Hoosier lore

There are always new food monstrosities to try out at state fairs, and I'm game for a lot of them. But one on this list is just so wrong:

"Bad news for some is good news for others" department:

A downtown South Bend business has 18 months left on its lease, but the owner believes the current rent structure is too high for market conditions. While this company is willing to extend its lease in exchange for reduced rent, a deal needs to be made soon. Otherwise, the business plans to shop around for a new downtown location.

Indiana Education Superintendent Tony Bennett is counting on improving Hoosier schools by getting a good chunck of President Obama's Race to the Top funding. And he thinks the state is in good shape to be competitive for the money, considering its renwed commitment to charter schools and some of the changes Bennett is promoting. But will Race to the Top be effective?

"I just shot a birdie, and I think I can get an eagle on this one."

"Is that all? I'm going for the goose." 

A northern Indiana city is allowing goose hunting on a golf course where a large flock has been causing damage.

Round Barn Golf Club in Rochester asked the City Council to approve hunting on the course, where golf pro Lyle Lingenfelter says up to 1,000 Canada geese spend the winter.

Bet the hunters will get a lot more holes in one than the golfers.

As much as we (me included) carp about state officials, it has to be acknowledged how much better off our state is than most. California is getting the most negative press, but at least 39 states have imposed cuts that hurt vulnerable residents, and several sstates have imposed tax increases. And the crisis wasn't exactly unforseeable:

We're so civilized now that crashing a wedding reception and shooting up the place, including putting a bullet in a 2-year-old's head, isn't considered attempted murder. It's just "aggravated battery."

It seems like every time I beat up on Dick Lugar, he goes and does o something I agree with:

Trying to provide health coverage to all Americans will hurt the economy at a time when it's already ailing, Sen. Richard Lugar said today.

[. . .]

But Lugar said in a statement today that he disagrees that failing to pass health reform will increase the deficit.

There was quite a drama in South Bend. A man climbed a TV tower, and a three-hour standoff with police ensued. The South Bend Tribune published a rather dry -- that is to say, dull -- account of the incident, which it identifies as coming from a WSBT-TV report:

I just did a blog post yesterday about the couple of hundred million the Obama administration is "saving" while spending trillions, and I did an editorial about the $8 billion set aside for high-speed-rail development. Today comes the news that more billions are being spent to save police jobs across the country. So when a story like this comes along, my first reaction is: Why is the state making such a big fuss over peanuts?

Eight Midwestern governors, including Indiana's Mitch Daniels, have signed a memorandum that sets up the Midwest Rail Steering Group, which plans to lobby hard for a share of the $8 billion set aside by the federal government for high-speed rail projects. They plan to pursue a system that would connect 12 metropolitan areas with Chicago as the hub, but they're a little sketchy on the cost.