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Government
TOM HARTON Commentary: Patriotism that douses the fireworks
July 4, 2005
Friends, then foes, then friends once again as their lives drew to a close, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same
day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. That these two Founding Fathers died on Independence
Day and on the golden anniversary of such an important day in the country's history was widely accepted at the time as proof
of the "Divine favor" shown the young United States of America. One-hundred seventy-nine years...
MoreState plays wait, see: Indiana likely to follow federal lead regarding oversight of charities
July 4, 2005
Andrea MuirraguiAs the national conversation about improving not-for-profit oversight gains volume, Indiana's top charity watchdog is tuning
in-while he considers whether to join the cacophony. Attorney General Steve Carter convened an informal group of advisers
to weigh in on the topic last year, ultimately pushing for changes in state law that give him more ways to deal with abuses
in the sector. Now he's content to let federal efforts play out before determining what more can be done to keep the...
MoreITT paid for feds' aggression: Sweeping probe didn't lead to charges against firm, top execs
July 4, 2005
Greg AndrewsOn a chilly winter morning 16 months ago, federal investigators converged on ITT Educational Services Inc.'s Carmel headquarters
and 10 of its 77 campuses, gathering documents in a high-profile raid that rattled investors and sent the company's shares
into a free fall. Now, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston, which obtained the search warrants authorizing the raid, acknowledges
its sweeping criminal probe failed to turn up evidence that would justify charges against the company or its top brass. The
turnabout,...
MoreMarian College launches motorsports curriculum: Classes to focus on business side of racing
July 4, 2005
Anthony SchoettleThis fall, Marian College will begin offering a unique curriculum focused on the business of motorsports. Initially, motorsports-related
classes will be offered within Marian's sports management program, but school officials said they'd like to expand the program
to offer a minor and major in motorsports management. Unlike programs at Purdue University, IUPUI and Rose-Hulman Institute
of Technology, Marian's courses will not focus on computers and engineering. Instead, the program will instruct students in
marketing, communications, sales and business management in...
MoreMayor announces $30 million in budget cuts:
July 4, 2005
Mayor Bart Peterson June 29 announced $30 million in emergency cuts from the city's 2005-2006 budget. Public safety took the
brunt of the cuts. The Indianapolis Police Department will lose 78 officers through retirements and attrition. The Indianapolis
Fire Department will lose 44 firefighters, also through attrition. In anticipation of the need for cuts, the city began leaving
some of those jobs open in January. When finished, IPD's force will drop from 1,232 to 1,154. Unless the General Assembly
approves...
MoreUniversities reach out to improve diversity: Purdue, IU use local offices to lure minority suppliers
July 4, 2005
Ed CallahanPurdue University's most recent step includes opening an office in Indianapolis that will serve as a contact point for minority-owned
companies that are interested in doing business with the school. Purdue also is becoming one of the major sponsors of the
annual Indiana Black Expo. These two projects are being headed by Jesse Moore, who became Purdue's manager for supplier diversity
development in February. Moore previously led the Indianapolis Black Chamber of Commerce for nine years. Officials say it's
important...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: BMV closings raise bigger issue
June 27, 2005
Morton MarcusThe closing of several offices of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles involves serious issues that are worth attention. Just
after the end of the legislative session, the BMV commissioner announced that a few smaller offices would be closed. The number
of patrons these offices serve was deemed insufficient to maintain and staff the facilities. In an age of increasing use of
electronic transactions, this makes sense. One of these facilities was in Hope, a small Bartholomew County town in...
MoreDirector leaves small-biz agency: Disagreement over host sponsor helped sway decision
June 27, 2005
Scott OlsonThe head of the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center resigned this month following a rift over who might host
the agency. Mary Jane Gonzalez, who came on board as executive director of the Central Indiana SBDC in July 2003, left to
become director of business development at Mezzetta Construction Inc. Gonzalez's departure leaves the Central Indiana SBDC,
where budding entrepreneurs can seek advice without paying high consulting fees, without a leader for the third time in roughly
three years....
MoreNOTIONS: Does principal or principle matter more?
June 27, 2005
Bruce HetrickA few weeks ago, my friend John and I treated our three 17-year-olds to a boys' night out. We started off at Bazbeaux downtown,
inhaling guy pizza (read: pepperoni and sausage) and dissecting the big news of the day-Michael Jackson's acquittal on charges
that he shared alcohol, porn and a little night groping with a teen-age boy. Our teen-age boys, news junkies all, then rattled
on about kids getting paid to play online video games and the proliferation of "cheats"...
MoreTaking the pulse of life sciences: Experts weigh in on whether Indiana is keeping up in the economic development race
June 27, 2005
IBJ: Is Indiana gaining ground against other states in the race to grow as a life sciences hub? What are some specific benchmarks
that underscore your opinion? JOHNSON: Indiana is gaining ground, but Indiana already starts on really very substantial ground.
There are a lot of outside validations of that and I think it's important for this audience to hear a couple of them because
there is nothing like having people on the outside pay attention to what we're doing...
MoreVC tax credit rarely used by startups: Less than 17 percent of incentives tapped
June 27, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerLast year, Indiana approved tax credits worth nearly $16.3 million to encourage speculation on local high-tech startups. Investors
left most of the credits-$13.5 million worth-on the table. The highly touted Indiana Venture Capital Investment tax credit
program debuted in January 2004. It allows investors in approved startups to write 20 percent of their outlay off their state
taxes. Indiana certified 42 young companies last year as eligible for its venture capital credit. According to the Indiana
Economic Development Corp., investors...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS Patrick Barkey: Intelligence isn't only factor that sets earnings potential
June 27, 2005
Do we have a passion for economics? Judging from the numbers of economics majors at colleges and universities across the country,
the answer is probably no. The world of graphs and statistics we inhabit is not everyone's cup of tea. But if few of us like
to study the economy, we all have to live and work within its borders. And the most important interaction most of us will
ever have with the economy occurs when we venture into the...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Our state has twisted priorities
June 20, 2005
Morton MarcusNo recent column has aroused so much outrage as my remarks concerning our state government's investment in tourism. I argued
that it was a waste of money and that, if such expenditures are to be made, they should come from the private sector exclusively,
not from tax dollars. Kaboom! An entire industry wants to educate me, if they cannot eradicate me. At the same time, a worthy
landmark is about to disappear. The Randolph County Courthouse, in Winchester, is scheduled...
MoreMed school takes hit: IU trims $5.2 million from budget, cuts 36 positions
June 20, 2005
Tom MurphyThe school tabled some construction plans and may have to curtail recruiting of "star" faculty in areas such as diabetes research,
said Dr. Craig Brater, the school's dean. On top of that, the school cut 36 positions and halted spending for several programs
after it was hit by decreases in state funding and grants, and a rise in expenses. Brater said the medical school has been
lucky "in large part" to receive the funding it needed over the years. He...
MoreDebate over health care development takes legal twist: Three county-imposed construction moratoriums face federal lawsuits
June 20, 2005
Tom MurphyHospitals and developers recently filed lawsuits in U.S. District Court against three counties that enacted moratoriums to
slow health care construction in their territory. The Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. sued Morgan County in April,
and some Kentucky-based companies filed complaints against Clark and Floyd counties June 13. County officials say they need
to make sure their county-owned hospitals remain viable in the face of more development. They also argue that providers want
to enter their turf and...
MoreFranchise program gives veterans a break: Marine Reserve colonel taps VetFran initiative to open lighting business
June 20, 2005
Scott OlsonAfter resorting to a home-equity loan to finance the roughly $100,000 he needed to open an Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise,
Karl Lundberg still fell short of cash. But, fortunately for Lundberg, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, the North
Carolina-based company honors the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative, known as VetFran. The program, reintroduced almost
three years ago by the International Franchise Association and supported by the Office of Veterans Affairs, gives financial
breaks to veterans wanting to purchase...
MoreTAWN PARENT Commentary: This is no time for Hoosier hysteria
June 20, 2005
Some big decisions this spring have not made me particularly proud to be a Hoosier or a resident of Indianapolis. Sure, we
got funding for a new stadium and a convention center expansion. That will bring more visitors to our community, and it says
we care about sports and tourism. And glory hallelujah! We finally got daylight-saving time, the economic benefits of which
are unproven. That says we care about being like everyone else, whether it makes any sense or...
MoreCommunity banks struggle with regulatory demands: Sarbanes-Oxley, Banking Security Act prove costly
June 13, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerWho can blame small community banks for feeling boxed in? "The world has changed," said Jerry Engle, president and CEO of
Greenwoodbased First Bank. "I guess we'll have to get used to it." Far and away, it's the increasing cost of regulatory compliance
that keeps community bankers tossing and turning at night. In recent months, the Independent Community Bankers of America,
a small-bank advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., has stepped up its ongoing campaign against additional regulation by
asking...
MoreCity to land more aircraft mechanics: Lease calls for Republic to add 186 jobs
June 13, 2005
Chris O\'malleyRepublic Airways Holdings plans to add nearly 200 aircraft maintenance jobs at Indianapolis International Airport, based on
employment projections in a lease the carrier recently signed for a new hangar. The Indianapolis-based regional carrier that
employs 114 mechanics here "agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve average employment of 300 full-time Indiana
resident employees at the facility ... at an average salary of $18 per hour during the first year," states a lease signed
April 15 with the Indianapolis...
MoreSPORTS: 'Our' future extends beyond Marion County line
June 13, 2005
Bill BennerNOBLESVILLE-That Gov. Mitch Daniels, aboard his RV-1, was caught in the daily late-afternoon I-69, State Road 37 traffic snarl
and was a half-hour late for his Hamilton County town meeting here last week represented a theme of his presentation. We are
no longer a city, but a region. With that in mind, Our Man Mitch has been venturing to the counties contiguous to Marion,
pitching the pending 1-percent food and beverage tax that will supply a small-emphasis on small, an...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS Patrick Barkey: Though state revenue rises, property tax hikes lurking
June 13, 2005
Is there such a thing as good news about taxes? Perhaps not. Muscles tense and faces frown at the mere sound of that three-letter
word. But you should know there is a quiet tax increase occurring in the state that few, if any, of its residents are complaining
about. We're all paying more in taxes to the state-quite a bit more, actually-and the governor and the General Assembly have
little to do with it. What's happening, of course, is that...
MoreNOTIONS: The Wiccans and the Speaker: Two cases, one topic
June 13, 2005
Bruce HetrickA few months ago, I had lunch with Fran Quigley, executive director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. We'd never met,
but we'd exchanged emails about one another's newspaper columns. As we ate, we did the getting-to-knowyou dance. We talked
about our wives and kids, faith and friends, grief and recovery. After that, work wormed its way into the conversation. We
talked about our mutual interest in writing, law, government, politics and our often-frustrating quests to save the planet
from...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Columnist ignores the good news
June 13, 2005
Morton Marcus"Bad news, the downside, grousing-that's all you ever offer in your column," Fred Fetid declared. We were sitting on his deck
enjoying the songbirds and the new green of the trees about us. Fred and I have been neighbors nearly 20 years. He is the
greatest complainer I have ever met. "There's lots of good stuff out there to talk about, but all you do is moan about the
world," Fred persisted. "Just look at the Indiana General Assembly this...
MoreVIEWPOINT: Arts are a good investment for business
June 6, 2005
Frank BasileThis summer, there are two red-letter days for the arts and cultural scene as well as our city and state: the official opening
of the new home of the Herron School of Art on the IUPUI campus, which was set for June 3, and the dedication of the Indianapolis
Art Center's ARTSPARK Aug. 21. These events are only two of the many activities in 2005 that will help position Indianapolis
as an arts and cultural destination, a goal set by...
MoreLong commute for former Lt. Gov.: Kathy Davis to lead South Bend tech firm
June 6, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerHer days as lieutenant governor are finished, but it didn't take Kathy Davis long to find a new management role. She's accepted
a job leading South Bend-based telecommunications connectivity provider Global Access Point. "After we lost [the election]
and I knew I'd be looking for a job, I thought it would be ideal if I could find some entrepreneur who was very technical
and needed some help on the management side," Davis said. "Then I was fortunate that opportunity came...
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In my opinion the estridge companies are crooks. They filed bankruptcy on their 'track housing' side of the business two weeks before they closed on one of my clients' homes. When my client first interviewed Estridge as a builder 6 months before, they specifically ASKED about the solvency of their business, knowing that some builders were struggling. Estridge truly misrepresented their financial situation at that time. I suppose I am more unhappy with the whole system than I am with the builder because what the heck==you can file bankruptcy on 'track homes' but still keep building and make money off of 'custom built' homes??? How ridiculous! They are all homes. How can a company be allowed to bilk thousands of dollars from their subcontractors but still be allowed to build houses?? they should have been made to pay back all their unpaid contractors before being allowed to profit from building any more houses! This alone makes them and the system crooks in my eyes. I would never build an estridge home and I would not recommend for my clients either. If they were truly 'bankrupt' how could they afford to keep building homes anyway??? The whole system needs fixed.
I live a couple blocks east of the Angie's campus and my house is assessed for ~$160,000. If I could get that amount, let alone $384,000 (a 140% bonus), I'd sell in a minute. Either Angie's stockholders just got fleeced, or Angie's is getting about a 58% discount on their property taxes, if these properties are actually worth what they paid Mr. Oesterle for them. Which do you think is the case?
Perhaps the IMA board is really to blame! They agreed to hire Charles. They can't seemingly find donors among themselves, or bring in new blood that will support the museums operating budget with an expanded museum and money to provide curators with something to do (ie buy art). The headlines of disarray at the museum and mass firings are hurting the reputation of the museum for some time to come. If people on the board had misgivings, perhaps they shpuld have more forcefully opposed efforts that they have seemingly been unable to fund, like expansion and the costs it has created!
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.