Lafayette News

The Lafayette Police Department will be offering its Citizen's Police Academy this spring to provide Lafayette residents with an informed understanding of the inner workings of police department. 'Our main focus is to provide citizens with information about how their police department works,' said Lt. Brad Bishop. 'We want to educate the public as much as possible.' The Citizen's Police Academy is held biannually by the Lafayette Police Department as a free service to the public. According to Police Chief Don Roush, the department wants a broad spectrum of people to attend the sessions. Roush said that the academy was established more than 20 years ago with the goals of educating the public and opening up communication between citizens and the police. 'We work for the city and want the community to know what we do,' he said. The upcoming academy consists of weekly meetings for six weeks beginning March 1 and concluding April 5. The two-hour evening sessions cover three to four topics every class and will be held at the Lafayette Police Training Center. According to Bishop, the presentations will be conducted by personnel from the police department and will cover a range of subjects. Roush will talk about the administrative side of the police department and discuss the police department's strategy for serving Lafayette. Other topics covered include laws of arrest, use of force, the K-9 division, CSI detectives, and narcotics. Bishop said that participants are encouraged to ride along with a police officer during the course of the academy. The academy will conclude with a graduation ceremony on April 5. Roush hopes to see the police department's volunteer program expand as a result of Lafayette residents attending the Citizen's Academy.

The West Lafayette space that formerly held Nick's will get a lot funnier. Jester's will open March 1, boasting a sports bar and comedy club concept. The space at 402 Brown St. in the Levee held Nick's for decades. Nick's was a longtime host of the Comedy Caravan series, which brought in such talent as Rosie O'Donnell, Paula Poundstone and Sinbad before they were stars. It was briefly home to Riverside Sports Bar & Music Center as well. John Payne, general manager of Jester's, was a manager of Crackers Comedy Clubs in Indianapolis for five years. He has broken away from Crackers, bringing his comic contacts with him. Payne is promoting a safe -- and funny -- environment. Past incidents, including a 2007 stabbing and a 2010 shooting outside the club, have tarnished the venue's reputation. 'We're definitely going to have security and bouncers,' Payne said. 'We're not going to let it get out of hand.' Starting March 1, Jester's will be open Thursday through Saturday. Comedy sets will start at 7:30 and 10 p.m. An open mic will give lesser known funnymen and funnywomen the stage at 10 p.m. Thursdays. After midnight, Payne plans to have live music on Thursdays and Fridays, and DJs on Saturdays. Jester's will close at 3 a.m. each night. Payne said he will bring in regional comedians, many of whom are familiar faces at Crackers. Jester's will have a full bar and offer 'limited' food. Payne said two or three pool tables will be in the house as well as popular video games, such as 'Golden Tee' and 'Big Buck Hunter.' Payne plans to open six or seven days a week at the beginning of Purdue University's fall semester. Besides the signage, renovations inside the club include separating the front bar from the showroom. Access to the bar will be free; cover charges will be required for most shows. Also, Jester's will be for those age 21 and older. Nick's and Riverside flirted with all-ages and 18-and-up at times. The opening of a comedy club is good news for Abby Chew. The young local comic hopes to perform there as soon as possible. Chew made her standup comedy debut at Crackers in Indy last year. 'It will be great to have stage time close,' Chew said. 'I also have contacts with many comedians in the Indianapolis area that would be excited to find a new spot to do their work.' The timing of Jester's opening comes on the heels of a packed standup comedy show in January at the Black Sparrow in downtown Lafayette. Chew joined fellow Lafayette comic John Cessna and Bloomington jokemen Tom Brady and Mat Alano-Martin that night. However, at least two Black Sparrows can fit inside Jester's, a much larger venue. 'We had a huge crowd and a lot of laughs at our comedy night at the Black Sparrow,' Chew said. 'I hope this is indicative of what the success of Jester's will be.' Cessna shares Chew's enthusiasm. He points to the recent monthly comedy series at Knickerbocker Saloon and the formation of the Purdue Comedy Club as other signs that there is a market for stand-up comedy in Greater Lafayette. 'I hope with a central location and a team committed to bringing in national talent, the scene will only grow from there,' Cessna said. 'I think Nick's is a fantastic room. It's large enough, has facilities for food and drink, ample parking, walking from campus and downtown, and in general should be an ideal location to bring folks in. 'I don't anticipate encountering any of its past difficulties. Comics are usually scared of knives.'

Drawing or painting from a live unclothed model is built into the historical fabric of serious studio art study. Whether it is on the student level at a university or local level with a small group of artists, figure studies aid the artist in eye-hand coordination, as well as realizing proper human physical proportions. Something Special of Lafayette has mounted a figurative exhibit featuring five local artists. The work of Grace Benedict, Stacy Bogan, Susan Doster, Steve Massa and James Werner includes graphite, charcoal, pastel, colored pencil, oils and ceramic sculpture. Show themes run from full figure nude studies to lovely clothed three-quarter length figurative paintings and drawings. Stacy Bogan has added another dimension to her well-known portrait-making talents by introducing us to her ceramic portrait sculpture. Benedict continues to explore the human form in her extremely precise academic style, utilizing colored pencils in an expert fashion. Steve Massa's work differs from the group in his free and loose approach to line and color application. James Werner presents a high quality product from his 'Alla Prima' or direct painting process. Doster illustrates a delicate individualized approach to her figures and portraits. Due to some of the content in this classic exhibit certain sections of our art-viewing audience might be reluctant to examine the work. All the artwork in this show represents each artist's attempt at achieving the graceful lines of the human body and well as the individual differences found in the human form. I found myself revisiting Doster's lovely pencil work. Her portrait studies show intelligence and personality of subject. The delicacy and assuredness of her line application demonstrates the Doster's extreme knowledge of human anatomy as well as her ability to render likeness. The personality of her sitter has been captured along with their physical grace. Contributing columnist Tom Shafer provides insight about interesting art exhibits throughout the Greater Lafayette community. He can be reached at orieshafer@hotmail.com.

A female body pulled early Friday afternoon from the Wildcat Creek is likely that of Kerry Dunsmore, a Lafayette woman who has been missing since Jan.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two Republican candidates are running to unseat the longtime Democratic State Representative in District 27, Sheila Klinker.

The roof on the Brothers N Others Pub and Grille in Lafayette is charred and collapsed on one side from a fire this morning.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Catholic Church is showing its muscle against the federal health care policy mandating religious organizations to include birth control coverage in their health plans.

Indiana private dormitory developer Trinitas Ventures LLC has dropped its plans to build a $35 million project in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Hundreds of jobs are ready to open with new manufacturers coming to town.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Indiana will be one of ten pioneer states freed from following the rules of Federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Last year, a student came to Mayflower Mill Elementary School with an e-reader, but was in the middle of reading a book.A Mayflower Mill had a policy of not allowing electronic devices to be used during school hours.A After Mayflower reviewing and altering the policy, teacher Gina Boyd got the idea to write a grant to obtain the ... (more)

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A local realtor is teaming up with Habitat for Humanity to build a home for an injured Marine and his family.

Things are shaping up for property tax bills to be on time this year, not that anyone particularly looks forward to another bill in the mailbox. But timely mailing of property tax bills leads to timely collection and distributions of tax revenue. Timely distributions means taxpayers don't have to pay interest on borrowed money to fund the local government services. It's a deadline that hasn't always been met in recent years. A few glitches had Tippecanoe County officials sweating the tax bill deadline, and it's still not a sure thing. 'We certified our assessments late, but the fact that we have the DLGF (hearing) next week shows that the turnaround time is still good,' Auditor Jennifer Weston said Wednesday. 'We're in remarkably good shape,' Assessor Linda Phillips said. She attributed the delay in getting assessments to the auditor to glitches caused by switching to a new computer system. The Department of Local Government Finance plans a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Wabash Room on the first floor of the Tippecanoe County Office Building at 20 N. Third St. in Lafayette. The panel will take input from the public and review the assessed values of property and all of the budgets. The department will send county officials the property tax rates, which might not be the same as the estimated rate used in August to create the budgets, Weston said. When that rate arrives in the auditor's office, Weston's staff will calculate the rate for each property. They then double-check the work before sending the bills to the treasurer's office, which will mail the bills, Weston said. The deadline to get the bills to the treasurer is April 1. That gives the staff at the treasurer's office enough time to get the bills mailed to taxpayers at least a month before the May 10 payment is due, county Treasurer Bob Plantenga said last week. Tippecanoe County missed its tax bill deadlines in 2007, 2008 and 2009, causing a ripple effect as local governments scrambled to pay bills until the tax draw arrived. That shouldn't be the case this year. And 2013 is shaping up well to hit deadlines, even with a reassessment and trending being done for next year's bills. 'We have examined 100 percent of our parcels,' Phillips said of the reassessment. 'We're supposed to have 100 percent in the computer on March 1.' Trending, the adjustments of property values to reflect market values based on local sales, hasn't started. The process uses sale prices of similar properties in similar areas to figure the increase - or decrease - in trending. 'Trending cannot start until we get sales at the end of February,' Phillips said. 'For next year, I'm hoping to have it out early. I'm hoping they'll be able to budget with real numbers,' she said, referring to the county council. In the past few years, the council has had to budget with estimated assessed values. Phillips' goal is to be able to mail out property owners' assessed value for the taxes payable in 2013 on Oct. 1. This will allow property owners to appeal their property's value - a process that must be done within 45 days of notification - without the chaos and rush of looming tax payments, Phillips said.

BEIJING - Canada and China expanded cooperation Wednesday with agreements to boost bilateral investment and promote energy exports to China as Ottawa seeks to diversify its oil sales. The agreements were signed during the first full day of a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who wants to push oil sales and closer economic ties following President Barack Obama's perhaps temporary rejection of a pipeline carrying Canadian oil across the continental United States. Harper, who is heading a delegation of Canadian business leaders, witnessed the signings after talks with his counterpart, Wen Jiabao. Dr. Michael Walls, a board certified noninvasive cardiologist,has joined St. Vincent Medical Group in Lafayette. He is board certified in cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular computed tomography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. Walls is a graduate of the St. Louis University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan. He completed a cardiac fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., and cardiovascular training at Ohio State University Medical Center. • Verizon Wireless customers at Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis were busier than ever on their wireless devices, using 2.75 times more data than last year's Super Bowl in Dallas and 4.5 times more data than a regular season game at the stadium. Call volume from Verizon customers soared more than 1,000 percent compared with a regular season Colts game. • Lafayette radio stations WKOA-FM and WXXB-FM are collecting gowns that will be distributed through the Gown Town program to high school girls who may not be able to purchase a dress for their prom this year. Gowns may be dropped off at Mike Raisor Ford/Mazda, 2051 Sagamore Parkway South or Christina & Co. at 3801 Indiana 26 East. Gown Town will be held on March 16. - Staff and wire reports

Sponsors and board members of Bauer Family Resource Center gather Wednesday at the Henriott Group offices during the kickoff event for the Celebrate Youth! banquet.

A manager and employee at a Lafayette tobacco store were arrested after police served a search warrant and raided the business late this afternoon. Sisters Brittany Brandt, 22, and Shayla Brandt, 19, both of Lafayette, were arrested on suspicion of dealing synthetic marijuana, said Officer Mike Barthelemy of the Lafayette Police Department's Street Crimes Unit. If the Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office decides to file criminal charges, the count is a Class C felony, Barthelemy said. The Brandts were taken to the Tippecanoe County Jail for booking. Brittany Brandt was the store manager of Discount Tobacco, 2316 Teal Road, where the Street Crimes Unit served a search warrant shortly before 5 p.m. Shayla Brandt was an employee. Barthelemy said today's raid partially stemmed from a prior investigation at Discount Tobacco. Last September, acting on tips that the business was still selling spice despite most of its ingredients being banned statewide, officers seized 472 packets of spice with a retail value of $15,619. A raid in October yielded another $3,000 worth of the synthetic drug. Those packets were sent to an Indiana State Police for examination to determine whether they contained any of the banned ingredients. Investigators recently learned that one of the brands - Cloud 9 Mad Hatter - indeed contained illegal substances, Barthelemy said. And despite the two prior raids, police continued to receive tips that Discount Tobacco sold spice, Barthelemy said. Today, officers seized 68 packets with a retail value of $2,209. The packets were hidden in a filing cabinet in the business' office, Barthelemy said. More arrests are possible. Editor's note: The following story ran earlier at jconline.com. By SOPHIA VORAVONG and JUSTIN MACK svoravong@jconline.com Lafayette police served a search warrant this afternoon at a tobacco store on the city's south end that is again suspected of selling spice, a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana's high when smoked. Officers with the Lafayette Police Department's Street Crimes Unit served the warrant at Discount Tobacco, 2316 Teal Road, shortly before 5 p.m. The warrant stems from an ongoing and joint investigation with the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County, said Lt. Pat Flannelly and Sgt. Tim Payne, who oversee the county's Drug Task Force. Payne also heads the Street Crimes Unit. For several months the groups have sought out Lafayette-area stores that are still selling spice. A statewide ban, which took effect last year, prohibits the sale of specific ingredients commonly used to create spice. In September, police seized from Discount Tobacco 472 packets of spice that had a retail value of $15,619. In October, packets worth $3,000 were seized. As of 5 p.m. today, two squad cars and a LPD sport utility vehicle were parked outside Discount Tobacco, and police tape was up outside the entrance. The business was temporarily shut down, and customers inside at the time were told to leave, one customer told the Journal & Courier. A woman believed to be a manager showed up shortly after 5 p.m. For more on this story, check back with jconline.com and read Thursday's Journal & Courier.

Madison's newest brewery is still technically based in Peter Gentry's living room, but it's bringing excitement to the near east side.

The Hippensteel Funeral Service and Crematory has just launched RFID grave markers to help loved ones find their deceased.

Kelli Stump admitted Tuesday that she wasn't coerced or promised any perks from Brenda K. Hatfield, her former boss at Coldwell Banker Shook in Lafayette, when she forged signatures on documents that would have qualified Hatfield for significant tax breaks on her rental properties.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Indiana State Representative Sheila Klinker announced Tuesday that she would be running for another term.