Editorial Roundup:

The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. April 8, 2020

Captive population

Proactive measures minimize risk at jail

As the COVID-19 crisis arose, there was particular fear about how quickly the novel coronavirus that causes it could spread in such high-density living areas as academic dorms and nursing homes - and jails and prisons.

“Given how quickly it spreads within facilities … jails and prisons are petri dishes,” said Jasmine Heiss, a staff member at the Vera Institute of Justice, which advocates for jail and prison reform in Indiana and nationally.

Allen County Sheriff David Gladieux said this week he shares that concern and that his jail administrators are taking elaborate new procedures to protect inmates and staff from infection.

So the safeguards appear to be working. As of Monday, no jail staffers or inmates had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The jail’s relatively low population has made it easier to put the extra health safeguards in place, Gladieux and jail commander Capt. David Butler said in an interview.

In the past, the jail has sometimes held more than 900 inmates - far more than it was designed to handle. The facility’s official bed count, which had been 741 for several years, is presently at 734 because some beds have been damaged.

But Monday, Gladieux said, that the number was 655.

“Our numbers are very, very low with intakes,” he said. “We have space at the lockup now to do our own 14-day quarantine on all new people coming into the jail.”

Before prisoners are even brought into the lockup area, Gladieux said, they are checked for fever and interviewed about where they’ve been and whether they’ve had possible contact with people infected with COVID-19.

Short-term inmates - those likely to be released or bonded out within a few hours - are kept in the lockup area. Inmates who are likely to be jailed for awhile are housed in areas separate from the general jail population for two weeks, Butler said.

“We keep them in groups: One cell will have people on Day 12, (for instance) and one cell has people on Day 14.

“When they’ve been isolated for 14 days and have no symptoms, then they can go into the general populations,” Butler said. “I’m hoping that will keep us to zero.”

Those who show symptoms of the virus are tested and may either be hospitalized or cared for in a private cell. So far, Gladieux said, two inmates and three sheriff’s department staffers who showed a fever have been tested.

The department is still awaiting results of the test on one employee - who is not a jail staffer - but the other tests were negative, the officers said. “Our last one, on one of our employees, took 11 days,” Gladieux said. “Hopefully that changes soon.”

To help ensure the jail doesn’t become overcrowded, the prosecutor’s office and Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull ordered the release of 20 inmates March 25. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Michael McAlexander told The Journal Gazette’s Jamie Duffy those who were released were carefully selected.

“We’re not going to let anybody go who is a danger to the community,” McAlexander said. “We’re making sure those who prey on others are being kept in jail.” McAlexander told Duffy he did not rule out further early releases.

“They didn’t ask for my input,” Gladieux said, adding he has some concerns about putting more inmates back on the street at this point. Those getting out of jail might become infected, reoffend and end up back in jail - this time carrying the virus, the sheriff said.

Gladieux and Butler say there are other reasons the number of inmates at the jail has shrunk. One is that courts have closed or reduced their schedules; another, Gladieux said, is the plummeting crime rate during the shutdown. For instance, “obviously you’re not going to have as many drunk drivers because the bars are closed,” Butler said.

Gladieux said arrests are down dramatically in the county; the Fort Wayne Police Department said its calls for service are down 35% year over year. “I think (people are) taking it seriously, as well they should,” Gladieux said.

The jail has been relying on information from the Indiana Sheriffs Association about best practices, Butler said. “A lot of it, we’re just kind of figuring it out as we go.”

That dovetails with what the Vera Institute of Justice, which advocates for jail and prison reform nationally, is seeing. Heiss said Indiana is one of several places where counties are having to formulate COVID-19 prevention policies without much guidance from the state.

There is the hope, though, that some of the crisis thinking can prompt reforms. If communities such as ours find ways to keep fewer people from having to be jailed, such innovations may stick.

As Heiss put it, “This is a moment when there needs to be a real examination of what public safety means.”

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South Bend Tribune. April 8, 2020

Counting Hoosiers in the new normal

In normal times, trying to persuade everyone to stand up and be counted in the once-in-a-decade census presents a challenge.

But these are not normal times. And in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, that challenge is multiplied, particularly when it comes to reaching certain hard-to-count groups.

The need for social distancing and stay-at-home orders means that going door-to-door simply isn’t an option. The U.S. Census Bureau has suspended all in-person census surveys. All of this has forced officials to look to other ways of doing things.

Locally, the city of South Bend and St. Joseph County Public Library unveiled a new outreach effort last week. Fourteen local nonprofits and institutions were tapped to join a group called South Bend Census Champions. Each received a $2,500 award from the city to buy equipment, upgrade internet access, and support staff and volunteer outreach efforts. Outreach will focus on telephone and online contact throughout April and May.

The agencies chosen are in or near areas that had a less than 73% response rate in the 2010 census, earning them a classification as “hard-to-count” tracts on the city’s northwest, west and south sides.

The city also is launching a series of public service announcements highlighting the local campaign.

Such adjustments are necessary, because something that hasn’t changed is the importance of getting an accurate count.

The information collected in the census is used by the federal government to determine how to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars - toward Medicaid, food stamps, highway projects and other programs. The Indianapolis Business Journal has noted that nearly $18 billion is on the line for Indiana, which is how much in annual federal funding the state receives based on population data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

It’s estimated that for every person missed in the count, Indiana will lose about $10,000 in federal funds over the next decade.

By last week’s National Census Day, forty-two percent of Indiana residents had responded, 36% of them online. That’s better than the national average- but there’s still a long way to go

With so much at stake, it’s critical that Indiana residents participate in the census, which is still taking place online and over the phone.

It’s critical that every Hoosier be counted.

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Kokomo Tribune. April 7, 2020

Plant state’s native species

What did you plant in your garden, yard and flower boxes last spring?

Undoubtedly, it was flowering or bushy, pretty or majestic.

When you were down on your hands and knees digging through the dirt, did you ever stop to think whether what you were planting might be endangering Indiana’s native flora and fauna?

Ornamental fillers in landscaping and flower beds are often non-native species, which can quickly become invasive and have dire consequences for native species. These “invaders,” sometimes planted to prevent erosion or otherwise benefit an area, can outperform and outgrow plants that normally flourish in the area, which can doom native flora. Animals that rely on these native plants can also be at risk if the seeds or berries they rely on for food disappear.

Asian honeysuckle is the latest non-native plant to run wild through our woodland areas. Its red berries and slick green leaves are attractive, and it grows high and fast. But it’s spread out of control, choking out the sunlight and rain from other plants.

Ornamental pear trees, most commonly known as Bradford pears, have also become a problem as they cross-pollinate with other varieties. Reed canary grass, a tall, flat-leafed grass, is damaging the state’s wetlands. Look and you’re sure to find them.

Once they’re here, invasive plant species are very difficult to get rid of. It’s more than just spraying an herbicide once a year or clear-cutting an area once or twice. Ridding your land of the species will be an ongoing process that can take a lot of manpower and cash. And just when you think it’s finally gone, it will come back with a vengeance.

So in the next few weeks, when you’re looking for a new tree, flower or bush to add to your yard, make sure to check the Department of Agriculture’s database to see what species have traditionally lived in Howard County. There’s usually a native alternative that’s just as flowering, bushy, pretty or majestic.

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