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Dose of OPPORTUNITY: Wellpoint, other health care insurers forge strategies to grab their share of Medicare drug-plan business

Afresh market that could be worth billions of dollars lies just over the horizon for health insurers like Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. Medicare, the U.S. government program for the elderly and disabled, will add a prescription drug benefit starting Jan. 1, and it could spend as much as $60 billion next year on medicines for 30 million people, according to Bloomberg News. But before insurers can start cashing in on this potential, they must develop their drug plans, win over some…

Trustee balks at creditor legal bill: ATA bankruptcy watchdog calls hours ‘unreasonable’

The bankruptcy court watchdog has sunk its teeth into the hind pockets of a New York law firm representing creditors in the ATA Holdings Corp. bankruptcy, howling that it billed more hours than even the airline’s own counsel. U.S. Trustee Nancy J. Gargula filed the objection July 27 in U.S. District Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, citing the “unnecessary and per se unreasonable” hours billed by Akin Gump Strauss Hower and Feld LLP between ATA’s Oct. 26…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Growth of GDP better than might first appear

What happens when the world’s largest economy continues to grow at a faster rate than that of any other industrialized nation? The answer is, a tremendous amount of wealth is created. That’s the real reason investment dollars and boatloads of consumer goods continue to land on our shores from abroad every day. Compared to the tepid growth in the rest of the other mature economies around the globe, we are still the best game to be found. That’s a more…

SPORTS: Before the first kickoff, all is well on IU gridiron

C H I C AG O – Almost a year ago in this space, I wrote about IU’s then-new athletic director, Rick Greenspan, observing that his arrival coincided with the beginning of football season, which would allow him to be immediately confronted with the Athletic Department’s most pressing and obvious problem. Under Gerry DiNardo, an uninspired choice to begin with, Hoosier football was continuing its mired-in-the-muck ways, hopelessly spinning its wheels. Horrible as a game coach and even worse in…

Who’ll fill it?: Nordstrom a possibility for Ayres space

Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s may be candidates to fill pending department store vacancies at Castleton and Greenwood Park malls if smaller retailers don’t end up filling the void. The merger of the Federated and May department store companies that’s creating the vacancies is the latest move in a decades-long trend of consolidation in the industry. Some observers speculate a nondepartment-store retailer could end up occupying the space after the L.S. Ayres at Castleton Square and Macy’s in Greenwood close…

EYE ON THE PIE: Democrats’ rebirth depends on Lake County

It may not have been a major headline in your local newspaper, but Stephen “Bob” Stiglich died last week at age 70. He was the Lake County auditor and a longtime major figure among Lake County Democrats. His passing may be an important part of the necessary regeneration of the Democratic Party in Indiana. Robert Pasterick has been deposed as mayor of East Chicago. Scott King, mayor of Gary, has separated himself from the Democratic Party and now calls himself…

Haverstick lands DWD’s controversial IT contract: Original award to India-based Tata was election issue

Last year, it was the contract that helped turn the gubernatorial election. Now, it’s a nice piece of business for Carmel-based Haverstick Government Solutions. When Indiana awarded a multimilliondollar project to an India-based information-technology developer, Gov. Joe Kernan, a Democrat, endured intense criticism. By November, Kernan had canceled the agreement with Bombay-based Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. He also introduced “Opportunity Indiana,” an initiative for government-procurement reform. But the political damage had already been done. Republican Mitch Daniels triumphed at the…

INVESTING: Adventurous investors could get thrill riding surf stocks

Surf’s up! Because I love surfing, those words have been music to my ears for more than 25 years. Now, Wall Street is showing some enthusiasm for the sport, too, as well as the culture that surrounds it. The California surf culture has been setting fashion trends across America for decades. The sport of surfing has witnessed consistently strong growth since the Beach Boys and Gidgett exploded into the mainstream in the 1960s. For evidence of the incredible reach of…

Electronic network prepares to branch out: More hospital systems, doctors in line for speedy test results through Indiana Health Information Exchange

The Indiana Health Information Exchange starts a busy fall next month with plans to add two more hospital systems to a cutting-edge electronic network designed to improve patient care in central Indiana. The expansion is helping keep Indiana ahead of other states exploring this new branch of medical technology, experts say. The state also is home to the Indianapolis Network for Patient Care, a system that started in the mid-1990s as a way for hospital emergency rooms to share patient…

Co-owner gives golf course a woman’s touch: Multiple tees and restrooms make the Purgatory Club in Noblesville one of the best in the country for females

Purgatory isn’t just for women. Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, that is. True, you can buy pink hooded sweatshirts, pink-and-white golf shoes and scented candles in the Pro Shop. And one night a month is designated Ladies Night, where women can play a round of golf, enjoy food and wine and win prizes. But don’t be fooled. Purgatory isn’t some cookie-cutter golf course. When played from the back tees, it’s one of the longest courses east of the Mississippi-nearly 7,800…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Soon you may be able to chat at 20,000 feet

Ever since I was a kid, I resented other people’s getting by w i t h s o m e t h i n g I didn’t think I could get away with. The element of danger only adds to my Midwestern frustration at having to hold my tongue. Gas station customers smoking while fueling. Drivers cutting me off in traffic and not even noticing, thanks to the cell phones I can clearly see held to their ears. Fellow passengers…

Rising star in GOP recasts job agency: New chief uses secret shoppers, dress code to shake up state’s work force development

Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Ronald Stiver says the world is flat, with the United States no longer having mountainous advantages over other nations. And Stiver knows Hoosiers must prepare for it to get even flatter. “You’re talking to the converted,” Stiver said. “I believe in the 21st century, the major lever for economic development will be work-force development.” Stiver, 31, is reorganizing DWD with the new flat world in mind. He envisions an agency that moves beyond doling…

NOTIONS: A poem to honor positive and interesting ideas

My former boss loved to challenge our ad agency’s staffers with the wheelbarrow test. Developed by Professor Edward de Bono of Cambridge University and published in David Campbell’s book, “Take the Road to Creativity and Get off Your Dead End,” the instructions read: “Below is a side view of a proposed design for a new wheelbarrow. Write down five comments about the design.” If you’re like most adults, you’ll say the wheel’s too small or the handle too short. That…

Pottery by You: Firing up the entrepreneurial spirit Pottery shop owner puts love for art to work

Pottery shop owner puts love for art to work “Don’t sell this place without telling me first,” Katie Laux implored Pottery by You founder Liz Welter as they wielded brushes together late one night last fall. As they discussed the fun of owning a small business, Laux shared her enthusiasm for the paint-your-own pottery shop where she’d worked off and on since 2002. She loved the friendly atmosphere and the pleasant surprise when customers discovered their own creativity, and she…

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Newspapers face whole new era

Every newspaper in the world with an interest in surviving long term is rethinking its long-term strategy these days. IBJ is no exception. The most obvious trend prompting this global gut check is the exponential growth in Internet use-fueled by the broadband services that make it easier-and the proliferation of news and information services available on the Web. Why bother to read a newspaper if you have the world at your fingertips via your personal computer at home and in…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Hoosiers are wallflowers as housing party rocks on

Have you heard about the wild party that’s going on? It’s not one of those parties with wine, women and song. It’s all about buying and selling, and making lots of money. And, for some Americans, at least, it’s being done from the comfort of their own homes. It’s called the housing market, and in some corners of the country, it’s a rowdy affair. In coastal California and Florida, the price of homes is going up so fast it is…

TAWN PARENT Commentary: It takes a village to save a marriage

Divorce is a costly proposition-for families, for the courts, for business and for society. And it’s especially costly in Indianapolis. We have more divorced residents than any other major Midwestern city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As a result, companies suffer. Nationally, divorce costs companies an estimated $11 billion a year, according to the Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Grief Recovery Institute, an educational foundation. Employees going through a divorce typically are confronting emotional, financial and legal challenges. In surveys of…

All-in-one discount pass sells well in opening year: Park officials hope to boost sales of child tickets

Nearly a year after White River State Park created a seven-venue park pass, the group is deeming the program a success. The pass provides one-time admission to White River Gardens, the Indianapolis Zoo, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, NCAA Hall of Champions, the Indiana State Museum, an Imax movie and an Indianapolis Indians game. The park sold 518 adult passes at $38 each and 42 child passes at $27 each. It sold out its original number…

Riverview Hospital opens health care, fitness center:

Riverview Hospital opened a Health Care Pavilion July 5 at 146th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway. The 15,000-square-foot facility is the first building to open in the new $5.2 million health and fitness complex. The pavilion will be home to Hazel Dell Family and Immediate Care, as well as several physicians specializing in such areas as women’s health, preventive medicine and sports medicine. The second building in the complex, the Riverview Health and Fitness Center, is slated to open in…

ABDUL-HAKIM SHABAZZ Commentary: Render unto the county what is the county’s

Well, not really. They should, however, fork over a few bucks to the government in the form of user fees. Like I said, this may be heresy, but I’ve never been mistaken for a true believer. As anyone who’s picked up a newspaper in the past few months knows, the city and county are facing huge budget shortfalls. And depending on whom you believe, it totals between $10 million and $35 million in the upcoming fiscal year alone. Mayor Bart…