Our town

It's not surprising that Paula Hughes won the GOP mayoral primary, but did anybody else expect it to be a much closer race, especially considering the recent poll showing a statistical dead heat?

Today's Journal Gazette editorial is one of their typical hysterical anti-gun editorials in which lawmkers are chastised for giving in to those evil "paid gun lobbyists" from the National Rifle Association instead of serving the interests of the public:

A poll of likely Republican voters by the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics confirms the consensus that had been reached by political observers: In the GOP primary, it's essentially a two-person race for mayor:

Seriously? Reporting was that bad last year?

The earthquake in Haiti and Gulf oil spill were among the most intensely covered stories of 2010, but none of that coverage was deemed worthy of a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. Journalism's most prestigious awards went to the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, among others, but the awards were notable for the one prize no one won - basic breaking news.

Maybe I'm too jaded and cynical, but I don't respond well anymore to symbolic political gestures:

The Paula Hughes campaign says, “Stop that car!” The mayor's take-home city car, that is.

In a Wednesday news release, Hughes said she would sell the city car now used by Mayor Tom Henry and use her own transportation to get to work and to conduct city business.

It's a fact of life -- people congregate, and the sparse few who don't join the crowd are at a disadvantage politically:

Even if a school system has a "leading contender" for superintendent among its own personnel, its still a good idea to, A) conduct a nationwide search (just in case "leading" turns out not to be "best" and, B) do everything in public. But apparently they don't feel that way in Muncie:

The Muncie Community School Board's decision to forgo community outreach and a public search for its new superintendent is legal, but there are differing opinions on whether it's the best approach.

How do you explore the gun rights/gun control issue without addressing 2nd Amendment concerns? It's easy -- just don't bring the pesky thing up. In this article by Brady Campaign head and former mayor Paul Helmke, "Common-sense steps to reduce gun violence," the 2nd Amendment isn't mentioned a single time, or even referred to obliquely.

This is how it's going to go for the rest of the year, isn't it? Down a penny or two, then up 20.

The government consolidation effort went off the rails here, but they're still slogging through it in Evansville and Vanderburgh County. The latest point of contention is whether to merge city police and the sheriff's department. The current proposal calls for the two public safety departments to be consolidated under the leadership of the sheriff, so guess which department is for the merger and which is against? Here is Evansville Fraternal Order of Police President D.J.