There have been a few items of note worth reporting this morning for your amusement and entertainment so here they are…. House Minority Leader Pat Bauer won’t say whether Democrats will exercise the “walk out” option this session as a way to halt the Republican agenda.  The last time Democrats were in the minority, 2005,  […]

When the Indiana House of Representatives convened on time Wednesday afternoon I made the crucial mistake of getting my hopes up.  I thought to myself that the partisan wrangling would be over and these guys whom I have covered for the past six years will have their act together; not so much.  What should have […]

I sat down with Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma Tuesday to talk about the session that begins today.  We talked about the budget, education reform, local government reform, unemployment compensation, smoking ban legislation, social issues and the potential for a walkout by the Democrats.  You can hear the interview below.  Each segment is about five […]

It’s not everyday that you get a chance to talk to the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction and the head of the Indiana State Teachers Association at the same time, but this morning I did. Both Dr. Tony Bennett and Nate Schnellenbeger appeared at a joint news conference promoting mentoring by the Indiana Youth Institute.  […]

I have a few items of interest to report to you this morning. The Indiana Department of Education is investigating “irregularities” in recent ISTEP tests.  According to the DOE, a number of elementary tests came back with a high number of erasures which raised some red flags in the Office.   DOE Chief of Staff […]

Although the Indiana General Assembly is still a couple days away from convening, I’ve started to skim through some of the bills that are being filed so see what’s on the minds of lawmakers. I’ve maintained on this blog and in other media that the best thing the Republican-controlled legislature can do is focus on […]

With the start of the new year comes the new year’s resolutions.   We all have goals to lose weight, quit smoking, be better people, or in my case finish that novel that’s been sitting in my laptop for three years.   I’m not sure what resolutions some of my favorite politicos in Indiana made for the […]

As tradition dictates,  it’s time for my top 10 state and local stories of 2010.  My criteria were pretty simple; magnitude and impact.  So with that said, here we go. 10.  Hoosiers overwhelmingly pass property tax caps.  Not only is local government put on a leash, but the leash gets tightened. 9.  Duke Energy scandal […]

Indiana lawmakers are going to have their hands full this upcoming session fixing the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund.  The fund is $2 billion in the hole so it will likely require an increase in the premiums employers pay as well a reduction in the amount paid out in benefits.   Indiana already has one of […]

I’m taking a semi-vacation this week, which means I sleep until 7 a.m.  However I still try to keep up to speed on what my friends in other media outlets are chatting about.  My friends over at the Indianapolis Star Tuesday opined about the need for a statewide smoking ban and how the tobacco lobby […]