Articles

Critics: Failed Indiana-IBM deal should warn others

Indiana said it was going to get outsourcing right when it turned welfare eligibility services over to a private contractor
in 2007. Now critics say the failed move is the latest warning that states should not allow for-profit companies to run social
services.

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Daniels expands youth conservation program

Gov. Mitch Daniels says a program that hires young adults to improve Indiana parks and trails has been so successful that
he’s extending it for another year. The Young Hoosiers Conservation Corps has given jobs to nearly 1,900 residents ages 16
to 24 since it was created this year using federal stimulus money.

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Consultant: Indianapolis water utility lax in overseeing Veolia

The city too often relied on the Department of Waterworks’ board, on consultants and on the private
operator, Veolia Water, rather than on the department’s own staff “to ensure safe and efficient
operation, maintenance and management” of Indianapolis Water. That’s one of several critical
findings of a consultant hired by the department and filed as part of a 35-percent rate-hike request
pending before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

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Baucus health reform bill draws fire in Indiana, too

The health insurance industry’s sudden counterpunch to the Senate version of health reform echoed in Indiana and
opened a key issue for the rest of the debate: Will covering half of the country’s uninsured mean raising premiums for
the 85 percent of Americans who already have insurance?

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Tougher smoking ban passes committee

An ordinance that would prohibit lighting up in bars, bowling alleys and nightclubs, and nearby outdoor seating areas as well, was endorsed 4-2 by a City-County Council committee Wednesday night.

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Economist: Recovery at hand, but barriers exist

Leading
indicators show that an economic recovery likely will take hold in 2010, although several challenges remain that could delay
a solid rebound from the worst recession in a generation, an economist said Friday morning at IBJ’s annual Economic Forecast.

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