Articles

United Way turns to the rich

The wealthy in the Indianapolis area arenâ??t carrying their weight in supporting United Way of Central Indiana,
according to an analysis by the not-for-profit    comparing places including Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Columbus,
Ohio.

The Indianapolis chapter has 22 â??principalâ?? donors, defined as…

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Questions about â??clunkersâ??

â??Cash for clunkersâ?? has sent lots of gas-guzzlers to the scrap yard and helped car dealers move the metal.

But as Congress considers adding $2 billion to the initial $1 billion earmarked for the program, both the
political right and left…

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Muncie manufacturer Duffy calling it quits

Duffy Tool & Stamping LLC in Muncie has notified the Indiana Department of Workforce Development
that the company will close its plant by the end of October. Roughly 130 workers will lose their jobs as a result
of the closure, Duffy said in its July 27 filing.

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MARCUS: Economic slump inspires platitudes galore

If the problem is that consumers and businesses
are not spending because banks aren’t lending, then government making it easier for banks to lend and consumers to spend
is a good thing. The stimulus plan is right on target.

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The housing bust has come to this

For a peek into just how hard the housing bust has hit the Indianapolis area, look no further than a new
study by the Indiana Business Research Center, an arm of Indiana Universityâ??s Kelley School of Business.

The region,…

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HICKS: Muncie’s status quo is high taxes, poor service

Property-tax caps, as well as a dwindling population and commercial base, have left Muncie in the uncomfortable
situation of cutting budgets. Since the bulk of costs are related to fire and police salaries, few options
are available. The city has turned to the short length of rope the Legislature offered amid the debate
on property tax caps—the Local Option Income Tax.

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Hoosier state as a laboratory

You know California is in bad shape when The Economist compares it with Texas and wonders which is best.

An opinion piece in its upcoming issue verges on placing them on a virtually even plane.

California still has the best…

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Indiana recession losing oomph

The recession is winding down in Indiana, but the state will lag a few months behind the nation when the
economy starts to pick up steam.

Thatâ??s how an Economy.com specialist who tracks Indiana sees it.

Sean Maher, who also focuses on…

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Housing gridlock

Itâ??s old news that houses arenâ??t selling. But did you realize the situation is so bad that migration around
the country has all but stopped?

Thatâ??s what Ball State University economist Mike Hicks and a colleague at the Mackinaw Center for…

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Half of state’s public-company CEOs saw pay rise in 2008

For investors, 2008 was the worst year since the Great Depression. Even so, more than half of the state’s public-company executives
saw the value of their pay packages rise from 2007—despite the fact that only 10 of the companies posted a positive total
return in 2008, and 46 companies shed more than one-third of their stock market value.

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Innovation drought?

Beneath Americaâ??s financial woes lies a lack of innovation, a recent BusinessWeek article argues. A paucity
of breakthrough products could have triggered the nationâ??s borrowing binge and ultimately the financial meltdown,
it says.

Hereâ??s the logic: A decade ago,…

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An outsider cautions Indianapolis

Before you hear Ed Morrisonâ??s warning for Indianapolis, itâ??s helpful to know the Cleveland-area resident is
a fan.

Morrison, who was hired by Purdue University a couple of years ago to help Hoosiers think of new ways of
solving problems, believes…

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