NOVEMBER 21-27, 2011
This week, read about a posh Super Bowl hospitality area NFL officials are building inside Union Station and find out why industry insiders are buzzing about a new local ad firm. In Focus, see what critics have to say about the grades education majors are getting. And in A&E, get a glimpse of the edgy art that's part of the Eiteljorg's biennial fellowship show.
Front PageBack to Top
Mass Ave deal’s brokerage fee raising eyebrows
A real estate brokerage picked by the city to spearhead redevelopment of a prime Mass Ave parcel occupied by the Indianapolis Fire Department stands to collect a million-dollar-plus payday if it closes the deal.
Read MoreIPS hopes new high school attracts high-achievers
Christine Collier, the longtime leader of the Center for Inquiry elementary and middle schools, is designing a high school within the Indianapolis Public Schools system that officials hope will draw students who now attend some of the highest-achieving K-8 schools in the IPS system.
Read MoreShelbyville’s SCB Bank scrambles for capital
A Shelbyville-based bank appears to have missed a federally mandated deadline for boosting its capital levels, a failure that might put it at risk of government takeover.
Read MoreTop StoriesBack to Top
Ski-lodge-themed facility planned for Union Station
The NFL is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a posh 15,000-square-foot hospitality area inside Union Station’s Grand Hall for this year’s Super Bowl. The facility will be a perk for the league’s best corporate partners, former players and coaches, and other high-rollers.
Read MoreBank hits Centre Properties with $43M suit
Three local strip centers owned by longtime Indianapolis developer Centre Properties are the target of a $43 million foreclosure lawsuit brought by the real estate firm’s lender.
Read MoreTrio of ad agency executives launches boutique firm
Three well-known advertising industry executives formed an agency this month that industry insiders think could make some noise in the local market.
Read MoreSuburban-hotel mayhem whipsaws entrepreneur
Two of Sanjay Patel’s hotels landed in bankruptcy in November. Four others filed for Chapter 11 protection last year.
Read MorePassengers likely would shoulder chunk of transit system costs
Federal transit data suggests passenger fares would generate about one-fourth of the money needed to operate a suburban rail and expanded bus system proposed for the region.
Read MoreCash-strapped Arcadia seeks DailyMed buyer
The Indianapolis-based company is searching for a buyer for its once-promising DailyMed pharmacy service as it struggles to pay $30 million in debt that comes due in April.
Read MoreAgency endorses big cut to state horse racing’s $58M subsidy
The Indiana Inspector General recommends in a report that the annual subsidy paid to the state’s horse racing community be reduced by more than half, to $28 million.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
University education schools inflate grades, critics charge
Nearly four of five students received A’s in Indiana University education classes in 2010-2011, but education deans at IU and other universities say grading is approached differently than in other schools, such as math.
Read MoreChristel House eyeing adult charter school
Like Goodwill’s program, it would cater to dropouts.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: Gregg, Pence should think big
So far, the efforts of government haven’t been enough to reverse the relative slide in wages and incomes. Too few firms are using the playground Indiana has created.
Read MoreMORRIS: Feeling (mostly) thankful this year
I’m feeling very thankful that I have the opportunity to work alongside such wonderful people. Many CEOs feel the same way.
Read MoreKENNEDY: Navigating Byzantine health care costs
How many times do we fill out patient forms with identical information? How many insurance claims must be completed in different formats by all those white-haired ladies in colorful smocks sitting behind the glass partitions in your doctor’s office?
Read MoreSHERLOCK: The sensibility of responsible acquisitions
In a time when capital for growth is hard to come by, acquisitions can provide a much-needed boost not only to an entrepreneur but also to our nation’s economic recovery.
Read MoreHICKS: Penn State abuse case offers lessons for us all
The cascading revelations about Pennsylvania State University’s storied football program surely will continue to repulse and sadden us. But within the horror of the events are many lessons, economic and otherwise.
Read MoreSKARBECK: ‘Parity’ strategies confuse market volatility with risk
The basic idea behind risk parity is to reduce the weight of stocks and increase the weight of bonds to balance the volatility.
Read MoreALTOM: Laptops evolve to include ports of all sorts
If you’ve purchased a laptop lately, you may have noticed it has a few new things in it, most visibly ports that now come in a rather bewildering variety of types and purposes.
Read MoreWelcome dreamers with new businesses
I view the recent media coverage regarding Litebox’s ambitious plans to locate in Indianapolis as counterproductive to the reputation our city and state have earned for welcoming business with open arms.
Read MoreNo NCAA outcry about Penn State?
Perhaps it was publishing deadlines that led Bill Benner and the IBJ to miss the local angle to the Penn State scandal.
Read MoreAlcohol commission went too far
Your [Nov. 5] story about the upcoming auction of alcohol permits by the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission failed to tell the whole story.
Read MoreFight for schools
Mike Hicks tells readers to “vote with their feet” if their local school districts don’t improve in a few years. From the perspective of true community leadership, this philosophy of action is wrong.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
Dumping Amylin ups stakes for Lilly
Eli Lilly and Co. divorced one diabetes darling in favor of a new flame last week, but no analysts cheered. And a few booed.
Read MoreStonegate Mortgage plans to add 45 workers in ’11
The Indianapolis-based firm has pledged to add a total of 300 workers by 2015.
Read MoreNot-for-profit manufacturer partners with disabled Marine
Crossroads Industrial Services will team up with a service-disabled veteran to win new business from defense contractors.
Read MoreBlueprint: Churches, charities shouldn’t feed the homeless
“Blueprint 2” calls on well-meaning church and charity groups to stop delivering food directly to homeless camps. Professional outreach teams report that this enables people who may have addictions or mental health problems to continue living outside.
Read MoreLifestyle Family Fitness closes 2 locations, sells 2 others
Minnesota-based Life Time Fitness is buying the two sites that will remain open. One is in Fishers and the other is near 96th and Meridian streets in Indianapolis.
Read MoreAdvice to techies: Focus like a laser
Focus on what you do best and get to know your partners’ strengths and weaknesses, Kevin Bailey, a co-founder of Slingshot SEO, told attendees of the TechPoint summit this month.
Read MoreNFP of NOTE: Habitat for Humanity of Hamilton County
Habitat for Humanity of Hamilton County is dedicated to working in partnership with low-income families in Hamilton County under the conviction that every person should have a simple, decent, affordable place to live in safety and dignity.
Read MoreCharities, what do you need most?
Indianapolis Business Journal’s annual Holiday Wish List will debut in the Nov. 28 issue and appear weekly through Dec. 19.
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