Hoosier lore

Guess this could go in both the "for what it's worth" and the "it could be worse" files: Children's Health magazine has rated "100 noteworthy cities" across the country for what kind of places they are in which to raise a family. The list goes from No. 1 Burlington, Vt., to No. 100 Detroit. Only two Indiana cities are on the list -- Fort Wayne at No. 45 and Indianapolis at No. 49. The criteria:

Who needs the therapy now, huh?

A mental health therapist is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving his ex-wife.

Daniel Brodsky was arrested at his Carmel home after Westfield police received a call that a woman had been injured near the Freedom Trails Park, this past Saturday.

Westfield Police said Michelle Brodsky had been arguing with her ex-husband when she stepped onto the running board of his PT Cruiser.

A letter to the editor in The Richmond Palladium-Item has the non sequitur of the day:

Finally the people in Richmond are saying, "We've had enough and we're not taking it anymore.'' Telling parents how to dress their children must be the straw that broke the camel's back. Congratulations, parents. Let's not lose any more of our rights.

I don't know whose chickens are coming home to roost, but he doesn't live in Evansville:

Lafayette's urban chicken debate ended Monday night when a city council committee agreed to leave unchanged an ordinance that bans keeping the birds inside the city.

The meeting pitted those who advocated keeping chickens as pets and laying hens against those who argued that the animals smell bad, devalue neighborhood properties and present health hazards.

Sometimes, I am asked, "Well, OK, what kind of government spending do you like?" Here's a $250,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that I don't mind:

Looks like a clear case of DWI -- driving while incinerating:

A woman was arrested after troopers say she was driving her car down the road, too intoxicated to notice that it was on fire.

 She told troopers she had two shots of vodka earlier in the day. Holcomb was given a breathalyzer test and registered a 0.12.

The Food Network has discovered one of my favorite Indianapolis restaurants:

Chefs and foodies travel all over the
world to experience the best culinary fare, and Dr. BBQ believes St. Elmo
Steak House's shrimp cocktail is the best thing he has ever eaten. The
Indianapolis favorite will join the ranks of echelon dishes celebrated on the
Food Network show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m.
during a segment taping at the restaurant.

Perhaps it's time for those of us who've been fighting against the spread of gambling in Indiana to just give it up as a lost cause:

Former Republican state Sen. Robert Meeks of LaGrange said he wanted lawmakers to allow residents of Steuben County in far northeastern Indiana to vote in a 2010 referendum on whether they would accept a casino. He said northeastern Indiana was the only large swath of the state without a casino.

I guess I see the state's point. Gay marriages aren't recognized here, so it's not exactly logical for a gay couple married elsewhere to seek a divorce here. But that creates a problem:

Gay and lesbian couples from Indiana can get married in more places than ever, but they could face a legal dilemma after they return home.

Good luck on that starving-the-stray-cats plan:

If you feed a stray cat in Terre Haute, you may soon be breaking the law.

[. . .]

The local shelter is full, so strays freely roam Terre Haute neighborhoods.