Editorial: Downtown problems are vexing, but leaders shouldn’t shrug them off
Hogsett and other elected officials have proposed solutions and funding to fight homelessness and panhandling, but all the general public sees is a problem getting worse.
Editorials
Articles
Editorial: Business leaders should consider how their firms can make a difference
We hope our Impact Indiana series—which has been packed full of statistics about corporate social responsibility—encourages business leaders to think not just about how encouraging volunteerism or getting involved in social issues can impact the community. It’s also about how such activities can bolster corporate bottom lines.
Editorial: $66M project deserves incentives, but many developments don’t
We wish other incentive deals had fostered such vigorous debate, such as the council’s decision last year to provide $2.9 million in TIF financing for Duke Realty Corp.’s new $28 million headquarters in Keystone at the Crossing—an area of the city that’s already a magnet for development.
Editorial: Lawmakers must tax e-cigarettes to discourage youth vaping
Teens today are getting addicted to nicotine through vaping—without ever having tried a cigarette. And while that may be better than teens becoming addicted to smoking, it’s even better if they never start at all.
Editorial: City’s transit infrastructure moves up with Red Line launch
The Red Line (and its proposed companion routes, the Purple Line on the northeast side and the east-west Blue Line along Washington Street), along with more frequent service on all routes, is our best shot at giving commuters in car-centric Indianapolis a legitimate choice of how to travel.
Editorial: IBJ, Indy Chamber to host Hogsett, Merritt conversation
IBJ is seeking instead to host a true discussion with the major-party candidates about the significant issues facing the city and the current and next administrations. So there will be no traditional time limits. No podiums. No props.
Editorial: Circle Centre’s office-space plan doesn’t address core challenges
It’s time for a big-picture, public discussion about re-envisioning the 791,000-square-foot property—rather than continuing the status quo of having mall officials do the best they can to plug vacancies in the property as it’s currently configured.
EDITORIAL: New economic incentives strategy is product of collaborative effort
We’re behind the effort, but can’t overemphasize the need for follow-up.
EDITORIAL: Long-vacant Marsh locations pose big challenge for neighborhoods
The demise of Marsh Supermarkets two years ago continues to vex neighborhoods across central Indiana, which are stuck with gaping anchor holes in their strip shopping centers.
EDITORIAL: National Urban League event tees up important conversations
In a few days, some of the nation’s most important African American leaders—in business, politics, entertainment and philanthropy—will descend on Indianapolis for the National Urban League Conference.
Editorial: Fiasco over virtual charter schools raises big oversight questions
With freedom and choice comes responsibility. And so as Indiana has expanded the types of schools that students and their families can attend on the state’s dime—from traditional public schools to specialty schools called charters to even private and religious schools—so too has it created new obligations for those involved in the system.
Editorial: Voters in Hamilton County deserve choices from both parties
We don’t expect Hamilton County to become a hotbed of liberalism. Nothing in the county’s past or present suggests that could or should happen. But Democrats should be able to offer legitimate alternatives to the dominant party.
Editorial: Protect unemployment fund before the next recession hits
The federal government has recommended—and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration has suggested—increasing the premiums pay into the state’s unemployment fund to help build its surplus for the next economic downturn.
Editorial: Fresh thinking on ex-offenders will strengthen our economy
Businesses, confronting an unemployment rate around 4 percent, are struggling to hire. Meanwhile, the formerly incarcerated, who face an unemployment rate about five times higher than the general population, need work to help sustain themselves and their families.
Editorial: Congress should approve Sen. Todd Young’s bill to boost smoking age
The measure is especially important after the Indiana General Assembly’s failed to act on a similar proposal as well as a bill that would have significantly increased the cigarette tax. That’s despite strong support for both bills from a broad spectrum of business, religious, health and not-for-profit organizations.
Editorial: Lawmakers made right call in fully funding 21 Fund
The 21 Fund’s purpose has meandered a bit since it was created in 1999, but it always has been dedicated in some way to encouraging research, technology and innovation. And that investment is key to maintaining the state’s efforts to create a vibrant tech community.
Editorial: Public kept in dark on Pacers deal until 25-year pact was fait accompli
On the morning of April 12, the Capital Improvement Board voted unanimously to approve a Pacers deal that will cost the quasi-governmental entity nearly $800 million over the next 25 years. But until that morning, there had been no public discussion hinting that a deal would be so costly.
EDITORIAL: Hate crimes law is practical move, although it’s far from perfect
We are less pleased that many Republican lawmakers did everything they could to ensure the law did not include specific language about gender identity.
EDITORIAL: Innovative companies like TMap help hobbled Hoosier recruiters
With the Legislature more inclined these days to reject proposals the business community say will boost the state’s economy, companies are forced to compensate in any way they can.
Editorial: Community needs to act to on income inequality problems
Local companies—be they big corporations or small startups—need a strong talent pool from which to draw their workers. State and local governments need a healthy tax base from which to pull revenue to keep the region’s infrastructure—roads, mass transit, internet access and more—strong enough for business. And the region needs residents who invest time, money and energy into their homes, their schools and their community at large. None of that can happen when a large percentage of the population is economically drowning.