Veteran educator running against Bennett for state post
Glenda Ritz’ opposition to pass-fail tests is fueling her campaign to unseat Tony Bennett as Indiana’s education czar.
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Glenda Ritz’ opposition to pass-fail tests is fueling her campaign to unseat Tony Bennett as Indiana’s education czar.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett credits retired education professor John Moody with inspiring much of the reform agenda he has pushed over the past four years.
WellPoint Inc., the health insurer that’s lost 19 percent of its market value over two months, is the least popular carrier among hospital executives who have to negotiate with them, an industry survey shows.
North Carolina utilities regulators have ordered Duke Energy and Progress Energy to detail some of the deals they cut with major customers before their merger earlier this year.
Charles L. Venable, 52, the director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville since 2007, was chosen to replace Maxwell Anderson, who left the IMA in January to become director of the Dallas Museum of Art.
Indiana State Excise Police handed out 15 citations and made two arrests during Thursday's Unity Tour 2012 concert at White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. The concert featured acts including 311, Slightly Stoopid and the Aggrolites. Nine people were cited for having marijuana, including a 16-year-old. Two women were arrested on preliminary charges of possessing pot. Three citations were given for alcohol-related offenses.
Two former Martinsville coaches will serve probation but avoid jail time as part of plea deals finalized in court Wednesday. The men were charged in a child seduction case involving separate relationships with the same 17-year-old student. Under the agreement, Tim Wolf, 66, and Jeff McGown, 38, will register as sex offenders and serve nine years of probation. Both have lost their teaching licenses. Wolf is a former teacher and basketball coach at Martinsville High School. McGown taught second grade and served as tennis coach.
Blake Shelton offers the final Indiana State Fair concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Aug. 17. Details here.
The other “Batman”—the one with Michael Keaton—is screened behind the Indianapolis Museum of Art Aug. 17. Details here.
On Aug. 18, The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents “Out West: GLBT Hidden Histories,” which includes a screening of “Brokeback Mountain” and a discussion of the impact of the film. Details here.
RiffTrax Live, featuring members of “Mystery Science Theatre 3000,” makes a further mockery of the legendary terrible film “Manos The Hands of Fate” by providing live commentary during screenings in select movie theaters Aug. 16. Details here.
Aug. 18
Danville Square
Need a little Fab Four to fill out your summer? Option A is to head to Conner Prairie this weekend as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra turns the stage over (for the fifth year) to a touring Beatles tribute band that includes members of the Broadway cast of Beatlemania. Option B is to get to Danville for a show that’s more celebration than imitation, featuring Jennie DeVoe (whom you’d never confuse with John, Paul, George or Ringo), Tim Grimm, Cara Jean Marcy and more. Details here and here.
Aug. 16-19
IndianapolisConvention Center
Admit it: You’ve been tempted. You’ve seen the throngs of folks heading into the Convention Center each year to (gasp!) play games with one another. And part of you has said, “You know, I like to play Scrabble. I like to play an occasional game of Risk. Maybe I should … nah, I’m not one of them.”
Well, the truth is, “they” are a lot of different kinds of people. Yes, there are the hardcore Mountain Dew-swillers hunkering over games of Pathfinder and following the 3-2-1 rule for the weekend (3 hours of sleep, 2 meals, 1 shower). But there also are couples entering the Apples to Apples tournament and clans taking advantage of Sunday’s $30/family-of-four day.
Where should a newcomer start? Consider the new First Exposure Playtest Hall, where you can help hone prototype games with the designers. Or get caught up in the dealer hall where game manufacturers welcome you to try out their latest games—even if they take hours. That’s where I’ll be most of the time, trying out games to recommend to you in an upcoming column. Details here.
Aug. 17-26
Various locations
This year’s fest has 68 shows to choose from ranging from family-friendly magic shows to recommended-for-adult-audiences burlesque. In between, there’s drama, comedy and a sequel to last year’s hit, “Schoolhouse Wrong.” Indy Fringe, now in its eighth year, is wisely structured so that all six participating theater spaces have shows running at the same time. Each of these shows runs about an hour, taking most patrons off the street during show times. But then there’s that half-hour gap between them to schmooze, compare notes, grab a frozen yogurt, and hustle to the next show.
The system makes it possible to see as many as seven shows in a day—not that I’d recommend that kind of overload. Rather, try a trio of shows in a day with some time off for lunch or dinner. Each show will set you back $10. (Full disclosure: I co-created one of the 68 shows.) Full schedule and details here.
Butler University has seen applications spike 43 percent over the last two years even though its 2009 strategic plan warned against a coming enrollment decline. The big difference? March Madness.
The private college announced Wednesday that it now has more than 5,500 students, including both graduates and undergraduates. The school welcomes 1,100 new students this fall, including its second-largest freshman class of 830.
Purchase agreements in the nine-county Indianapolis area tracked by F.C. Tucker Co totaled 2,219 in July, a 9.7-percent increase over the same month last year. Overall year-to-date sale prices for the nine-county area increased by 2.5 percent, to $154,975.
A controversial downtown Indianapolis apartment building that never opened due to severe design deficiencies is a step closer to being ready for tenants after city officials granted the project’s new owner a zoning variance.
Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis has received initial funding for its new Center for Pastoral Excellence through an $8 million grant from the Lilly Endowment.
The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art has removed the "interim" tag from the title of its executive director.
An ordinance that would require new and rebuilt streets in Indianapolis to be designed and constructed with multiple users in mind has been passed by the City-County Council.