APRIL 9-15, 2012
This week, find out how Citizens Energy group's acquisition of the Indianapolis water utility affected its bottom line and read about why politics are driving up gun sales. In Focus, see what advantage local tech up-and-comers have as a result of their location. And in A&E, columnist Bruce Hetrick shares his dreams.
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Komen grant recipients cope with controversy they didn’t create
Local health care providers won’t find an easy replacement for the grant money supplied by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. That money could be in jeopardy, as grass-roots Komen supporters appear to be sitting out of this year’s Race for the Cure in response to a national controversy over grants to Planned Parenthood.
Read MoreRussian investor gives Ener1 fresh start
A Russian timber tycoon who poured millions into a battery maker with Hoosier roots is the new owner of Ener1 Inc. Boris Zingarevich supplied $50 million for Ener1’s March 30 exit from bankruptcy and is moving its headquarters from New York to Indianapolis—already home to its core subsidiary, EnerDel.
Read MorePrivate schools raking in cash thanks to 2011 reform law
A generally overlooked part of the 2011 education reform package makes it clear donors to private schools can target their gifts to specific schools, a move that seems to have unleashed the tax credit’s full potential by helping private schools line up more donations.
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Purchase of city water utility lifts Citizens Energy’s profits
The $1.9 billion sale of the city’s water and sewer utilities was a profit gusher last year for buyer Citizens Energy Group—at least on paper. Dwarfing the returns of its gas, thermal and other divisions, the newly renamed Citizens Water turned a profit of $53.4 million.
Read MorePolitical worries contribute to robust firearms sales
The presidential election is still a long way off, but large numbers of Indianapolis-area gun owners seem to think Barack Obama is a surefire bet for a second term. Uneasiness over his re-election (and fear that he might push for strict gun control laws) has sparked a run on weapons and ammunition.
Read MoreAs commercial stations sputter, WFYI hits the gas
The city’s public radio and television stations are more than holding their own, even as their commercial brethren continue to suffer from a now-5-year-old economic swoon.
Read MoreIce Miller lawyer contributes far and wide
Melissa Proffitt Reese joined Ice Miller LLP straight out of law school, and has spent the next three decades juggling an employee-benefits practice there with a whirlwind schedule of community involvement.
Read MoreNew data brightens Indy area’s jobs picture
Bureau of Labor Statistics revises numbers, but region is still 30,000 jobs short of pre-recession peak.
Read MoreCitizens not ready to get behind historic designation for Central Canal
Preservationists want protections for the historic waterway, but the utility that just bought it is afraid National Register status will cause unintended consequences.
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Young Indy-area tech entrepreneurs enjoy deep support
MyJibe co-founder Mike Langellier is among a new generation of tech entrepreneurs in the Indianapolis area that benefits from a host of support their predecessors never enjoyed.
Read MoreTown, gown and techies team up in Bloomington
Technology Partnership aims to boost sector, recruit employers and talent.
Read MoreHUNCKLER: Old-style bootstrapping is alive and well in tech
Indianapolis-area entrepreneurs are finding ways to fund their companies.
Read MoreZALOUDEK: New normal is all about mixing work and pleasure
The best talent in the Indianapolis area is flocking to interesting offices … with kegs.
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EDITORIAL: Not everyone is college material
No one benefits when unprepared or disinterested students are herded into colleges.
Read MoreMORRIS: Creativity puts United Way over the top
So, what would make Community Health Network’s president and CEO, Bryan Mills, star in a video dressed as a caveman? It could only be United Way’s “Give Gleefully” YouTube video competition.
Read MoreKENNEDY: Republicans losing the 51 percent
In a recent New York Times column, Gail Collins observed “the thing that makes our current politics particularly awful isn’t procedural. It’s that the Republican Party has become over-the-top extreme.” She left out “mean-spirited and patriarchal.”
Read MoreQUINN: New energy code is already obsolete
Adopting the new code would result in even greater savings for Indiana home buyers.
Read MoreALTOM: What matters most, privacy or convenience?
As our devices become more aware of our travels, our preferences, our contacts, our messages, our photographs and even our dexterity, the line between convenience and spying is crossed without us even being aware of it.
Read MoreHICKS: Some types of unemployment signal progress
Structural unemployment is a byproduct of healthy technological progress, and those who can learn new skills flourish.
Read MoreSKARBECK: Exchange’s bizarre IPO triggers securities probe
Securities regulators are looking into several issues raised in the aftermath of the failed initial public offering of BATS Global Markets on March 23.
Read MoreProf showed compassion
In the April 2 [Forefront] Thomas Sowell attacks the credentials and worthiness of Professor Derrick Bell to serve as a professor at Harvard Law School.
Read MoreDon’t lose sight of the facts
Bruce Hetrick [March 26 column] included a paragraph which seemed to demonstrate what many professional journalists decry in the social media.
Read MoreColumn read like Fox audition
[Greg Morris’ March 26 column] reads more like an audition to be the next fear-mongering talking head on Fox News instead of the thoughtful commentary we have come to expect from the IBJ.
Read MoreGun rights indeed at risk
Thomas M. Meredith [April 2 letter] wrote that Greg Morris’ [March 26 column] was “pure fear mongering, filled with innuendos and false statements.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
Hoops fans funnel energy into giving
Brackets for Good pits one not-for-profit against another in an NCAA-tournament style fundraising competition.
Read MoreRising gas prices prompt creation of ninth area vanpool route
Central Indiana Commuter Services started offering service this month between Franklin and the Defense Finance & Accounting Services facility in Indianapolis.
Read MoreHendricks County promotes locally owned pizza
Amo Pizza Shop beat out Rock Star Pizza in a competition intended to boost sales for 16 homegrown eateries.
Read MoreFirstPerson buys FlashPoint HR unit
Indianapolis-based benefits brokerage FirstPerson acquired the small-employer human resource division of Indianapolis-based consulting firm FlashPoint last week in a bid to provide a wider array of services to small businesses.
Read MoreFormer Evansville mayor joins Faegre Baker Daniels
Jonathan D. Weinzapfel will use his political experience as a member of the firm’s government practice. He served two terms as mayor before leaving office in January.
Read MorePopeyes plans new restaurants in Indianapolis area
Atlanta-based restaurant chain discloses most of the seven to nine new restaurants planned this year will be in the Indianapolis area.
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