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Economy
VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Bubble won't burst on commercial real estate investors
October 10, 2005
David FunkeWinding down his remarkable tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan seems to have chosen "real estate bubble"
as one of the themes of his swan song. And with housing prices in some cities soaring, the rest of us as mere mortals can
reasonably wonder how long it will be before the bubble bursts and what will be the fallout if and when that happens. Many
private equity investors with holdings in commercial real estate are beginning to...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Lack of fiscal discipline casts cloud over future
October 3, 2005
Patrick BarkeyThere's been a resurgence of interest in the founding fathers of our country, judging from the best-seller lists. As some
have written, not all those men we idolize today as founders of our great democracy were equally excited about the prospect
of turning government over to the masses. In fact, some were downright terrified. They feared popularly elected governments
would quickly go bankrupt spending their way to popularity. Now more than 200 years into the great democratic experiment,
we're hardly...
MoreAtlas tenderloin tradition lives on: Family pays homage to 'sticker lady' at Carmel deli
September 26, 2005
Scott OlsonBut her connection to the grocery runs deeper. Her mother, Debbie Davis, was an Atlas institution, earning her "sticker lady"
nickname from children who received the treats she kept in a toy treasure chest at her register. Debbie died in June 2004
at age 52, following a prolonged battle with breast cancer. In her memory, husband Mike Davis created the "Debbie's Make You
Smile Fund" to benefit the Indiana University Cancer Center. It is supported by the sale of the...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Data thin on rural areas, and likely to get worse
September 26, 2005
Patrick BarkeyThere was a time in this country when cities had electricity and the countryside did not. This side-by-side existence of two
lifestyles-one filled with leisure and convenience, another with endless drudgery and work-ultimately shamed the federal government
to subsidize rural electrification and turn lights on in the country that had been burning in cities for several decades.
That same situation exists today for broadband Internet, and its implications for economic development have already motivated
many communities to pursue plans to...
MoreVIEWPOINT: 40 years after Civil Rights, opportunity calls
September 26, 2005
Jesse MooreAs the Civil Rights Act turns a middleage 40 this year, it's time to celebrate accomplishments and consider the future. From
a business and higher education perspective, we've witnessed a major turnaround. Many companies and institutions seek out
minority businesses and students now. Those that are well-prepared can use the opportunity to succeed and make a big difference
for our state and nation. Altruism and fairness may lie beneath some of the change, but it also just makes good economic...
MoreSo far, VC deals scarce: BioCrossroads: Networking should spawn commitments
September 26, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerAlmost two years ago, in October 2003, BioCrossroads debuted its $73 million Indiana Future Fund. In the time since, just
three Indiana startups have received IFF-backed investments. But it's not for BioCrossroads' lack of trying. Both in public
and behind the scenes, BioCrossroads is working diligently to put promising local life sciences prospects in front of venture
capitalists. This year, BioCrossroads has already held two well-publicized Indiana Future Fund Entrepreneurial Forums: the
first in April at Purdue University in West...
MoreBULLS & BEARS: Katrina crisis highlights need for self-sufficiency
September 19, 2005
Dave GilreathNo one really knows how Katrina is going to affect the economy. Some economists say it will be a whopper of a negative while
some are convinced-and convincing-that she ultimately will be positive for GDP. But based on the fact the stock market, which
is the great predicting machine, advanced a couple of percentage points in the week following the disaster, I'd have to go
with the positive bet. The slow response and evacuation snafus were one problem, but the...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Many aren't prepared for jobs of the future
September 19, 2005
Patrick BarkeyTo be illiterate in our society is more than an inconvenience, or an obstacle to making a living. It is also a badge of shame.
That's why we should all be concerned about the results of a January study that told us almost a million Indiana workers-one-third
of the work force-failed to meet the minimum literacy standards for knowledge-based jobs. Many of us in the fields of research
and policymaking have responded to this disturbing finding the same way we...
MoreROUGH ROAD AHEAD?: Chrysler foundry's closing a warning sign for other plants
September 12, 2005
Anthony SchoettleChrysler foundry's closing a warning sign for other plants The closing of DaimlerChrysler Corp.'s foundry west of downtown
at the end of this month signals more than the end of nearly 900 jobs there. "There's a fundamental change occurring in the
automotive industry right now," said Matthew Will, director of the University of Indianapolis' graduate business program and
associate dean in the School of Business. "Unless local manufacturers in this sector don't reposition, I would certainly expect
to see more job...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Façade of confidence saves us from anarchy
September 12, 2005
Patrick BarkeyYou may not know this, but every banker and policymaker does. If every one of us got out of bed tomorrow morning, drove to
our banks or financial institutions, and tried to withdraw our money, the system that seems so solid today would suffer a
complete collapse. The same thing would happen to the electrical grid if every device that could draw power were switched
on at once. In fact, if every one of us decided today to fill up...
MoreState unrolls insurer-friendly plan: New strategy aims to recruit, nurture insurance businesses; watchdogs wary of approach
September 5, 2005
Tom MurphyThe state of Indiana is aggressively courting the insurance industry to add high-paying jobs to the economy, a strategy that
comes with a touch of controversy. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced late last month the appointment of Mike
Chrysler as Indiana's first-ever director of insurance initiatives. Chrysler then hit the ground driving. He's already visited
the Fort Wayne market and plans to reach several other corners of Indiana to let insurers know the state appreciates their
business and wants...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Rising health care costs killing jobs and income
September 5, 2005
Patrick BarkeyMost of us have been in a doctor's office, and many of us have had conditions that require treatment. But few of us are likely
to hear any information presented on the cost of different treatment options along with their benefits, especially if we are
one of the 170 million people covered by employer- or governmentprovided health insurance. It is an amazing fact that nearly
$3 trillion of health care goods and services are ordered off a menu that has...
MoreNOTIONS: The power of nature and the perils of human nature
September 5, 2005
Bruce HetrickSome colleagues and I drove south into Evansville last week just as the remnants of Hurricane Katrina blew in from the north.
As we pulled into the parking lot of our destination, we watched workers battling wind and rain on the walk from their cars
to the office. Twice, we saw sturdy umbrellas, held nearly horizontal against the oncoming gale, collapse upon their users.
The drenched souls fumbled with the resulting maze of metal and fabric as they struggled across...
MoreBEHIND THE NEWS: Here's a Blues performance that won't get you down
September 5, 2005
Greg AndrewsAnthem Inc.'s $1.9 billion initial public offering in late 2001 set all kinds of records. It was the biggest IPO for a U.S.
health care company ever, and the biggest IPO for a Hoosier company of any kind. But that company, now known as WellPoint
Inc., was puny compared with its size today. Then, it had a market value of $3.9 billion; now, thanks to acquisitions and
a surging stock price, it's worth $45 billion. WellPoint shares were trading last...
MoreCity's mall gamble paid off: After 10 years, Circle Centre at core of rejuvenated downtown
September 5, 2005
Greg AndrewsIn February, Goldsmith suspended construction while he and advisers analyzed options. Within months, he gave Circle Centre
the green light, and construction resumed-but not because he was convinced the project would succeed. "In the end, we decided
job creation in the urban core and the psychological survival of the city were dependent on some development occurring downtown,"
recalled Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard University. "We went forward with the mall with great anxiety." Today, 10 years
after the September...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: The world might be flat, but construction costs aren't
September 5, 2005
Don AltemeyerFor the most part, construction has been a local story, a story about local workers building buildings in our community. But
the story isn't so local anymore. Global economic forces have begun to intersect with local issues at the construction site.
The result: a significant and ongoing increase in construction costs across central Indiana and the rest of the United States-an
increase that shows no signs of slowing. Through the first quarter of 2004, construction costs increased at a calm...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: We need better number-crunchers
September 5, 2005
Morton MarcusQuietly, the Daniels administration is doing something that may be a historic first: It is trying to improve the information
available for administrators, legislators, analysts, scholars and ordinary citizens. It's a big task, with many barriers to
success. Typically, units of state and local governments don't share data with one another. They think narrowly about what
they have to do today and don't consider the needs of anyone else. The Indiana Data Initiative-which involves Indiana University,
other state universities and...
MoreInsurers thinking younger: Healthy, uninsured and 20? WellPoint, Golden Rule, others would like to sell you a policy
August 29, 2005
Tracy DonhardtreporterWellPoint Inc. and other insurers think they've found a hot new market-offering high-deductible individual health insurance
policies to uninsured people who are young and healthy. It's a market insurers historically may have overlooked, based on
the misconception that uninsured people are poor and in bad health, said Dana McMurtry, vice president of health policy and
analysis at WellPoint. Nationally, more than half the 45 million uninsured earn more than $25,000 a year and more than one-quarter
top $50,000 annually, according...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: How home buyers step off a cliff
August 29, 2005
Morton MarcusWhy does Indiana have such high bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosure rates? No one knows. Many say the economy in Indiana has
been responsible for our troubles, but other states have been hit as hard and not had the same bankruptcy and foreclosure
problems. Perhaps we are a state of dreamers, people who want to own a home but do not understand the obligations we assume.
Our dreams are encouraged by the federal government, which allows mortgage interest and property tax...
MoreEthanol fuel pumps may debut here by '06: Still no place for the masses to buy E85, despite interest in the alternative to
gasoline
August 29, 2005
Chris O\'malleyEven though Indiana is one of the nation's biggest growers of corn-the key ingredient in cheaper-than-gasoline ethanol-not
a single ethanol pump is available to the average motorist in the Indianapolis area. That twisted irony in a day of record
gasoline prices may soon be no more, with a handful of central Indiana gas stations likely to start offering an ethanol alternative-known
as E85-by yearend, according to proponents of the fuel. "I hope by Christmas to have a couple in the...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: High energy prices make consumers act rationally
August 29, 2005
Patrick BarkeyHave you seen the latest opinion polls on the Bush administration? At a time when the U.S. economy is growing faster than
that of any other industrialized nation, when unemployment rates are down and consumer spending is up, less than half of us
think the president is doing a good job handling the economy. There's plenty to find fault in our economic performance, of
course. We still have a massive trade imbalance with the rest of the world. The federal...
MoreMore business owners embracing economy: High fuel costs, personal debt dampen some optimism
August 22, 2005
Scott OlsonBusiness owners are beginning to show signs of completely emerging from a recessional slumber, although some holdouts remain
unconvinced an economic recovery is in full swing. The confidence exuded by the state's massive manufacturing sector could
be sending the most optimistic signal. From 2000 to 2003, manufacturers in Indiana were stung especially hard by the soft
economy, shedding 75,000 jobs. While many of those positions may never return, employment levels have at least stabilized.
That seems to have provided enough...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Don't make too much of July economic data
August 22, 2005
Patrick BarkeyThere are dates on the calendar that make some of us tremble. The Ides of March was a bad one, as I recall, for a certain
Roman emperor long ago. Stock market traders know and fear those triplewitching days when futures and options contracts expire.
But for those of us who track the regional economies around the state, it's really a whole month that makes us sweat. It's
the month of July, thanks to the screwy data we receive for...
MoreStoeppelwerth & Associates: 'Staking' their claim on growth Local engineering firm finds abundant opportunities
August 22, 2005
Della PachecoWhile most 8-year-old boys were playing with toy trucks, Dave Stoeppelwerth was riding in big ones helping land surveyors
at his father's civil engineering firm. Stoeppelwerth, now 51 and CEO of Stoeppelwerth & Associates, grew up learning the
business. In fact, Stoeppelwerth had done enough surveying during grade school and high school that at age 16 he became a
crew chief working under his father, Dick, who started the north-side company in 1962. He joined the company full time after...
MoreLaw could generate earnings for Cummins: States face deadline in completing standards for connecting generators to grid
August 22, 2005
Chris O\'malleyCummins Inc. and other makers of electric generators stand to gain under a provision an Indiana lawmaker plugged into the
federal energy bill signed this month. The amendment by 4th District Republican congressman Steve Buyer forces state utility
commissions to adopt standards within two years that will pave the way for businesses that generate their own electricity
to sell excess power to the electric grid. That's good news for firms that generate their own power and for Cummins, which
makes...
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See, I told u Indyman and Dipsicle....this 8 days is overkill. It's barely worth a weekend....great job Tony George! Your dream has been fulfilled....he fans want the I r l back. Thats how good it was.....and that sucked.
I have been in training for a short time now but right off I can see that safety and quality are the number one issues, my experience as of late has been a positive one, the employees along with Jeff the plant manager and the operation supervisor as well as the engineers are a highly motivated group of people, what an asset for the area to have and for company's in need of a quality metal products.
Pimlico
While I understand the severity of their actions as well as everyones eagerness to hold them responsible for thier lost funds, these gentlemen did know how to make money. Dispite thier poor decisions over the ownership of Fair they had made several wise investments which paid them greatly. This proves they do have the potential to rebuild so they can repay. I do not feel they should live the life of luxuary but given an opportunity could they find ways of repaying the debts? They are doing nothing now but being a burden on tax payers. Just a thought!!!!!
You guys have some "interesting" comments to say the least. I hope you will call in and share those opinions starting June 1. I'm looking forward to having you on the air.