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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: State’s ‘circuit breaker’ law worsens flawed tax system

Fifty years ago, economist Charles Tiebout expressed a vision of how freeing local governments to pursue their own unique strategies for setting taxes and providing services could produce an efficient outcome much like the private marketplace. He called it “voting with your feet.” The idea was simple-by moving, people could sort themselves out and live in communities that came closest to providing the tax and expenditure combinations they valued most. Reality is quite a bit more complicated. When people move…

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Black Expo CEO seeks ‘next level’: Rogers hopes to build on Williams’ legacy The Summer Celebration schedule appears in our Diversity in Business Focus. PAGES 15A-19A

The Summer Celebration schedule appears in our Diversity in Business Focus. PAGES 15A-19A The title of Indiana Black Expo Inc.’s 2005 annual report couldn’t be more fitting: “Con tinuing the Legacy.” It’s an apt description for both the organization’s recent history and its goals for the future. As Black Expo prepares to kick off its second Summer Celebration without its longtime leader, Rev. Charles Williams, CEO Joyce Q. Rogers is abuzz with ideas to make the nation’s largest black heritage…

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TAWN PARENT Commentary: Take 2 aspirin and a few months off

Maybe what you need is a sabbatical. The term comes from ancient Judea, where it described the year of rest given to land every seventh year to keep it from becoming depleted. Today, “sabbatical” conjures up images of ivory towers and a practice out of step with the breakneck pace of modern business. A perk that seems at best a luxury and at worst a waste of time and money for the employer. Tell that to Intel, Xerox Corp. and…

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Patient safety center steers clear of the blame game: New approach modeled after aviation industry

Indiana hospitals are drawing inspiration from the aviation industry for their latest push to reduce medical errors. The Indiana Patient Safety Center, which opened July 1, will foster a blamefree approach to reporting errors, much like the environment promoted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The result will be a culture that encourages system analysis to fix flaws that lead to an error, rather than one that merely heaps blame on the person who committed it, said Bob Morr, vice president…

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Leader tapped to make the IMA a ‘must see’: New director to focus on art and nature park

The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s new director isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. During his five years as director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, he reportedly butted heads with the board over programming and oversaw a staff reorganization that triggered the departure of several curators. He also resigned after the board rejected a $200 million expansion he pushed. But Maxwell Anderson, who started at the IMA June 19, dismisses that reputation. “The Whitney is a very unusual place,” said…

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Artist out to protect her images: Noel sues Texas distributor for copyright infringement

Zionsville artist Nancy Noel’s original work can be seen in the homes of Mikhail Gorbachev, Robert Redford, Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey. Noel prides herself on its originality and authenticity. And she said she’ll “go after anyone” who threatens that. This spring, Noel filed a federal lawsuit against Texas-based art distributor Martha Ewell, alleging she made unauthorized copies of Noel’s images-including her popular Amish and angel collections-and sold them on the Internet. She is asking to be paid $30,000 for…

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NOTIONS: Gore’s film has lessons we should heed

Last Friday night, my friend Cheri and I decided to go out to dinner and a movie. The film we chose wasn’t playing near our downtown home. So we had to get in the car and drive 14 miles northwest to Traders Point. As we sat outside at Abuelo’s eating and talking, we watched hundreds of cars, trucks and SUVs pass by on 86th Street. This led to a conversation about the environment and the need for mass transit in…

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Scrapping it: Flurry of area shops close the books on once-hot business

Forget-Me-Not in Greenwood will soon be forgotten. The store, which sold scrapbook albums and supplies, closed last month. It was the latest of at least seven scrapbook stores to close in the past few months in central Indiana. Business analysts are calling the rash of out-of-business signs a cautionary tale for proprietors who invest in “silo businesses” that base their bottom line on a trend or product that may soon be out of style. “A lot of the mom-and-pop [scrapbook]…

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Giving lifted by disasters: Donors generous to victims of catastrophies but didn’t forget usual causes, IU study finds

All told, individuals, corporations and foundations gave $260.3 billion to charity in 2005, 2.7 percent more than the year before even after adjusting for inflation, according to data compiled by researchers at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy for the annual “Giving USA” report. The report, set to be released June 19 by the Illinois-based Giving USA Foundation, answers a question that has been lingering for more than a year: Would the nation’s outpouring of support for victims of an Asian…

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Gladish strengthening his ties to Indianapolis: Ex-YMCA president joins IU’s Center on Philanthropy

Kenneth Gladish first laced up his sneakers as a YMCA kid in Northbrook, Ill. Decades later, he tightened his tie as president of the national organization. In between, Gladish was a central figure in the Indianapolis charitable sector. Now his time at the YMCA of the USA has come to an end, and Gladish’s next step is up in the air. But one thing’s for sure-he’ll be maintaining his ties to Indianapolis. Gladish, 53, has accepted a three-year appointment as…

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BRIAN WILLIAMS Commentary: Program opens eyes to community needs

In 1973, an automobile accident inspired a mother to create a dynamic memorial to the accomplishments of her son and for the benefit of the community in which he lived. For 30 years, the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series has offered a unique perspective to 25 individuals on the issues confronting our city and region. Guided by a moderator through tours, seminars, reading and interaction with experts, the participants debate education, government, health and human services, the justice system,…

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Women MD numbers soar: Title IX passage in 1970 credited with spurring educational opportunities

When Colleen Brown graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine in May, she was part of a class making history. For the first time, the medical school was graduating more women physicians than men-131 and 128, respectively. Since 1970, there has been a 10-fold increase in the number of women physicians, according to a February 2006 study by the American Medical Association. In 1970, only 25,404 women graduated in the United States in all medical specialties. By 2004, the…

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“No habla ingles”: Immigrants who want to advance find many programs to help them learn English

No habla inglesImmigrants who want to advance find many programs to help them learn English Osvaldo Escobedo was hungry to learn English. It was bad enough when he couldn’t advance at the Nissan Motor Co. plant in Aguascalientes, in central Mexico, because he couldn’t converse in the business language of English. Later, when he came to the United States, he couldn’t eat much more than what he could pronounce. “When I go to restaurant, I ask [for] ‘coffee and doughnuts….

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Proposed resource center targets science, tech, math: BioCrossroads wants to help build strong foundation Pulling things together

Only 64 percent of Indiana’s fifthgraders passed the latest ISTEP+ test in science. A little better-76 percent-passed the math component. Unfortunately, as children advance in grades, their ISTEP+ math scores worsen. By eighth grade, only 64 percent passed the math portion of the test. Yet, economic development officials in Indiana-and much of the country-want young students to choose to study in college areas of advanced manufacturing, life sciences, informatics, agribusiness and an array of disciplines that require a strong foundation…

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School founder traveled challenging road: Before starting Montessori Academy, Cain overcame loss of parents, dyslexia to earn engineering degree, MBA

Vivian Cain founded the Montessori Academy of Indianapolis five years ago, but for most of her life, she’s been a walking billboard for people striving to overcome obstacles. Cain, 36, operates the private school on the northwest side of Indianapolis. The academy, which Cain started with $40,000 of her personal savings, has grown to 100 students and could expand to include a second location. “When we first started, I opened and closed, and cleaned and cooked,” said Cain, who serves…

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NOTIONS: Fighting mountains, oceans with human connections

During the 1992 presidential campaign, H. Ross Perot used the phrase “that giant sucking sound” to describe what he feared would be a rush of American jobs into Mexico should the U.S. approve the North American Free Trade Agreement. In Indiana’s 2006 economy, “that giant sucking sound” describes the rush of Indiana talent across the state line to anywhere but here. In a phenomenon known as the “brain drain,” Indiana exports more young talent than it imports. But suppose we…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Let’s tax phone, Internet, TV usage

Felicity Futenmouth and I went to graduate school together. Her career in economics focused on consumer services provided by such first-class firms as MegaMedia, MegaMarkets and MegaMercenaries. We became reacquainted lately at our class’s 35th reunion. Over a nightcap of hot chocolate and biscuits, she enticed me with a coy question: “How do you feel about local taxes?” “I am all for them,” I responded. “If you don’t have local taxes, you don’t have a strong claim on the responsibility…

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Entrepreneurs keep day jobs: Moonlighting helps owners mitigate startup risks

Inventions at various stages of development are scattered around Qamar Shafeek’s ranch-style home on Indianapolis’ east side. An unnamed doohickey attached to a curtain rod pulls drapes open and shut along with the sliding glass door. A voice box gadget tells the single father when the garage or side doors open, alerting him to his children’s comings and goings. And a plastic pinwheel with tennis balls attached to the ends is making its way from a napkin-sketch idea to a…

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VIEWPOINT: To be a logistics leader, state needs a plan

Indiana is poised to become the country’s logistics center. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion on that topic. Now is the time for business, government and education to come together and make it happen. SupplyNet 2006-the recent statewide conference that brought together not only transportation, distribution and logistics industries, but also representatives from manufacturing, retail, information technology, government and academia-detailed the broader picture of supplychain management. As a cutting-edge business strategy, supply-chain management integrates internal and external logistics…

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SPORTS: Child of city fears demise of program that saved her

You can sense the ache in Rochelle Taylor’s heart, the knot in her stomach. She goes to bed at night wondering, “What are we going to do?” She wakes up thinking, “What are we going to do?” Kids are her passion. Not just any kids, but the ones who live in the city neighborhoods … often underserved, undeserving victims of circumstances into which they were born. And circumstances in which they might remain, unless someone extends a hand. Taylor is…

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