Hundreds of people packed the Headwaters Park Lincoln Pavilion in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana early Saturday morning. Here is a report by Indiana’s NewsCenter on Hillary Clinton:
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Workers at Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Headwaters Park ready the Lincoln Pavilion for Saturday morning’s planned rally for Hillary Clinton.
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I had this as my business card when I worked in Fort Wayne at WPTA-TV 21Alive as evening news and weekend assignment editor.
Here is a snapshot of the headstone of a former boyfriend of mine who used to dance with the Fort Wayne ballet. He had been having a hard time and ended up committing suicide in 1996. That event led to my decision to move away from Indiana and to start a new life in California. I took the photo at a Logansport, Indiana cemetery southwest of Fort Wayne in 2000. I had flown back to the state for the funeral of my brother-in-law and felt the urge to visit Trin’s grave site to say hello.
I got this membership card from Fort Wayne’s Up the Stairs LGBT Community Center in 1998 after I donated the group money. I figured that living in the San Francisco Bay Area, that my money would be better spent in Indiana.
Here are two maps I created for Wikipedia a while back for two little towns near where I grew up.
The first is a map of Huntertown, Indiana. This s a quickly urbanizing northern suburb of Fort Wayne
The Second map, is for Tri-Lakes, Indiana, which is located in rural Whitley County.
I do these maps as a break from law school studies. I started out in college as a graphic design major – and still have the need to create visual images. With map illustrations like these, at least my doodling hobby can be of use to others.
Fort Wayne, county taxpayers will take hit
by David Speakman
Special to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Upon looking at the map in the March 8 Journal Gazette of the new Allen County proposed by the supporters of the Town of East Allen Communities, I was struck by what appears to be the biggest “town” in the state gobbling up the smaller Fort Wayne like some sort of deranged Pac Man.
Like many former Allen County residents, I was forced to move to Silicon Valley to get a good-paying technology job after college.
Although I have run into hundreds of transplanted Hoosiers here in California, I never put much credence into the thought that the county of my birth was really suffering from a “brain drain” – until now.
If the people in East Allen are stupid enough to be duped into thinking that voting to consolidate East Allen is anything other than having New Haven annex their homes, the brain drain is a reality.
Wake up, people – this is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by New Haven Mayor Terry McDonald to finally get his wish – to lead a city that would dwarf Fort Wayne in area.
At least Fort Wayne has been honest with its annexation policies. New Haven has a history of rushing through hurried and ill-thought-out land grabs for years.
Overnight, a “town” of 53,000 residents would be born. It would be the largest so-called town in the state of Indiana – the next-largest is Fishers with 37,000 residents.
Overall, it would be the 12th most-populous municipality in the state, smaller than Lafayette but bigger than Elkhart. In sheer size, at 333 square miles, the “town” of East Allen would be bigger than New York City (303 square miles) and Chicago (227 square miles).
Additionally, even if the East Allen merger goes though, it still wouldn’t stop a Fort Wayne-Allen County merger by any means. In fact, it could hasten the need for a city-county merger because all of the East Allen tax money that the county now gets would go to New Haven coffers instead of the county’s treasury.
Allen County has bonds it must pay off well past 2009 when the new “town” would go into effect. Allen County, by law, must maintain East Allen bridges – but with less tax money. It would be forced to turn to Fort Wayne to help shoulder the financial burden imposed by the merged East Allen.
As a son of Allen County, I have good faith that I come from talented, intelligent and practical stock. I am confident that the voters of East Allen will reject this power grab by the mayor of New Haven that would force the county to either merge with Fort Wayne or raise taxes sharply to avoid bankruptcy.
That would cause higher taxes to all homes in Allen County – including the communities outside of East Allen who cannot vote on the matter, like Huntertown, Arcola, Dunfee, rural Churubusco, Lake Everett and even Fort Wayne.
If there is a financially forced merger of Fort Wayne and Allen County resulting from the East Allen consolidation – then, oddly, the town of East Allen could end up paying the highest taxes in the county – both “town” and county taxes. This could be doubly hard on those in East Allen who are in the Fort Wayne suburbs on Fort Wayne sewer/water who will be forced to permanently pay higher rates.
David Speakman, a former Allen County resident, is a freelance journalist based in San Jose, Calif.
Women are dropping the sloppy look in clothing
By DAVID SPEAKMAN special to next
From the health club to the nightclub, figure-flattering workout-style clothing is quickly replacing the baggy grunge look on Fort Wayne area women.
Tighter-fitting clothes started as a trend on the West Coast in 1994, yet Fort Wayne clothiers didn’t start stocking workout wear as fashion until late last summer. The local surge in figure-hugging clothes began with a boom in sales of belly-baring crop tops, according to Jessica Jones, a sales clerk in Hudson’s New Attitudes juniors’ section.
Jones said the average customers who buy these clothes range from late teens to late 20s. Popularity of the style has been gaining since Christmas, she said.
Joining with the crop top, now form-fitting silk blouses, skirts and pants have been big sellers in the post-Christmas shopping season.
“Workout fashions haven’t changed a lot,” according to Maxine Brown, ladies manager at the North Clinton American Health Fitness Center. “Women in good shape are wearing leotards and thong.”
Seria Nelson, assistant manager of Merry-Go – Round in Glenbrook Square, agreed that the loose-fitting look is on the way out for women.
“Women’s clothes fitting more toward the figure are selling better,” Nelson said. The store’s biggest seller are Y-legs, which are like leggings and are a typical accompaniment with the crop top.
These clothes are available at most specialty clothing stores and department stores in sections that cater to young women. Prices range from $15 to $60, but may be less because of current sales. Most are made of silk, cotton, rayon, polyester and blends.
“Women are more fashion-conscious,” said William Tyler, fitness consultant at the Fitness Connection. “Men just throw things together. Sometimes they match, sometimes they don’t.”
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