Bailing out Detroit carmakers

Executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are optimistic about their chances of getting inexpensive federal
loans to help tide them through the credit crunch and sales downturn.
The discussions, which have come to light in recent weeks, have the execs…

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Getting Hoosiers through college

The Indiana Commission on Higher Education rolled out an ambitious goal yesterday â?? to increase the number
of graduates from state-supported colleges and universities by a third within four years.

Indiana isnâ??t plagued by too few high school grads…

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What ails Jill?

If any governor were vulnerable to a strong challenge in a re-election campaign, it should have been Mitch
Daniels, who has made a lot of Hoosiers mad by pushing daylight saving time, leasing the Indiana Toll Road
and in general…

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Sarah Palin’s influence on Indiana

Sarah Palin won rave reviews for her speech last night at the Republican National Convention, as did Barack
Obama when he closed the Democratic convention last week.

This morning, the Associated Press quoted Democratic Party leaders in Indiana as saying Palin…

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Less zing in Daniels’ second term?

Mitch Daniels ran for governor four years ago promising to shake things up, and it would be hard to argue
that he hasnâ??t followed through.

Daylight saving time passed. Cigarette taxes were raised to fund health insurance. Property taxes were reformed.

What…

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Great mileage, bad wrecks

Small, fuel-efficient cars are in and big, thirsty vehicles are out. But as consumers try to save money
on gas, their odds of getting hurt increase, the Insurance Research Council warned today.

The Pennsylvania organization, which researches the property and casualty…

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Habitat builds through tough times

The down economy hasnâ??t exactly been a gift to not-for-profits, but at least one is actually doing better.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis plans to build 22 houses this year, a couple of units more
than last year.
With dollar donations…

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SAT scores stuck below average

This yearâ??s SAT scores are out, and there isnâ??t much to cheer about. Indiana saw math scores improve slightly,
but reading and writing scores dropped a few points. All three remain below national averages.

Educators say the tests are…

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Busted for copying software

Author Solutions, the Bloomington company that helps people publish their own books, has admitted to using
copies of software from Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec.

The penalty? $50,000.

Author Solutions says the violations began under prior ownership and that it cooperated…

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Vaunted program hits turbulence

Ball State Universityâ??s entrepreneurship program has long been considered one of the stateâ??s crown jewels in
business academics.

Former funeral director Don Kuratko started the program before entrepreneurship was cool and pushed it to
national prominence. Real-world business types like the…

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Susan Bayh as a political liability

Barack Obama is expected to announce his vice presidential running mate any day now, and Evan Bayhâ??s name
is still thought to be on the short list.

The Indiana senator is viewed as a moderate who would counter Obamaâ??s liberal voting…

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Appraisers’ role in the meltdown

Some of the people most familiar with the mortgage foreclosure explosion in the Indianapolis area in recent
years have privately pointed fingers at appraisers.

Appraisers too often were in cahoots with lenders to illegally inflate prices of houses, the insiders complained,…

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Is college for everyone?

Parents and teachers for more than a generation have steered students toward college and white-collar work,
and few states need the graduates more than Indiana, which has one of the lowest levels of college attainment
in the country.

Lost in the…

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Lucas Oil Stadium and Mail Pouch

Lucas Oil Stadium has nabbed lots of favorable reviews for its retro look, sliding widows looking onto downtown
and retractable roof.

Now a question.

What do you think about the Lucas Oil Stadium name painted in white on the black roof? Does…

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Back to school in hard times

Colleges and universities tend to see enrollment boom when the economy goes south, and this down cycle appears
to be little different.

Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College and the University of Indianapolis all have announced in recent
weeks that enrollments…

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Do you demand a 401(k)?

Corporations are boosting 401(k) plans even as they abandon traditional pension plans.

Workers are getting automatic enrollment, more investment options and greater contributions from employers.

Employees want 401(k)s, and theyâ??re good for business, companies say. In fact, companies without 401(k)s…

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Anderson gets a 50-foot rabbit

Nestle has gotten the green light from the city of Anderson to build a 50-foot-tall rabbit near the companyâ??s
new Nesquik plant along I-69.

The steel and fiberglass rabbit will look like the smiling cartoon logo thatâ??s been on…

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