« Ind. Gov't. - More on "IDEM claim of quickly cleared cases is challenged" | Main | Ind. Courts - Embattled Elkhart Judge Resigns »

Monday, October 03, 2005

Ind. Courts - Bad news for courthouse preservationists

Newslink Indiana is reporting this evening, in a story by Brandt Showalter headlined "Courthouse inspection validates concern," and datelined Winchester, Indiana, that:

Inspection results from McClain Enterprises, Fort Wayne, showed the Randolph County Courthouse is in need of major structural repairs and has several leaks in the roof. The structural engineering group performed an inspection of the building last week.

The group was brought in to determine if the building could be remodeled or if it should be completely torn down - a subject of local debate. * * *

The county commission said it will contact Wal-Mart to make a bid on the old store as a temporary home for the courthouse offices. If the store cannot be attained, the commission said it has alternative plans including some buildings downtown.

I'm not clear whether this means that the decision to demolish the building, made by the county commissioners several months ago, was done without the benefit of an inspection. It is also not clear what these inspection results mean - repair or raze? The most recent earlier ILB entry on the courthouse controversy is from 9/20/05. See also 8/30/05 and 8/6/05 (titled "Courthouse Girls calendar hits the streets").

[More] Paige Wiser, a possibly heartless, and young, person at the Chicago Sun-Times has written a column titled "I pose this to calendar ladies: Please stop." The piece begins:

There were two particularly heartwarming items in the news the past couple of weeks.

In Waupaca, Wis., an enterprising group of middle-aged women posed nude (with some strategically placed books) for a calendar called "Desperate Librarians," to raise money for their local libraries.

And in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a dozen adventurous ladies, mostly over 50, posed nude (with some strategically placed props) for a calendar to benefit a children's hospital.

So sweet! So whimsical! So ripe for the human-interest segment of the evening news!

So . . . over.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 3, 2005 07:43 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts