A few big items to report this afternoon. An Indiana appellate court has struck down the state’s Voter ID law on the basis that it violates the state constitution.   The Court held the law did not treat all voters uniformly because it required ID for voting in-person, but not absentee nor nursing home residents if […]

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett says the state is ready to step in and take over under performing schools. Bennett’s comments followed the release of  state ISTEP test scores. While ISTEP results  showed statewide pass rates of 70% for English, 71%  for Math, 62% for Science, and 59% for Social Studies, nearly 40% of students  failed to pass either one […]

Indiana lawmakers are deciding whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales in grocery and liquor stores. Proponents say Hoosiers want to be able to buy beer, wine and spirits on Sunday, opponents say it will lead to more alcohol-related problems and that mom and pop stores will lose money from having to be open an extra […]

I don’t have much use for Gary Welsh, but sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut, or vice versa. Eli Lilly announced more than 5,000 layoffs Monday, many of which will impact the Indianapolis area.   If Lilly goes forward with the job reductions will it have to payback some of the money it received […]

If the Indiana Pacers wanted to break their contract with the Capital Improvement Board because of their failing financial health, they could do so. That’s according to CIB officials.  However the Pacers would have to pay a penalty which could be used to conceivably keep Conseco Fieldhouse open for years. CIB Vice-President Pat Early has […]

As I watched some of the coverage of the tea party rally in Washington D.C., one thing that crossed my mind was “where do these guys go from here?” I ask that question because attending a rally is a relatively simple thing to do, all you have to do is show up.  The hard part […]

Now that the wedding stuff is over and my new wife and I have started to settle into a routine, I can now get back to the business of paying closer attention to local government. I’ve found most of the budget hearings to be pretty mundane and nothing out of the ordinary, with the exception […]

Today marks the eighth anniversary of 9-11.  We can all remember what we were doing that day when the Twin Towers were struck.  I was driving on I-55 from Springfield to Bloomington, IL to buy a new car when I heard about the event on the radio.  It wasn’t until I got the dealership where […]

Okay, the President spoke last night about health care reform.   We all know what he said.   However, here’s my question. If you don’t like his plan, which is cool, what do you suggest we do to reform the health care system? For example, if you’re going to advocate tort reform, be specific.  Do […]

I’ve finally had some time to get caught up on the little news stories from in and around the area.  Here are my thoughts. CT Time A group of parents are advocating Indiana move to the Central Time Zone so kids don’t get hit by buses and cars in the morning when it is dark. […]