Carbon Motors is shopping for a place to put down roots before it’s raised enough money to begin production of its specialty police car. In fact, Carbon Motors still is trying to raise enough money to build five cars for crash testing, said Raymond Wenig, president of Savannah, Ga.-based Ariel Savannah Angel Partners, one of […]
On the morning of April 2, I spent three hours outside a crowded committee hearing room in the Statehouse, watching and listening to testimony regarding the funding problems of the Capital Improvement Board. Much of the supporting testimony regarded the importance of sustaining and growing Indy’s vibrant downtown. When the hearing was over, I drove […]
The pressure on Indianapolis’ new downtown JW Marriott convention hotel to perform-despite the recession-is about to increase exponentially. The Marion County Capital Improvement Board’s bailout depends on it. CIB, which manages the city’s professional sports stadiums and its convention center, needs to close a $47.4 million annual budget deficit. On April 2, the Indiana Senate’s […]
A top state senator said yesterday he would likely drop his proposal to double Indiana’s alcohol tax statewide to help fund the agency that runs the major Indianapolis sports stadiums and the Indiana Convention Center. Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) told The Associated Press that he was probably going to amend his proposal next […]
An Indiana Senate Republican plan that would use federal stimulus money to increase funding for schools, colleges and universities has advanced to the full Senate.The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the two-year, $28.1 billion spending plan with a 10-2 vote today.The plan would rely on about $2 billion in stimulus money to increase funding for schools […]
Renovating a zoo facility called Monkey Island. Upgrading school toilets so they don’t flush when no one is around. Creating the world’s fastest alternative-fuel vehicle. Turning idle factory space into fish farms. State officials wanted suggestions on how to spend Indiana’s share of federal stimulus money, and they got plenty of ideas. About 9,000 proposals […]
Anderson-based startup Bright Automotive Inc. today will reveal plans for a concept version of its “Idea” plug-in hybrid vehicle at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, surrounded by state economic development leaders. Bright said it plans to begin production of the vehicle by the end of 2012 and claims it could create more than 5,000 jobs by […]
Purdue University plans to boost its student scholarship program with a $6 million donation. Purdue officials said today that that donation was the school’s largest-ever cash gift for scholarships. The school says the donor wants to remain anonymous. An additional $2 million from the donor will go toward other university projects. The scholarship donation will […]
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to create a network that would coordinate hospital trauma programs and bring
the centers to underserved cities and rural areas.
Any administration considering a tax-funded universal health care system that is free at the point of delivery would do well to examine Britain’s National Health Service.
The Indiana War Memorials Commission’s proposal to build a USS Indianapolis submarine memorial on the east bank of the Canal just north of the existing
USS Indianapolis (cruiser) National Memorial would unwisely occupy nearly the last piece of green space on the Canal.
An economic development initiative around so-called clean technology was formally launched yesterday to further energize renewable energy projects and hybrid vehicle development under way in the state. Energy Systems Network will be another economic development plank under Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the parent of BioCrossroads, which promotes life sciences; Conexus, which promotes manufacturing and distribution; […]
Old National Bancorp today repurchased all of the $100 million in preferred, non-voting stock it sold to the U.S. Department of Treasury after deciding it did not need federal assistance from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Evansville-based bank, which was approved to receive up to $150 million in TARP funds, chose in December to […]
Major stock markets indexes dropped dramatically today after President Obama refused further long-term federal bailouts for General Motors and Chrysler, saying more concessions would be needed from unions, creditors and others before more funding could be approved. Uncertainty about the industry’s fate sent the Dow Jones industrial average falling more than 4 percent before a […]
Lost of late in the turbulent, political waters of the Indiana General Assembly is a necessity lawmakers face – passing a new state budget during a deep recession with a Democrat-controlled House and Republican-ruled Senate. That task has been overshadowed recently by the partisan fight over trying to fix Indiana’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund, one […]
Most of the critical work of this state legislative session will occur after April 20, because only then will the General
Assembly have a revenue projection for the next biennium.
To support quality of life initiatives and boost economic development, Indiana government and its citizens must develop quality mass transit systems.
Radius Connection, a new national marketing service, wants to offer innovative products within five years to help small-to-midsize businesses grow their revenue and expand their market share.
Columbus Regional Hospital, which was badly damaged by flooding last year, has applied for federal funding toward its $108 million expansion plans. Hospital officials had planned to break ground last fall on construction of a project that included a five-story pavilion, some 60 private patient rooms and an expanded emergency department. Those plans, however, were […]
Legislation that would stiffen Indiana’s animal-cruelty laws and more closely regulate dog-breeding operations commonly known as puppy mills could produce millions of dollars in new tax revenue from unregistered breeders, according to the author of the bill. House Bill 1468, which has broad support from animal-rights groups, could generate tax income from breeders that work […]
