The downturn in the housing market isn't tough just on people trying to sell their homes. It's also tough on the people who want to help those people sell their homes--real estate agents. Locally, their ranks have thinned as more and more leave the field to search for better prospects.

Most of Indiana's 100 House districts are strongly Democratic or strongly Republican. That means control of the House of Representatives will come down to a handful of battleground districts--probably fewer than a dozen, political experts say.

After the unexpected death of insurance magnate J. Patrick Rooney, two organizations he led until the day he died are scrambling to figure out who will lead them into the future.

The woman chosen as president and CEO of the city's Super Bowl host committee isn't exactly a household name, but those who hired her think she'll make Indianapolis the best host city ever. Allison Melangton, 46, is the first paid member of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee, and is expected to throw planning and organization into overdrive over the next 30 days.

Local companies that rely on credit have seen their borrowing power shrink and in some cases disappear as a deep freeze in the nation's credit markets drives fears of a broad economic slowdown. A handful of businesses, including a Greenwood security firm and an Indianapolis contractor, already have shut down after credit dried up, and others are on the ropes as troubled banks seek to limit their loan exposure.

Pathway Productions, one of the city's highest-profile video production firms, has a new owner, a new CEO and a new plan to blaze a trail to prosperity. Michael Husain, who founded the company from his basement in 1996, earlier this year quietly sold a majority stake to Mays Chemical Co. President William Mays, who in turn named Jerald Harkness the new CEO.

Thanks to hefty 35-percent gross returns on its $60 million first fund, locally based Centerfield Capital Partners LP has raised nearly twice as much for its second. This month, the venture capital firm closed on $116 million from a variety of investors. As before, Centerfield's 50 limited partners include major Hoosier institutions. But this time, numerous big banks, insurance companies and pension funds from outside state lines were also investors.

With energy costs at historic highs, retailers are struggling to find ways to trim the cost of lighting, heating and cooling their stores and other facilities. The process of wringing out savings can be long, difficult and complex. However, the rewards are too substantial to ignore.

Former insiders of One Call Communications appear to be targets of a Justice Department criminal inquiry, according to a filing by the defunct company's court-appointed receiver. Pittsburgh-based Meridian Group said it was served a subpoena Sept. 19 from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania to testify before a grand jury on Oct. 21 on matters involving One Call.

For more than two years, Smulyan, 61, has been unflaggingly optimistic during quarterly conference calls. But since early 2007, Emmis' stock has fallen 84 percent, shrinking the company's stock market value from $307 million to $48 million. The troubles have cast uncertainty over one of Indianapolis' highest-profile businesses.

Simon Property Group Inc. has been readying its balance sheet and sizing up buyout targets in hopes of capitalizing on a worldwide markdown on shopping-center owners.

A baby born of Indiana telecom reform is having some teething pains. AT&T's U-verse, Ma Bell's high-tech answer to cable television's troika of video/voice/Internet service, has generated several consumer complaints to state regulators since it was rolled out here in earnest last year. The complaints range from long installation times to frozen television pictures that require rebooting the system or calling a technician.

Mike's Express Carwash makes money the old-fashioned way. The second-generation family affair, now celebrating its 60th year, has invested its reserves in steady expansion, becoming a model for the $23.4 billion industry in the process. And its owners still sweat the small stuff.

Stock markets are falling, jobs are disappearing, and the outlook for the economy seems grim. Banks, real estate developers, retailers and manufacturers are taking the worst hits, but all types of businesses in central Indiana are hurting. From health care to technology, education to philanthropy, every industry is trying to take the setbacks in stride.

A local real estate developer has emerged as a top contender to buy the 28-story M&I Plaza--potentially at half the $50 million price the building fetched a decade ago. Paul Kite Co. confirmed it is in talks with Maryland-based CapitalSource Inc., which took over the struggling office tower in June after foreclosing on a $5 million mezzanine loan.

WellPoint Inc. touts as the company's biggest strength its dominant market share in its health insurance markets. But now the officers of the company are working to branch out beyond health insurance. They're training their sales force on how to better sell dental, vision and even life and disability insurance--which WellPoint refers to as its specialty group of products.

A local candy maker has found the sweet spot in an industry where startup efforts often go sour. Founded in 2006, Carmel-based Candy Dynamics is making a name for itself with its unusual "double-action" sour recipe, eye-catching packaging and unforgettable names like Toxic Waste Hazardously Sour Candy, Nuclear Sludge and Hi-Voltage Bubble Gum.

A group of local business and civic leaders is working on a plan to transform the city's most visible symbol into a public-gathering space without equal in the United States. Monument Circle already hosts dozens of activities each year--including major concerts like last year's NFL Kickoff--and it will host several events connected to the 2012 Super Bowl. But many stakeholders believe the Circle has yet to live up to its true potential.

Mayor Greg Ballard worries his predecessor, Bart Peterson, may have overreached with his ambitious tax-increment-financing district for the last phase of Fall Creek Place. That phase of the renewed urban neighborhood isn't producing enough revenue to support its $6.2 million in outstanding bonds. And Ballard is not sure all of Marion County's 37 other TIF district are necessary, either.

Insurance giant Safeco Corp. is expected to either vacate or scale back its downtown operation next year--a move that could deal a major blow to the office market. At stake are about 700 downtown jobs, some or all of which could be eliminated or shifted to the suburbs. A final decision about the fate of Safeco's five-building downtown office complex likely will come after Boston-based Liberty Mutual completes its $6.2 billion acquisition of Seattle-based Safeco.

A fast-growing Carmel startup is using a blend of innovative software and human guides to answer questions over the phone. The company could have located on either coast, but instead chose Carmel's Clay Terrace. And the company, Interactions Corp., has raised more than twice as much money as ChaCha Search Inc., a higher-profile startup in a similar business that's also housed in Clay Terrace.

Indianapolis International Airport officials hope to double advertising revenue, pushing it past $1 million, when the midfield terminal opens in November. That income, officials said, is important because it helps ease pressure on cash-strapped airlines, allowing them to focus on offering more flights. The airport relies on non-airline revenue, such as food sales and advertising, for about 60 percent of its revenue.

 Regional economic development experts say cities must woo talented people while they're young--in their 20s or early 30s--because, after that age, people tend to hunker down. The Indianapolis area apparently appeals to at least two key groups of young people--particularly those already married, according to a new study by researchers at IUPUI.

These days, many Indianapolis arts organizations barely know where their next dollar will come from. But an innovative fund-raising model that's found success in other cities might provide that sorely needed cash. In Cincinnati, a venerable not-for-profit called the United Arts Fund, founded in 1927, stages an annual workplace campaign, then doles out the bountiful proceeds to local arts organizations.