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I recently was invited to attend a t ow n – h a l l – s t y l e debate between members of a local fire department and an a n t i – p r o p e r t y – t a x group. For those of you who are sporadic readers of this column, it is important for me to clarify that I have recently angered both groups. It seems my research on government…
After many years, my good friend the Rev. Bob arrived in Indiana. He’s been busy tending his flock at St. Lucifer’s in Kansas. After some traditional words of greeting and invocation, the Rev. Bob tore right into me. “How come you never write about positive ideas for helping Indiana get out of its economic doldrums? All you do is elaborate on the well-known truth that the Hoosier economy is a long-term mess.” “What would you suggest?” I asked. “Something no…
Is Google making us stupid? No, but it’s contributing to the problem. It’s well-known that, although we shape our tools, we are in turn shaped by them. Look no further than the hollowed-out cities of the middle 20th century, when the automobile gave us the mobility to build bedroom suburbs. Mobility killed off neighborhood social clubs, eliminated multi-generational families living together, and stretched town infrastructure like roads and sewers to the breaking point. Sleepy outlying school systems suddenly had both…
In a “supersized” culture, where bigger is better, nanotechnology is redefining the meaning of slimming down. Today, all of our favorite songs fit on a business card-size machine instead of on hundreds of CDs. Loud, clunky medical equipment has been with sleek quiet machinery that produces results in seconds. And, scientists and engineers in various industries are working with the smallest particles to build some of the most complex structures. The term “nanotechnology” refers to materials and devices that function…
Most public companies say they tie executive compensation to performance, but an IBJ review of pay data from 65 Indiana-based
firms shows otherwise. Last year, more than two-thirds of Indiana-based public companies saw their share prices decline, yet
many continued to award eye-popping compensation to their executives.
Mary Andritz, dean of Butler University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, bursts into laughter when asked how long her department’s been short on space. “I’ve only been here for two years, but I think it’s been for some considerable amount of time,” she guessed. “Probably for 10 years.” Lilly Endowment Inc., however, is filling the prescription in the form of a grant to fund a 40,000-square-foot addition under construction and scheduled to open by the fall 2009 semester. The…
Other than the occasional NASCAR race and, notably, professional wrestling, I choose not to believe in orchestrated outcomes and conspiracy theories when it comes to sports. OK, I’m just kidding about NASCAR. Well, sort of. Anyway, I defended that belief even as I was being besieged by Pacers fans- back when the Pacers were the local team of choice and favor-who were convinced NBA Commissioner David Stern and his minions were preventing our small-market darlings from reaching the NBA Finals…
If there’s a silver lining to high winds and torrential rain, it can be found in the bank accounts of companies called upon to clean up the mess. For the dozens of tree cutting, trimming and hauling firms that fill up seven pages in the local Yellow Pages, the storms of late spring came at just the right time. “We didn’t get one call for three weeks prior to the storms hitting,” said Russell Goodman, owner of locally based All…
It’s the fourth day of the American Theatre Critics Association annual conference and my feet or sore, my eyes a little glazed over, and my excitement about theater and its potential increased.
Here are some notes:
* One of the factors credited…
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance said today it plans pay its policyholders $125 in cash if their personal property was damaged by flooding earlier this month. The gifts are a goodwill gesture, said spokesman Rick Nelson. “Flood insurance is immaterial,” Nelson said. “If the have it, we’re going to give it to them. If they don’t […]
Indiana companies cut back hiring in May, but government added to its rosters – resulting in virtually no net gain in employment, according to new figures from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The 2.98 million jobs was a decline of 1,300 from April, and 1 percent below levels of a year earlier. The figures […]
Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library board members couldn’t reach a consensus last night on who should get rights to develop two library-owned properties adjacent to its flagship downtown branch. The library’s Board of Trustees met for more than two hours to discuss plans to redevelop the vacant Ambassador apartment building and property the library owns at […]
Seattle hospitality leaders say Indianapolis made a good choice in selecting current Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Donald P. Welsh as its new tourism leader. “[Welsh] has been a driving force in getting the state to talk about tourism and engaging the governor and mayor,” said Anthony Anton, president of the Washington Restaurant Association. […]
The executive who would have become president of The Finish Line Inc. if the Indianapolis company had closed on its purchase of Genesco Inc. has been promoted to Genesco CEO. Robert J. Dennis, 54, will add the CEO title to his existing post of president of the Nashville, Tenn., retailer come Aug. 1. He replaces […]
Despite flooding which has ravaged the area, officials at the Iowa Speedway—30 miles east of Des Moines—expect the Indy Racing League race there to be sold out Sunday.
“Track officials are expecting another strong…
It’s not easy filling the shoes of a 26-year news veteran. But Kristen Leigh Porter is going to try. Officials for the Indianapolis Star recently announced that Porter has been named to replace…
Indianapolis-based Specialty Coating Systems Inc. has been acquired for an undisclosed price by Berwind Corp., a Philadelphia-based private investment manager. Specialty Coating was owned by Bunker Hill Capital LP of Boston, which had acquired it from Rhode Island-based Cookson Electronics in December 2005. Specialty Coating has nine facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia that […]
Reports of the death of the CD aren’t exagerated.
Wired magazine reports that Apple’s ITunes store has sold over five billion songs.
Meanwhile, Price WaterhouseCoopers LLC released a report that sales downloaded songs will surpass that of CDs by 2010.
In…
Cedar Run Investments LLC, owned by Indianapolis developer Tim Shrout, has received the go-ahead from the Shelby County Plan Commission to build an industrial park in Shelbyville. The project will target suppliers to the Honda Manufacturing of Indiana plant in nearby Greensburg. The commission voted Wednesday to rezone 100 acres from agriculture to manufacturing, according […]
