Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers

The Munster Times. Nov. 12, 2019

Embattled mayor should resign, spare city further embarassment

It's an unfortunate and entirely unnecessary reality, all too often associated with Region politics.

On one hand, Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer has helped orchestrate the beginnings of an incredible renaissance in his city.

The downtown is taking on a new, vibrant luster. Investments in the jewel that is Washington Park and its coveted beach continue to draw outside visitors and improve quality of place for Michigan City residents.

And nearly $1 billion in tangible development has graced the city in recent years, due in no small part to Meer's efforts as mayor.

But it's now all being overshadowed by the embarrassment of a pending criminal case against Meer, with allegations that he, in part, used his position as mayor in an attempt to retaliate against police officers who arrested Meer's stepson just before the 2019 general election.

Meer now faces six felony criminal charges of his own, including allegations he fabricated a story to make it appear his stepson was targeted for political reasons and threatened to reassign the officers involved in his stepson's arrest.

It's already cost Meer his political career as we know it. He should resign before the end of his term to save himself and his city further embarrassment.

On Nov. 5, in the shadow of the scandal, voters handed incumbent Meer a defeat, instead electing Republican candidate Duane Parry.

Political scandal can be the great equalizer, even for an incumbent whose record of revitalizing a struggling lakeside community has been so pronounced.

The same scandalous shadow that contributed to Meer's loss at the general election polls earlier this month will continue to hang over the remainder of his administration through the end of the year if he stays in office.

We've seen it happen before with great cost to both public trust and community reputation.

Former Portage Mayor James Snyder refused to relinquish his mayoral office, despite a public clamoring for him to do so after he was indicted for bribery.

A felony conviction ultimately removed Snyder from office, but not until he dragged the city of Portage through the mud for years amid his scandal.

Former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich was indicted and convicted in a similar felony bribery case. He also refused to step aside, dragging his office, his badge and his department through the detritus of his criminal case.

Meer will continue to do the same to Michigan City as long as he stays in office with the cloud of a criminal case hanging over his head.

He now has an opportunity to do what past criminally charged Region leaders have resisted.

Meer can and should resign for the good of his city, allowing it to heal and move on before the next newly elected mayor takes his seat early next year.

Meer's record as mayor is one of great caring and planning for the betterment of Michigan City. Resigning now would help rededicate that record and allow the city to appropriately move on from the scandal.

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South Bend Tribune. Nov. 12, 2019

Adams High School students make their mark through esports

All those hours playing video games for fun paid off recently for five John Adams High School students.

The students won the second annual League of Legends High School Invitational at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and brought home $60,000 in scholarships.

Team members Ray Calhoun, Calvin Dang, Dan Nguyen, Manas Khadka and Jason James each won $12,000 scholarship certificates to attend IUPUI.

League of Legends esports teams consisted of five players who control unique champions, each with their own design and abilities. Team members work together to take down the opposing team's base.

The team from South Bend Adams defeated Avon High School and Carmel High School on the way to the championship.

'œThere were other teams that were definitely better than us, but we were just the best as a team,'ť Dang said.

Competitive online gaming has exploded in popularity across the country. Two-thirds of the U.S. population over the age of 13 are gamers, according to a Nielsen report, and an estimated 100 million people worldwide were esports players in 2017.

South Bend is seeking to capture some of the popularity of egaming.

The St. Joseph County hotel-motel tax board approved $2 million from its bed tax collections over the next couple of years to convert the underused 700-seat Bendix Theatre into a 500-seat arena.

And according to an official with IUPUI's School of Informatics and Computing, colleges are recognizing that top esports players are often 'œtop students and top young-professional earners in STEM-related fields.'ť

There just might be something to this whole esports business.

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Kokomo Tribune. Nov. 15, 2019

House fires are deadly

Nov. 27, 2018, was a terrible day for the Logansport community. Four children - 3-year-old Swayze Hite; 1-year-old Rhylie Hite; 3-month-old Marshall Hite; their mother, Brandi Hite; 10-year-old KaDee Huddleston, and her father, Joseph, were killed in a house fire.

According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, 93 Hoosiers died in fires in Indiana in 2018, an increase of 21 over the previous year. And nationally, 19% of all house fires occur during the months of December, January and February.

Home fires are the biggest disaster threat Americans face, the Red Cross says. Improper use of alternate heaters increases that threat as people turn to other ways to heat their homes when the temperatures drop.

A mobile home fire in Martinsville early Wednesday killed three people, The Associated Press reported. Its origin remains under investigation, but firefighters on the scene noted two space heaters were being used during the night.

Many people use alternate sources of heat to cut down on heating bills. If your family is among that group, the Red Cross offers these tips:

'¢ Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs at least 3 feet away from space heaters, stoves or fireplaces.

'¢ Portable heaters and fireplaces should never be left unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.

'¢ Keep children and pets away from space heaters.

Former State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said there were no smoke alarms in the home of the fatal Logansport fire. This much is clear: Fires can be deadly.

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