Home » Search

Search Results

13902 results for 'articles'

To refine your search through our archives use our Advanced Search

Municipalities battle over township: Greenwood opposes Bargersville annexation plans

BARGERSVILLE-This town of 2,500 has raised the ire of Greenwood leaders, daring to annex land close to the city’s southern border and its sprawl of shopping centers. It’s been a long time in coming-since 1905 or thereabouts. That’s when the Illinois Central Railroad came through Bargersville, a burg created 55 years earlier in honor of local resident Jefferson Barger, and the heart of the town moved a half mile northwest to straddle the new tracks. These days, trains still rumble…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: State buildings to go green thanks to executive order

Green construction projects in Indiana are becoming more the norm than the exception. More office buildings, schools and universities and even residences are being designed and constructed to improve environmental efficiency. And now, new and renovated state buildings will be a whole lot greener, too. Gov. Mitch Daniels signed an executive order this summer establishing the Energy Efficient State Building Initiative, mandating that all new state buildings be designed, constructed and operated for maximum energy efficiency. This is significant for…

EDITORIAL: Arts, parks need city investment: Amenities keep talent flowing here

Arts, parks need city investment Amenities keep talent flowing here Young, well-educated, married people seem to like Indianapolis. That’s one of the pieces of good news that came out of a new IUPUI study that was the subject of a frontpage story in last week’s IBJ. When it comes to young, well-educated singles, we still have a way to go. Indianapolis lags the national average 17 percent. Cities are chasing such young people to keep their communities and economies strong….

Eco groups divided over gasification: New power plant has many critics, but some say it’s a necessary step

One might think a technology promising greener electric generation would please most environmentalists. Duke Energy Corp.’s 630-megawatt coal-gasification plant, scheduled to go online in Edwardsport in 2012, is expected to emit less sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates than the smaller, 1940s-era plant it replaces-while generating 10 times as much electricity. However, more than a dozen Indiana and national advocacy groups are decrying the $2.3 billion plant being footed mostly by ratepayers, claiming it will raise emissions of greenhouse gas…

Airport hoping to double ad revenue with digital push

Indianapolis International Airport officials hope to double advertising revenue, pushing it past $1 million, when the midfield
terminal opens in November. That income, officials said, is important because it helps ease pressure on cash-strapped
airlines, allowing them to focus on offering more flights. The airport relies on non-airline revenue, such as food sales and
advertising, for about 60 percent of its revenue.

EYE ON THE PIE: What really drives Hoosier economy?

I enjoy the propaganda of government agencies pleading the causes of special interests. This is the opening sentence of our state profile prepared by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy: “Small businesses are the heart of Indiana’s economy.” Frequently, we hear that farming is the beating heart of our economy. Others claim the thumping sound we hear is that of manufacturing. Teachers tell us the economy is only as steady as its educational footing. Steel has a claim…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Fallout from government takeovers likely to be modest

It is hard to know what to think about the U.S. Treasury’s takeover of mortgage lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other than the imminent demise of such charming company nicknames, what will this mean to workers, investors, creditors, mortgage holders and taxpayers? If you are trying to obtain a new mortgage, the bailout (if that’s the right word) should result in modestly lower borrowing costs. If you are an investor (and that mostly means larger banks and a…

IT firm rakes in VC cash: Interactions Corp. has raised $35M since 2002 inception

A fast-growing Carmel startup is using a blend of innovative software and human guides to answer questions over the phone.
The company could have located on either coast, but instead chose Carmel’s Clay Terrace. And the company, Interactions Corp.,
has raised more than twice as much money as ChaCha Search Inc., a higher-profile startup in a similar business that’s also
housed in Clay Terrace.

Green building movement picking up steam in Indiana: More than 100 LEED projects in pipeline statewide

The portfolios of local architectural firms are beginning to boast more ecofriendly projects. But it hasn’t been that way for long. The trend to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is a recent phenomenon that appeals not only to the tree-hugging crowd but corporations and government entities, too. “We’re definitely getting to the point where clients are asking us about the LEED process,” said Eric Anderson, a project architect at Axis Architecture + Interiors. “Whereas before, even [as…

SPORTS: Venue menu could be as limitless as the sky above it

Of this, that and the other while pondering the fact that the Indianapolis Colts have not yet been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs: So I’m sitting in Lucas Oil Stadium before that seasonopening loss to the Bears and my mind wanders, not to the present, but to the future. Yes, the stadium already is home to the Colts as well as upcoming NCAA basketball, including a men’s regional next spring, the men’s Final Four in 2010, and the Women’s Final…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Browser wars: Should you go for Chrome?

There’s a war being waged all around you, and I’ll bet you haven’t even noticed. Oh, you may have noticed a year or two back, when the media reported on it, but after a while even wars get dull and the press wanders off to report on Jamie Lynn Spears’ baby. There used to be two combatants in the war. One was a behemoth, one of the world’s largest, while the other was an upstart, but gaining ground over time….

Mayor says some of 38 TIF districts have problems, might need reorganization

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.

Three-year-old Carmel firm tries to distinguish itself in difficult candy industry

A local candy maker has found the sweet spot in an industry where startup efforts often go sour. Founded in 2006, Carmel-based
Candy Dynamics is making a name for itself with its unusual "double-action" sour recipe, eye-catching packaging
and unforgettable names like Toxic Waste Hazardously Sour Candy, Nuclear Sludge and Hi-Voltage Bubble Gum.


Expectations high as Economic Club opens season: Group sees turnaround in sponsorships, attendance

Organizers of the Economic Club of Indiana believe they’ll hit a home run when their first speaker of the season, Eli Lilly and Co.’s new CEO, John Lechleiter, steps to the podium Sept. 24. “I believe John Lechleiter will blow the socks off the place,” predicted Steve Walker, who serves as club president and also is CEO of WalkerInformation. Just a few years ago, club organizers weren’t in a position to be so upbeat. Early this decade, the club witnessed…

Commentary: Can we Bank on Indianapolis?

Whoa. Those figures, based on national averages from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., don’t paint a pretty picture. People without bank accounts tend to keep cash at home or in their pockets, which increases the likelihood of crime. They create a market in which predatory lenders can thrive. They fail to reach their full potential, and so do the cities where they live. We have a problem. Now what can we do about it? We could take a cue from…

FUNNY BUSINESS: This election goes beyond just boxers or briefs

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…

INVESTING: Government bailouts are only making matters worse

There is a change in the air, and I am not talking about that chill you feel when you walk out in the morning to get your paper. This change I am thinking of is even worse than the chill that signals the end of summer. The federal government of the United States just nationalized two of the largest mortgage companies in the world-Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On the morning of Sept. 6, when I heard about the move,…

A greener afterlife: Cemeteries, funeral businesses are offering more options for those who want their burial to be more environmentally friendly

Some people think it’s always important to be kind to Mother Earth-even in death. A concept known as “green burial,” in which one is laid to rest in an environmentally friendly fashion, is gaining some popularity nationwide. Methods of green burial vary, but often involve a more natural interment of the body without the use of toxic embalming chemicals. Simple pine or cardboard coffins that will decompose quickly are used instead of steel caskets. Bodies are laid to rest in…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: A few ways to put an end your office thermostat wars

It’s game time in corporate Indiana. The competitors: warm-blooded workers vs. cold-blooded workers. The battlefield: the thermostat. The unofficial season of the thermostat wars is about to begin. Anyone who’s worked in an office knows exactly how this game shakes out. An employee who complains it’s too hot nudges the thermostat dial farther toward the 60s; an employee who complains it’s too cold gives the dial a shove toward the 80s. The only one to win a thermostat war is…

Lilly Endowment crawls toward diversification goal: Bear market, low Lilly stock price slow selloff

Lilly Endowment Inc. is still on its journey to sell off $2 billion of its Eli Lilly and Co. shares. But after a slow start and a few stops for rest, it may take a little longer to get there than originally thought. The endowment, the single largest holder of Lilly stock, announced its plan to diversify its holdings back in July 2006. For nearly 70 years, the not-for-profit held its wealth almost exclusively in the pharmaceutical company’s stock. So…