Indianapolis ‘raising the game’ for tourism
Lackluster economy be darned, Indianapolis’ tourism trade gained ground in 2008. And the city’s new head cheerleader has even
higher hopes for this year and beyond.
Government & Economic Development
Articles
Town of Fishers considers new form of government
Sitting in gridlocked traffic along Interstate 69, Fishers residents might already think of their town as
a city. This sprawling suburb of 65,000 people certainly looks nothing like the burg of less than 1,000 it was three decades ago.
But down at the municipal government complex, Fishers is still a town, just as it was incorporated in 1891.
IT not what it was at time of landmark report
A 2000 study has proven to be "remarkably prescient" in identifying information technology as a mainstay of the local economy that would "affect
all industries and all jobs," said Michael J. Hicks, the top economist at Ball State University.
College-affordability debate focusing on wrong issues
College affordability has gained a lot of attention over the past few years, but I am not sure that the simple focus on costs
is the right way to think about the
problem.
State warns businesses about scam
Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita has issued a warning about a fraudulent letter targeting Indiana businesses.
Recession, lockdown of credit hammers businesses of all sizes
Stock markets fell, jobs disappeared, and the outlook for the economy seemed to grow grimmer by the week in 2008. Banks, real estate developers, retailers and manufacturers took some of the worst hits, but all types of businesses in central
Indiana felt the pain.
Tourism chief hired from Seattle
Though few knew what to think when Don Welsh announced in June he was leaving Seattle to become Indianapolis Convention &
Visitors Association CEO, he’s shown he didn’t come here to simply wind down his career.
Government reform effort long overdue
Critics were lined up to oppose Gov. Mitch Daniels’ plan to streamline
local government almost before he left the podium Dec. 19. Big surprise.
Fund to fuel ethanol use out of gas
A state fund supporting an 18-cent-a-gallon tax credit for gas stations selling E85 ethanol was exhausted in the first three
months of the state’s new fiscal year.
Laws aim to protect veterans returning from deployment
These days, when an Indiana National Guard member or military reservist is called to active duty, that "weekend warrior" may
be gone for a good deal longer than a weekend.
Stock markets weather historic plunge
Unless markets surge in the final days of the year, 2008 will go down as the worst year for stocks since the Great Depression.
Tax caps thrill homeowners, assessments chill businesses
Soaring property taxes were arguably Indiana’s biggest problem in 2007. In 2008, the Legislature approved property tax caps
as a solution. But because the caps haven’t been implemented, debate is still raging over the consequences the caps will have
for local governments and whether they should be made permanent.
City government should shop locally
Good luck getting people to buy from local vendors or manufacturers.
Businesses on MLK give revitalization another shot
The newly organized MLK Business Revitalization Association aims to bring new life to the neighborhood west of downtown by
uniting area business owners behind a common goal — cleaning up the community to attract other entrepreneurs.
Struggling City Market loses subsidy
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has notified the City Market that the financially strapped city is phasing out its subsidies
to the historic downtown fixture, which account for one-quarter of the market’s nearly $1 million budget.
Recession, budget shortfalls will have major impact on everything legislators debate
Now expecting $935 million less in annual revenue than they did a year ago, legislators will spend the next four months arguing
over budget cuts.
Something to think about as a new year dawns
I think about the economic crisis, the housing crisis, the climate crisis, the energy crisis, the automotive crisis, the Middle
East crisis, the education crisis, the college affordability crisis and all the other crises — real, imagined and manufactured
— and I wonder whether they’ll drive us to the precipice, or even the apocalypse, and whether we’ll change at the last
minute, and, should we survive, whether we’ll remember what we want to forget or forget what we want to remember.
Beech Grove government bracing for budget cuts
Property-tax caps should help Hoosier homeowners save a bundle next year.
Note to Hoosier entrepreneurs: Fight on!
Great leaders are not born out of good times â?? they are born out of severe challenge.
Arts advocates seek money from Indy government
The Arts Council of Indianapolis is leading talks with city councilors, Deputy Mayor Nick Weber and the chiefs of top cultural
organizations about how to create a bigger pot of revenue for the arts.