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Planners to pare down commuter-rail options: Vote for light diesel trains would precede design

Goodbye elevated guideway. Goodbye buses zooming down paved-over rail beds. For that matter, forget about commuter trains running down the median of Binford Boulevard and I-69. Or along Allisonville Road or Keystone Avenue. These northeast corridor rapid-transit options, cheered and jeered by residents in the debate over rapid transit, officially get thrown from the train on Sept. 26. That’s if a regional government group votes to accept the recommendation of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization for running diesel light rail…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Ignorance, not greed, soured soup at Lehman Brothers

The collapse of Lehman Brothers and the widespread stock sell-off it engendered is a bit scary. It shows those of us on Main Street that more than a year after the subprime mess became daily news, significant and sophisticated financiers still grapple with the effect on their firms. They are now far less significant and sophisticated than they once believed. I’m still uncertain as to how this will end. The U.S. and world economies will emerge stronger, more vibrant and…

City Securities’ strategy: Stay true to your roots: State’s oldest investment bank avoided Wall St. woes

In recent days, as some of Wall Street’s most storied institutions teetered, the mood at Indiana’s largest and oldest investment firm was almost serene. City Securities Corp. managers tracked news tickers and consulted CEO Mike Bosway, who was on vacation in Ireland, via his BlackBerry. But their biggest concern wasn’t the financial underpinnings of their own company. It was tumbling stock prices, which depressed the value of the portfolios of their 15,000 clients. Bosway saw no need to rush home…

Tough economy touching all industries, but some are hurting more than others

Stock markets are falling, jobs are disappearing, and the outlook for the economy seems grim. Banks, real estate developers,
retailers and manufacturers are taking the worst hits, but all types of businesses in central Indiana are hurting. From health
care to technology, education to philanthropy, every industry is trying to take the setbacks in stride.

INVESTING: Excessive use of leverage now walloping Wall Street

Here’s a well-worn saying about businesses that engage in risky behavior: “You only find out who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out.” If so, we are nearing low tide and the biggest nude beach on the planet is on display in lower Manhattan. These recent events are historic. Lehman Brothers, a 158-year-old firm that survived the Depression and world wars, was forced into bankruptcy due to leveraged bets on subprime securities and risky loans made over the…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: How to avoid horror stories by pre-planning your move

If you’ve ever helped a friend move, you probably have horror stories to tell. About showing up to find not a single item boxed up. About countless cross-town trips in overloaded cars. About stacks and stacks of boxes labeled “Misc.” Or about unconnected utilities, lost keys, miscommunications, out-of-service elevators…well, you get the picture. Those kinds of scenarios might cost you years of good-natured teasing after you’re moving into your first apartment, but when the move involves a workplace, the stakes…

Commentary: Rethinking my presidential pick

Help me, John. I’m falling off the wagon. I like you. I read your autobiography, “Faith of My Fathers.” You are a maverick, like they say, and a patriot. My old boss, Mitch Daniels, made you his early choice. I agree with most of your pronouncements on taxes and the economy, and applaud your willingness to face up to the energy crisis and our dependence on foreign oil. I tentatively decided to cast my vote for you in November. But…

NOTIONS: Contemplating the origin of our competitive species

West Yellowstone, Montana-Outside the cabin window, the cool light of dawn is slowly illuminating the world around us. From where I sit, I can see the white trunks of two Aspens, their leaves a mix of green and gold. A few miles down Highway 20, the cook at the Bar N Ranch is serving up hash browns, sausage and huckleberry pancakes. And beyond that, over at Yellowstone National Park, the die-hard wildlife watchers are shivering in the cold, hoping to…

Swedish auto parts maker closing plant

Autoliv Inc., a Sweden-based manufacturer of air bags and other auto-safety equipment, said yesterday that it will close its plant in the northeastern Indiana town of Columbia City, throwing 380 employees out of jobs beginning this year. The work will be consolidated at a Utah plant because the company doesn’t foresee the American auto market […]

Mid-West Insulation closing down

Mid-West Insulation Inc., one of the city’s largest privately held commercial insulation contractors, told its 40 employees on Monday that it is closing. President and CEO Tom Flynn said the weakening economy caused profits to tighten, and the family-owned firm decided to shut down rather than allowing conditions to worsen and leave creditors and customers […]

State unemployment rate inches up

Joblessness edged up to 6.4 percent in August from 6.3 percent in July, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said today. The figure, which is seasonally adjusted and subject to revision, was well over the 4.5 percent rate of August 2007. Still, the department painted a nuanced picture of Indiana’s rate being a half-point below […]

Parking for disabled Colts fans ID’d

The Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority announced today that 125 to 150 additional parking spaces for guests with disabilities have been identified around Lucas Oil Stadium.

The ISCBA said three areas will now…

Accuride shares briefly soar

Shares of Evansville-based manufacturer Accuride Corp., which closed last night at 73 cents each, exploded as high as $4 this morning on news the company’s exposure to Lehman Bros.’ bankruptcy is limited. The vehicle parts maker disclosed that only 19 percent of its $125 million credit facility is backed by Lehman commercial paper. The shares […]

Are WellPoint execs greedy?

Three activist groups dropped off a wallet and handbag crammed with play money at WellPointâ??s front door
this week to protest what the groups say are outrageous salaries pulled down by company executives.

The groups â?? Health Care for America Now,…

The death of David Foster Wallace

A few weeks back, in my A&E Season Preview in the print IBJ, I picked as one of the highlighted events David Foster Wallace’s scheduled talk at Butler University.

That won’t be happening. The acclaimed writer, best known for his essays and…

CountryMark resumes oil drilling

Indianapolis-based CountryMark Cooperative Inc., which operates an oil refinery that turns out diesel fuel used primarily by farmers, has returned to drilling oil wells after abandoning the production business decades ago. CountryMark has hit oil with a well it drilled in Spencer County, and two more wells are planned this year in Posey County – […]

Ace eyes Fall Creek Place

King Park Area Development Corp. is in advanced talks with Ace Hardware to anchor a new retail project at the northeast corner of 22nd and…

Conseco chief buys 200,000 shares

Conseco CEO Jim Prieur bought 200,000 shares in the company today, the Carmel insurer disclosed. The purchase brought Prieur’s stake to 430,000 shares, according to Bloomberg. Prieur acquired the shares for $4.35 to $4.97 a share. The stock is up 22 percent today, to $4.62, after having lost nearly half its value this week. The […]

Inlow estate must be reimbursed, court rules

The wife of former Conseco Inc. chief counsel Lawrence Inlow has lost a court appeal in which she attempted to prevent money from a wrongful death settlement with the Carmel insurance company from being used to pay for his funeral. The decision means the $248,034 cost of the funeral and burial will be taken from […]

Colts roll back stadium opening

The Indianapolis Colts have rolled back the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium by two hours on home game dates. LOS will now open two hours before games, instead of the four hours it…