This and that: A few things for a Monday
This and that: A few things for a Monday
McCaw Park’s new dog park is ready. Catching up on this week’s early voting, candidate Q&As. TSC names teachers of the year. And more
Today’s edition is sponsored by Purdue for Life. This Wednesday, Boilermakers around the world will rally — rally to innovate, rally to inspire, and rally together on Purdue Day of Giving! Join us at dayofgiving.purdue.edu.
This and that on an April Monday morning …
SECOND LAFAYETTE DOG PARK OPEN AND READY: Lafayette Parks cut a ribbon Friday on its new dog park at McCaw Park on Union Street, near Creasy Lane. This one’s name: McPaw Park. The first dog in on Friday: Benefactors Bill and Michele McCaw’s goldendoodle Baxter. “This has been a long time coming,” Claudine Laufman, Lafayette parks superintendent, said. The dog park – the second membership-accessed dog park in the city after one at Shamrock Park off Wabash Avenue – was part of a McCaw Park renovation that started in 2023 and included a larger, 146-space parking area and a new restroom facility. (There was no ribbon cutting for the restrooms on Friday.) A second phase of renovations at McCaw Park is expected to add 14 pickleball courts – doubling the number at the park now – add connecting trails, relocate batting cages and move an outfield fence at one of the park’s baseball fields and a half-court basketball hoop. That work is expected to start this summer. As for McPaw Park, the dog facility include four paddocks for dogs of varying sizes with spray pads, ponds and washing stations. Dog park memberships, good for McCaw and Shamrock parks, are $65 a year, available at lafayetteparks.org.
TSC NAMES TEACHERS OF THE YEAR: Ellie Minogue, a high ability teacher for fourth and fifth grade students at Klondike Elementary School, and Jolie McCartney, who teaches Spanish at Harrison High School, have been named Tippecanoe School Corp.’s elementary and secondary teachers of the year.
According to TSC, a committee selected the two winners from a field of 19 building-level winners and will represent the district in the Indiana 2024 Teacher of the Year program. Among the TSC teacher of the year nominees by school building:
Battle Ground Elementary: Diane Lehman, fifth grade
Burnett Creek Elementary: Tiffani Pettit, fifth grade
Cole Elementary: Jennifer Tilley, second grade
Dayton Elementary: Carolyn Howard, kindergarten
Hershey Elementary: Jocelyn MacLaverty, fourth grade
Klondike Elementary: Ellie Minogue, 4/5 high ability
Mayflower Mill: Elementary Paige Manns, Title I
Mintonye Elementary: Kelsey Bowyer, fine arts
Wea Ridge Elementary: Holly Richard, first grade
Woodland Elementary: Sarah Synesael, second grade
Wyandotte Elementary: Abigail Moore, fifth grade
Battle Ground Middle School: Brittany Gray, English
East Tipp Middle School: Kevin Smith, social studies
Klondike Middle School: Michael Gabauer, science
Southwestern Middle School: Rebecca Redman, English
Wainwright Middle School: Sheena Baird, social studies
Wea Ridge Middle School: Staci Rooze, English
Harrison High School: Jolie McCartney, Spanish
McCutcheon High School: Cindy Aubuchon, English
EARLY VOTING CONTINUES: Early voting ahead of the May 7 primary election continues this week, with contested races on Tippecanoe County ballots for governor, U.S. House, several Indiana General Assembly seats, Tippecanoe County commissioner and Tippecanoe County Council at-large seats.
Where to vote: This week, voting is open at:
Weekdays: Tippecanoe County Office Building, 20 N. Third St., Lafayette. Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Thursday, April 25: Black Cultural Center at Purdue, 1100 Third St., West Lafayette. Hours: Noon-6 p.m.
Saturday, April 27: West Point Fire Station, 4949 Indiana 25 South, West Point; Clarks Hill Christian Church, 9510 Pearl St., Clarks Hill; and Otterbein United Methodist Church, 405 E. Oxford St., Otterbein. Hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
More sites will open later in April and into May. For a full schedule, including on Election Day, go to: www.tippecanoe.in.gov/449/Early-Voting-Schedule
The candidates and races: For a look at all the candidates who will be on Republican and Democratic ballots in the May 7 primary in Tippecanoe County, check here.
Your ballot and voter registration check: To check your voter registration and to see candidates who will be on your Republican or Democratic ballot, go to the Secretary of State’s portal at www.indianavoters.com.
Candidate Q&As: Based in Lafayette this weekend dropped candidate Q&As in contested races that will be on Tippecanoe County ballots. In case you missed them, here’s a way in:
U.S. House, 4th District
Republican: Rep. Jim Baird, Charles Bookwalter and John Piper
Democratic: Rimpi Girn and Derrick Holder
General Assembly seats
Indiana House District 13, Republican: Rep. Sharon Negele and Matt Commons
Indiana House District 41, Republican: Rep. Mark Genda and Joe Sturm; plus Democratic candidate Dan Sikes
Tippecanoe County
County Commissioner, District 2, Republican: David Byers and Jeff Findlay; plus Libertarian Steven Mayoras
County Council, at-large, Republican: Five candidates for three seats – John Basham, Paige Britton, Dan Dunten, Barry Richard and Kevin Underwood
County Council, at-large, Democratic: Five candidates for three seats – Katy Bunder, Ben Carson, Amanda Eldridge, Joe Mackey and Wendy Starr
LATINO BUSINESS EXPO WEDNESDAY: Greater Lafayette Commerce will host its first Latino Business Expo from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1406 Teal Road. The expo will feature more than 50 exhibitors from a range of Greater Lafayette businesses. For a look at the businesses that will have displays, check glclatinobusinessexpo.expofp.com.
DE-TRASH THE WABASH SHIFTS MEET-UP SPOT: De-Trash the Wabash, an annual cleanup along the banks of the Wabash River, will move from Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette to the Lyboult Sports Complex, 1300 Canal Road in Lafayette, on Saturday, April 27. The move was necessary because of ongoing construction that has parts of Tapawingo Park closed. Organizers of De-Trash the Wabash are looking for volunteers to help clean a nine-mile stretch of the river bank near Greater Lafayette. Groups will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday to get assignments. Since 2011, volunteers have collected more than 20 tons of trash, organizers say. To register and get more information, check tinyurl.com/detrash24. DeTrash the Wabash is hosted by the Tippecanoe County Partnership for Water Quality, Wabash River Enhancement Corp., Tippecanoe County Soil Waste District and Wabash Riverkeeper Network.
OTHER READS …
A reckoning of the legal fallout are starting to come clear on case of former West Lafayette police officer Jake Forgey. Forgey resigned from the West Lafayette Police Department in February after he was accused by department officials of embellishing narratives tied to arrests that didn’t square up with the actual depictions from his body-worn camera. J&C reporter Ron Wilkins reported that, so far, 51 cases had been dismissed because misrepresentations by Forgey. Here’s the J&C report. “51 cases dismissed because of allegations of officer's 'embellished reports.’”
Thanks, again, to sponsor Purdue for Life, presenting the Purdue Day of Giving Wednesday, April 24. Get more details at dayofgiving.purdue.edu.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
I hope that dismissal will not be the only punishment for the officer who tried to get so many people convicted through fraudulent means. His actions very well could have led to job loss and jail/prison. Harrington has been aggressive in his prosecutions of corrupt public officials the last few years, it'll be interesting to see if he chooses to prosecute a willfully corrupt police officer.
Vote for Rimpi Girn, a woman with good ideas and promises.