Frank Gray | Journal Gazette

1853 silk banner has another side

Frank Gray — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

In 1853, somewhere in Fort Wayne, a procession was held celebrating the opening of the first free public school in the city. Fittingly, a schoolboy took part carrying a banner, proclaiming the value of education.

Airport caters to business fliers; not all happy

Frank Gray — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Steve Staley travels a lot for a living, flying all over the country auditing building inspectors for HUD, whatever that involves.

Fogle loved to shoot the news

Frank Gray — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

When I started at The Journal Gazette in the 1980s, one of the first people I met was a guy named Dailey Fogle, a name just odd enough to make it easy to remember.

Where the sidewalk ends

Frank Gray — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

When a developer builds a new subdivision, it isn't uncommon to install sidewalks on just one side of the street. That's the way it was done in Evelyn Murphy's subdivision along Londonderry Lane on the city's north side.

Rejection? There's an app for that

Frank Gray — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Life in middle and high school has doubtlessly changed a lot since I was a student, but one thing hasn't changed. If you try to flirt with a person who has no interest in flirting back, you're liable to be shot down in flames and be labeled a creep, though the modern term, I'm told, is "creeper."

Internet tax might aid hometown merchants

Frank Gray — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate passed, by a wide margin, a bill that would let states collect sales tax from online retailers.

Old tree stands tall at former birthplace

Tue, 07 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Ten years ago, when Lutheran Hospital was planning its Heart Pavilion off West Jefferson Boulevard, one doctor lamented that in clearing the land, some really nice trees were going to be bulldozed and ground to pulp. Well, hospital officials told the doctor, if you want them, cut them down and take them.

By his work, other orphans may find siblings

Frank Gray — Sun, 05 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Melvin Claymiller was 5 years old in 1935 when he and his siblings went to live at the St. Vincent Villa Catholic Orphanage on Wells Street.

Kids can get right kind of education

Frank Gray — Thu, 02 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Foundation One stood in the back room of his barber shop on Pontiac Street meticulously trimming the hair on a customer's head, removing tiny bits at a time, at the same time taking a phone call from someone who desperately needed to talk to him.

With risks, why even carry a gun?

Frank Gray — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Different people carry guns for different reasons. I once knew a man who owned a bar, and he once told me in weird-speak, "I always carry a firearm on my person."

Cycle title changed; owner left wanting more

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Mark Fiedler's motorcycle headache has just gotten a little smaller. Last week we wrote about Fiedler, a motorcycle rider who had decided he was getting older and it was time to have a more comfortable, head-turning ride.

Firefighters' wives help out Texas town

Frank Gray — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

The earthquake-sized blast that leveled parts of the little town of West, Texas, hasn't exactly been ignored by the media, but the huge explosion has definitely taken a back seat in the news to the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Custom-built, not rebuilt

Frank Gray — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Mark Fiedler got his first motorcycle, a Kawasaki dirt bike, about 15 years ago, but he's getting older now and he's looking for something a little more comfortable - and unique. So he set out to build his own custom motorcycle.

Still waiting, mother wants slain son's case closed

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

At 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, under the dome in the Allen County Courthouse, families will gather for a candlelight vigil in which the names of homicide victims of the last three years will be read.

Pesky personal cams find a place

Frank Gray — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

I remember listening to a radio program years ago about UFOs, and an unbeliever mentioned that despite all the reports of flying saucers, no one had ever filmed a UFO. A believer retorted that people believe in car crashes, but he didn't recall anyone ever capturing a car crash on film.

Cleanup on Maumee grows each Earth Day

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Eight years ago, Abigail King started an organization called Save the Maumee Grassroots Organization and started pushing to clean up the river - all by herself.

Call before donating power scooters

Frank Gray — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

When I wrote last week about a New Haven man who had his motorized wheelchair stolen, I got the sort of response I didn't expect.

Students to restore Noble farmhouse

Frank Gray — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Up in Noble County stands an old farmhouse that the locals regard as historic. It's the Sower farmhouse, the centerpiece of a farm that's part of a Farm to Fork Program, where people can visit and buy produce and other products directly from the source.

Wheelchair theft a low

Frank Gray — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

I think we can all agree that thieves are real lowlifes. You work hard and save your money to buy something, and then a thief just takes it.

Holocaust survivor: Never forget the horror

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Last week Doris Fogel spoke to a group of students at Ball State University. Next week she'll be speaking in Chicago, but she had to turn down a request to speak in Palm Springs, Calif., on Monday because she will be busy in Fort Wayne.

South side goes to bat on bank exit

Frank Gray — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Southside Business Group doesn't get its name in the news that much anymore. In a way, that's a good thing.

GI finally honored; other families wait

Frank Gray — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

On Friday, in a small ceremony in a Florida nursing home, representatives of the Army presented the Purple Heart medal to the mother of Capt. Herbert Crosby, a Fort Wayne native who earned the medal in January 1970 when the helicopter he was piloting went down in Vietnam, killing everyone on board.

Septic rules solve, create problems

Frank Gray — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

For about a year now, people selling homes in Allen County have been required to tell potential buyers if the home is on a septic system. The same disclosure form advises potential buyers to have the septic system examined by a certified inspector to determine whether the system is working - or whether it's a time bomb.

Gentlemen, please stop the lauding of criminals

Frank Gray — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

A few years ago I went to a re-enactment in Grant County of the 1812 Battle of Mississinewa between the Miami Indians and American forces. The entire re-enactment was narrated by a man on a horse, posing as an English officer. English military officers, the man explained, were gentlemen.

Mentor gets his moment

Frank Gray — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

If you've watched any of the NCAA basketball tournament, you know it's common for commentators to offer up tidbits about the various players - where they're from, maybe mentioning that their father was a coach or the number of three-pointers they average per game.

Trail of the dead coming together

Frank Gray — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Sometimes, what seems to be a great idea just takes a little while to catch on.

.22 ammo shortage not likely to last

Frank Gray — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

When I was young, I went to a friend's 10th birthday party, and after we'd eaten cake and he'd opened his gifts, his father walked into a back room and brought out a long box with a special gift.

New farming approach born from old customs

Frank Gray — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

It has been years since Chuck Zumbrun, who farms 1,200 acres near Churubusco, got the odd piece of advice from a one of his father's friends, a man he described as an old hillbilly farmer.

Vietnam soldier killed in action finally awarded Purple Heart

Frank Gray — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

It's been more than 43 years since Capt. Herbert Crosby, a Fort Wayne native, died when his helicopter went down in Quang Nam Province in southern Vietnam.

Once-dumped dog is now thriving

Frank Gray — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

It has been almost four years since a car with a bad muffler stopped near June Rawleigh's house in southeast Whitley County, dumped a dog and roared off.

Some jobs' not what they seem

Frank Gray — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Patricia Stahlhut has held a lot of different jobs over the years.

Avoid being scammed; do your homework

Frank Gray — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Seldom does a day go by that I don't get a call from people complaining about someone trying to scam them, either online or on the phone.

Stopping ash borer futile, so dead trees find some use

Frank Gray — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

The spillover parking lot for the Foellinger Theatre is a great place to hide things in the dead of winter. Unless you live on the west end of a little road called Mildred Avenue, you can't really tell what's going on in the big gravel field.

Have gun, it'll travel; jot down its number

Frank Gray — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

On Feb. 20, a 21-year-old man walked into the CVS pharmacy on East State Boulevard, pointed what was described as an assault rifle with a pistol grip at the clerk and fled with a small amount of cash.

A tip: Reward soaked riders

Frank Gray — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

About 9:30 Tuesday morning, the wind that had been howling all night long finally blew in rain and freezing rain and sleet, as had been predicted, and by early afternoon it hadn't let up.

Will sequestration be so disastrous?

Frank Gray — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Now, with only two days before the deadline, it appears nothing is going to happen.

Law restricts making case in fatal bike crash

Frank Gray — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

The weather was clear and bright, the sun almost directly overhead a few minutes after noon, and the stretch of Old Indiana 3 about a mile north of LaOtto in Noble County where Talia Joy Smith was riding her bicycle on Aug. 18, 2010, was straight and flat.

Kosciusko detective has eye on scammers

Frank Gray — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

It continues to appear that if you are the victim of a scam, you are out of luck - unless you live in Kosciusko County.

Hey cranks, give toy drones a pass

Frank Gray — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Sunday morning the newspaper had a story on miniature predator drones for sale as toys, and my first reaction was, "I'd love to have one of those."

Ex-addict shows that change is possible

Frank Gray — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

The woman wasn't exactly sure when the column had appeared - 2003, 2008, she couldn't say - but it made her angry and she remembers the column to this day.

Campsites’ closing is death of a 'tradition’

Frank Gray — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

The announcement hasn’t exactly caused an uproar, but a handful of people are upset that the decades-old campground, whose only creature comfort is a permanent Port-O-Let, is closing.

Horse rescue has to pony up after theft

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

If you’re going to steal something, don’t steal something that you have to feed.

Victims of abuse get chance to dance

Frank Gray — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

For some time now, people have been promoting an event called One Billion Rising, a project that aims to assemble a billion people around the world on Valentine's Day and have them dance.

They lifted paws to help

Frank Gray — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Like most animal shelters, the Helping Paws Pet Haven in rural Huntington has never had a lot of money or manpower.

A not-so-Super Bowl fit for savvy channel hopper

Frank Gray — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

$4 million for 30 seconds?

Tale of city-made piano tickles many memories

Frank Gray — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Last month we wrote about a derelict Packard baby grand piano that sold for $50 at an auction of surplus equipment at a New Mexico school district.

County jail inmate’s letter full of bologna

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

Yes, real bologna.

Cold spells don't chill cyclist's dream

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

As far as I'm concerned, bicycling is a summertime sport. One group of cyclists, though, begins its riding season sometime in October and competes through the winter. It's called cyclocross.

Skeptic becomes ghost researcher

Frank Gray — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

Kurt Begue says he has never seen a ghost and he doesn't believe in them. He's a Christian, he says, but when you die, you're gone. You don't hang around as a ghost.

Prehistoric find finally on display

Frank Gray — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

Sometime in the very distant past a mastodon estimated to be 33 years old and standing 9 to 12 feet tall keeled over for some reason and died in a pond off what is now Cook Road.

Officers in schools now necessity

Frank Gray — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

I remember the good old days when the biggest thing many people had to worry about was a burglar breaking into their home while they were away and stealing what little they had that was worth owning.

100-year-old Packard is a long way from home

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

There's no telling how it got there, but it was a sad site indeed.

Homeowners' septic system situations turn messier

Frank Gray — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

A couple of months ago we wrote about a woman named Carol Witt, whose septic system was damaged when a line was destroyed by nearby construction. The health department had first visited her property on Union Chapel Road in June and ordered her to repair the system.

Singing and sketching, bar patron left his mark

Frank Gray — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

In the last 20 years or so, if a bar in Fort Wayne held a karaoke night, there's a good chance that a guy named Willie Fields showed up at one time or another.

Father wants answers in son’s death

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

There was no suicide note, there was no gun in the apartment. He just bought gas and paid his rent. His apartment was robbed.