November 6, 2006
Jennifer WhitsonBackers of a proposed $40 million Indianapolis chemical plant are eyeing a south-side parcel near White River, but neighbors
worry fumes from the facility will drag down property values nearby. In the spring, local economic development groups trumpeted
Indianapolisbased NaClor Inc.'s decision to build the plant here. In return for the 53 new jobs-making bleach and other chemicals
used in soaps, detergents and water quality treatment-the state promised $2.8 million in tax cuts and training grants, and
the city offered...
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September 25, 2006
Jennifer WhitsonA 93-acre former drive-in south of the former Fort Benjamin Harrison has sat vacant since the theater closed in 1993. But
now a Rochester, N.Y., developer has agreed to buy the property and envisions building retail space plus either a light-industrial
business park or a medical campus. If it comes to pass, the large development could kick-start Lawrence's efforts to revitalize
struggling portions of Pendleton Pike. Norry Management Corp. has had the land under contract since spring and is preparing...
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September 25, 2006
Jennifer WhitsonThree developers are vying for the chance to build a four-story, 250- to 300-room hotel connected to the new $974 million
midfield terminal and garage at the Indianapolis International Airport.
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September 18, 2006
When I arrived at Indiana University in 1970, we had many copies of a 1966 projection of Indiana county populations sitting
in file cabinets. Most state and local agencies also had these projections sitting about. Some used them for doorstoppers.
After all, they were thick with details for age and sex in each county going out about 30 years, to a distant point in the
1990s. Once the 1970 census was released, Bob Calhoun of the State Board of Health...
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September 18, 2006
Chris O'MalleyA NASA database shows how airfield mistakes that contributed to a runway crash at a Kentucky airport also occur here, although
the number of "surface incidents" has declined in recent years, thanks largely to improvements to taxiways.
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September 18, 2006
Chris O'MalleyIndiana's plan to become the Middle East of biofuels could be a boon well beyond the rural towns that will welcome more than
a dozen refineries . Firms that make and supply parts and expertise needed to build the $1.8 billion in ethanol and biodiesel
plants--and related infrastructure--are gearing up.
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September 18, 2006
Scott OlsonCORPORATE RELOCATION Making the right move For companies planning a relocation, months of preparation are often in order Employees
of Aprimo Inc. are settling into their new digs at Parkwood Crossing after the fastgrowing marketing-softwaremaker moved its
headquarters early last month. While the building may be different, the surroundings are quite familiar. The company remains
in the same office complex, albeit across College Avenue from its previous space. But don't tell Dani Hughes, Aprimo's human
resources representative who coordinated the...
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August 28, 2006
Scott OlsonMention a career in motorsports to most youngsters and they imagine whizzing around the track like NASCAR's Tony Stewart or
Sam Hornish Jr., points leader of the Indianapolis Racing League. But a partnership between Indianapolisbased Panther Racing
LLC and Decatur Township Schools wants to introduce students to more practical professions within the sport by providing the
resources in a hands-on learning environment. The result is the Panther Education Center, set to open next fall near the racing
team's headquarters at...
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August 14, 2006
Geopolitical instability and increasing worldwide demand for fossil fuels have caused high energy prices. Indiana tax policies
in support of the creation of ethanol and biodiesel production facilities are part of an effort to help wean our transportation
infrastructure from fossil fuels. While ethanol may be a poor alternative to fossil fuels, Hoosier entrepreneurs' and policymakers'
efforts in this area reflect a broad awareness that we need a sensible, comprehensive energy policy. A corollary to $3-per-gallon
gas is increasing home-heating...
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August 14, 2006
We're about to pave a small neighborhood park so that patrons of a bar in a government building will have a place to stash
their cars while they drink. What better time than now to revisit a couple of previous columns about urban design? (More on
the playground later.) Back in May, I wrote about local entrepreneur Tom Battista's work to restore commercial life to the
800 block of Massachusetts Avenue and what's left of the 900 block. The 900...
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August 14, 2006
Greg AndrewsIn the 1980s, Jim Massey was one of Indianapolis' top bankers. Now, he finds himself in bankruptcy court, the latest former
Conseco Inc. director to fall victim to the company's hardball loan-collection tactics. The Carmel-based insurer last month
filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition for Massey, 71, the former president of Merchants National Bank. "It is just another
forum to try to bring an expeditious conclusion to the problem," said Reed Oslan, a partner with the Chicago law firm Kirkland
&...
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August 14, 2006
Scott OlsonState officials have added another arrow to their quiver of economic-development incentives meant to attract companies to
Indiana. A new pilot program, known as Shovel Ready, certifies land that can be rapidly developed. The aim is to make the
properties more attractive to companies by cutting the time it takes to navigate the permitting process. "The ability to expedite
a company's development will make us more competitive than perhaps we have been in the past," said Chris Pfaff, director of...
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August 7, 2006
I'm starting to get a bad feeling about the Orange County casino project. Truth be told, I've had the bad feeling for a long
time, and now it's getting worse. The latest blip on the radar in what has been a challenged project from the get-go is the
contentious legal battle that has surfaced between the two partners: Bob Lauth of Lauth Property Group and Bloomington billionaire
Bill Cook. I guess that's not that unusual. Ed Feigenbaum, publisher of Indiana...
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July 31, 2006
Victoria D.No matter how many bold and italicized words scholars cram into textbooks, nothing compares to students rolling up their sleeves
and testing a theory themselves. For years, Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has offered its Bloomington MBA
candidates real-world experience through so-called "academies" focused on specific industries. Now Kelley Indianapolis' evening
MBA program is set to launch a scaled-back version for its students. This fall, it will offer three such "enterprise" programs,
including one with an entrepreneurial emphasis. The...
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July 31, 2006
Chris O'MalleyRepublic Airways Holdings plans to add more than 1,000 jobs, including some at its Indianapolis headquarters, thanks to a
deal to fly larger aircraft for US Airways and its first contract to fly for Continental Airlines.
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July 17, 2006
Peter SchnitzlerThe idea of rapid transit is popular locally, but there's no consensus on how to finance it. For construction alone, it would
cost at least $546 million for suburban express bus service up to $1.4 billion for an "automated guideway" system
similar to a monorail. And that's for only one corridor.
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July 17, 2006
I recently called my doctor's office hoping he could squeeze me in to diagnose a minor, but annoying, health problem. His
nurse informed me I wouldn't be able to get an appointment for at least three days. She suggested I go to an immediate-care
facility if I needed attention right away. I was surprised the doctor couldn't see me, but I appreciated the nurse's candor.
She knew better than to cheerfully suggest an appointment days in the future, by which...
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July 17, 2006
Chris O'MalleyThe Indianapolis Airport Authority has begun listing at www.indianapolisairport.com homes it acquired under its nearly decade-old
"purchase assurance/sound insulation program."
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July 10, 2006
Chris O'MalleyJust 5,900 Marion and Hamilton County commuters would park their cars in favor of rapid transit if that were an option, according
to data from a late-2001 report for Indianapolis' Metropolitan Planning Organization by New York firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.
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July 10, 2006
Chris O\'malleyA century ago, central Indiana had an electric rail network that dwarfed even the most ambitious rapid-transit schemes of
today's urban planners. The "interurban" was a vast system that would easily cost tens of billions of dollars to duplicate.
By 1920, hundreds of miles of track radiated from Indianapolis. Some crossed state lines, to Dayton, Ohio, and the Chicago
area. Today, all that's left of the electric railroads are tree-covered rail beds or the crumbling piers of bridges, such
as...
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July 10, 2006
It looked like a photo shoot for GQ or Elle. Guests wore denim that probably won't show up in American stores until next year,
if even then. Other guests checking into the Conrad Indianapolis for the July 2 U.S. Grand Prix wore sparkling diamonds and
designer apparel. They carried Coach handbags of all shapes and sizes, setting them on the concierge desk as they awaited
delivery of their luggage. Without fail, Lynna Mills would peek around the bags and cordially...
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July 10, 2006
Bruce HetrickI was going to play smart aleck this week. I was going to write in hick dialect. I was going to lambaste us Hoosiers over
our stubborn adherence to the status quo, our penchant to take things slow, our preference for partisanship, our pooh-poohing
of progress and our bull-headed gumption to go it alone in a global economy. Then news broke that Indiana has the highest
high school dropout rate in America. So I figured that for two reasons, I'd...
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July 10, 2006
On June 1, Gov. Mitch Daniels and officials from the Indiana Public Employees Retirement Fund announced the Indiana Investment
Fund, a $100 million investment vehicle. The fund will invest in early-stage startups and loans to mature firms. It will invest
in Indiana-What's wrong with local investment pros? based agriculture, manufacturing, information technology, transportation
and life sciences companies. Credit Suisse was selected to manage this new fund. As a global investment bank, Credit Suisse
certainly has skilled bankers who can evaluate...
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July 10, 2006
Chris O\'malleyWhat little some people see of active railroads these days is when they catch a glimpse of Indiana Rail Road Co.'s Ferrari-red
engines pulling hopper cars from downstate coal mines up to Indianapolis Power & Light's Harding Street generating station,
south of town. "People feel like railroads are a dying industry," said Thomas Hoback, founder and CEO of Indiana Rail Road,
the 20-yearold freight concern based in Indianapolis. Looks can be as deceiving as the speed of a locomotive approaching...
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July 3, 2006
Scott OlsonThe lesson Amy Kurzekwa taught the folks at the downtown Gregory & Appel Insurance agency reaches far beyond what they learned
about premiums and deductibles. Since 1992, she has taken the bus to her job there as a clerical assistant, performing such
tasks as sorting and delivering the office mail and filling the copy machines. While most anyone can do that, Kurzekwa, 37,
is irreplaceable to her co-workers. Her role in opening their eyes to the fact that people with...
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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.