NOV. 26-DEC. 2, 2012
This week, see what small retailers are doing to grab a slice of the holiday shopping pie and find out what education-reform advocates think of Glenda Ritz' surprising election win. In Focus, read about how employers are trying to influence employees' health habits. And in A&E, etc., sports columnist Bill Benner boils down the Big Ten's recent moves.
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New NBA revenue split gives Pacers cash infusion
The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will dramatically boost the amount of money the Indiana Pacers get from the league, but it won’t be enough to put the team in the black.
Read MoreInsurance customer lawsuits dog CNO
CNO Financial Group appears to have wrapped its arms around the cost of settling a trio of consumer lawsuits involving life insurance rate hikes, but it’s not out of the woods yet.
Read MoreDesign stars land contract for transit hub
Architect Daniel Libeskind is part of an international team chosen to design a proposed IndyGo transit hub.
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Lawmaker seeks funding to tackle abandoned housing
State Rep. Ed Clere plans to introduce a bill that would give municipalities explicit powers to create land banks, which can sell surplus property for redevelopment. He also wants to include a revenue source to support land-bank operations and eliminate tax-foreclosure sales as a form of investor speculation.
Read MoreSmall stores vie for slice of holiday-shopping pie
National retailers are licking their chops over the $586 billion consumers are expected to spend during the holiday season, and small-business owners also are bellying up to the buffet.
Read MoreCharter, voucher backers wary of schools chief Ritz
During Republican Tony Bennett’s tenure as superintendent of public instruction, Indiana became the poster child for school choice. But with Bennett’s surprising election loss to Democrat Glenda Ritz this month, the future of charter schools and private-school vouchers is murkier.
Read MorePliant Ohio regulators helped clear path for Durham’s fraud
The Ohio Division of Securities allowed Fair Finance to register investment certificates even after the company stopped providing audited financials and Tim Durham drained more than $100 million from the firm through insider loans.
Read MoreGlass factory’s safety under state’s lens yet again
Union leaders say working conditions are improving at the Pilkington glass factory in Shelbyville, but an employee’s injury in October has led to another visit from state safety officials and possibly more fines.
Read MoreDeveloper unveils 16-home project just east of downtown
The Re-Development Group Inc. bought a1.6-acre site at New York Street and Highland Avenue last May and will raze three 1960s-era office/warehouse buildings to make way for home construction in 2013.
Read MoreAnalyst: WellPoint CEO search down to two
According to one Wall Street analyst, the search for a new CEO for Indianapolis-based health insurer WellPoint Inc. is down to two candidates: former Aetna Inc. CEO Ron Williams and Amerigroup Corp. CEO Jim Carlson.
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Indiana employers desperate to improve workers’ personal habits
Skyrocketing health care costs prompt search for new ways to improve lifestyle choices.
Read MoreDialysis software firm finally making inroads
Vasc-Alert proves its technology, plans to expand into Europe.
Read MoreTHOMPSON: Push is on to regulate health information technology
After decades of slow adoption, health information technology now threatens to completely disrupt health care, in a good way, dramatically improving quality of care. The question is, will federal regulators stand in the way?
Read MoreSCHAFIR: Businesses face tough decisions over health care
Now that the election is over, it seems clearer that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, will likely move forward. The question is whether business owners will be able to steer their employees to state exchanges and wash their hands of health care coverage.
Read MoreMILES: The future of health care from the front lines
The perspective from a benefits adviser is always interesting. I am in the middle of the health care discussion, helping organizations meet the benefits needs of the employee, while staying aligned with the strategic needs of the organization.
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EDITORIAL: Transit question is ‘how,’ not ‘if’
Mass transit advocates held a rally here to kick off Indy Connect Now, their latest attempt to convince state legislators that voters in Marion and Hamilton counties should be allowed to decide whether to fund creation of a $1.3 billion bus and light rail system in central Indiana.
Read MoreMAURER: Endocyte receded, but it’s still on track
Endocyte is an Indiana biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs and imaging diagnostics to identify and treat cancer.
Read MoreRUSTHOVEN: Where next for Republicans
Republicans can ignore the standard Democratic line that voters now reject conservatives and Republicans must “change,” meaning “become Democrats.”
Read MoreROKITA: Sweeping tax reform long overdue
As I’ve traveled across Indiana and met with Hoosier employees, business executives and civic groups over the past two years, I’ve heard many stories about the complex, unfair nature of our federal tax code.
Read MoreHICKS: ‘Scooby Snacks’ and the great American giveaway
It would be surprising if we could not today identify a good many folks who rely on government largesse in lieu of hard work.
Read MoreKIM: Let Indiana help you pay for gift of college education
If there’s one absolute truth in investing, it’s that there is no such thing as a sure thing. However, for Indiana residents who want to help children, grandchildren or other loved ones save for college, there is the next best thing.
Read MoreMass Ave design should be edgier
At the American Institute of Architects Regional Conference in Lexington, Ky., Olson Kundig of Seattle and Archimania of Memphis, the keynote speakers, left Indiana architects in awe of the beautifully detailed and technologically experimental, and amazingly crafted work.
Read MorePence advised to keep Bible in his pocket
Nice work, Mickey, reminding the governor-elect [Nov. 12] to govern as he campaigned, with economics and education as the promised focus.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
Miles faces tough challenge in reversing IndyCar’s fortunes
The new CEO of Hulman & Co. gets an early vote of confidence from sponsors of open-wheel racing.
Read MoreCook wins approval for new stent
Bloomington-based Cook Medical won approval for the first drug-coated stent for clogged leg arteries in the United States, which accounts for 40 percent of the soon-to-be $3 billion market.
Read MoreNation’s largest motorsports trade show returning to city
The Performance Racing Industry Show will return to Indianapolis for five years starting in 2013, bringing about 40,000 guests and millions of dollars of visitor spending with it.
Read MoreDevelopers of smartphone app win Startup Weekend
Recoverator helps users catalog belongings and generate professional loss reports for insurance agents and law enforcement.
Read MoreAirport Authority continues to fight off-site parking lot
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has taken its fight against an off-airport parking operator to the Indiana Court of Appeals after exhausting its options in Marion County Superior Court.
Read MoreSouth-side shopping center fills up on shoes, furniture
Shoe Carnival, Rooms Express will bring Southport Plaza to full occupancy for the first time in four years.
Read MorePROXY CORNER: Old National Bancorp
Evansville-based Old National Bancorp is a bank holding company with $9.4 billion in assets and more than 180 branches in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
Read MoreHoliday Wish List
The following is a list of Indianapolis-area not-for-profit organizations and the things each needs most. This list is being published weekly through Dec. 24.
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