Hoosier lore

The intersection of 96th Street and Allisonville Road in the part of greater Indianapolis known as the town of Fisehrs is a busy one -- about 55,000 cars pass through every day -- and the average delay ranges from 35 seconds to 80 seconds depending on the time of day. They have a plan to reduce the average delay to 10 to 35 seconds, and this is a new one for me:

By God, this is just too much. I've been fighting against pork all my adult life, and now people in my own state -- those wastrel, profligate, no-good sons of spenders -- are actually going to celebrate it?

Oh, wait:

The Princeton Review's annual poll of 100,000 students is out, and Indiana had one school in the Top 10 of the nation's top "party schools," determined by:

Colleges are ranked based on alcohol and drug use, popularity of Greek life on campus and the amount of time studying outside of class.

Oh, good lord:

MORGANTOWN, Ind. (AP) — Indiana residents are panning for gold in rising numbers in hopes of scoring big with the precious metal.

Gold finds have been reported in 20 counties, and membership in the Central Indiana Gold Prospectors Association of America has grown from 25 in 2008 to 280 in June.

A win for open and vigorous debate:

SOUTH BEND — A St. Joseph County judge has dismissed a libel lawsuit against The Tribune and ordered the plaintiff to pay more than $47,000 in legal costs to the newspaper.

St. Joseph County resident Michael Sheneman filed suit against The Tribune in January 2009, alleging that a story written by reporter Jeff Parrott included false statements and libelous claims.

Despicable:

Jasonville, Indiana (CNN) -- Last Christmas, Stacey Chapman hung a stocking, anxiously awaiting the homecoming of the all-American soldier she had met online and planned to marry.

I think I might have called it quits after the first time:

A pilot escaped a plane crash Tuesday morning in Seymour, Indiana.

The crash happened just before 9 a.m. at Freeman Field. Police say the SE 5A single engine, World War I era bi-plane lost power approximately 50 to 60 feet off the ground and crash in a field just north of the runway.

The pilot, Phillip Krueger of Freetown, Ind., suffered only minor scrapes and bruises as a result of the crash.

How to make the public like you:

The new director of player relations for the Indiana Pacers says he hopes to improve the image of players as a means of boosting the franchise. Former Pacer and current broadcaster Clark Kellogg says if he can successfully mentor the players, the result will be a positive reputation for the team and for the city.

Never a cop around when you need one. Sometimes it's because of police ineptness:

The District police department policy on forcible entry caused a "deadly delay" as officers waited for a supervisor outside an apartment while a mother and her two young sons were being stabbed to death inside, according to a lawsuit filed by the woman's family.

Rats. While Louisiana gets bragging rights for being No. 1, all Indiana can muster is to be named the country's 15th laziest state by Business Week: