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Philanthropic fund-raisers target over-funded IRAs: Federal law change allows tax-free charitable gifts from senior citizens’ accounts in 2006 and 2007 only

About 1,300 senior citizens recently received correspondence from the Indiana University School of Medicine. The letters detailed changes in federal law allowing them to make tax-free charitable gifts from their individual retirement accounts in 2006 and 2007 only. Thanks to IU’s October mail campaign to alumni, former faculty and staff, the School of Medicine already has attracted seven six-figure contributions. And it’s received inquiries from many more potential donors. Some want to establish scholarships for students. Others want to underwrite…

INVESTING: Initial public offerings have sizzle, but they also sting

Everyone loves easy money. Initial public offerings are often viewed as fast cash for those who get in early. The craziest IPO I can remember was theglobe.comin the late 1990s. The stock went up over 10 times the first day of trading. Even though it’s been a while since those kinds of pops grabbed headlines, Wall Street continues to crank out a steady stream of IPOs. Some are worth looking at and some are better to walk away from. Merrill…

Schools warm to economic development: Colleges crank out programs to fit latest initiatives

Academic purists often hold contempt for politicians and executives seeking help with economic development initiatives. It doesn’t take a political science degree to wonder if someone is trying to stoke votes, ambitions or profits-on the cheap. But in Indiana, more colleges are tailoring their curriculum to support economic development priorities, realizing what’s good for the region can be good for their enrollment. “An increasing number of universities don’t view themselves as ivory towers anymore,” said Uday Sukhatme, executive vice chancellor…

State Chamber offers December business seminars:

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has two business seminars planned for December. The first addresses business law; the second human resources. The Chamber will hold “Indiana Legal Review,” an interactive seminar designed to address Hoosier businesses’ legal issues, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown. Topics scheduled for discussion included a legislative preview, state taxation, venture capital and employment law. Registration costs $299 for Chamber members or $399 for nonmembers. On Dec….

Papa program: boon or boondoggle? EYE ON THE PIE Morton Marcus:

The sleet was furious, but there stood Fred Fetid, my neighbor, at my front door. “May I come in?” he said. “Certainly,” I responded. He took off his soaked coat. I turned on the faux fireplace in my living room, got him some bourbon and asked, “What’s up?” “I’m confused,” Fred said. “Just last week, Sen. Evan Bayh announced that nearly $1 million will come to the Indiana Youth Institute to encourage responsible fatherhood. It’s part of a $50 million…

BULLS & BEARS: Why investing in Kimball is paying huge dividends

Just more than a year ago in this column, I suggested Kimball International’s stock might be an attractive investment. At the time we felt that, here was a company in our own back yard-Jasper-that possessed the kind of favorable investment c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s investors should seek. The column noted that the company had “no long-term debt and holds $117 million, or $3 a share, in cash. The stock…

Butler mounts unusual campaign: Students, not buildings, major emphasis of effort

Butler University President Bobby Fong’s collection of baseball memorabilia sparks almost as much enthusiasm from him as the capital campaign the college publicly unveiled last month. The major difference of course is that the autographed bats and balls displayed in his office are far less valuable than the $125 million the college wants to raise by 2010. More than half the amount already has been procured from alumni and past donors during a silent phase that launched in late 2003….

Dixie Chopper survives declining mower market: Zero-turning-radius pioneer rebounds with new units

This year was not kind to Dixie Chopper, the company near Greencastle known for making the “world’s fastest lawn mower.” Selling season is over, and Dixie Chopper sold 12,000 mowers, 3,000 fewer than forecasted. But company founder Art Evans said 2006 wasn’t as bad as rumored in the industry. “We’re not going bankrupt, we’re not upside down financially, and we’re not being bought out,” Evans said. Dixie Chopper laid off 10 to 15 employees, temporarily cut its workweek from 40…

FUNNY BUSINESS: Being your own boss doesn’t save you from idiots

I work at home. Well, I call it work, but really it’s just sitting around making fun of things. Which is the same “job” description I used when I “worked” (boy, this is going to date me) at what used to be known as The Daily Newspaper. Nowadays, it’s The Manually Delivered User Operated Lifestyle Enhancement Information Platform. Anyway, the good thing about doing whatever I do at home is that I’m free from the tyrannies of the workplace-meetings, idiot…

RCA ends 15-year run as sponsor of tennis tournament

After a 15-year run–the longest on the ATP Tour’s North American Circuit–Thomson Consumer Electronics’ RCA brand is ending its title sponsorship of Indianapolis’ professional men’s tennis tournament.

SPORTS: You can’t fathom ‘the Luke’ until you’ve been inside

Growing up, my brothers and I had the usual constructiontype toys: Lincoln Logs, an Erector Set, Tinker Toys and-if memory serves me-this kit from Kenner you could use to assemble the plastic skyscraper of your imagination. Among the things I tried to build, however, were gymnasiums and stadiums, because I always was fascinated with places that brought together large numbers of people. But since I had the attention span of a gnat and the conceptual engineering skills of an eventual…

TAWN PARENT Commentary: Is your company wasting its talents?

Organizational development isn’t usually my bag, but when I heard people using words like uplifting, inspiring, astonishing, cool, infectious and dynamite to describe an up-and-coming method, I decided to check it out. The method is appreciative inquiry, which is billed as a way of transforming organizations by trying to build on what’s right instead of analyzing what’s wrong. “You motivate people more through engaging in what’s positive,” said Ruth Purcell-Jones, president of Trustee Leadership Development Inc., a local organization that…

Taking apart PCs, rebuilding lives: Workforce Inc. recycling program helps ex-prisoners prepare for employment

Timothy Smith spent 22 years behind bars for committing a violent crime he’d rather not talk about. The Indianapolis native released from prison just two months ago cannot stop praising the transitional program meant to help him and other former inmates find jobs and rebuild their lives. “This place has been a godsend for me,” Smith said. “Coming out of prison, you don’t have much of a job history. It gives you something to look forward to.” Smith, who entered…

From blankets to burials, trustee work never ends:

You can turn to a township trustee for help if a fire leaves you homeless or a hospital stay leaves you penniless. You also look to the office if a dog devours your livestock or you need a fence dispute resolved. Indiana’s 1,008 trustees make up the state’s largest single group of elected officials, and their lengthy list of duties ranges from the conventional to the odd. Some are charged with destroying “noxious weeds” and “rank vegetation,” according to the…

Company offers recipe for waste disposal: Sanitec plans to microwave local medical refuse

A Washington, D.C., company hopes to introduce a method of cooking medical waste with microwaves to the Indianapolis market, which now trucks much of that refuse out of state for safe disposal. Sanitec Industries Inc. has filed plans with the city to install one of its wasteprocessing systems in an empty west-side building. It plans to hire as many as 20 people at the facility to process the redbagged medical waste that flows regularly out of hospitals, and doctor or…

INVESTING: Investing opportunities remain, but pick your spots

Only about a month and a half is left in the year. It feels as though under-invested managers are pushing to make things happen so they can catch up to the market. Today, we are going to get into where the strength should be the rest of the year, and some of it is coming from unsuspecting places. We’ll also look at what should be avoided. It won’t come as any surprise where the weakness lies. The markets have been…

NOTIONS: A call for cooperation in a deep purple nation

It’s election night. The hour is late. Political junkie that I am, however, I’m propped up in bed, the television blaring before me, the laptop perched on my legs. Remote in hand, I flip TV channels between CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, C- SPAN and Comedy Central. With the flick of an index finger on my computer, I bounce between Web sites of The Indianapolis Star, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Marion County Election Board,…

To the victors go the things they spoiled THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW Ron Gifford:

I know self-government can be a messy thing. I’m well aware of Winston Churchill’s statement that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” But why is it that every time I voted Nov. 7, I felt like I needed another shower? (What? You don’t vote early and often?) Well, the bad news is that the next campaign cycle began Nov. 8. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be Groundhog…