Moving up the ranks
Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight continued his rise in Howey Politics Indiana’s annual “Power 50” list of Hoosier politicians, coming in 23rd this year, up 10 spots from 2012 and 20 spots from 2011, when he made his Power 50 debut.
HPI editor Brian Howey has made no secret of his regard for Goodnight, and continues to rate Goodnight as a potential statewide candidate.
“The second-term mayor has been an innovative and popular mayor of the City of Firsts,” Howey wrote. “He is a prolific fundraiser while leading his city beyond the near 2008-09 automaker catastrophe, reaching out to work with Marion Mayor Seybold to create the ‘auto belt’ economic zone.”
Just above and below Goodnight in the list were Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and Indiana Republican Chairman Eric Holcomb.
Taxing Amazon?
Forget vouchers, the bill with potentially the biggest impact on local schools might be a bill to slap a sales tax on e-commerce, co-authored by State Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero.
The dollars involved are immense, considering Indiana has yet to tax online sales, and for better or for worse, the schools are now largely funded by sales and income taxes.
According to the fiscal impact statement published with the bill, HB1007, a study conducted by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute and the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research estimated the state loses between $39.6 million to $114.3 million a year. A University of Tennessee study estimated Indiana’s e-commerce-related sales and use tax revenue losses to be $195.3 million and $216.9 million last year.
The IFPI/Ball State study also found no statistical difference in the likelihood of the e-retailers to make business location decisions based on whether or not a state has an online sales tax, according to the impact statement produced by the state’s Legislative Services Agency.
confined spaces
City firefighters raised some eyebrows when the new Fire Station 4 was built with a dormitory for firefighters to sleep in, rather than individual bedrooms.
You can’t blame the firefighters for thinking they were going to get an upgrade. The two most recently built fire stations — station 2 (on Center Road) and 5 (on West Sycamore), have individual bedrooms. The other three stations (including the former Station 4 on Webster) have dorms. Firefighters work 24 hour shifts. That’s why they need a place to crash.
Kokomo Fire Chief Pat O’Neill said Station 5 was built for the city as part of a land swap deal with Walgreens. Station 2 is closer to the size of Station 1 downtown, and the space lent itself to individual bedrooms, rather than a massive dormitory, he added. He said he would prefer that in the future, when the aging stations on Boulevard (6) and Apperson (3) get replaced, dorms are built in those stations as well.
For whom the bell tolls
Tyler Moore, president of the Howard County Board of County Commissioners, was decked out Monday with a Notre Dame tie, letter jacket and cow bell in anticipation of the national championship college football game against the University of Alabama.
Moore, a graduate of Notre Dame and former cheerleader, rang the bell several times during the meeting with the hope that the “Fighting Irish” would capture the national championship.
During the game, which was over by halftime with Alabama leading 28-0, Moore probably got precious few opportunities to ring the bell. The Irish lost the game by a 42-to-14 score. More people talked about Brent Musberger’s commentary after the game than Notre Dame’s performance.
As they used to say in Brooklyn when the beloved Dodgers lost to the hated Yankees, “Wait until next year.”
Local News
Public eye - Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013
- Local News
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Fallen comrades remembered
In the 148-year history of the Kokomo Police Department, two officers have died in the line of duty. Members of the department took part in a ceremony Friday to honor not only those two, but all fallen police officers.
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Local deputies play key role in arrest
A mother and her infant son are now safe, thanks in part to the determination of deputies with the Howard County Sheriff’s Department. The officers worked from the time Kristy Redenbaugh was reported missing in September 2012 until the man police allege was her captor was arrested Thursday.
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Charter school to open in August
Goodwill Education Initiatives will unveil the area’s first charter school for high school dropouts Aug. 15 in downtown Kokomo.
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Districts call special board meetings
Northwestern School Corp. will likely reduce the hours of about a dozen instructional assistants to avoid having to provide them with insurance.
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Windy debates
At least two central Indiana counties have established setbacks that are essentially prohibitive of wind farm developments. Counties between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne have debated whether to allow wind farms and how to regulate them. In Howard County, wind farm opponents are trying to reopen the discussion to increase setback requirements established in the county’s code.
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Police: Woman steals $70,000 from company
Police say a former employee of a Miami County concrete company stole more than $70,000 from the business after she made 55 unauthorized purchases with company money.
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Former boss accused of stealing
Floyd Ogden worked with Gary Harpe at the Tipton County Street Department for 20 years. Ogden’s mother used to handle his finances. When she got sick in 2008, his former boss, Harpe, offered to help out.
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Gas pumps open after emergency shut down
Gas pumps at a Peru convenience store reopened Thursday morning after state officials shut down the station Tuesday after inspectors say they discovered an illegal amount of water inside the fuel holding tanks.
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City pool damaged by flood
The city’s Kokomo Beach Aquatic Center sustained heavy damage from the April 19 flood and won’t be able to open on time, Kokomo officials announced Wednesday.
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SBA flood relief office now open
The U.S. Small Business Administration flood disaster relief field office is now open to help the city’s flood victims recover.
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