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CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Newspapers’ eulogies premature

With the proliferation of news sites on the Internet, much has been made of the pending death of newspapers. As the so-called new media attract bigger and bigger audiences, especially among young adults, newspapers are being characterized as the “emblem of the old media” and “an industry on the defensive.” Not so fast. As we consider the demise of newspapers, it would be wise to do a reality check on current trends and perhaps revisit the ideas that made newspapers…

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INVESTING: Housing slowdown puts some homeowners in peril

You want to build your house on a strong foundation. It worked for the third little pig that resisted all the efforts of the big bad wolf. It’s also going to work for savvy consumers who avoid too much debt and build decent equity in their homes. For everyone else, though, the foundation might feel as if it is shaking a bit. A slew of recent data on the housing industry seems to confirm what the housing stocks have been…

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Art Institute students face changing world of design: Businesses should keep interior designers in demand

Facing an expanding world of corporate rebranding, homier hospital rooms and high-tech theaters in every suburb, students entering the field of interior design know they’ll be doing more than redecorating high-end homes. What once was considered predominantly a luxury service for wealthy homeowners wanting to expand their drawing rooms, interior design became a necessity in business years ago. Today, a majority of interior designers handle both residential and commercial work. And a growing number of firms that specialize in commercial…

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Steel Dynamics seeks part of former Olin site: Metal recycling operation would serve expanding Hendricks County mill

The site of the former Olin Brass factory on the near-west side might soon roar to life again if a plan to erect a metal recycling operation there comes through. A joint venture between Fort Waynebased Steel Dynamics Inc., Chicagobased Metal Management Inc. and local hauler Ray’s Trash is seeking city approval to install a metal shredder and recycling operation on about 40 acres at Holt Road and Airport Expressway. The venture, called Metal Dynamics LLC, would accept scrap metal…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Mediocre planning efforts don’t invite people to stay

Analysts say the housing market is slowing in Indianapolis and across the nation. Perhaps that’s why three significant, real estate developments have attracted so much local media coverage recently. In one story, the City-County Council approved the development of 28 condos in Broad Ripple, despite strong resistance from the neighborhood association. Meanwhile, local planning councils easily approved two new developments-a subdivision on the far northeast side of town that will feature almost 2,000 homes and a large condominium complex in…

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Lucas owner says skeptics off base: ‘Small company’ big enough to handle major deal, he says

The Indianapolis Colts had to be convinced that California-based Lucas Oil Products Inc. was the right company to buy its stadium naming-rights package. Football franchise executives were quickly converted, but the deal still has its detractors. A month after the 20-year, $121.5 million agreement was announced, sports sponsorship experts remain skeptical it will pan out. “This is a heavy investment for such a small company,” said William Chipps, senior editor of Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report. “I can tell you it…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Waiter shines light on education

I spent most of a recent weekend in the hospital, but no one seems to want to hear that story. It wasn’t much of a story, as it turns out, but the bill, which will fall on you, will be enormous. My part of the bill will be small because I am covered by Medicare and private health insurance. This means you will see my use of the health care system reflected in your future taxes and in your future…

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Federal patent legislation could mean major changes: Proposed reform act could cut down on ‘trolling’ and litigation by switching approvals to a first-to-file system

Pending federal legislation could bring sweeping changes to a patent system critics say is broken and in need of repair. The Patent Reform Act-before Congress since last year-presents the most substantial overhaul in decades. Significant changes include creating a process to challenge patents after they are granted and awarding a patent to the first person to submit paperwork. Patents currently are granted to the first person who hatched the invention, regardless of when documents were filed. Time frames, though, can…

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WellPoint freezes pensions: Insurer joins national trend, shifts focus to 401(k) plan

WellPoint Inc. quietly froze pension contributions for most of its 42,000 employees earlier this year, a move that draws criticism but falls in step with what many other big employers are doing. The Indianapolis-based health insurance giant noted deep in an annual report filed late last month that on Jan. 1 it stopped adding pay credits to the pension accounts of employees not nearing retirement. The insurer rang up a $2.5 billion profit last year and, unlike some other companies…

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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Low poll numbers don’t seem to slow Daniels’ agenda

For a guy whose approval level is about as low as-well-the president’s, and who was pushing a program about as popular as turning over supervision of vital national assets to a foreign entity (see the parallels yet?), Gov. Mitch Daniels sure enjoyed some major success this legislative session. He just signed a wide-ranging telecommunications deregulation measure he had strongly advocated, placing Indiana at the cusp of reform in the field, after several years of the Legislature’s refusing to move off…

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Markey’s sells off sales unit: Move by audio-visual firm creates new tech company

Markey’s Audio Visual, a south-side company that’s decked the stage for some of corporate America’s flashiest meetings and conventions, has sold its equipment sales and integration unit to a new firm owned by a competitor and by a family member. Sensory Technologies is held by Anne and Andy Sellers, principals of Indianapolis-based Video Images LLC-and by Kevin Markey, who headed Markey’s sales and integration. The sale last week, for an undisclosed price, allows the 47-year-old Markey’s to focus on its…

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SPORTS: Pacers’ off-the-court performance never waned

Like any team, especially the professional variety, the Indiana Pacers are to be judged by their success … or lack thereof. Their bottom line is the one that’s posted on the scoreboard 82 times a season, then again in the playoffs. It comes as no bulletin that the last two years have been more painful than pleasurable, much of which can be traced to the excesses and eccentricities of the nowdeparted Ron Artest. Collateral damage has been the organization’s reputation…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Fixed-rate mortgage loans remain a relative bargain

Mortgage lenders have found all sorts of creative ways to get money into the hands of eager buyers, with interestonly, piggy-back and no-doc loans. While these loans have provided opportunities to fund more house than ever, the opportunity to sleep peacefully knowing your payments are locked in place makes fixed-rate mortgages a desirable option for many homeowners these days. Closing gap Even with interest rates inching up, fixed-rate mortgages never looked better compared to adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, and short-term…

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WANTED: Coach with Midas touch: IU searching for hoops leader who’ll bring financial stability to athletics-and university

With a $1 billion capital campaign looming at Indiana University, athletic director Rick Greenspan is facing his biggest decision. Many observers think the choice of basketball coach will determine not only the health of the men’s basketball program, but of the entire IU athletic department-and to some extent the entire university-for decades to come. IU officials have not yet publicly announced their capital campaign, which would allocate about $85 million for the university’s athletic facilities, and likely won’t until next…

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TAWN PARENT Commentary: Bill offers new hope for Main Street

Recycling isn’t just good for the environment. It’s good for buildings, and ultimately for economic development. When the Disciples of Christ moved its international headquarters downtown from Irvington in 1995, it left behind a 121,000-square-foot structure built in 1910 that could easily have become a vacant eyesore in the east-side neighborhood. Instead, local developer Mansur Real Estate Services Inc. helped give it new life as Mission Apartments for seniors. That $6.5 million project might not have happened without the help…

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Federal deposit insurance reform beefs up coverage: Retirement savings accounts stand to benefit most

Federal deposit insurance reforms signed into law by President Bush last month boost coverage of some retirement accounts and will raise coverage for other bank accounts beginning in 2010. The legislation, debated by lawmakers for the past six years, is significant because it offers the first increase in deposit insurance coverage in more than 25 years, and just the seventh rise since 1935. Federal deposit insurance currently covers as much as $100,000 per depositor. Starting no later than November, depositors…

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Ticked off over tickets: NCAA plans to battle hospitality brokers during Final Four

The launch of The Tournament Club at this year’s men’s basketball Final Four in Indianapolis is the first shot across the bow of brokers, travel agents, hotel room resellers and others who’ve stepped in to meet the demand for hospitality packages the NCAA previously ignored. In December, the NCAA hired rEvolution, a Chicago-based sports marketing and media agency, to launch the association’s own hospitality package, including lower-level tickets, access to an exclusive hospitality area at the game venue, premium hotel…

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Clarian climbs aboard podcast bandwagon: Hospital network finds new way to broadcast its message to employees and the community

Communications experts say the medium, which has been around only a couple of years, carries loads of marketing potential. “You’re immediately tying a voice to the company and a face to the company. That’s a powerful thing,” said Kelly Hendricks, president of BLASTmedia, an Indianapolis-based public relations firm. “It’s going to be interesting to see how this evolves.” Evans decided to try Clarian’s hand at podcasting after his research found it costs “almost nothing” to produce a message and upload…

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EYE ON THE PIE: David meets Goliath in Hendricks County

The people of Hendricks County are no more stupid, greedy or ignorant than folks most places. Now they have a chance to prove they are more intelligent, far-sighted and wise than most Hoosiers. Let’s set the scene. Hendricks County lies directly west of Marion County. You can take U.S. 36 straight west from Indianapolis to Avon and Danville. Or you can go out Interstate 70, past the Indianapolis airport, to Plainfield. Alternatively, Interstate 74 will take you to Brownsburg, Pittsboro…

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Blog Boom: Newest Web craze becoming a key tool for business marketing, communications

Myles Brand needed a way for his organization to reach out to the public. It had to be direct and immediate and initiate an honest two-way discussion. Brand, NCAA president, chose an offbeat idea-albeit one with a growing following-to solve this age-old business problem. He gave the directive late last year for the NCAA to launch its first blog, an online presence that two years ago few corporate types understood, much less considered a viable means of communication. Now, the…

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