The local blogger over at A Brand New Day took time out for lunch on Friday to attend what was billed as an environmental discussion. Representatives from IDEM were on hand to discuss the Comprehensive Local Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) program. It was on my calendar, there because of my work with the COPE Environmental Center, but I got too busy to get over there. Maybe it was a good thing to have missed:
What does the proliferation of CAFO’s have to do with my hometown wanting to become a “CLEAN Community”? Well, IDEM is one of the agencies in charge of the CLEAN Community program. IDEM also grants permits for CAFO’s. A municipality can earn the CLEAN Community designation by doing little more than choosing five environmental issues it wants to work on and carrying them through with policies and practices of their day to day work. Examples that were given at the luncheon meeting included a city having curbside recycling for its residents but realizing it is not doing any recycling at the municipal building. In other words, if you can leave your pop cans in a recycle bin for the city to pick up, the city will make sure that it also has recycle bins available for its employees to use while they are on the job. Other examples included replacing gas-guzzling city vehicles with more economical models, making sure that city trucks that run on diesel don’t sit around and idle, and selling surplus fuel that is a spill hazard. Those things are all well and good, and every little bit counts, I suppose. But will designating CLEAN Cities because of practices such as employees dropping their pop cans into recycle bins dramatically improve the quality of life in Indiana? How can it, when much of the countryside will be covered with CAFO’s, if the gov’nor and his friends have their way? Take your pick: Would you rather have clean water, fresh air, and sustainable agriculture that doesn’t increase the risk of foodborne illness and become an incubator for the ever evolving bird-flu virus? Or would you rather go to bed at night knowing that city employees have a recycling bin to throw their pop cans into?
People often ask me why I spend so much time on CAFO’s. I guess I can’t help myself. But, if you live near a CAFO, you would seldom think of anything else, and since the folks in control of Indiana seem to want to fill the state up with CAFO’s, many folks will be in that boat.
Let’s start the day over at the Indiana Law Blog, where Marcia coverage on a story today from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette about concerns that a proposed hog farm that threatens to send runoff into Lake Wawasee:
In the Davidsen case, the concern is real when it comes to groundwater, said Fleming, who researched the case. There, Fleming said, the sandy and gravel-filled soil would allow manure used as fertilizer – often as liquid as water – to slip through easily. With the property at a higher elevation than Lake Wawasee, the manure would flow with water that drains off the farm, right into the lake.
Nitrate, a compound found naturally in trace amounts in many vegetables, can be harmful in high levels and is also found in animal and human feces. Ingesting high levels of the element was blamed for eight miscarriages by four LaGrange County women in the early 1990s. Three of the women lived near a hog farm which had been documented in 1989 as producing more than five times the nitrate allowed by federal guidelines.
Closer to Home, The Muncie Star Press notes a dramatic increase in CAFO applications in central-Eastern Indiana:
Since Jan. 1, 2005, applications have been filed with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to build or expand four confined feeding operations (CFOs) and 17 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to create new capacity for more than 100,000 sows, nursery pigs and finishing pigs in the three counties.
Fifteen of the 21 applications came from Jay County, four from Randolph County, and two from Wayne County.
The 21 applications in the three counties are the most in any year during the period 1996 through 2005, which is how far back The Star Press asked IDEM to search its database.Link.
The piece also notes that Indiana’s growth is due in part to restrictions placed on CAFO’s in other states, like North Carolina, which placed a moratorium on CAFO expansion. This is much the same issue that drove Dutch dairymen to Indiana to open confined dairy operations - too many restrictions in the Netherlands.
Marcia was also kind enough to point me to a couple of stories, first from Marshall County, which seems to be following the standard script: local officials saying there is no problem, the state is making sure everything will be okay, and local neighbors crying foul:
Across the land, and now in Marshall County, squeals of protest are rising from rural neighbors saying stop hogging the land.
A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous has clear convictions why 8,000 pigs, and the waste they create, are too much for the neighborhood.
“The area they want to build, we think it’s too sandy a soil. It will go into the ground and it will get in our water system, but they have proven that property values go down 50% to 90%,” said the neighbor.
Marshall County commissioners say there will be some costs, but overall the farm will be a positive addition to the area.Link (WDNU)
And speaking of Dutch dairy farms, up in rural Marshall County, Dutch firm Vreba-Hoff is planning to install a 3,500 dairy CAFO, and neighbors are concerned about their water and the odor:
Kathleen Neal, a stay-at-home mom who lives about a half-mile east of the site, is leading the grass-roots fight against the project. Since learning about the plans a month ago, she has held meetings in her home, organized a special meeting this past week with county commissioners, circulated hundreds of fliers, and scoured the Internet for information on the developers and CAFOs.
“We are scared,” Neal told the commissioners. “We don’t want to be against all economic development and all CAFOs, but they have to be in the right place and run by the right people.”
But as of now, commissioners have little authority over the operations, which are regulated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Neal is lobbying the County Council to quickly pass an ordinance requiring any land use that needs IDEM approval to also obtain a special use permit from county officials.Link (Southbend Tribune)
It does not ease neighbors fears that Vreba-Hoff has been tied spills in Ohio and Michigan, nor does it help that the Dutch dairyman, Peter van der Vegt, has been cited for 2 violations at his operation in Fremont, Indiana. Marshall County is considering adopting local regulations on CAFO’s, but like many communities around the state, nothing is in place at this point in time. The farmer hosting the dairy, Dave Schrock is running into opposition from long-time friends:
He would especially like to mend fences with longtime friend Ken Carbiener, a farmer who was working with Neal to lead the opposition. Carbiener, whose family has farmed near the proposed site since the 1880s, was unavailable for comment Friday because he was in Fremont, talking to folks who lived near van der Vegt’s former operation.
On the environmental front, I recently received a message from local water advocate Barbara Sha Cox, who I featured earlier this month. She was kind enough to pass on complements ion this blog, but she also is working to raise awareness of a couple of pieces of pending legislation:
Senate Bill 360 (Introduced Bill) which creates a water storage and quality task force; &
House Bill 1364 (Introduced Bill), a much more insidious piece of legislation aimed at prohibiting local water and air, and pollution control boards from passing rules or standards that are more stringent than corresponding federal provisions, basically gutting the power of these boards to address local issues.
Both bills are currently sitting in committee. HB 1364 is with the House Committee on Environmental Affairs:
Rebublicans:
Rep. David Wolkins, Chair Rep. Steve Heim, Vice Chair Rep. Tim Harris Rep. Jack Lutz Rep. Tim Neese Rep. Jackie Walorski Rep. David Yount
Democrats:
Rep. Ryan Dvorak, RMM Rep. Phil Hoy Rep. Ed Mahern Rep. Joe Micon Rep. Matt Pierce
The Pal-Itemreports today that Wayne County Sheriff Matt Stittmatter sent a letter down to Union County Sheriff Steve Leverton notifying him that Wayne County will no longer house Union County’s inmates. This is a problem for Union County as the county’s ancient 10 person jail is not sufficient to house its normal load of inmates. Union County has been having money problems for years, and is already shelling out money to rehabilitate its courthouse, so building a new jail is not a likely solution.
Strittmatter said he is dropping the housing deal with Union County because of the recent conflicts over the housing issue down in Union County, that I talked about over here. The decision complicates an already difficult situation for Union County.
Today’s Pal-Item also has further coverage of the Wayne County EDC situation. One article quotes Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton, as being concerned that the EDC controversy has made us the “laughingstock of the state.” I don’t doubt the issue has sullied the image of the Wayne County EDC, but Union County’s EDC situation is much worse - it is using it’s economic development tax proceeds to pay to house inmates in other counties.
The paper also has a nice timeline of the Wayne County EDC issue: A Recent History. One detail they report on that I do not remember seeing out before is EDC president Holbrook’s attempt to squelch debate over his management of the organization. I think the tactics reflect on Holbrook’s operating style:
Holbrook threatened legal action against EDC board member Denny Burns and former staff member Lisa Bates. The two received letters from Holbrook’s attorney requesting they “”to cease and desist” criticism of him.
The letters varied slightly, but both read: “It has come to our attention that you have been contacting certain current members of the Board of Directors of EDC and have been making untrue, malicious and potentially legally actionable statements. It appears that you are attempting to destroy the goodwill between EDC and Don Holbrook.”
Local businessman Michael Doherty, in an opinion piece today sums up the reaction of most community residents to the EDC controversy:
Holbrook spent more on relocation expenses (about $35,000 virtually tax-free) than the vast majority of Wayne County residents make in an entire year. Mr. Holbrook spent more on his desk than the tuition to attend IU East or Ivy Tech for a year. Every Wayne County resident is paying for that desk and relocation. Twenty percent (20 percent) of the county tax deducted from your paycheck every pay period is used to fund the EDC.
The board exists solely to foster economic development while protecting our investment. Regrettably, the board has turned into a glad-handing, cheerleading service for Mr. Holbrook. Not only has the board failed to fulfill its duties, it recently has rewarded Mr. Holbrook with a raise and a bonus in its “put up a united front” and “circle the wagons” mentality. Taxpayers can judge for themselves whether the board has acted responsibly. This taxpayer says no; they must go. Link.
The Pal-Item has not backed off on its coverage of this issue, rounding up views from local government leaders against the EDC president, Don Holbrook:
County commissioner Mary Heyob said she was shocked in December when the board of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County in December gave its embattled president a vote of confidence.
“I almost fell off my chair when it was read,” she said Thursday of the resolution backing Don Holbrook. “I couldn’t believe it.”
But Holbrook is a fighter, and he is accusing the paper of running a smear job on his:
I think all would agree that the reporting on my personal background has been one-sided. I have chosen not to address the concerns publicly because the EDC Board, my employer, is fully aware of every question raised, and has to this point had no concerns with any of it. I understand the basic tenet of small-town journalism — scandal sells. As William Randolph Hearst said, “You bring me the pictures, and I’ll bring you the war.” He sold a few newspapers that way, I believe.
And this:
I call upon my employer, the EDC board, to resist the Wayne County Commissioners’ power play and make their decision regarding my future based on facts rather than conjecture. It’s time to say “enough” to bullying and yellow journalism. Link.
“Power play?” They are the governing body for the county. As the highest elected officials in the county, I don’t think they have to “play” for power.
But as the paper points out, if Holbrook is fired for anything less that “extreme circumstances,” the EDC will owe him 6 months pay. Nice contract.
Well, I got busy at work, and the stories I should be commenting on have built up. Rather than try to find time to do them justice, I just put together a meta-post to catch it up:
The Pal-Item reports today that the Wayne County Board of Commissioners is calling for the firing of Don Holbrook, president of the Wayne County Economic Development Corporation: Commissioners: Holbrook must go. With the major players in local politics, Holbrook’s days are numbered, but he is not one to go without a fight:
I consider the Commissioners’ action to be shortsighted and irresponsible. They have chosen to make a decision based on half-truths and innuendo, circulated and perpetuated by a former employee, political opponents and local media. I have been completely responsible with public funds and just yesterday provided a detailed written explanation of my actions to Commissioner Heyob. It is clear that some are more interested in taking unwarranted punitive steps and attempting to tarnish my reputation than they are to hearing the truth.
Yesterday, as noted by the Indiana Law Blog, the Pal-Item did a focus piece on P. Thomas Snow, judge of the Wayne Superior Court I. The article covered Snow’s chairmanship of the weighted case load study commission that represented the first full study of how judges around the state were spending their time, and made recommendations for changes that would better spread judicial resources around:
Using what Shepard called “the Snow formula,” caseloads across the state are randomly assigned so each court has a more equal load. Shepard said the system is also a reliable way to help judges figure out what regions need more judges.
Not that the judges could do anything about “more judges.” That’s up to the legislature and they use a different formula. The move to random filing her locally significantly altered the practice of law. In the past, local attorneys would choose what court to file things in. This hurt Snow because, as one of the most talented judges in the region, people would file the most complex litigation in his court, leaving him to deal with the heavy loan. 1 good product’s liability suit will take a judge about the same time as several hundred simple divorces (not that all divorces are simple, a complicated divorce might equal or exceed the time it takes to handle any other piece of litigation).
Allen County is going to start podcasting it commissioner meeting. This is a great idea. For a $100.00 investment, they have significantly increased the accessibility of their government decision making process. Why aren’t more local governments doing this? Maybe it is felt that citizens are better off not knowing what they are up to.
On to CAFO’s: A North Carolina hog producer (Smithfield Foods) has agreed to clean up its operations:
Under a consent decree, filed in U.S. District Court in Greenville, Murphy-Brown, Smithfield’s hog production subsidiary, will fund several environmental programs at its North Carolina farms, including installation of computerized precipitation alert systems that are linked to National Weather Service data, according to a Waterkeeper Alliance press release.
“The most visible difference will be it will help tighten the controls on the farms spraying during inclement weather,” said Lower Neuse Riverkeeper Larry Baldwin.
Michigan has a test case: the nation’s biggest dairy operation is facing off with local regulators:
Timothy den Dulk, who owns den Dulk Dairy Farms in Ravenna Township, is one of the nation’s largest dairy farmers, according to industry information. He owns and manages several large dairy farms known as CAFOs — concentrated animal feeding operations, each with thousands of cows — in five states.
. . .
“The data raises serious concerns and, based on what we know about the site, it strongly suggests that Hartford Dairy is the source of at least some of the contamination,” said Woiwode, director of the Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter. “The bigger picture is that this was a test to see if the state’s CAFO.
Karen Myers wondered in a comment to an earlier post what ever happened to Indiana Senate Bill 141, the CAFO bill. I could not find anything new when I looked this morning, so I dropped an e-mail to Sen. Lanane’s staff, and I got this update back:
Dear Thomas,
At this time, Senator Gard who is chair of that committee does not plan on hearing the bill in her committee. Senator Lanane plans on speaking with her and doing his best to get a hearing. However, next week is the last week for senate bills to be heard in committee.
You can view Senate and House session days and track current bill information on the Indiana General Assembly’s website at: http://www.in.gov/legislative/
Richele Morris Senate Legislative Assistant
So, it looks like it is not going anywhere at this point.
With much of January 2006, gone, this year is shaping up to be a big year for CAFO’s in Indiana. The agriculture business in the state is gearing up to meet the governor’s Plan for 2025 (PDF), which includes dramatically increasing Indiana’s livestock production through confinement feeding operations.
Although CAFO’s continue to make good progress across the state, many local residents are waking up to the governor’s vision for rural Indiana, and not liking it one bit. Some current issues:
Senate Bill 141, introduced by Timothy Lanane, Democrat from the 25th District (Anderson), on January 9, 2006. His bill aims to force IDEM to crack down on CAFO’s that repeatedly violate existing laws. The bill was referred to the (Republican controlled) Senate Energy and Environmental Affairs Committee, and it appears no action has been taken with respect to it.
In Benton County, John J. Yost is reporting that Kentland, Indiana residents won a victory in Benton Circuit Court against the local BZA. He quotes from the ruling as follows (I have not been able to find media coverage of this case, so Mr. Yost is my sole reference):
Based upon the evidence presented in the case and the applicable law the Court finds and orders that the decision of the Benton County, Indiana Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) reviewed by the Court herein is incorrect and illegal as a matter of law. The Court finds that the BZA failed to issue sufficient written findings in support of the decision to grant the special exception to the applicant (Dekker). Further, the Court finds irregularity, impropriety and illegality in the arbitrary and capricious replacement of BZA member Hasser by Mr. Kretzmeier during the meeting and the decision making process at the February 3, 2004 BZA hearing. Further the Court finds irregularity, impropriety and illegality in the BZA proceedings conducted on February 3, 2004, as disclosed by the production of the transcript and record of the proceedings as prepared and filed with the Court, which transcript and record are found by the Court to have been incomplete and inaccurate, and therefore unreliable. Therefore on review the facts and the law are with the Petitioners and against the Benton County, Indiana, Board of Zoning Appeals. The decision of the Benton County, Indiana, Board of Zoning Appeals granting such special exception to Global Agri Horizons on February 3, 2004, is hereby reversed and set aside.
Up in Jasper County, Karen Myers put up a post yesterday providing additional commentary on the proposed CAFO going in next to a wildlife refuge. She has been “activated” by the issue and had advice for other residents who want to fight a local CAFO: Organize now:
If you’re fighting a CAFO in your area, it’s also important to be organized and I highly recommend the GRACE website as a good starting point. Also, you need the finances to be able to enter the legal battle…
For example, we opened a “Hog Farm Protest” bank account at our small National City branch in Wheatfield where residents have been chipping in to help pay for our legal fees on this case. Understand, that these are not tax_deductable charity donations, but that it’s one way in which your entire neighborhood (and beyond) can help in the fight financially.
Also, in our case, there is a major wildlife concern/issue, so we’ve also been in touch with several wildlife conservation organizations both at the local area level and beyond. Some organizations, such as Audubon, have been wonderfully supportive and have helped us gather the scientific reports and additional research materials we need to fight for the innocent wildlife victims in this case.
In a nod to the Pal_Item’s move into online teen networks that I talked about on Sunday, there is some debate on factory farming going on over on LiveJournal: Link.
Not to be left in the dust by modern conventions, the Pal-Item today announces its new venture into the netherworld of youth culture: P-I grabs a spot on MySpace.
I’m not sure why the paper takes on the identity of a male, nor do I see how listing yourself at age 100 will appeal to youth, but the paper already has 108 friends listed at its page: http://www.myspace.com/pal_item. Not only that, but due to the standard features over at myspace, the paper now has a blog. The specifics are not clear from the article, but it appears that Pal-Item staffer Harmony Marsh will be the blogger. Here is the feed: rss.
I’m not too sure how receptive the local youth will be to their new public friend. From my vantage point, most local myspace users appreciate being able to hook up online, publicly grouse about their friends, parents and teachers, all without the adults in the community knowing what is going on. I’m sure some local teachers at the high school would be surprised by what a Google search would turn up on them.
A felon sentenced to prison in Wayne County ended up being charged with trafficking tobacco to a fellow inmate in the Union County Jail, months after he was sentenced to “prison.” Although the Union County Jail is only rated for 10 people (it currently has 16), and the county is resorting to tapping into its economic development funds to pay other county jails to house its inmates, this Wayne County Felon occupied a slot at the Union County Jail for 5 months, and never appeared on any jail list.
Matthew Cox, the Union Circuit Court Judge, said he had no idea this guy was even over at the jail until the trafficking charge came up. Questions about this particular Wayne County Felon are coming up: He is the son of a correctional officer in Wayne County, and this CO is a friend of the Union County Sheriff, Steve Leverton.
Leverton told the Pal-Item that this matter, as well as the one that came out last week (over here), are coming out now because of the January primary elections deadline: Leverton is up for re-election.
It may not be a real issue: The Department of Correction paid Leverton $35 per day to house the Wayne County Felon, and Union County pays Wayne County $35 per day to house an inmate for their overcrowded jail. So the housing of the inmate appears to be a wash, financially. But today’s Pal-Item article questions the appearance that Leverton used his position to benefit a friend, and kept the deal secret by not disclosing the keeping of this inmate to other county officials:
Cox said Lamberson wasn’t on any jail list he received last fall.
“(Lamberson) was never on our list. It was a friendly agreement so he wouldn’t go to the DOC,” Cox said. “I’ve never seen a court order for him to be here. Judge Snow sentenced him to the DOC. The sheriff knew he was here at the time of our first meeting and he didn’t tell anybody about it.”
Leverton, who was an Indiana State Policeman for 34 years before retiring, said Lamberson’s father is a friend, but denied there was any agreement to keep Lamberson out of DOC. Leverton couldn’t explain why Lamberson wasn’t on jail lists, saying it must have been an oversight. On Thursday Leverton couldn’t find any record of when Lamberson entered the jail.
Again, there may be nothing much to this. County jails hold inmates for the DOC all the time. The DOC would have got notice of the sentence back in July of 2005 when Lamberson was sentenced, and it knew it was paying to house him in Union County. Presumably if it had a problem with the arrangement, it would have raised it. But still, most convicted felons do not get sent to a local county jail in another county to serve their prison timem where they are made a “trustee” giving them extra privileges (like access to tobacco for trafficking with other inmates).
On the whole, I guess I have to side with Doug Masson’s opinion given in the comment to my last Union County post - What we have here is a failure to communicate. When people are elected or appointed to government posts, they need to leave behind their own interests and opinions and remember they are expected to fulfill the terms of their position. Leverton and Cox may be at an impasse, but the Sheriff and the Judge need be able to talk it out.
Not to be outdone by amateurs, the Indiana state list is set to get a major upgrade come Monday:
Gov. Mitch Daniels said it would be an “accurate, current, user-friendly” site that also will have links to a national sex-offender registry run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“It will mean that in one place, with data as complete as we can make it and maintain it with the help of our friends in law enforcement, any citizen can know what sexual offenders live anywhere near them, work anywhere near them, can trace and track people by name if there’s a specific person they’re concerned about, and can take self-protective steps,” Daniels said.
The new site will include internet maps of offenders: www.indianasheriffs.org. And just for the extra-paranoid:
Another new feature to be administered by the attorney general’s office will allow program users to register for e-mail notification when registered sex offenders move nearby. That function is expected to be active soon. Attorney General Steve Carter said that would give people one more layer of protection.
Also in today’s Pal-Item, Big-time dairy Vreba-Hoff is backing off plans to open a 1,000 head dairy farm over the state line in Palestine, Ohio because locals fear the dairy would foul their plans to develop a historical site associated with a settlement established in the 1800’s by freed African-Americans: Dairy company steps back from plans:
In making its announcement, Vreba-Hoff said, “Admittedly, we did not realize the full historical significance Palestine (near Longtown) as an early settlement for free African-American farmers. As we explored the community and listened to concerns expressed by residents and historians, we came to recognize that our farm could have an unintended impact on plans to restore the Longtown settlement as a tourist destination.”
The article also notes that Vreba-Hoff operates a CAFO across the state line in Randolph County, Indiana:
Al Hutchison was part of the Hoosier resistance. He lives next door to the Indiana operation.
“I smell it every day,” Hutchison said. He keeps records of the days the odor becomes overwhelming. “I’ve smelled it 18 days since Christmas.”
Here is the Pal-Item article: Selkirk faces 10 felonies. It said 10 felony theft counts, and when I rechecked the case database, there are 10 counts filed.
The article provides the detail that the charges cover not only Selkirk’s service at the Task Force, but also his activities as director of local Hope House, a drug recovery and housing program. I had forgotten that Selkirk went to Hope House after leaving the Task Force under fire. Prosecutor Michael Shipman noted the difficulties in pursuing criminal charges in misappropriation cases:
“I have put more time into the investigative stage of this case than any other criminal case I’ve been involved in,” Shipman said. “Tracking down a large sum of money spent in small amounts over a long period of time is difficult.”
I also found some of the charge details interesting, besides spending $346 to see the 3 Tenors in Chicago:
Hired a New Castle woman he had met in an online chat room and instructed her to do the task force’s 2002 audit even though the woman was not a public accountant or a certified public accountant. He paid the woman $3,150 to do the audit and eventually paid her $8,700 for consulting and fund-raising services. Her audit eventually was rejected by the Indiana State Board of Accounts because it was not done by an accountant. Selkirk did not have a romantic relationship with the woman.
The article also quotes a friend of mine, who got me involved with the Task Force, and who was booted off the board along with me by Selkirk:
Jean Gifford, who was one of the founders of the AIDS task force but was removed from the board by Selkirk, was happy to hear of the charges.
“I’m very disappointed,” she said. “It makes me ill to think of what has happened, primarily because of the clients who were definitely affected.
Marshall County has started the standard process that marks the beginning of a new CAFO: Concerned citizens speak out, agribusiness people claim there is no need to be conerned, and state and local government officials stand by blankly, there being little they can dare do to address the concerns of the citizens:
An informational meeting Thursday night did little to diffuse emotions both for and against a proposed confined swine- feeding operation in Marshall County.The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Marshall County Commissioners and Marshall County Planning Director Ralph Booker oversaw the meeting, which lasted for two hours and 20 minutes.During a question-and-answer period, some attendees expressed concerns about odors, health, property values, traffic and water tables.
Link. (South Bend Tribune) More coverage from WSBT: here
8 confinement operations are already in place in Marshall. The article notes that only one farmer spoke up in support of the operation, noting that hog manure is “an organic product as natural as can be.” It sounds like most public comments went like this:
During the question-and-answer period, former hog farmer Jon Rettinger outlined concerns about odors, health, property values and traffic that he and others have expressed, and questioned IDEM’s quarter-mile requirement, saying it should be closer to two miles, according to his information.
(Thanks to Rep. Dvorak for the pointer to this story)
Well, it has taken since about this time last year, but the ex-director of the now defunct Aids Task Force of Central Indiana, William R. Selkirk, Jr., has been charged by Wayne County Prosecutor, Michael Shipman, with 9 counts of D Felony Theft. The charges were filed yesterday, and the Pal-Item has the story on the front page. (Not up on the web yet, I’ll catch it later).
The organization failed as the board of directors split between those accusing Selkirk of misappropriation of funds, and those supporting Selkirk. After six months of infighting, the Indiana Department of Health pulled it’s $230,000 plus in grants from the organization, shutting it down.
Of course, this left hundreds of clients in the lurch, having been supported by the group for years as they battled the deadly disease.
Union County, which has already had to resort to using economic development incomes tax revenues to pay for housing inmates in surrounding counties because its 10 person jail keeps filling up, its abuzz with another dispute between the elected sheriff and the circuit court judge:
When Union Circuit Judge Matthew Cox issued an order on Dec. 14 that jail inmate Christina Adams be transferred immediately to the Department of Correction, he was trying to save the county money.
When he learned Jan. 13 that Adams was still in the Union County Jail, he issued another order setting a Jan. 18 deadline for her transfer and deputizing Indiana State Police Officer Rick Shoemaker to serve that order to Union County Sheriff Steve Leverton.
At Thursday’s county council meeting, Leverton accused the judge of “trying to run my jail.”
“The issue is money and control, that’s all it is,” Leverton said. “Our side is not fully represented. Our intent is that we’re giving the best bang for the buck.”
Cox, who wasn’t at the meeting, said he’s trying to comply with the council’s request to contain costs.
“I don’t run his jail. We all agreed to get these people out (of jail) as quickly as possible. There’s no communication. It’s unfortunate,” Cox said.
County council has asked both officials to work at lowering jail numbers to save money. That’s what the judge was doing when he ordered the inmate to be transferred, but the sheriff said he didn’t read the order:
Leverton said Adams stayed here to take the GED class because she wouldn’t be at DOC long enough to get into those classes. He said he didn’t know the order said her transfer was to be done immediately because he didn’t read it. Usually the timing is left up to the DOC and the sheriff, he said.
Two points: First, now I’ve been at this game for a while, but one of the first and easiest lessons I learned was to read the orders from the judge, especially if they were directed to you. Second, it seems to me that when you get to the point that you have to use money collected for economic development to house people in jail, you headed in the wrong direction.
Kokomo Mayor Matt McKillip’s administration started an e-mail newsletter to keep interested citizens informed on happenings. All fine and good, but when a 16 year old high school student made a request for the e-mail addresses subscribed to the newsletter, the mayor said “no,” and the issue is heading to court:
Howard Circuit Court Judge Lynn Murray is scheduled to hear arguments starting at 1:30. The case already has created waves from Kokomo to the Indiana Statehouse.
McKillip contends he’s only trying to protect the privacy of citizens who signed up for a city e-newsletter.
Nees has said he suspects the e-mail list served a purpose never intended by the subscribers — as a database for the mayor’s political e-mails.
At issue is whether Nees, 16, is entitled under the Indiana Access to Public Records Law to copies of the e-mail address list.
Karen Davis, the state’s public access counselor, said Nees should be given a copy. City Attorney Ken Ferries said Nees only is entitled to hand-copy the list.
If State Sen. Jeff Drozda, R-Westfield, has his way, no Hoosiers would have access to the list, period.
A bill authored by Drozda, which would allow government agencies to deny access to e-mail address lists, passed out of the Senate Economic Development and Technology Committee Tuesday.
The City is saying it needs to protect the privacy of citizens by not disclosing their e-mail addresses, but if Ness is right, the Mayor used government time and money to develop the list, and then has the list available for political purposes, effectively using government resources to help in his campaigns.
I’m not sure what gives private citizens the right to communicate with the government confidentially. People in government often fail to recognize the importance of our open system of government.
Iowa attorney Steven M. Drunker has an opinion piece in the DesMoines Register this week that focuses on an aspect of CAFO’s that does not get much attention. Sure, we all know about the stink, and most folks understand that the water runoff from a CAFO can cause contamination. But most people do not focus on the life of the animals involved in a CAFO. Being labeled an “animal-lover” is not cool, and the activities of PETA give supporters of humane treatment for livestock a wacko image.
I think that being concerned with the inhumane treatment of animals that is inherent in a CAFO is different than the more extreme views expressed by PETA’s campaigns (they recently came out against the live cooking of lobsters, a position which, as a person who lives in the Midwest only to make enough money to go to Maine once a year to eat lobsters, I just cannot live with). I spent part of my time growing up on a farm, and spent much of my 20’s living on a farm, raising chickens, goats and sheep. I have a basic understanding of caring for livestock. What happens in a CAFO offends my sense of proper animal handling. Mr. Drunker agrees, but from a different perspective:
While the Bible proclaims human dominion over animals and recognizes our rights to harness their strength and consume their flesh, these rights are clearly conditioned on treating them kindly. Not only does the Bible forbid causing animals unnecessary pain, it repeatedly instructs us to consider their needs and uphold their welfare.
. . . .
Every legislator and citizen who has condoned these farms should ask him or herself what if the next time officials from the Department of Natural Resources inspected one, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jesus walked beside them? Even if the state inspectors found no infraction of earthly laws, it’s folly to think the heavenly inspectors would be pleased. The harshest protests of environmentalists would seem mild alongside the scathing rebuke that would be hurled at all who have perpetrated or facilitated such an abomination.
I think there are many people in rural areas who grew up around animals, and even participated in raising livestock, who are anti-CAFO because factory farming represents such a departure from traditional values.
Another year, another Martin Luther King, Jr. day. A day that has politicians scrambling to find some black faces to stand next to while a few erstwhile citizens sincerely grapple with King’s vision and legacy. For most of us, its just another day when the mail does not run, the banks are closed, and maybe, if we are lucky, we’ll get the day off.
These Annual remembrances have not brought King’s dream of social justice any closer, nor have we made a dent in the chronic poverty that is so pervasive in this county (think New Orleans).
Anyway and unrelated, yesterday, Mike Pence had a town meeting in Richmond. Pence fielded questions about domestic covert spying by the feds, the healthcare crisis, and other issues. He also expressed the following opinion about immigration:
When Tucker said she wanted to see the U.S. citizenship-by-birth right end, Pence said that policy has served as a perverse incentive for aliens or immigrants to break U.S. law.
“We have in many ways subsidized the avalanche of illegal immigrants in this country,” Pence said. He said in the past the Internal Revenue Service gave workers tax numbers even if the immigrants didn’t have Social Security numbers.
“What you subsidize you get more of, what you tax you get less of,” Pence said. “From my standpoint, where do you shut the door?” Pence asked. He said the problem needs to be dealt with in a consistent way, although legislators don’t know exactly what that will be yet.
Shut the door in the face of folks daring enough to risk all to live as Americans. Nice sentiments on King’s birthday. The Pal-Item coverage is here. Local blogger, Chris Hardie was in attendance and his observations (and pictures) are here:Town Hall meeting with Mike Pence.
What surprised me in today’s article is that the company’s president, Ray C. Whitmore, has tried to start a 200-employee company in Wayne County before:
Whitmore was president and chief operating officer of Doray Foods, LLC when he met with Union City (Ind.) officials in March 2005, saying he wanted to buy the former Heartland dairy plant in Union City. Consultant Judy Carmichael Brown of Indianapolis represented Whitmore, according to a story in the Winchester News Gazette.
Brown said the Union City project would allow Doray to consolidate its operations and ultimately would bring 200 jobs to the area.
But Whitmore decided against buying the plant.
And, of course, there are some sorted details:
Whitmore’s biography on the Kelsie’s Web site said he has more than 28 years of business experience. He also served 28 months in jail for attempted murder and assault in the early 1990s.
In December 1989, Whitmore was involved in an argument and a shooting and landed in prison in Minnesota.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of assault for a Dec. 23, 1989, shooting of a St. Paul, Minn., man in the parking lot of the Third Precinct police station in Minneapolis.
According to stories published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Whitmore was charged with shooting Howard Bivens, a well-known jazz trumpeter, who was left paralyzed and on a respirator.
At the time, Whitmore was part owner of Avid Meat Co. in Hoffman, Minn., and Multi-Lease Co. in Chanhassen, the newspaper said.
The shooting was a result of an argument over money, the newspaper said.
He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. But in 1990, the judge in the case ordered a new trial when authorities found a pistol in a sewer near the shooting scene that was believed to have belonged to the wounded trumpet player. The gun apparently was dropped in the sewer by a friend of Bivens.
Of course, whether Mr. Witmore can pull of a new startup company in Wayne County based on his track record, is not the point for us locally. The issue is, why did the EDC rush out an announcement in September of 2005, that it had landed the dairy plant, when the facts reveal that the plan is at best preliminary, and now even Kelsie Officials say the deal is not final. The announcement came at a time when questions were just beginning to come out about the EDC President’s spending and effectiveness.
An important opinion out of Fort Wayne. Maybe it will get the attention of the legislature:
State legislators sitting on the Senate Energy and Environmental Affairs Committee need to give due consideration to a proposed strengthening of confined-animal-feeding regulations.
There are more than 2,000 confined-animal-feeding operations in Indiana. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture hopes to double hog production. A legislative review of CAFO environmental regulations to ensure that growth happens in a responsible manner is overdue.
. . . .
As it currently reads, the proposed bill might be a bit too stringent, but it is a discussion state legislators need to have given the state’s expansion of large livestock operations in Indiana.
The bill was introduced to the Indiana Senate Energy and Environmental Affairs Committee, but it might not be given the hearing that it deserves.
Last year a similar attempt to strengthen Indiana’s CAFO regulations was drafted. The proposal was sent to a study committee, and little has been heard of it since.
Indiana is right to look to the agricultural sector for economic development gains for the state. But state leaders also need to ensure that blossoming agri-business does not unduly harm the environment. Legislators have an obligation to ensure that environmental regulations are keeping up with economic development initiatives.
