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NOTIONS: Profiles in courage and political consequences

After Tuesday night’s vote tallies, after the candidates’ acceptance and concession speeches, after Wednesday’s Indianapolis Star trumpeted Greg Ballard’s upset of Mayor Bart Peterson in 120-point type, I pulled from my bookshelf my copy of John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage.” There were two courageous acts on the Indianapolis mayoral stage this year. First, there was courage by Ballard. When all the prominent Republican politicians chose not to challenge Democrat Peterson; when most of the usualsuspect Republican donors gave to…

West-side group promotes ethnic eateries: Will visitors see gems among strip malls?

The Lafayette Square neighborhood is known for its aging mall and the ongoing struggle to keep tenants there and in the surrounding sea of strip centers. But some advocates want to promote a success story: the demographic diversity that has given rise to a plethora of ethnic eateries in the area. Visitors who take a trip through some of the retail centers and outlots off West 38th Street can find the ubiquitous pizza, gyros and sushi-along with more unusual Ethiopian,…

Commentary: White River State Park a true gem

On the week we give our Michael A. Carroll Award to Brian Payne for his promotion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, I am thinking of White River State Park. The connection is easily made because Mike Carroll was killed in an airplane crash on his way to do research on-you guessed it-White River State Park. He, three other civic leaders and two pilots died when two planes collided in midair on Sept. 11, 1992. Fast forward: As I envision Payne’s…

Ballard to review city’s art spending: Arts leaders concerned gains made during Peterson’s tenure will be lost

Mayor-elect Greg Ballard said he’s got nothing against spending city money on the arts, but his administration nevertheless will evaluate whether devoting $2.5 million to it each year is the best use of that money. “It’s OK to fund [the arts] as long as people are relatively safe in the city,” Ballard said. Though acknowledging Indianapolis’ “vibrant arts community,” Ballard said it’s mostly privately funded. “I’m not saying I’m going to cut all of the arts [funding],” he said. “We’ll…

New tourism ads paying off for city: Ten-second promotions attracting more visitors

When Indianapolis promoters were deciding what to do to lure leisure travelers to the city over summer break, they decided being short and to the point was the way to go. So, the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association partnered with eight area attractions to produce extremely brief television and radio travel commercials. The resulting ad campaign was wellfunded-with a budget $240,000 more than the previous year-and produced stellar results, including more awareness of Indianapolis attractions, more nights spent in Indianapolis,…

Mortgage-investment flap singes Children’s Wish Fund:

The collapse in value of subprime mortgage securities may look like a Wall Street problem, fueling steep writedowns at some of the nation’s biggest investment firms and costing some corporate titans their jobs. But recent woes at the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund underscore that its tentacles extend all the way to the heartland, even ensnaring the small Indianapolis not-for-profit. The Children’s Wish Fund, which has just four full-time employees, filed an arbitration proceeding this month against Memphis-based Morgan Keegan &…

Measured strides in science: Engineering, science still male dominated

When the 2007 Nobel Prize winners in science were announced in October, it didn’t take a mathematical wizard to calculate the number of women who won the eminent prize in the field of science. Zero. Women and men might wonder: was the shutout because of gender discrimination or innate ability? “No one wants to be a sexist, but whether we like it or not we make assessments based on all kinds of factors, including gender,” said Carol McCord, assistant dean…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: World War II veterans built economy into juggernaut

Veterans Day is upon us again, and the slow passing of the World War II generation sparks thought on their contributions. I will let others dwell on their considerable wartime achievements. I am an economist, not a historian, after all. Our 16 million World War II veterans emerged from conflict in the late summer of 1945 to a muchfractured world. The production of goods-where facilities had survived bombs and artillery-was almost wholly focused on the demands of war. A worldwide…

Flurry of city hotels undergo makeovers: At least a half-dozen properties get big renovations

The managers of many downtown hotels are sinking millions of dollars into their properties, hoping to burnish product that will soon compete with roughly 2,340 rooms in several new hotel construction projects. And while regular renovations are the lifeblood of the hotel industry, experts say the market’s rash of big-ticket overhauls is also a defensive move. The biggest competition for existing hotels is likely to come from the $325 million J.W. Marriott complex, which will include the city’s largest convention…

INVESTING: Exxon Mobil executive wields incredible power

Power is typically understood by those who wield it and those who operate under it. If I took a survey that asked who the most powerful person in the world is today, there would be two or three common answers. But there is a person who is just as powerful, and perhaps more so, than the few names that immediately come to mind. I am talking about Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil. Up until Nov. 5 (more…

EYE ON THE PIE: Children are central issue for ’08

The election campaign of 2008 can transform our state if the candidates focus their attention on children. We can develop a healthy economy and become a model of civility if we focus systematically on our children. Many people are convinced government spends too much. What they mean is that government spends for services that don’t benefit them or services they wish they did not need. Who wants to spend money on juvenile corrections or adult reading programs for prisoners? Who…

A&E: Skid Stuff at the IMA (via the IMS)

This week, a California artist visits the IMA (via Indianapolis Motor Speedway), a British playwright hits hard at Washington, and a Swedish singing group’s tunes become a Broadway sensation. When you call a piece “2005 Indy 500 Victory Donut: Traces of Dan Wheldon,” you aren’t just suggesting that audiences look beyond your abstractions, you are demanding it. The Wheldon piece is part of “Ingrid Calame: Traces of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” the latest exhibition in the IMA’s Forefront Gallery. The…

WTHR general manager departure a stunner

Neither side is talking, but one thing is certain: The removal of the 13-year WTHR veteran known for a sometimes-testy temperament
comes at a crucial time for the local television station.

PROFILE MARIANNE O’CONNOR PRICE: Balanced equation Mother of four excels in careers from engineering to research

PROFILE MARIANNE O’CONNOR PRICE Balanced equation Mother of four excels in careers from engineering to research When Marianne Price graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1974 with a degree in engineering, she was among the scarce 2 percent of women nationwide graduating in that field. She also achieved something that no other female at Notre Dame had ever done to that point-she was valedictorian of her graduating class. Price, 54, is director of the Cornea Research Foundation of…

Glut of local golf courses puts squeeze on owners: Demand has never quite met expectations

Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 golfer, has been great for the sport. But he has not helped attract enough players to the game here and across the country to keep pace with the numbers who are stepping away because of age. That means many local golf course owners are closing the books on another tough season. Some area owners have seen the number of rounds played decline 40 percent since 2000. Golf course values here, meanwhile, have slid about…

Expanded center luring new conventions: City visitor’s association lining up groups, events for new stadium, bigger center

Work on the Indiana Convention Center expansion is at least six months away, but numerous organizations already have reserved their space in anticipation of the larger venue. Construction on the $275 million project is expected to begin next summer and last until 2010. After completion, the center will have 747,370 square feet of tradeshow space, about 253,000 more than it has now, in addition to 183,000 square feet available at the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors…

Billboards enter digital era

Remote-controlled digital billboards are revolutionizing the outdoor advertising industry nationwide, but a city prohibition
against the medium is preventing a rollout here.

High-rise in works near canal

A strong demand for student housing downtown is driving a $40 million plan for a high-rise apartment tower a couple of blocks
east of the Central Canal. The developer, a partnership of Fishers-based Paramount Realty Group and Indianapolis-based Alboher
Development Co. Inc., hopes to build the 16-story Paramount Tower on a OneAmerica parking lot.

SPORTS: With the football Hoosiers, it’s one play at a time

I just got an e-mail from a good friend inquiring about where (his speculation was the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.) the Indiana Hoosiers would play their first bowl game since 1993. I responded with the same line I’ve repeated often. When it comes to Indiana football, I never look further ahead than the next play. It’s a lesson I learned 40 years ago, in 1967. I was fresh out of high school. It always was my dream to go…

EXCLUSIVE: $480M downtown project in works

A development team is finalizing plans for a $480 million mixed-use project that calls for condos, as many as three hotels, a theater and 175,000 square feet of retail space just south of downtown. The project, Legends District-SODO, could be one of the largest private developments in the city’s history. It would sprawl over 11 […]