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BEHIND THE NEWS: WellPoint succession breeds unease on Wall Street

This isn’t the Well-Point Inc. way. The last two times the Indianapolisbased health insurer appointed a CEO-when Ben Lytle took the job in 1989 and Larry Glasscock succeeded him in 1999-there was no drama. The board had publicly, and painstakingly, groomed the new leader. WellPoint did nothing remotely similar this time around. As CIBC World Markets analyst Carl McDonald pointedly observed in a research note, “There’s clearly a gap in succession planning when a company of Well-Point’s size has to…

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Snubbing of ‘queen of the skies’ to save millions: Airport decides it can’t justify taxiway upgrades with FedEx cancellation of ‘super-jumbo’ Airbus A380

Not only did airport tenant FedEx cancel its order for the cargo version of the “superjumbo” last November, but no other carriers have indicated they’ll likely use the super-jumbo here, said airport Director Patrick Dooley. Nor, Dooley added, is there a compelling case to be made for taxiway upgrades merely as a contingency for A380’s being diverted here occasionally from Chicago’s O’Hare International or other airports. So managers are removing all references to the A380 in a long-range airport plan…

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Commentary: How to improve Indy’s 2011 Super Bowl

Feb. 4, 2007, will be a day fondly remembered in Indianapolis for generations to come. It was the day the Indianapolis Colts emerged victorious from Super Bowl XLI. The Super Bowl media exposure, combined with the city’s proud history of organizing and hosting some of the world’s largest sporting events, should position us well to serve as host for the 2011 Super Bowl. Already, a host committee has been formed and seed funds committed. The General Assembly has passed legislation…

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Tax break would reward patent producers: Indiana legislators view bill as way to attract young, innovative high-tech companies and solo entrepreneurs

A bill weaving its way through the Indiana General Assembly could give the state an edge in attracting and growing the type of high-tech ventures several states covet. Indiana House Bill 1461, introduced by Rep. Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, advanced to the Senate after sailing through the House of Representatives on Feb. 26 by a vote of 95-3. The legislation that was referred to the Senate’s Economic Development and Technology Committee would provide a tax incentive that would shield income from…

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Lawmakers look to accelerate fight against IP piracy: Proposal calls for more cooperation, national network

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh need look no further than his home state of Indiana when recounting the scores of companies victimized by intellectual property thieves. The product designs, brand names and copyrighted material stolen by foreign firms to make counterfeit knockoffs likely are costing Hoosier companies millions of dollars annually. Nationally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates the figure to be $250 billion a year. The pervasiveness of the theft-counterfeiting has increased 10,000 percent during the past two decades-has prompted…

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BULLS & BEARS: Amid all the complaining, U.S. continues to prosper

A few weeks ago, I heard Ben Stein speak about politics and the economy. The noted lawyer, writer, actor and economist spouted off various positive statistics about the U.S. economy and then lamented that the public seemed morose about the financial sunshine. Even though our standard of living is at an all-time high, it seems as if Americans like to grovel and complain. Stein said, in his best Ferris Bueller drone, the American public was the most “unhappy happy society”…

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Mixed-use project would transform Lawrence: Final piece of Fort Ben development includes residential, retail, offices

The final piece of a decade-long redevelopment of Fort Benjamin Harrison would give Lawrence a new downtown with shops, offices and public plazas mixed among as many as 1,000 condos, townhouses and apartments. The Fort Harrison Reuse Authority hasn’t settled on a name yet for the 88-acre project, but the quasi-governmental group’s board is expected to approve zoning updates this month that pave the way for the project. Public meetings will be held in March and April, and the first…

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NOTIONS: A heapin’ helpin’ of straight-and-narrow satire

·mo ·pho ·bia, noun: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals -Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Hi. Big Brother here. You know me: Mr. Government-Knows-Best, Mr. Run-Your-Life-For-You, Mr. Tell-You-What-You-Can-and-Cannot-Do. I realize I’m not popular in these Hoosier parts. I know I’ve failed to mandate the use of motorcycle helmets. Failed to mandate the use of safety belts in trucks. Failed to stop you from smoking up that old Chevy Malibu with your little munchkin ridin’ shotgun. Granted, after decades of…

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EYE ON THE PIE: What’s wrong with property taxes?

So much is going on in the Indiana General Assembly that it makes my head spin, which makes me dizzy and unfit for driving safely on the roads. That, plus the recent heavy snows, has made me a hermit. To re-enter society, I called Dr. Werner von Fizzle, the only psychologist I know who provides at-home consultations. As he sat down, Dr. von F asked, “Do you have some tonic vater?” I nodded and rose to fill his request. “And,”…

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RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Battle brewing between big business and the Web

The Web has always been viewed with suspicion by many people, but now it’s become nothing less than the cause of copyright lawsuits against Ellen DeGeneres for letting a guest dance the Electric Slide, against the Girl Scouts for doing the Macarena a satire Web site about Barney the purple dinosaur for making fun of the big guy, and against the online deal-finder site Black Friday for publishing prices from retailer Best Buy. Back in the old days, copyright holders…

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DST changes may create time trials: An extended schedule threatens calendars on electronic devices

It must seem like déjá vu to Hoosier companies who again must prepare their computer networks for the confusion caused by daylight-saving time. Indiana’s first-ever switch to DST last year triggered a mass adjustment of electronic clocks essential for computers and other devices to spring ahead with the rest of the world. Now the ritual must be repeated, due to a 2005 federal law decreeing that DST start three weeks earlier and end one week later, beginning this year. The…

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EYE ON THE PIE: What is the truth about jobs in Indiana?

It seems I have to write this column every year. Our elected leaders and their appointees are once again telling us how many jobs they have brought to us through their superlative efforts. Have pity on them. They know what they are doing, but they don’t know what’s going on. Yet, you and I will go to the polls and judge them based on the number of jobs they bring to the city, county or the state when we vote…

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New NFIB boss knows politics: State chapter to devote more time to campaigns

Kevin Hughes cut his teeth in the political world. Now he’s taking a bite out of small business, as the new state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. Hughes, 30, has never owned his own business, but he worked for six years at the Ohio State Legislature as a legislative aide and for the Senate Republicans there. He also worked on several campaigns. In 2004, Hughes took a job as the Midwest regional political director for NFIB in…

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CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Snowstorms make you wonder

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary Snowstorms make you wonder Television weatherpeople are weird creatures, and I mean that in the nicest way. I know a few of them, and they are very fine individuals. But while most folks get anxious over “weather events” like Feb. 13’s snowstorm, TV weatherpeople get excited, downright giddy. Their eyes gleam with intensity. They become more animated. Their nervous systems crank to high alert. They are like the veritable kid in the candy store. Weather events are…

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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Tax reform is tricky, but legislators aren’t giving up

The coming week will bring intense action in both the House of Representatives and the Senate as the chambers complete committee deliberations on bills in their respective chambers of origin. As of this writing, final floor action that would allow bills to cross the Statehouse Rotunda would take place by early in the last week of February. Missing from this session seems to be any real sense of urgency in moving measures through committee and on to the floor of…

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State GOP considering 2012 national convention bid: A successful Young Republican event in 2009 could help city land larger prize, but competition will be stiff

It’s a long shot-probably longer than the odds the Chicago Bears faced against the Indianapolis Colts-but the city could host the Super Bowl in 2011 and the Republican National Convention the following year. City leaders hope to convince NFL owners that the city is more deserving than Phoenix, Dallas and possibly New Orleans, which could be the sentimental favorite if, in fact, it submits a bid. Indiana Republicans, meanwhile, are setting their sights on 2012 and are just beginning to…

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Tough road to the top: 77 percent of university presidents are men. Will new hires at IU and Purdue change that?

After decades of Affirmative Action, women occupy fewer than one-fourth of U.S. university presidents’ offices-this despite females making up 58 percent of undergraduates, according to the U.S. Education Department. Women made decent strides between 1986, when 10 percent of college presidents’ offices were occupied by women, and 2001, when 21 percent had women. However, between 2001 and 2006, the number barely changed. In the most recent survey by the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on Education, a public-policy advocacy group, preliminary…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Elected officials inherit problems

Outside of Marion County, this is probably unknown. Even inside the county, few are aware of Mayor Bart Peterson’s proposal to issue $450 million in bonds because of shortfalls in the money available for police and fire pensions. These are obligations to those who served before 1977. The issue seems too complex for most of us to get into. Also, it’s something going on in Marion County. Who cares? If it isn’t the Colts, does it matter? Despite these feelings,…

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Forensic engineering firm seeks defense work: New initiative hopes to help other local firms follow in Wolf Technical’s footsteps

After 30 years in the forensic-engineering business, Wolf Technical Services Inc. has analyzed everything from deadly car crashes to patent infringement. Now, Indianapolis-based Wolf is hoping to diversify into a new area: federal defense contracting. It’s a field local corporate leaders hope Indiana will tap much more frequently in the years to come. “We don’t quite know at the moment where this could lead,” said Wolf Director of Client Relations Joseph Ward. “And that’s the fun part.” The 30-employee Wolf’s…

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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: This finally may be the year for property tax reform

Brace yourself for lots of action in the next two weeks, as the deadlines approach for bills originating in the House to be passed to the Senate, and vice versa. While this is a long session of the General Assembly and one might assume this would lead to more deliberative contemplation, the extra days do not seem to make much difference as deadlines approach. Some of the larger issues that require more massaging and compromise tend not to be drafted…

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