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Commentary: Ice Miller finds gem in ag hire

Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller recently announced the formation of an Agricultural Law Initiative and named Beth Bechdol as its director of agribusiness strategies. The group includes more than a dozen attorneys and industry specialists. The recruitment of Bechdol is a brilliant move that was ultimately possible because of a family tragedy. Bechdol is a farm girl from just outside of Auburn who graduated from Georgetown University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in foreign service and visions of becoming…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Study exposes unfortunate work-force realities

For more than a half-century, we have built complex statistical models to attempt to explain why regions enjoy different levels of prosperity. Virtually every conceivable variable-from ethno-linguistic similarity indexes to existing natural resources to government structures-have been tried, with the models proving enormously successful. One critical insight in this extensive body of research is that human capital-the quality of a labor force-yields the strongest explanation for differences in prosperity. When we apply these models to the United States, the importance…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Primaries and prudence demand attention

Today-not tomorrow or next week, but now-is the moment to get involved in improving your life and the lives of your family and neighbors. Don’t delay. All you need do is both of two simple things. First, find out who is running in the primary election on May 6 for the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate from your district. Yes, the national news media have told us that our Indiana primary may be meaningless. They are referring to the…

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Commentary: A story we all should heed

Last month, Brightpoint Inc. Chairman and CEO Bob Laikin was honored with Indiana University’s Distinguished Entrepreneurs-In-Residence Award. If the selection committee was looking for an executive with pluck, it chose well. The IU Kelley School of Business hosts the Distinguished Entrepreneurs-In-Residence program to inspire students and help them learn about the challenges of starting or expanding an emerging business. Laikin’s tumultuous and exciting journey left the students as dizzy as a day-long ride on the Kings Island Beast. Laikin founded…

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SPORTS: Once in Knight’s doghouse, I never came out

If memory serves, the year was 1982. I was in Bloomington covering a Bob Knight media gathering for the local daily when one of the employees of Indiana University’s sports information office tapped me on the shoulder and said I had an emergency call from my wife. I immediately picked up my notepad and tape recorder and called home. Our 2-yearold daughter was apparently seriously ill and my wife was in the process of taking her to the hospital emergency…

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Law firms making green push: Environmental teams provide marketing boost

The next generation of environmental law is coming to a firm near you. Many law firms have existing practices that counsel clients on the complexities of complying with air and water permits or cleaning up contaminated properties. But now that the corporate sector is embracing “green” initiatives quicker than Al Gore accumulates carbon credits, environmental law is becoming as sexy as, say, intellectual property. Two of the city’s largest firms-Ice Miller LLP and Baker & Daniels LLP-recently unveiled so-called “green”…

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Stung by subprime mess, investors head to court: Local litigation targets Morgan Keegan & Co.

Angry investors in Indiana and across the country are going to court to recover some of the billions of dollars they’ve lost on investments connected to subprime mortgages. Mortgage-backed investments have appeared on the balance sheets of companies and organizations large and small. And observers say write-downs totaling $100 billion at firms like Merrill Lynch, UBS and Bear Stearns are just the beginning. Various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are investigating whether investors were misled. “This crisis will affect…

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NOTIONS: A vote for new voices in the fine art of democracy

My sons Zach and Austin came of voting age in 2006. That November, there weren’t many contested or competitive races where they lived (near Fort Wayne). Zach registered and voted, anyway. Austin didn’t bother. Zach and I gave Austin a hard time about that. Last September, Zach headed off to college in California, while Austin and his girlfriend, Karolina, began their freshman year at New York University. A few weeks after arriving in Manhattan, there was a campaign rally in…

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Green group touts its mission in HQ project:

The Fountain Square property that Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc. has purchased to house its headquarters is undergoing a massive renovation that will transform it from abandoned derelict to an environmental showpiece. In the process, the not-for-profit environmental group is hoping to set a green example for other developments and draw attention to its mission. KIB bought the building at the corner of Fletcher and Shelby streets for $410,000 in October from the Southeast Development Neighborhood Corp. A $1.3 million redevelopment…

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Local Girl Scouts take lead in national consolidation: Larger councils to mean more opportunities for girls

Last year’s merger of five area Girl Scout councils into one central Indiana organization has gone so well that it’s being used as a model for others to follow. Local staffers are being flown around the country-at national Girl Scouts’ expense-to coach other councils on how to achieve the same results. The local merger was the first in a national drive to consolidate far-flung and often uneven Girl Scout councils, reducing their numbers by almost a third. With the local…

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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Tax reform nudges state toward a la carte government

Most observers have viewed the 2008 legislative session as one almost singlemindedly devoted to property tax reform. While, of course, that is true, if you step back, a broader truism begins to emerge. This is not only a session destined to produce property tax reform, but one that begins the process of changing the role of government and how it intrudes into the lives of Hoosiers-or how it helps them, depending upon your perspective. Beyond property tax reform, this session…

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Speedway shows popular on Joost Web network

Shows provided by IMS Productions, the video production arm of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are among the top draws for Joost, a high-profile Internet provider of television content launched last October.

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SPORTS: NFL retirees want to help banged up brethren

Before Bob Sanders, the last strong safety wearing a Colts uniform to achieve Pro Bowl status was Bruce Laird. Laird played from 1972 through 1981 for the Baltimore Colts, then closed out his career in 1983 with the San Diego Chargers. Like Sanders, Laird was known for “laying the wood” to opposing players. Translation: He was a hard hitter. These days, he still feels those tackles. “I felt great until I was 47, then, all of a sudden, nothing worked,”…

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EYE ON THE PIE: New jobs: Will dreams come true?

A skeptic would say, “Small potatoes when compared to the nearly 3 million jobs Indiana currently has.” Let’s put 22,600 jobs in perspective. That number exceeds the number of jobs added in Indiana in 2007 when job growth (December-to-December) was 5,800. It also exceeds job growth in 2006, which was 13,400. The reader proficient in arithmetic will immediately recognize that 22,600 jobs are more than those gained by Indiana in 2006 and 2007 combined. IEDC added that, since January 2005…

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Guerrilla advertising might seem wacky, but often gets results

The 24 area Liberty Tax Service outlets are known for their human mascots dressed up as the Statue of Liberty or Uncle Sam,
standing on street corners and waving in traffic. Liberty’s approach is just one incarnation of one of the fastest-growing
trends in advertising: guerrilla marketing.

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Financial troubles mount for local developer: Memo: Unpaid contractors are demanding payment

Premier Properties USA Inc. is scrambling to keep up with bills for basic services including snow removal, security and interior design-more signs of financial troubles for the developer of Metropolis in Plainfield and the proposed Venu project in Indianapolis. The local firm is facing liens of more than $3.5 million for unpaid work on its Plainfield retail properties, and an internal e-mail obtained by IBJ suggests Premier’s problems don’t stop there. The e-mail, from Premier executive Mike Diamantides, says pressure…

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Commentary: When money just isn’t enough

The other day, I was annoyed when I received a letter concerning my uncle’s untimely death. The letter began: “As you know, our firm represents Illene Maurer as a result of the tragic death of her husband, Mickey Maurer, on Feb. 1, 2006. … Mr. Maurer’s death was as a result of an automobile collision that occurred at 106th Street and Meridian Street. “One of the elements of damage that Illene Maurer is entitled to recover is the loss of…

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INVESTING: Quality firms not always a good place to invest

Let’s play a game. I am going to write the name of a company, and I want you to say what immediately comes to your mind. I am not looking for your feelings about the stock price, but rather what you think about the company itself. As an example, let’s look at Wal-Mart. The stock has been a dog for 10 years and probably will keep dogging it for years to come. But the company is amazing in its ability…

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VIEWPOINT: Improving health: more than a January fad

As I waited in line at the cafeteria just into the new year, I watched the man in front of me. It would be easy to assume the salad and wrap station would provide patrons with a healthful lunch option. Yet I saw a generous portion of fried chicken in a spinach tortilla topped with a pile of cheese and several servings of salad dressing. The man might have started with good intentions, but in a matter of seconds a…

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Opie piece making a permanent home on Mass Ave: More businesses are playing a supporting role in burgeoning public art scene

Good news for fans of Julian Opie’s pop-art-inspired exhibit that ended a year-long run on city streets in September-Indianapolis is getting a permanent piece by the London artist to add to its growing public art collection. The work created for Indianapolis is called “Ann Dancing.” It’s reminiscent of the four-sided LCD display dubbed “Sara Dancing” that made its home at the northwest corner of Illinois and Maryland streets. But this female stick figure has a bit more juice in her…

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