The jokesters in the Indiana General Assembly once again have shown their incredible ability to play the fools. True, it only takes a committee to commit laughable acts beyond the dreams of circus clowns. The entire Legislature need not be involved. This time, a selection of our representatives rejected efforts to rid the state of […]
Difficult economic conditions have been faced before and we have both the tools and will to overcome our problems.
Local manufacturing stalwart Allison Transmission will have to restructure its more than $4 billion in debt or further cut expenses if it’s going to weather the recession. That’s the conclusion of analysts at Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, which have issued negative outlooks for Allison, the top commercial truck-transmission supplier. “The downgrades reflect our concern […]
A frequent reader of these columns protests my persistent attention to Indiana’s long-term economic problems. He wants to hear about my recommended solutions. His will be done in Crothersville and Chesterton, as in Portland and Princeton. To start, I confess my faith in infrastructure. Build Interstate 69. Convert interstates to toll roads. Upgrade water and […]
Beyond a sincere effort to improve high school education, we require massive retraining of our
business leaders and managers.
My excitement must have been evident to everyone on the street. I was being pulled in a rickshaw though the Indianapolis streets that Mayor Ballard had designated as the local Chinatown. There was a bicyclist providing the muscle power. He was about my age, an older fellow who needed the job, probably to supplement his […]
In just one year, Indianapolis’ unemployment rate has risen from 4.5 percent to 8.2 percent. But don’t expect local economic development officials to complain too much. Not when 74 of Indiana’s 92 counties have higher unemployment rates than Marion County’s. “When I took this job 15 months ago and the Dow [Jones industrial average] was […]
Fully 40 of Indiana’s 92 counties derived more than half of their earnings from commuters bringing back their compensation from somewhere else.
A former patient of local plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Eppley says he has made her life hell the past eight years. Eppley, in a recent lawsuit, says much the same about her. The patient, Lucille Iacovelli, has posted a steady stream of videos and caustic comments on Web sites about a face-lift surgery Eppley performed […]
I accidentally knocked her onto the airport floor. “I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “Are you hurt? Let me help you up.” “I’m fine,” she said, rising by herself. “It’s just another of life’s insults.” “I’m so sorry,” I said with true contrition. “Could I get you a coffee or something?” “Something,” she said, “but stronger […]
Prescribe the wrong dose and some drugs won’t work. Or the patient is as good as dead. Consider the rat-poison-turned-blood-thinner warfarin, also known as Coumadin. Too much and a patient can bleed to death, too little and he can throw a clot and have a stroke. Given the considerable consequences of improper dosing for patients-and […]
This week, an online visit with a new Indianapolis Museum of Art, plus a local take on “Forbidden Broadway.” Impressive in its ambition, slick in its design, and savvy in its possible side effects, the new Indianapolis Museum of Artbirthed Web site, www.artbabble.com, should be on the Favorites list of anyone interested in visual art-anyone who […]
This week, an online visit with a new Indianapolis Museum of Art, plus a local take on “Forbidden Broadway.” Impressive in its ambition, slick in its design, and savvy in its possible side effects, the new Indianapolis Museum of Artbirthed Web site, www.artbabble.com, should be on the Favorites list of anyone interested in visual art-anyone who […]
Taking a sledge hammer to a car might seem like an illogical way to protest a tax hike on tobacco. But it sure feels good, especially to people who are stuck inside the economic pressure cooker that is Connersville. So on April 1, the day a 158-percent increase in the federal cigarette tax took effect, […]
If an honest case for the general good cannot be made (as in the case of most education services, and, sports, entertainment and tourist facilities), government revenue streams should not be used to support private enterprises.
I’m starting to rethink my initial reaction to dismiss Twitter and now see its benefits to gauging opinion, as well as gathering ideas and doing research.
As the Arts Council of Indianapolis begins searching for a new CEO to replace outgoing Greg Charleston (See IBJ’s story here), the obvious question is: What are we looking for?
What should be the role of the Arts Council’s CEO…
This week, three ambitious shows-a new musical at Beef & Boards, magic realism at the Phoenix and a lesser-known classic at IU Opera. Beef & Boards has a history of doing the Tried & True. And there’s a very good reason for that. As a for-profit theater-a rarity-it relies on audiences and little else to […]
To its 19th century founders, the town of Fairland must have appeared poised to become a booming metropolis. The Cincinnati-St. Louis rail line ran diagonally through the center of town, laid out in a perfect rectangle. And, title researcher Rick Daily was amused to find, the original maps show street rights-of-way that are 66 feet […]
Indiana exports eked out a gain in 2008 despite the imploding world economy-rising 2 percent to $26.5 billion, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. All things considered, “exports held up pretty well last year. The last 60 days of the year is really the first time we saw deterioration on the […]
