Bayh’s exit may pinch federal funds going to Indiana
Sen. Evan Bayh brought home the bacon—more than
$1.4 billion in federal appropriations and grants in just the last 12 months.
Government
Articles
Ballard’s high-risk IT project could save millions – or flop
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has decided to overhaul the city’s and county’s 1970s-era financial IT systems—a move
that could cement
his reputation for improving government efficiency. But the upgrade also is fraught with risk.
Cultural Trail pork?
The finished trail will be great. But the federal government is on a trajectory toward fiscal oblivion.
House panel OKs delay in unemployment tax hike
An Indiana House committee endorsed legislation Wednesday that would delay for one year increases in taxes that employers
pay into the state’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund.
No Democrat meets Indiana deadline for Senate seat
The only Democrat seeking to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Evan Bayh has missed out on qualifying for Indiana’s
May primary ballot.
Meetings start public discussion of regional transit plan
Indy Connect will hold its first public forum Tuesday evening to begin the process of gathering public input on a regional
transportation plan that proposes raising taxes to build a light-rail line, improve bus service and expand roadways.
Puzzling over why Evan Bayh waited until the last minute to retire
Bayh might have been sly as a fox by waiting to the last minute to announce he’s leaving the Senate.
Ivy Tech, IPIC snare $10M in job-training grants
Programs will bolster job opportunities for some 1,700 Indiana workers in sectors including health care and advanced manufacturing.
Gambling to remain an issue in General Assembly
Issue likely to land in House, Senate conference committee.
State jobless fund tax increase becomes hot topic
Whether to delay increases in taxes that employers pay to Indiana’s unemployment insurance fund is becoming a
contentious issue in the General Assembly.
Smoking ban legislation appears dead in Statehouse
Legislation that would ban smoking in all public places, enclosed areas of places of employment and certain state vehicles
appears headed for an Indiana General Assembly summer study committee.
MARCUS: Radical government budgeting proposed
The essential issue is to get out of the cycle where governments plan to spend money they don’t know they
will receive.
Gun bills on fast track
Want to leave a gun in your car at work? Your employer’s policy may become irrelevant.
City seeking proposals to privatize parking operations
Indianapolis leaders are officially seeking proposals from companies interested in running the city’s parking operations—and
possibly additional spaces managed by other government entities.
State tries new plan to track students’ growth
Instead of focusing on standardized tests, the Indiana Growth Model will monitor individual students’ academic growth to measure
their progress and identify effective teaching methods, state public education officials say.
Education by statistics
Inconceivable as it might sound, will the increasing focus on academic performance in public schools give private schools
a run for their money? It wouldn’t be the first time statistics upset an apple cart.
Colts won’t disclose which legislators got game tickets
The team sold Super Bowl tickets to 26 state lawmakers, 27 members of the City-County Council, 10 members of Mayor Greg Ballard’s
office, six other state officials, and four Congressmen.
City program gives firms incentive to hire ex-offenders
A pilot project is providing jobs for 70 ex-convicts, with their $10-an-hour wages covered
by Uncle Sam for six months. City officials hope they can then transition into other jobs or receive recommendations that
help them to find other work.
Government reform, unemployment taxes chug through Legislature
Key measures cleared their chambers of origin by the Feb. 3 deadline.
Mayor Ballard, snow fighter?
Rating Ballard on his promises to master basics including snow removal and fixing potholes.