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It seems I have to write this column every year. Our elected leaders and their appointees are once again telling us how many jobs they have brought to us through their superlative efforts. Have pity on them. They know what they are doing, but they don’t know what’s going on. Yet, you and I will go to the polls and judge them based on the number of jobs they bring to the city, county or the state when we vote…
As the boys’ and girls’ high school swimming seasons come to a close, my thoughts turn to a man who in April will be inducted into the first class of the Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. It’s notable because this person never swam a competitive lap in his life. That said, I can’t think of anyone more deserving. In the big picture of local sports-where the major leaguers and the major colleges reside-not many have heard…
A push from Indiana Pacers co-owner Herb Simon and seven other National Basketball Association owners is spurring league officials
to adopt broader revenue-sharing measures. But those measures might not be enough to pull the Pacers out of the red.
I love summer. Especially June, when you know you have months of great weather left. Of course, there always are people who complain. There is always the possibility of a few bad storms now and again, but with a slight perspective on the calendar, you know how much time you have left before the cold. Too bad the stock market is not like the seasons. But in a way, it can be looked at from a weatherman’s perspective. His record…
Sure, it’s a budget session, and one would expect fiscal talk to dominate the discussion. But the one thing that has surprised us so far this year-and we are literally at the midpoint-is just how much the dollar debate has consumed this Legislature. Through the first few weeks of the session, the big sport was picking the over/under on when the relationship between Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and House Speaker Pat Bauer (DSouth Bend)-and thus between Republicans and Democrats as…
Small-business owners know building relationships helps build business. But cultivating strategic connections also takes time-one commodity that’s always in short supply. That’s where networking groups come in. A growing number of such organizations are working to connect busy business owners so they can trade advice and customer leads in a short span of time. With weekly or monthly meetings, the groups promise a one-stop opportunity to make dozens of contacts that can lead directly to sales. One of the fastest-growing…
To do so the Indianapolis-based health insurer is moving to start its own bank, whose initial role will be to hold and manage its customers’ health savings accounts. An HSA is a relatively new breed of health insurance that places money-and more responsibility-in consumers’ hands. Well-Point bets more and more of its customers will start such accounts in the future. “We expect to see continued strong growth for these products. There is a tremendous amount of interest in the marketplace…
Hoosier homeowners and motorists could pay more for insurance this year in the wake of last April’s hailstorm that produced a nation-leading $1.5 billion in catastrophic claims. But even as insurers continue to pay for new roofs and car body repairs, industry experts say any increase would be less than 10 percent. So far, no insurance companies have formally requested a premium increase due to the hailstorm, according to the Indiana Department of Insurance, although claims continue to roll in….
It seems strange that a piece of jewelry that I won’t own and will only see on passing occasions should hold my interest, but it does. And judging by how often I hear other people discussing Super Bowl rings, (“What do you think the design will look like?” “Will everyone in the Colts organization get one?” “How much will they cost?”), I suspect there are many others feeling the same. Perhaps it’s because this victory seems so sweet, so picture…
Indiana University appears poised to choose an internal candidate as president for the first time in 35 years . The decision
could be announced within days. Two IU trustees confirmed that finalists include Michael McRobbie and Ora Pescovitz, well-known
IU administrators.
The high cost of not going to college VIEWPOINT Recent studies reinforce what many parents and prospective students have found out firsthand: The cost of a college education is rising beyond what some middle- to lowincome families can afford. The cost of attending a public college rose 35 percent during the past five years, after adjusting for inflation, according to studies by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization that administers standardized tests throughout the country. As these and other studies…
The Indianapolis AdClub’s annual awards competition-which some firms think is an important showcase for the local ad industry-is regaining its footing after years of decline. But some of the city’s largest agencies are still steering clear. AdClub, which saw participation plummet in recent years, this year restored the connection between its contest and the national Addy Awards given by the American Advertising Federation. It also tweaked its contest and revamped its awards event, changes that reversed a downward slide in…
After our Valentine’s Day wedding, my bride and I took a few days off for a brief New York City honeymoon. We walked nearly everywhere, used public transportation when we wanted to go farther and bought our food and drink in jam-packed, smoke-free restaurants and bars (the only kind there are in New York, thanks to a several-years-old, levelthe-playing-field, smoke-free workplace law). I liked being able to dine anywhere and everywhere with clean indoor air. I liked the exercise from…
“It slices! It dices!” That was the claim of late-night pitchman Ron Popeil of his invention, the Veg-OMatic. He could very well have said the same about Wall Street and its penchant to carve up the stock market and repackage it for sale to investors. The most visible evidence of this pursuit is the development of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. An ETF is essentially an index mutual fund-an unmanaged pool of investor money that is invested in a select group…
When the snow started flying during central Indiana’s impressive winter storm this month, some residents bought bread and eggs and hunkered down to wait out the white stuff. Others tuned up their trucks and revved their snow blowers in hopes of seeing a lot of green. Many area city and town officials had private contractors on their speed dial-reinforcements who would help clear the foot of snow that fell in the Indianapolis area Feb. 13-14. The workers ranged from a…
Kevin Hughes cut his teeth in the political world. Now he’s taking a bite out of small business, as the new state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. Hughes, 30, has never owned his own business, but he worked for six years at the Ohio State Legislature as a legislative aide and for the Senate Republicans there. He also worked on several campaigns. In 2004, Hughes took a job as the Midwest regional political director for NFIB in…
Sid Vicious-the cat, not the dead punk-rock renegade-and his feline friend Topper are almost as much a part of Halstead Architects as the eight employees. Perhaps they do enjoy destroying drawings more than sketching them, but their role at the Fountain Square firm has grown from mere mousers to beloved companions. That’s especially true for architect Jeff Schroeder, who adopted Sid from the Indianapolis Humane Society after a rodent crawled up his leg following the firm’s arrival at a former…
Utility ratepayer groups say House Bill 1496, which is stuck in committee, is typical of what they see as a disturbing trend:
allowing utilities to pass the cost of mandates directly to consumers. HB 1496 would require Indiana’s coal-reliant electric
utilities to generate at least 10 percent of their power from renewable energy sources like wind and landfill gas.
French Lick Resorts & Casino is already struggling, less than four months after its launch. And the casino’s owners are downright
terrified legislators soon will allow both of the state’s horse-racing tracks to become “racinos” and add up to 5,000 slot
machines.
The Indiana Department of Insurance wants to raise almost $2 million by hiking some fees it charges insurers, while still cutting their premium taxes in an effort to attract more companies to the state. The proposals are among several bills lawmakers are mulling that affect the insurance industry this legislative session. House Bill 1570, which would bolster Insurance Department coffers in part to hire more staff, has cleared early hurdles. It sped through both the House insurance and ways and…
