Looking at the Data by CALEB BAUER the Commercial Review Forty-Five Percent of Those Employed in Portland Live out - Side of the City Limits
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Thursday, October 13, 2016 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com 75 cents Looking at the data By CALEB BAUER The Commercial Review Forty-five percent of those employed in Portland live out - side of the city limits. Numbers indicate That was one of the insights discussed during the prelimi - opportunity for growth nary findings presentation from Ball State University urban planning students during a pub - lic forum Wednesday at Jay the city’s redevelopment com - Portland is estimated at $43.5 mil - County Public Library. mission. lion. The meeting, part of a series Students used data to help illus - “There’s an enormous opportu - regarding the creation of a new trate an overview of the city’s nity there for, not only a growth redevelopment plan for Port - employment climate, providing a in income, a growth in the local land, covered changes in Port - roadmap for aspects that could be economy and the local tax base, land’s employment statistics, targeted for improvement. but also just sheerly the number reviewed results from surveys This year, according to esti - of people who actually live in the submitted by residents and busi - mates from Environmental Sys - city of Portland, because … ness owners and explained the tems Research Institute, 5,313 there’s a problem in the city with The Commercial Review/Caleb Bauer city’s economic trends. Also workers are employed in Port - depopulation and not keeping Ball State University urban planning student mentioned at the meeting was a land. Of that total, 2,392 live out - pace with the growth rate of Indi - new moniker for the plan, now side the city limits. ana as a whole,” said Ball State Brandon Burgoa presents a portion of the Portland downtown to be termed a “revitalization The total estimated income of student Dustin House. revitalization plan preliminary findings. The group will return plan” to avoid confusion with those workers living outside of See Data page 5 Nov. 9 to present preliminary proposals. County Chibok girls council freed in swap By ISMAIL ALFA released Wednesday night passes ABDULRAHIM in Banki, a town on the and HARUNA UMAR northeast border with Associated Press Cameroon, said a military MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — officer familiar with the budget Twenty-one of Nigeria’s talks who spoke on condi - By NATHAN RUBBELKE Chibok schoolgirls kid - tion of anonymity because The Commercial Review napped by Boko Haram he is not authorized to After a lengthy and more than two years ago speak to the press on the extensive process to com - have been freed in a swap matter. The girls were for detained leaders of the pile next year’s county flown by helicopter to Islamic extremist group, budget, the final product Maiduguri, the northeast - the government and mili - has been adopted. ern capital of Borno state tary said today. and birthplace of Boko Jay County Council Some 197 girls remain passed the 2017 budget Haram, he said. captive, though it is not “We are extremely Wednesday night. It comes known how many of them delighted and grateful,” the in at $16.6 million total, may have died. Bring Back Our Girls with its general fund The freed girls, the first movement said on Face - equaling $7.4 million. to be released as a result of book. The group, which has Of the general fund, the government action, are in campaigned within Nige - commissioners budget the custody of the Depart - ria and internationally for makes up $2.1 million. ment of State Services, the release of the students, Also budgeted within Nigeria’s secret intelli - said it awaits the names of county general is gence agency, according to the released girls. $449,378.18 for the retire - presidential spokesman “We thank the federal ment center, $865,849.20 Garba Shehu. government and, like Oliv - for Jay County Sheriff’s The government “wants er Twist, we ask for more,” Office and $1,039,884.26 for the girls to have some rest, said Professor Hauwa Biu, Jay County Jail. with all of them very tired a woman activist in Maid - The largest budget out - coming out of the process,” uguri. side the general fund is Shehu said. President Muhammadu the highway department, All but three of the Buhari said he welcomed which totals $2.9 million schoolgirls were carrying the release of the 21 girls overall. Jay Emergency babies, an aid worker who before he boarded a plane Medical Service is slated saw the girls in Maiduguri for an official visit to Ger - to authorized to spend $1.2 told The Associated Press. many. million in 2017. The coun - He spoke on condition of The abduction of 276 ty economic development anonymity because he was schoolgirls in April 2014 income tax, infrastruc - not authorized to speak to from a school in Chibok ture, cumulative bridge the press. Many Boko and the government’s fail - and cumulative capital Haram captives recently ure to quickly free them development funds total freed by military action has caused international have been shunned by their $442,500, $651,526, $570,000 outrage and brought Boko communities because they Haram, Nigeria’s home- and $400,000 respectively. have come home pregnant grown Islamic extremist Auditor Anna Culy told or with babies from the group, to the world’s atten - council members Mike fighters. tion. Dozens of the girls Leonhard, Gary Theurer, Their release was negoti - escaped on their own, but Ted Champ, Bob Vance, ated between the govern - most remain missing. Mike Rockwell, Cindy ment and Boko Haram In May, one of the girls, Newton and Jeanne The Commercial Review/Caleb Bauer with the International Amina Ali Nkeki, escaped Houchins that the 2017 Committee of the Red on her own. Shortly after budget is “pretty compara - Cross and the Swiss gov - her release Nkeki told her ble” to the budget adopted ernment acted as interme - family that some of the kid - last year. Fire prevention diaries, said Shehu and a napped girls died of illness The budget adopted last Third graders from General Shanks Elementary School rush statement from the ICRC. and that others, like her, year was $15.7 million dol - out of a smoky trailer during a drill Wednesday with the Portland Fire Negotiations will continue have been married to fight - lars. Culy said part of the Department. The event was a part of the fire department’s outreach for the release of the other ers and are pregnant or increase this year stems for Fire Prevention Week. students, said Shehu. already have babies, her from a $250,000 rainy day Four detained Boko mother told the press. line-item intended for Haram leaders were See Freed page 8 emergency expenses as well as funds for the pur - chase of a new dispatch system for Jay County ISTEP replacement will be delayed Sheriff’s Office. “It’s up, but we know INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indi - need to be broad in nature,” jurisdiction and be the highest replace ISTEP with the “Indiana why,” Culy said. ana lawmakers say they expect to Fama said. “This is really just the standards in the United States. OnTrack Assessment System.” Next year’s budget was delay the rollout of a new stan - first step in the process.” The guidelines restrict Indiana According to Ritz by eliminating compiled in an extensive dardized test for students until Legislators and Gov. Mike from adopting another state’s a reading test for third-graders, a process of preparation. after spring 2018, missing the Pence killed off the ISTEP stan - standardized test as their own. remediation test for high school Amid concerns that the original deadline. dardized exam seven months ago Senate Education Committee students and a social studies test, county was over-spending Nicole Fama is the state’s after repeated test administra - chairman Dennis Kruse, a the system could save the state and depleting its rainy day ISTEP replacement study com - tion and technology errors. Republican, says the Legislature more than $12 million. The system fund, a committee was mittee chairwoman. She said The panel has met for dozens in January will likely have to would also include testing for third formed earlier this year Tuesday that the 23-member of hours since May analyzing require schools to continue using through eighth grade students in and held a series of meet - panel won’t be able to recom - what other states do. ISTEP for at least a few more fall, winter and spring. ings from May to August mend a new test for lawmakers to The biggest issue with replac - years. The panel will meet again in to review the budget adopt for use during the 2017-18 ing ISTEP is maintaining Indi - Glenda Ritz, the Democratic November before its Dec. 1 dead - months earlier than usual. school year. ana’s standards that by law state superintendent of public line to submit a recommendation See Budget page 5 “Our recommendations will require the state to maintain instruction, has proposed to for the General Assembly. Deaths Weather In review Coming up Portland’s weather station With early voting under - measured 0.17 inches of rain Friday — A look at the Jay way, what are the key issues Wednesday. The temperature County High School girls lock - Natalie Cox , 93, Albany you are looking at when mak - peaked at 78 degrees, and the er room, which has been tar - Kane Smith , 61, Albany ing your choices at the local, overnight low was 50. geted for renovation in 2017. Mary Bergman , 93, Bryant state and national levels? The low is expected to dip David J.M.