AUGUST 2-8, 2010
This week, see what impact the Brickyard 400's falling fortunes could have on the Indy Racing League and read about the tough road ahead for upstart automaker Bright Automotive. In Focus, check out what local bed-and-breakfasts have to say about the support they get from the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association. And in A&E, get Lou Harry's take on "A Funny Thing" that's happening at the Athenaeum.
Front PageBack to Top
Preferred-shareholders group may thwart buyout of Emmis
Emmis Communications Corp. Chairman Jeff Smulyan’s effort to take the media company private could be derailed by a band
of preferred stockholders who oppose the plan.
Ex-Dow AgroSciences employee accused of stealing trade secrets
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Ke-xue Huang, a native of China’s Hunan province, of stealing trade secrets of
a Dow AgroSciences insecticide and giving them to the People’s Republic of China. Federal agents arrested the former Dow Agro
scientist July 13 in Westboro, Mass.
New law takes American Health Network full circle
Dr. Ben Park joined Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1993 to start a large group of primary care physicians who would
institute a concept called managed care. Now American Health Network is
well-positioned to take advantage of the new version of managed care, called accountable care.
Top StoriesBack to Top
Brickyard decline not good for IRL
Motorsports insiders think the Brickyard 400’s declining fortunes will hasten the Hulman-George family’s decision
on the future of the Indy Racing League, which the NASCAR race has helped subsidize.
Upstart automaker Bright faces tough road in competitive niche
Two years after Bright Automotive was founded, the prospect of thousands of Indiana factory workers cranking out Bright’s
100-mile-per-gallon “IDEA” delivery vans by 2012 seems dim.
State steps up chase for data centers
Jam-packed with expensive equipment, data centers represent huge capital investments in a relatively small footprint. That
can mean steep property tax bills, though Indiana allows communities to exempt a portion of that tax. Jobs-hungry Indiana
is eager to attract more of these climate-controlled computing fortresses.
Hoosier firms find cutting costs no substitute for growth
The gains amid economic malaise are impressive, but also unsustainable. Companies can’t continue to grow earnings forever based on cost-cutting.
Read MoreMug shots drive sales for startup weekly newspaper
The tabloid relies on the same open-records laws that give mainstream news outlets access to information about arrests, including
photos.
UIndy forges relationships between schools and biz
Business leaders often criticize schools, but sometimes have little first-hand experiences with them.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
Quick hits: Indianapolis and Kansas City are close match in tourism
Indianapolis and Kansas City, a metro area with feet in both Missouri and Kansas, are not only similar demographically, but
the cities' convention and tourism trades have some measures in common, like number of annual visitors.
Hotel operator says Indy hospitality growth spotty
Convention center is sparking optimism, Schahet says, but overall market is still soft.
Read MoreBed-and-breakfasts complain of inferior ICVA support
Local B&B operators squeezed by the economy, including Gary Hofmeister, claim they could be doing better if they got some
support from the
Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.
OpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: City needs to keep momentum from utilities deal
We’re happy to see that partisanship didn’t sink Mayor Greg Ballard’s plan to sell Indianapolis’
water and sewer utilities to Citizens Energy Group. Now city leaders need to make sure they spend the money wisely.
MORRIS: Be healthy, wealthy and wise
We’ve had a wellness program
at IBJ for seven years. However, it became clear to me recently that we have only been scratching the surface with
what should be a top priority.
MARCUS: Economy as diverse as pierogi in Whiting
The simple fact is that we are having a recession on top of the continuing restructuring of the economy that has been
going on since the 1980s.
WEIGAND: Reinvesting in neighborhoods is essential
Our city is about to engage in a high-stakes gamble to avert a death spiral—or
accelerate it and make it much more of a certainty.
ALTOM: Bar-coding could help your business for as little as $200
Years ago, when technology was just starting to classify and count all of us, we worried we’d become merely numbers.
Now we may not even be readable numbers, but just ink on a bar code. And that’s a good thing, as it turns out.
HICKS: Twenty years later, the impact of Desert Storm
Wartime familiarity should make us more tolerant of our differences and care more for one another’s children.
Read MoreHAUKE: Growth of government takes toll on stock returns
The unprecedented size of government in America matters to anyone who is concerned about wealth creation in this country.
Read MoreDon’t make hires too quickly
Mickey Maurer’s [July 12 column offering] advice on exercising care in hiring is well-taken. Busy people often decide
to hire too quickly and to correct the resulting error too slowly.
Move Black Expo to fairgrounds
As a downtown resident of over 30 years I feel that it is a privilege to use the facilities that we as a city have created
downtown. Black Expo has violated that privilege.
Poverty doesn’t explain shooting
This problem [at Black Expo] is nothing new; it has a long history of violence and disrespect for the community we all live
in.
In BriefBack to Top
Indiana life sciences companies capture more venture capital money in first half of 2010
Venture dollars for Hoosier companies are still few, but the flow of deals is picking up.
Read MoreMarian University hires former Butler professor to head business school
Russell Kershaw is the new dean of its Clark H. Byrum School
of Business.
Delta Faucet parent lowers forecast for housing starts
The Carmel-based company backed off earlier predictions after a mid-year slow-down that could affect its sales.
Read MoreHetrick to handle marketing for veterinary association
The Indiana Veterinary Medical Association hired the local agency to develop a new branding and identity campaign.
Read MoreHoosier Tire legal victory has broad implications
The Lakeville-based company won a victory in the antitrust case brought by Pittsburgh-based Specialty Tires of America,
which objected to exclusive contracts for the supplying of racing tires.
Wishard Health Services rewards carpoolers
Landing the best parking spot doesn’t always require getting a big promotion.
Read MoreNFP of Note: Indy Reads
Indy Reads works to improve the literacy skills
of adults in central Indiana who read or write at or below the sixth grade level.