Articles

After assessors, what’s next?

Indiana voters this week in effect fired most of the remaining township assessors after the Legislature merged
the vast majority of their work into county-level assessor offices earlier this year.

But many of the recommendations from the report on…

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Obama, Daniels and Indiana

Change agents Barack Obama and Mitch Daniels won over Hoosiers yesterday, but from different ends of the
political spectrum.

Barack Obama took the state after a campaign in which he promised to increase regulations on business, raise
taxes on…

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There’s gotta be a better way

We live in the country that invented the light bulb, put a man on the moon and cracked the human genome,
but weâ??re still standing in line to vote.

Election Day is evolving into Election Month as more people make decisions…

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Nuclear war, assessors and voters

Following a nuclear holocaust, itâ??s been said, only cockroaches and township assessors will be left.

Now, assessors might finally meet their match in something more powerful than atomic weapons â?? voters.

The Legislature wiped out a warren of them this year when…

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Leaders analyze Denver’s commuter transit

 Sixty Indianapolis-area business and civic leaders visited Denver Oct. 19-21 as
part of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce 2008 Leadership Exchange and paid close attention to public transportation, especially commuter trains.

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Assessor consolidation is a must

We have a long-standing policy of not endorsing political candidates, but there’s no such policy where ballot initiatives
are concerned. So we urge our readers to vote "yes" on assessor consolidation.

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Costumes for the politically astute

 Whatever costume you wore on Halloween, let Joe the Plumber, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Tyrannosaurus Rex, President
Bush, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Sgt. Joe Friday and other characters of this election cycle continue to spark a lively
dialogue with your friends, family and neighbors.

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Bringing on the generic drugs

Times are tough enough that more people are beginning to switch to generic drugs to save money. Insurers
like Indianapolis-based WellPoint are playing a role, too, by pushing policy holders toward generics.

People also are splitting pills…

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Concerns of a state health official

One of the people responsible for ensuring we stay healthy is Dr. Judy Monroe, who directs the Indiana Department
of Health.

So, what keeps someone with a job like hers up at night?

A nightmare scenario is a new virus that quickly…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Delays to development projects cost everybody money

Here’s a common scenario: A developer gets approval on zoning and planning permits to build a business on a piece of property. The business has signed an agreement to either lease or buy the building once it’s completed. The owner of the business then begins making plans to open the new facility. The developer, meanwhile, goes to work to prepare the property for construction, which includes everything from figuring out the utilities, access road, curbs, sidewalks and landscaping. Working with…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Benefits to buying or leasing in a troubled economy

As real estate professionals well know, a troubled economy is making it harder to negotiate and close deals. However, buying or leasing real estate in a troubled economy also provides great opportunities for buyers and tenants. Real estate brokers often talk about it being a buyer’s and renter’s market and focus on selection and price; however, there are several other benefits when buying or leasing commercial real estate in a troubled economy. These additional benefits include tax abatements or credits…

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Indiana adoption agencies try new strategies: Supply of kids from China, other sources dwindles

Families Thru International Adoption holds a reunion each summer at Forest Park in Noblesville that draws hundreds of families. Most of the children were born in China or Guatemala, but adoptions from those countries have slowed dramatically. The Evansville-based agency will have to form relationships in other countries, or expect fewer new faces at the annual picnic. FTIA is among a handful of Indiana agencies revamping their strategies to deal with the dramatic downturn. “It is a difficult time for…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: What Halloween can teach us about economics

The week of Halloween at the Hicks household is also the week we learn about taxes. It is a natural combination-they are both kind of scary and involve giving up something you’ve worked for to someone else. Having three kids of different ages and interests is especially instructive. My fourth-grader is all about the experience of trick or treating with friends. She is likely to savor every minute chatting, holding hands and skipping along. She is not trying to maximize…

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Was HIP program enough?: Candidates spar over impact of Daniels’ health reforms

Just how big of a deal was the Healthy Indiana Plan? That seems to be the key question dividing Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and his Democratic challenger, Jill Long Thompson, in their competing plans over health care reform. Daniels’ campaign for re-election points to his administration’s ongoing rollout of the Healthy Indiana Plan as his entire plan for health care reform in his second term. The plan, which uses cigarette tax revenue to offer health insurance and health savings accounts…

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ACCOUNTING: Private-company audits make a comeback, but not for all

In recent years, Sarbanes-Oxley Act regulations have been a moving force in increasing the emphasis on improved internal controls, governance and accountability in the public markets. The Securities and Exchange Commission has always required audits for publicly traded companies, but the primary users of private companies’ financial statements-banks and other lending institutions-have been slow to mandate audits. With the recent turmoil in credit markets and increasingly tight credit requirements for closely held business loans, the audit appears to be coming…

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