FEBRUARY 22-28, 2010
This week, find out how President Obama's stimulus efforts could help small business and what Sen. Evan Bayh's impending retirement might mean for federal funds going to Indiana. In Focus, read about how commercial real estate brokers are coping with hard times. And in A&E etc., Lou Harry socializes at a new Broad Ripple restaurant.
Front PageBack to Top
Lilly asks shareholders to lower takeover barrier
Eli Lilly and Co. directors have recommended that shareholders toss out the
drugmaker's most potent protection against unwanted takeovers: an 80-percent supermajority vote threshold for any shareholder
mutiny to succeed.
Ballard’s high-risk IT project could save millions – or flop
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has decided to overhaul the city’s and county’s 1970s-era financial IT systems—a move
that could cement
his reputation for improving government efficiency. But the upgrade also is fraught with risk.
New electronic radio ratings system rattling nerves
Local radio operators are bracing for a potential ratings shake-up. The introduction of Arbitron Co.’s Portable People Meter
in the Indianapolis market this summer is expected to tighten the ratings race and could dramatically affect how much advertisers
are willing to pay for radio spots.
Top StoriesBack to Top
Simon’s $10 billion bid for bankrupt General Growth roils retailing
Simon Property Group Inc. already is known for playing hardball with mall tenants over rent. So national retailers like The
Gap Inc. and Limited Brands Inc. will be bracing for future lease negotiations if the nation’s largest mall owner succeeds
in a $10 billion bid to take over its nearest rival, the bankrupt General Growth Properties Inc.
Obama’s stimulus aims to boost access to small-biz loans
No incentive can make a bad deal bankable. But President Obama’s stimulus measures are spurring some promising small businesses
to begin borrowing again, despite the recession.
Bayh’s exit may pinch federal funds going to Indiana
Sen. Evan Bayh brought home the bacon—more than
$1.4 billion in federal appropriations and grants in just the last 12 months.
Millionaire lawyer jumps into Melvin Simon will fight
Mike Ciresi, who’s representing widow Bren Simon, helped win a $6 billion settlement from the tobacco industry.
Read MorePlan for optional interstate tolls may hit potholes
A proposal to add optional toll lanes to parts of Interstates 69 and 65 raises all kinds of questions, such as how to squeeze
more lanes into the crowded I-69 corridor northeast of the city. And it’s debatable whether toll lanes could make more
money than they cost to implement.
New Kiwanis boss aiming to halt membership slide
The Indianapolis-based service organization has 239,000 adult members, down 26 percent from the 1992 peak of 324,727.
Read MoreWellPoint’s health insurance rate hike spurs legislative inquiry
The furor over WellPoint Inc.’s premium hikes have migrated from California to Indiana, where state lawmakers held a
high-profile hearing.
FocusBack to Top
Commercial brokers trying property management in hard times
The commercial real estate slump is prompting several Indianapolis brokerages to add property-management services to their
portfolios or bolster existing ones.
Urban Land Institute chapter launches in Indianapolis
Chapter, heavily populated by developers, hopes to guide sustainable development.
Read MoreTROY: New law frees contaminated real estate from purgatory
State environmental regulators now must consider leaving contamination in the ground so long as it doesn’t threaten health
Read MoreFourth-quarter commercial real estate stats
IBJ’s Commercial Real Estate Focus sections include statistical snapshots of Indianapolis’ multi-tenant office vacancy
rates and the local industrial market.
OpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: Overspending saps nation’s vigor
Europe, not the United States, has the best growth prospects, an Asian executive told Gov. Mitch Daniels during a trade mission
last fall. Why? America’s escalating debt.
MAURER: It’s time to dump township government
In Indiana, one institution rife with nepotism and political favoritism stubbornly persists:
township government and, more particularly, its delivery of emergency poor relief.
MARCUS: Most Hoosiers don’t want mass transit
Mass transit plans are doomed to be ignored because no local government, and certainly
not the Indiana General Assembly, is interested in transportation.
SLAUGHTER: Does your work flow bring satisfaction?
The satisfaction derived from work is more than just momentary bliss. Satisfaction is an essential component of productivity.
Read MoreFEIGENBAUM: Sen. Bayh’s call for civility reverberates at Statehouse
In the most significant retirement decision announced in Indiana since Reggie Miller hung up his sneakers, Democratic U.S.
Sen. Evan Bayh said Dec. 15 he would not seek a third U.S. Senate term. That decision also sent shock waves through
the ranks of Democratic lawmakers in Indianapolis, none of whom had any advance word.
HICKS: Tenure is protectionism in a tweed jacket
Academic tenure, with its promise of lifelong employment based upon five to seven years of work experience, is silly and
makes those of us who have pursued a career in teaching and research look disingenuous.
SKARBECK: Economic Greek tragedy could play out globally
Fears that Greece may default on its government debt have kept global markets on edge.
Read MoreTobacco programs will be protected
With respect to your editorial in the Feb. 1 issue supporting the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency, your intent is
pure and laudable, but I fear you miss the point.
More mobility options mean opportunity
The Central Indiana Transit Task Force unveiled a comprehensive plan for mass transit. It’s a combination of expanded
bus service and light rail that addresses the challenges of urban residents seeking job opportunities across the metro areas.
In BriefBack to Top
Columbia Club strikes deal with Indianapolis Chamber
The not-for-profit on Monument Circle announced its initiation fees will be waived for all chamber members.
Read MoreIndiana Building Green Symposium gains momentum
What has emerged as the largest local gathering to discuss green building technologies will meet March 10-11 at the Indianapolis
Museum of Art.
Indiana companies that serve pharmaceutical industry grew in 2009
The firms continued to grow over the last year but face increasing challenges, according to a new report by Indianapolis-based
life sciences trade group BioCrossroads.
WellPoint hits bottom with customers
Even before WellPoint dissatisfied President Obama over its rate increases in California, it wasn’t doing so hot satisfying
its actual customers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Union representing Indianapolis Star employees sues Gannett
The 178-member union is suing to preserve its arbitration rights, and possibly win back the jobs of eight people who were
let go last summer.
Local marketing firm inks deal with Jeff Gordon
Just Marketing International signs NASCAR star Jeff Gordon to a contract sports business experts say is a multimillion dollar
deal for the local firm.
PROXY CORNER: Hill-Rom Holdings Inc.
Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. produces hospital beds, mattresses, stretchers, furniture and hospital information-technology systems.
Read More