OCTOBER 17-23, 2011
This week, read how plummeting state support is turning Indiana and Purdue universities into semi-private schools and find out which restaurant chain Steak n Shake CEO Sardar Biglari is pursuing. In Focus, read why additional government scrutiny is making it hard for community banks to recruit board members. And in A&E, see what Bill Benner has to say about the NBA lockout.
Front PageBack to Top
Solar flop puts energy funding in limbo
Companies promising thousands of green jobs in Indiana are playing a high-stakes waiting game as federal officials consider the fate of at least $600 million in loan guarantees.
Read MoreKennedy’s persistence put to test
Supporters and detractors of Melina Kennedy agree on this description of her: a persistently hard worker. Whether that trait is enough to make the 42-year-old Democrat an effective leader of the nation’s 12th-largest city is an open question.
Read MoreBig name in horse racing banned from tracks
Ed Martin Jr., the former car dealer who helped create Indiana’s horse-racing industry, these days isn’t even welcome at the state’s tracks. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission banned Martin after he refused to obtain a license, but he filed a lawsuit in Marion Superior Court last month seeking to overturn the decision.
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New Christian Theological Seminary president embracing the arts
New Christian Theological Seminary President Matthew Myer Boulton wants to create a more vibrant atmosphere at CTS, by attracting younger students who can live on campus full time and by drawing the general public for lectures, concerts and religious events on a regular basis.
Read MorePublic universities expect state support to keep dropping
Indiana University President Michael McRobbie last month predicted that IU eventually will get less than 10 percent of its revenue from the state. If public schools get nine out of 10 dollars from somewhere other than public coffers, will they still be public?
Read MoreGreen roofs slow to take root in Indianapolis
Indianapolis’ movement toward installing green roofs on commercial buildings has advanced slowly but steadily, in spite of a poor economy and the availability of cheaper (at least in the short run) alternatives.
Read MoreCracker Barrel battling to keep Biglari at bay
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. has rejected Biglari’s request that directors appoint him and business partner Phil Cooley to the board. It also has rolled out a “poison pill” plan that would deter outside investors from taking over the business without negotiating with the board first.
Read MoreBMG aiming to dazzle convention-industry clients with holographics
Life-like images used to drum up business in a meeting sector that’s suffering along with the economy.
Read MoreBostech’s software aims to rein in lab-test costs
The company saw sales surge after introducing software in May that helps medical labs manage their disparate computer systems from a Web portal.
Read MoreDecision nears on fate of freed-slave sculpture
Controversy has swirled around a piece of art commissioned for the Cultural Trail’s $2 million public art program. What ultimately happens to Fred Wilson’s “E Pluribus Unum” sculpture of a freed slave could alienate local African-Americans who oppose it or draw the scorn of national art critics.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
Bank directors feeling greater scrutiny
Tough economy, regulations dampen interest in the positions.
Read MoreMore banks processing transactions by date
Fifth Third among them, after being hit with class action over whether to pay customers’ biggest bills first.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: Charter grants beckon big education ideas
The Mind Trust is laying plans to hand out up to five $1 million grants next June to teams of educational entrepreneurs who would use the money to develop and launch innovative charter schools in Indianapolis.
Read MoreMAURER: Read and heed ‘Keeping the Republic’
I recommend Mitch Daniels’ new book, which George F. Will referred to in the foreword as “conservatism for grown-ups.”
Read MoreAdmiring the substantive candidate
This year’s Indianapolis mayoral election presents a sharp contrast between a “good candidate” (attorney Melina Kennedy) and a good mayor (ex-Marine Greg Ballard). Ballard’s 2007 election was a surprise to all but him. He has proven quite effective—a friendly, no-nonsense leader who enjoys the work and responsibilities but can do without the glitz. Ballard’s accomplishments […]
Read MoreThe euro’s problems ripple to Indiana
A crack in a support beam of a bridge can jeopardize the entire structure, as people in the Louisville area can attest to. The same principle applies to currency regimes. The crack in the euro system threatens the Eurozone economy and the financial bridges that link global markets, including those in Indiana. The euro was […]
Read MoreHICKS: Is the Occupy Indianapolis crowd on to something?
There’s something in the Occupy Indianapolis protest for most of us to appreciate. Among these is the real and persistent influence from both corporations and unions that distorts our tax system. The reality is astonishing.
Read MoreKIM: Tumble in third quarter spurred by investor panic
Sentiment has been crushed. Some investors have lost faith, thrown in the towel, and abandoned the stock market.
Read MoreTeam building takes time
I found Sam Stall’s Oct. 3 article misleading. “Team-building exercises remain popular, but do they work?” failed to make the critical distinction between building a high-performing team and facilitating a single team-building activity. When properly designed, a team-building activity allows participants to experience one aspect of team dynamics that will benefit that specific group. On […]
Read MoreThe silly promises of collectivism
With all due respect Terri Jett [Oct. 10 Forefront], your party’s history of promises about the government giving people things they can’t provide for themselves—more income, better health care, advanced education, cheaper mortgages and an overall “shiny, happy life” have been made time and again throughout history by speakers much more eloquent than our made-for-TV […]
Read MoreMultiple complaints
When I read some statements in the Oct. 3 issue, I found myself grinding my teeth. Michael Hicks referred to long-dead economists by observing that the British economist John Maynard Keynes proposed deficit spending to help remedy a deep recession. Hicks pointed out that job creation in the U.S. is substantially slowed by the contraction […]
Read MoreScales missed point of Poulakidas op-ed
After reading Christine Scales’ Sept. 26 letter, it’s clear that she needs a pat on the back. It is commendable that this unemployed doctor’s wife has sent all her children off to college, and now has made the time to focus on her community. (I guess I was wrong when I believed women could both […]
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
More Hoosier investment advisers will be regulated by state
The federal Dodd-Frank act shifts firms from Securities and Exchange Commission oversight.
Read MoreAllison cuts ribbon on assembly plant in Hungary
The 150-employee operation will ship products to international customers.
Read MoreAirport snags growing eyebrow boutique
Simply Eyebrows is joining Indianapolis International’s heralded collection of retailers.
Read MorePROXY CORNER: Celadon Group Inc.
Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc. is a trucking company that provides long-haul, full-truckload freight service through Canada, the United States and Mexico.
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