Most of the conversation surrounding the city’s proposed criminal justice center has focused on what the heart of downtown stands to lose when the courts and jails move out Rarely discussed is what downtown can gain from the new center, which is now officially slated for about a third of the 110-acre GM Stamping Plant site just west of White River.
After years of insisting that it cannot make ends meet running Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and receiving millions of taxpayer dollars to ease the pain, Pacers Sports & Entertainment has agreed to open its books—somewhat—to city officials, and to the rest of us.
Mayor Greg Ballard has accomplished plenty during his seven years in office, but his most enduring legacy may be in building a bicycle-friendly Indianapolis.
By all accounts, Nathan Trapuzzano was the kind of citizen Indianapolis is trying to recruit.
Last week’s announcement that Cummins would build a headquarters for its global distribution division in downtown Indianapolis was deservedly welcomed for its potential to house as many as 400 well-paid workers and add an “architecturally significant” building to a reserved skyline.
Years of foot-dragging by Indiana legislators has put the Indianapolis region way behind its peers in developing an effective mass transit system. And the transit funding bill that lawmakers finally approved this year contains some maddening conditions. But make no mistake, passage of the bill is a major milestone in a long, difficult fight.
One of the most promising planks in Mayor Greg Ballard’s agenda for the coming years is a new school his staff is calling Indianapolis Polytechnic.
Ballard is on the right track in trying to make the city attractive to people with big incomes.
Gov. Pence is smart to begin studying electric utility deregulation, and his trademark cautious, collaborative style could help the state avoid creating more problems than any reform he proposes might solve.
Most everyone agrees that a core function of government is justice—to accurately determine guilt or innocence of the accused and to carry out appropriate punishment.
Indy Chamber might incite a little road rage by proposing a commuter tax that would allow Indianapolis to collect revenue from those who work in the city but live outside county lines.
Someday, perhaps not too many years from now, Indiana will have liquor laws that are well-reasoned and rationale.
Among the many good arguments for not putting Indiana through an expensive and embarrassing battle over same-sex marriage, one gets little attention: amending the Constitution to prohibit it won’t matter in the long run.
Gov. Mike Pence said last month that he wants to help young children from low-income homes start kindergarten “ready for a life of learning.” We applaud that goal, and ask the governor and General Assembly to craft voucher legislation that encourages the highest-quality preschools.
Had Andy Jacobs not fulfilled the duties of his congressional office so unusually during his nearly 30 years in the House, the outpouring of memories following his Dec. 29 death might have been more mundane.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of generous benefactors to the quality of life of this region.
Finally, the city is talking seriously about consolidating the jumble of courts, jails and public offices that compose its criminal justice system and plunking them in a new facility—a sprawling blockhouse with an estimated cost of $200 million to $400 million.
The General Assembly has much to accomplish in its short session.
For too long, we’ve built our downtown primarily as a place to visit—whether for work, a convention or a sporting event—then leave.
