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May 2019
NACS hosts Relay for Life for third year Staff reports Northwest Allen County Schools will host its third Relay for Life event 3-10 p.m. May 4 at Carroll Middle School. The event, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, will take place on the track. Each relay team will have at least one member on the track at all times during the event to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer. Teams will set up tents around the track and sell items to raise money for the cause. The event will also feature a kids’ play area with bouncy houses and games, music, fun relays, food at the concession stand and a silent auction. During the event, speakers will share information about the latest cancer research and other helpful information. See NACS, Page 7
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INSIDE DUPONT High School Graduations Schedule .............................. A2 Entertainment ..................... A3 Briefs .................................... A9 BRIDGETT HERNANDEZ
Clint and Heather Zehr own the Urban Attic, a pop-up space in the old Lanternier-Vesey flower shop.
The little shop that could do more By Bridgett Hernandez bhernandez@kpcmedia.com
The little shop at 2329 Crescent Ave. hasn’t been a flower shop in years, but the sign for Lanternier-Vesey Flowers (established in 1854) is still
standing. The sign might be confusing for passersby, but it’s hard to take down – it’s like a landmark, said Heather Zehr. She and her husband, Clint, purchased the building in 2014.
The Zehrs run their family business of managing properties and flipping homes out of the old flower shop, but the building had more space than they needed for their See LITTLE SHOP, Page 4
Recreation ..........................A10 Community Calendar..............................A11
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Fort Wayne mayoral candidates weigh in on local issues
Staff reports Why should people vote for you for mayor? John Crawford (Republican candidate): I’ve served on Fort Wayne City Council for 20 years. My mentor was Don Schmidt – the greatest city councilman ever – I remember it took two years to feel I was doing that job well. Difficult debates and votes on issues such as the smoking ordinance and the baseball stadium were valuable lessons in political leadership. I know many of the other elected officials who are endorsing me because they know I will collaborate with them and get things accomplished. I know the details of Indiana law and Fort Wayne ordinances that one needs to know to write legislation well. And so, I would be able to perform the job of mayor on Day One. Gina Burgess (Democratic candidate): (Your readers) should vote for me because, as a former CEO
and a current business developer, I know what it takes to start a company, build it up, grow and maintain it. I know, understand and appreciate that businesses are in business Crawford Smith Burgess Henry to make money, turn a profit, and be good need a political outsider There are more things I corporate neighbors. I also with a good business mind want to accomplish as have a strong understanding who is a fiscal conservamayor. I love my job and of what it means to be a tive to lead our city back want to continue serving good corporate steward in to the mountaintop. It’s the community in this an ever-changing world that time to restore Fort Wayne leadership capacity. From focuses not just on growth back to the summit. I am riverfront development to but on environmental excited about the people a commitment to proactive sustainability, supply chain of Fort Wayne climbing public safety initiatives to systems management, with me. If people join me the success of Fort Wayne investor relations, regional in this climb, Fort Wayne UNITED to strong neighand international trade will become one of the borhoods, we’ve only systems, and more. best cities in the Midwest just begun realizing our Tim Smith (Republican and become a Midwest potential. candidate): magnet for people, jobs, • Political outsider Talk about your main and non-profits. We can • Business executive platform and what it and will accomplish this by • Fiscal conservative would achieve. being a safer city, a smarter Fort Wayne is known as Crawford: My platform city, and a stronger city. the “Summit City.” And we includes: Tom Henry (Democratic were once there – a bright • Fiscal conservatism – candidate): I continue to be shining city on the moun(I) will draft a zero-based encouraged by the unprectaintop, on the summit. budget to cut costs and edented momentum and But then we lost Internareorder priorities. excitement we’re experitional Harvester, Tokheim, • Opioid crisis and crime encing in Fort Wayne. I’ve General Electric, Lincoln, – My medical knowledge never seen anything like it. ITT and others and began a will enable me to better We must stay the course journey through the valley. fight this crisis by fostering and move forward on the While we are starting a more high-quality treatment path we’re on with job climb to the mountaintop facilities for those who growth, record investments again, we will not successwant help. Decreasing the in neighborhood infrastrucfully return to the summit number of citizens addicted ture improvements, and unless we expect more. We to drugs will decrease the a revitalized downtown. number of drug dealers and must dream big, employ Now is not the time to the crime resulting from more, and hire better. We change direction and stop.
ELECTION DAY Fort Wayne will have a Republican and Democratic primary May 7. For information about voting, go to www. allencounty.us/election-board or all the Allen County Election Board at 260-449-7329. them. • Economic development – I backed and voted for the baseball stadium (Parkview Field), which was the spark for downtown development that we are now enjoying. Jobs follow people with the talent that companies need. By relentlessly improving our quality of place with Riverfront Development and Electric Works we will draw more young people and companies to Fort Wayne. • Collaboration — We need to improve the working relationship between the mayor, (Fort Wayne) City Council and other elected officials. I will do that, which will then allow us to communicate better to get things done. Burgess: My primary platform is a community-based platform and not a business-oriented platform. My community-based platform is about getting Fort Wayne back to basics, reprioritizing needs over wants, and creating a community that is more inclusive. Let’s briefly look a bit further at these points:
• Getting back to basics means making sure our trash is picked up, our streets and sidewalks are repaired, our street lights are working, etc. • Reprioritizing needs over wants is understanding that the city has a finite budget and that the allocation of that budget should be needs-focused (i.e. public safety, infrastructure, etc.) instead of wants-focused (i.e. real estate development.) • Creating a more inclusive community means we are more welcoming of those different from us, be those differences culturally ethnic, ability-oriented (i.e. mobility impaired, vision impaired, hearing impaired, autistic, etc.), multi-generational, etc. Having said that, however, I believe (the business community) would be more interested in my business-focused platform. That platform is simply stay out of the way of pre-existing businesses, remove known obstacles where needed, and eliminate the business See CANDIDATES, Page 7