Lumina chair Mutz preps for a W downturn
John Mutz, former lieutenant governor and chairman of the Lumina Foundation, is digging in for extended hard times.
Economy
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Economy pushes executives into small firms
In the recession, folks with former big-company careers
are increasingly taking jobs with small businesses. For some downsized executives, it’s about the desperate need for
a paycheck. Others, who felt impotent and pigeonholed in corporations, discover they prefer the challenge of entrepreneurship.
CIB OKs budget, but awaits council vote
Members of the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board this afternoon passed a $63 million budget for 2010 that hinges on the
City-County Council’s approval of a hike in the local hotel tax.
Indiana’s jobless rate remains nearly unchanged
Indiana’s unemployment situation appears to be stabilizing as the jobless rate held almost steady for the third month in a
row, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said this morning.
KANNING: Is our nation following in GM’s footsteps?
Flawed decisions destroy organizations, not company size or lack thereof.
Indiana workplace deaths rise slightly
The number of Hoosiers who died on the job last year ticked up from the previous year. But the total still represents the
second-fewest workplace fatalities since the federal government began tracking the statistic in 1992, the Indiana Department
of Labor said today.
MARCUS: Changing roles cause conflict
Americans are uncomfortable when responsibilities between the public and private sectors shift.
Grizzled entrepreneur: Pounce now
Dave Becker has made a lot of money on ventures including First Internet Bank and a banking software firm
called re:Member Data Services, so his thoughts about the right time to launch a business are not exactly
uninformed.
When is the…
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…
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…
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.
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.
Indianapolis hotels feel pain of national slump
Hotel occupancy rates are way down in Indianapolis, as they are elsewhere, but local operators and national analysts think
the city is in a good position to bounce back when the economy improves.
Battered manufacturing towns hungry for food processors
Economic development officials like the stability of the food business, though wages typically are mediocre.
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,…
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.
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…
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…
Alleys of devastation
Plenty of stories have been published and aired in recent days about migration…
KELLER: The party’s over for IU Law grads as stapped firms trim opportunities
Fledgling attorneys face a legal industry in defensive mode, resulting in drooping employment figures.