ECI in Focus: Directions 2012 by Phil Beebe

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

THIRD PLACE | Best Amateur Photographer

STEPHANIE WEBSTER-KOONTZ

The winter night can be bitterly cold, as shown in this photo of heavy frost.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | East Central Indiana weather A thick layer of snow covers everything in sight on the Whitetail Tree Farm near Oakville. Photo by amateur photographer Mark Murphy.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | East Central Indiana weather Snow covers a bike in downtown Muncie in this photo taken Nov. 29, 2011, taken by amateur photographer Karen Bartling.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | East Central Indiana weather Snow covers the landscape — and this farm house — on a Selma farm. Photo by amatuer photographer Mark Murphy.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | East Central Indiana weather The view out the windshield may be beautiful in Winchester, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treacherous on some morning commutes. Photo by smartphone photographer Jessica Anderson.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Here comes (or there goes) the sun Amateur photographer Colleen Pierce captures the sun setting behind this hay field.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Here comes (or there goes) the sun Above left: Amateur photographer Jamie Faulkner photographs the sun setting on Riggin Road in Muncie. Top right: Professional photograher James Garringer captures the sky on fire as the sun sets in East Central Indiana. Above right: These photos were taken at Prairie Creek Reservoir by amateur photographer Nicole Greer.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Here comes (or there goes) the sun Sara Hart of Sara Hart Photography took these photos of the Cardinal Greenway along White River Boulevard in Muncie.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Here comes (or there goes) the sun Amateur photographer Julie George captured these sunsets from her Albany home.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Places & things Top: The abandoned railroad bridge over the White River in Muncie is featured in this photo by amateur photographer Samantha Brammer. Center left: Fourteen-year-old Abbie Gernand captured this iconic image of a baseball, a big part of many teenangersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives in East Central Indiana. Above left: Joel and Kaitlin Aston chose a unique form of transportation after their wedding. Photo by amateur photographer Sam Gernand. Above right: Amateur photographer Tony Costello gives a unique vantage point from the inside of an abandoned elevator in Cammack in January 2012.

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Left: Photographer James Garringer used his smartphone to highilght the refurbished buildings in the heart of Cammack. Right: Amateur photographer Lianne Harrold shows a glimpse from the courtyard of the newly renovated Canopic Apartments in Muncie.

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The best of East Central Indiana captured

ECI in focus

through the lenses of Star Press readers

FINALISTS | Places & things A train races over the McCulloch Park train bridge over the White River in February 2011. Photo by amateur photographer Andrea Swartz.

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MutualBank JENNY YARBOROUGH

Star Press Advertiser

“We have been more aggressive this year with online and digital advertising. We recently ran our first two launch pad ads with The Star Press in November. We are so excited about the success and increased traffic to our website. On the first launch pad we saw traffic increased to our landing page 16.75 times our average unique views and on the second launch pad we had more than 10 times the unique views. I love the ability to see real time results and increased traffic. It certainly makes it easy to track our return on investment. MutualBank will certainly use launch pads again with the expectation of continued success and a strong ROI.” – Jenny Yarbrough, CFMP, Vice President, Marketing

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PACERS LOSE GAME 1

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★★

Muncie’s two segeants who handle allegations of child

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IN PRINT DAILY | ONLINE & MOBILE 24-7

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A GANNE T T COMPAN Y

‘IT’S A

defenseless” victims

WORLD’

tend to stay with them for a very long time.

WEEK THREE: THE LASTING EFFECT

MPD Sgts. Linda Cook (left) and Jimmy Gibson work together in their cramped office. The two investigate local child abuse cases as part of the SMART team. KURT HOSTETLER / THE STAR ST PRESS

FOR A CHILD’S SAKE: THE EPIDEMIC OF

CHILD CHIL CH ILD ILD ABUSE ABUS AB USE

By DOUGLAS WALKER and KEITH ROYSDON dwalker@muncie.gannett.com

ABOUT THE SERIES

» April 3: Defining the problem, with a look at child abuse from the perspective of police, prosecutors, social workers and families. » April 10: The toll of child abuse, with a look at the impact of abuse on children, families and the community. » Today: The abusers and the people who bring them to justice, including profiles of the police officers on the front lines of local abuse cases as well as a look at offenders, why prosecutors don’t pursue some cases and controversial defense tactics. » April 24: The system and how it responds to child abuse, with a look at the Child Advocacy Center and the methods authorities use to improve investigation of child-abuse cases.

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t takes a special kind of cop to investigate MORE allegations of child sexual abuse. INSIDE A thin line Especially on a full-time basis. separates child When the two sergeants who handle such cases molesting and underage for the Muncie Police Department, Linda Cook and relationships, Jimmy Gibson, discuss their jobs, be prepared to officials say. page 2A hear some real-life horror stories. Like the one about the 5-year-old 5-year Muncie girl who has been infected with genital herpes, allegedly as a result of sexual abuse by her grandfather. grandfather See SERGEANTS, Page 2A

Even in ‘nice’ ‘nice families One conv con convicted icted child-abuse offender of offe said his selfish beha ior led him to molest his daughter behav behavior By KEITH ROYSDON and DOUGLAS WALKER kroysdon@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — “Forgiveness is some-

thing I would like,” said Daniel, who was convicted five years ago of molest10-year ing his 10-year-old daughter. The man — whose last name is not

DOUGLAS WALKER & KEITH ROYSDON

Another pre-auction sale, another ISP probe

To advertise, call (765) 213-5700 As Child Abuse Awareness Awareness Awar areness Month begins,The begins, gins The Star Press gins, Pr launches a four-w four four-week -week series about the -week pr problem of — and response to — child abuse in Muncie and Delawar laware lawar are County. unt unty. Delaware

Walker/Roysdon Report

sexual abuse admit that the cases with “the most

bein being used because doing so would iden identify his victim — hastily added that he hoped his family forgave him “more for their sake than mine,” noting that lingering anger and bitterness can cause not only problems for maintaining relationships but also illnesses. See FAMILIES, Page 2A

ndiana State Police will be asked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the transfer of property owned by Muncie Community Schools — to a school board member, no less — in advance of a MCS auction on April 2, The WalkerRoysdon Report has learned. While the fact that an investigation will be conducted is by no means an indication that any crimes have been committed, it might reflect that the merits of board member Tom Parker’s early shopping trip — netting him a riding mower and spools of copper wire, among other things — are at least deserving of some coolheaded contemplation. (Those who read this column online might have seen the over-the-top reaction, from a handful of Parker supporters, to last Sunday’s column, almost implying that the shedding of light on the school board member’s purchases represented an assault on the morale and health of all good people in Muncie and elsewhere.) The W/R Blog, the onlineonly counterpart of this column, on Friday ran photos of the riding mower and spools of copper wire intercepted by Parker as well as the prices he paid. Parker paid $200 for the mower and $45 for five spools of insulated copper wire. His total bill — for the mower and wire as well as a $22 push mower, a $5 weed trimmer, a $30 snow thrower and several other items — was $489.50. While no price comparison —- this much wire would be worth this much if purchased retail — reportedly was made before the auction, sources close to the auction believe the spools — heavy enough to warrant the use of a forklift — could have fetched $300 or more each. No one can dispute Parker’s bargain-hunting skills —wouldn’t you love to go to a flea market with him? — but auction fans and auctioneers are sensitive about choice items that disappear before the gavel is even raised. In this case, items in the schools auction had been advertised online for weeks in advance of the sale. Would-be buyers came from out of town, one reportedly from as far as Cincinnati.

Follow the money

Campaign finance reports were due Friday, and those offered up by Muncie’s mayoral candidates show one of the Democratic contenders See REPORT, Page 4A

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Photo gallery: A moc mock drinking and driving crash re-enactment by students and emergency personnel

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