J. Patrick Rooney, an Indianapolis insurance executive who championed health savings accounts and school vouchers, has died. He was 80. Rooney, the former CEO of Golden Rule Insurance Co., was found dead this morning, according to his long-time personal attorney John Sullivan. Rooney apparently died in his sleep, Sullivan said. Until shortly before his death, […]
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.
Now that those Laff Riot nominating conventions are over, the major political parties can get down to the serious work of promising to change things by campaigning pretty much the way they always have. Wait. I take that back. I have seen something different about this year’s presidential election campaign, and I don’t mean the obvious stuff, like John McCain and Joe Biden being (and I can’t believe no one has pointed this out) white guys. This is the first…
Just a few miles north of Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts are to meet the Chicago Bears in their NFL opener, another new football field was seeing its first official action over the weekend. And yes, there is a direct link between the two, as well as the same sense of profound satisfaction that this new field, like LOS, will make a positive and long-lasting difference in our community. Tabernacle Presbyterian Church’s youth sports ministry-our own little Miracle on…
Years ago, I wrote an article about Sheila Suess Kennedy, an Indianapolis author who’d written a book called “What’s a Nice Republican Girl Like Me Doing in the ACLU?” I didn’t know Sheila. I didn’t know much about the American Civil Liberties Union, either. So I stopped by her office (she directed the organization’s Indiana chapter back then) for an education. Sheila, now a faculty member at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, explained to…
O N T H E R E C O R D First Merchants Corp. of Muncie announced Sept. 3 that it has agreed to buy Lincoln Bancorp of Plainfield for about $75 million. The acquisition expands First Merchants’ presence in the Indianapolis area from the northern suburbs into other fast-growing suburbs on the west and south sides. Announcement of the deal sparked a 37-percent runup in the value of Lincoln shares. Elanco, the animal-health division of Eli Lilly and Co.,…
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels is building his campaign for re-election in part on another attempt to cash in a jackpot on the Hoosier Lottery. This time, he’s hedging his bet. In case leasing the Hoosier Lottery outright to a private operator is politically impossible, Daniels is exploring a major bond issue backed by its future revenue.
Sarah Palin won rave reviews for her speech last night at the Republican National Convention, as did Barack
Obama when he closed the Democratic convention last week.
This morning, the Associated Press quoted Democratic Party leaders in Indiana as saying Palin…
Doors to the Columbus Inn bed-and-breakfast have been chained and padlocked, according to The Republic of Columbus. The 113-year-old, Romanesque building once housed city hall and now is on the National Register of Historic Places. The newspaper was not able to reach the owners for comment.
For the first time in its 22 year history, the season-kickoff Start with Art luncheon (being held this Thursday) won’t include a visit from the Indianapolis’ mayor.
Greg Ballard, as has been reported elsewhere, will be at the Republican National Convention.
The…
Commentary Summer mega-events consume us Just when I thought I could start getting to bed at a decent hour again after the 2008 Olympics were over, up pops the Democratic National Convention from Denver. I’m not a television watcher. About the only things I find worthwhile on the boob tube are sports, PBS, movies, and arts or cultural programs. The occasional exception might include a cooking show. Like many Americans, I found myself watching the Beijing games late into the…
Just when I thought I could start getting to bed at a decent hour again after the 2008 Olympics were over, up pops the Democratic National Convention from Denver. I’m not a television watcher. About the only things I find worthwhile on the boob tube are sports, PBS, movies, and arts or cultural programs. The occasional exception might include a cooking show. Like many Americans, I found myself watching the Beijing games late into the night for most of two…
Republican Mayor Greg Ballard has replaced the last of the top economic development officials lingering from the Democratic administration of former Mayor Bart Peterson. This morning Ballard announced new leadership for both Indianapolis Economic Development Inc. and the Indianapolis Private Industry Council. Scott Miller, the former president of business landscaping firm Mainscape Inc., replaces Jeb […]
Record flooding on June 7 has claimed a downtown Columbus furniture and interior business. Montage Furniture & Design will close after 16 years in business, The Republic newspaper of Columbus reported. More than $100,000 of merchandise was lost when flood waters hit a Montage warehouse. Montage, owned by Trent and Cinde Wirth, will close in […]
The Mayor’s Office has quietly agreed to consider selling some of the city’s more than 1,100 properties, including police stations, maintenance buildings and parks, in a bid to raise cash to help balance the budget. The city awarded the potentially lucrative no-bid contract to Venture Real Estate Services, a politically connected real estate firm led by John Bales.
Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate early Saturday, passing over Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who was informed yesterday that he was not the pick. The selection of Biden balances Obama’s ticket with a seasoned congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues. Obama announced the pick […]
MONROE COUNTY Bloomington gets a debate, but not the presidential one Indiana University in Bloomington failed to land the presidential debate it hoped for, but it will host a gubernatorial debate between incumbent Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andy Horning. The debate is slated for Oct. 14 at the […]
From 1979 to 1982, IUPUI inherited three world-class athletic facilities that have since hosted Olympic trials and world-record performances by top-flight amateur and professional athletes. But that inheritance has turned into a financial albatross around the university’s neck. It’s grappling with how to pay for their upkeep and the improvements necessary to keep the facilities–and the city–in the hunt for high-profile sporting events.
From 1979 to 1982, IUPUI inherited three world-class athletic facilities that have since hosted Olympic trials and world-record performances by top-flight amateur and professional athletes. But that inheritance has turned into a financial albatross around the university’s neck. It’s grappling with how to pay for their upkeep and the improvements necessary to keep the facilities-and […]
The 500-employee office complex Cummins Inc. is building near its headquarters in downtown Columbus might have ended up in another state had the city not offered to pay for a new parking garage. The claim came Tuesday during Mayor Fred Armstrong’s mid-year State of the City report, according to The Republic of Columbus. Armstrong’s remarks […]
