SMITH: African-American’s win in AG race is sign of progress
Curtis Hill, running statewide for the first time and as a Republican no less, secured more votes than any candidate in Indiana’s 200-year history.
Forefront
Articles
SHELLA: Media background doesn’t make politicians media-friendly
There is no need to feel sorry for the media. Reporters and editors signed up for this treatment, and if they don’t have thick skin, they should get some. But we all benefit from true journalism and it should be encouraged.
Machines keep getting smarter, but they don’t have hearts
Software has started writing poetry, sports stories and business news. IBM’s Watson is co-writing pop hits. Uber has begun deploying self-driving taxis on real city streets and, last month, Amazon delivered its first package by drone to a customer in rural England. Add it up and you quickly realize that Donald Trump’s election isn’t the […]
Dems may be poised to make party even more extreme
As we enter 2017, the Democratic Party has good reason to be concerned. In Washington, Republicans now control the White House and both houses of Congress. Thirty-three governors are Republicans, and Republicans control both houses of state legislatures in 32 states whereas Democrats control both chambers in just five. Because I am a conservative, I […]
As Trump inauguration nears, anxiety reigns
The capital has never been more anxious about its own government. The town is suffering pre-traumatic stress disorder. Donald Trump is really going to be president. Finally, there is bipartisan consensus: It’s time to flip out. No one knows what is going to happen, but they know it will be utter chaos and that the […]
SHEPARD: A good year for Indiana’s future
It’s a human habit, of course, to use birthdays and anniversaries for simple celebration. And the commemoration of our statehood included events that served largely as parties. Having parties seemed altogether right for the occasion of an anniversary like 200.
DANIELS: Keeping arrestee DNA on file would solve crimes
We are thus losing the opportunity to identify repeat offenders before additional people are victimized; and we are losing the benefit of arrestee DNA analysis to exonerate the innocent.
SITES: DNA profile should be destroyed without conviction
It is a bedrock principle of our criminal justice system that those arrested for or even charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
MEREDITH: Mandatory kindergarten, pre-K are no-brainers
Offering universal pre-K goes hand-in-hand with full-day, mandatory kindergarten. The results of a paired pre-K and half-day kindergarten program include “higher reading skills by the third grade than those who attend full-day kindergarten alone,” according to a study by the Center for Public Education.
BOEHM: Civic education is necessary to maintain our republic
The responsibility lies not with the schools, but with the requirements we place or do not place upon them.
ROBERTSON: Several things to watch in the new year
Let’s be honest here, no one knows what a Trump presidency will bring. There are fears and hopes, but no one has a clue what is going to happen.
LEPPERT: A bumper-sticker transition for the winners
Democratic voters are certainly struggling with the new political situation post-election. But I am predicting that will pass soon. Then comes the real transition.
WAGNER: Republicans should resist temptations to go too far
In the run-up to the legislative session, we’ve already heard rumblings from lawmakers who want to dismantle gun licensing, limit women’s health care, and engage in a debate about Sharia Law.
IRELAND: Democrats can make America great again
I do not ask for compromise for the sake of compromise but for a hard-fought contest between differing world views.
SCHNEIDER: A New Year’s resolution for Trump
In the aftermath of an election that left me depressed as no election ever had before, I needed something more basic: a positive outlook that, despite my fear that we have elected a man unfit to lead, the nation will be fine.
SHABAZZ: Ask not for whom the road tolls
Toll roads address two major problems: They give you a stable source of long-term road funding revenue and they also capture out-of-state traffic and don’t put the bulk of the burden on the locals.
HALE: Championing the ‘little things’ matters, too
Allison wants to ensure that Indiana high schools provide a feminine hygiene product dispenser in at least one of their restrooms accessible to students.
How Trump can parlay Carrier into broad economic win
If Donald Trump could script his presidency, every week would probably feature another Carrier. You get on the phone with some corporate big shot who’s considering closing a plant in the Rust Belt. You offer some carrots, you threaten implicitly, you make a deal: Jobs stay, factories don’t close, and maybe next time they even […]
’Tis the season to give gifts that make a difference
Sure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he won’t wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate that she’ll forget to use. Or you can help remove shrapnel from an injured child in Syria, or assist students at risk of genocide in South Sudan. The major aid organizations have special catalogs this time of […]
What we can learn from the black kicker anomaly
Statistics disparities do not equal racism This is a football story with both political and legal implications. It was fourth down in a National Football League game, and the punting team came onto the field. The other team went into their formation to defend against the punt. Then somebody noticed that the man set to […]