment insurance payments to ensure recipients are reporting all of their wages.

A federal mandate required all states to begin using the directory by Jan. 1, 2008.

With the unemployment insurance fund being empty and running on loans from the federal government, every dollar paid in error is kind of a big deal.

The report also found problems with some of the Department of Workforce Development’s contracts, including significantly, a rushed $7 million contract awarded to Ivy Tech last June for vocational and academic training and other services. The contract apparently does not provide for much in the way of accountability. This is probably most significant because of Ivy Tech’s notoriously cozy relationship with a number of lawmakers. There may well be nothing improper about the relationship, but the close relationship means that the interactions between Ivy Tech and the State should undergo a little more scrutiny.

Richmond won the “All-American City” Award back in 1987. The award is a designation of the National Civic League. Now, the city is trying again, according to an article by Rachel Sheeley in the Richmond Palladium-Item. Richmond was named one of the finalists for this year. Other Indiana cities in the running this year are Fort Wayne and South Bend.

The honor is given to ten winners each year for outstanding civic accomplishments. This year’s finalists have created jobs, revitalized their downtowns, and reduced crime, among other accomplishments.

“The All-America City Award (AAC) is like a civic ‘Oscar’ for communities of all sizes,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “It’s unique because it recognizes the efforts of entire communities. AACs demonstrate inclusiveness, collaboration, civic engagement, and innovation.”

An All-America City has a proven capacity for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and cooperation between sectors (public, private and nonprofit). To become a finalist, each participant completed an application documenting three community projects that address local challenges such as job creation/economic development, environmental sustainability, neighborhood revitalization and disaster recovery.

The Richmond application has a unique wrinkle in that it was prepared primarily by area kids, with a group of area eighth graders forming the core.

A core group of Logos eighth-graders, including Alaina Keene, Elaine Brady, Matt Sheridan, Haley Owens, Andrew Stevens and Shauna Flanagan, did much of the research and compiled the written application. They had assistance from [Mary Jo] Clark, Pat Heiny, Fonda Wilds, Valerie Westbrook, Kathy Lucid, Judy Studebaker and Francie Klinge.

That’s pretty cool to see kids digging down and trying to help out their city like that. In particular, I was happy to see that Francie Klinge was part of the effort. She is a teacher and the mother of one of my long-time friends, and has always been a favorite among the area kids. In my experience, she has always been very kind and approachable without being patronizing to children — a tough and oddly rare blend. (The others listed may well share the same qualities, but I just happen to know Francie.)

So, good luck Richmond!

Just your friendly neighborhood killjoy reminding you it’s April Fool’s Day and so you ought to view news releases skeptically and watch out for your “funny” friends.

Ok, we don’t actually know if they will be Chevrolets, but, according to the story by Kevin O’Neal for the Indianapolis Star, the IMPD is going to deploy some honeypot vehicles donated by Allstate.

Allstate is donating bait cars to one police department in each of their fourteen sales districts, and Indianapolis was selected to get the car in the north central district that includes Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Along with the remote ignition shutoff and door locks, the bait cars also have GPS tracking equipment and video recorders to nab unwitting thieves.

Sounds good to me. The police catch some thieves. Allstate gets some good PR and, hopefully, pays out less in damages if fewer cars are stolen.

I took the title for this post from the AP article appearing in the Muncie Star Press. It amused me because it made the auto makers sound like Little Bunny Foo Foo and, by implication, Obama as The Good Fairy. Yes, I’m easily amused — I laugh a lot.

Apparently GM & Chrysler’s latest bailout plans were insufficient and the White House has given them another chance to justify another round of federal tax dollars. Chrysler seems to have an additional 30 days to complete a merger with Fiat or face a complete sell-off. For GM, the first step was CEO Rick Wagoner stepping down under pressure from the White House. They’ll have 60 days to come up with something acceptable to the feds following a major shakeup in management.

Fritz Henderson, GM’s president and chief operating officer, became the new CEO, the company said in a statement released early Monday. Board member Kent Kresa, the former chairman and CEO of defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp., was named interim chairman of the GM board.

In a major management shake-up, new directors will make up the majority of GM’s board, the statement said. The directors who will be replaced have not yet been named.
. . .
Administration officials still believe GM’s chances are good, given its global brand and its research potential. Officials say they are confident GM can put together a plan that will keep production lines moving in the coming years. They planned to send a team to Detroit to help with that restructuring.

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition show has come to Indianapolis. Normally this wouldn’t be something I would comment upon, but in a nice piece of public relations outreach, Carmel-based Estridge Builders, sent me (and I presume other Indiana bloggers) an e-mail offering coverage opportunities of some sort. (The e-mail is back at my work computer, so I forget the specifics.) Work is such that I don’t think I’ll be able to take them up on the offer, but I appreciate the thought, so I figured I’d give the show and the builder a mention here.

They will be re-doing the home of Bernard McFarland’s northeast of downtown.

Per Josh Duke’s article for the Indianapolis Star:

This week, the Indianapolis neighborhood around 25th Street and Keystone Avenue will be a center of activity as Estridge workers and more than 4,000 volunteers descend for the weeklong construction of a new home.

It’s a neighborhood in which McFarland — described in a news release as a single father — already plays a key role.

McFarland, a computer specialist at the school district, produced a documentary in 2001 about the Martindale-Brightwood community, where he grew up and later returned to live as an adult.

McFarland hoped to renew interest in the once-vibrant neighborhood that had fallen victim to vacant homes, lost jobs and rising crime.