Hoosier lore

With bad news about the economy just piling higher and higher, somebody sooner or later just had to do a story about the unhappiest cities in America. Business Week has stepped up to the plate, picking Portalnd, Ore., as the absolute worst:

Now, class, what have I been saying about letting those red-light cameras into Indiana?

Like a lot of California drivers, Dave Soss just got a $490 lesson on how the state budget really works.

It all began when Soss, who lives in the East Bay, was ticketed Feb. 1 for rolling through a red light while making a right turn in Emeryville - and was hit with what he called a "mind-blowing" penalty.

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Indiana has relaxed its alcohol laws in recent years to allow kids to join Mom and Dad for dinner in certain bars at certain times under certain circumstances, and that's fine. It's not going to be the end of the world if Junior sees the folks drinking in the company of other people who also drink instead of just while they're sitting in front of the TV set. But let's notPosted in: Hoosier lore, The law and the jungle, Politics and other nightmares

I've heard of laws being fine-tuned before, but this effort takes the cake:

The New Albany City Council will amend the adult cabaret ordinance that passed on first and second readings when it convenes Monday.

The new measure switches the closing time for live adult entertainment clubs from midnight to 3 a.m. and shifts the 6-foot no-touch rule to 5 feet.

People are still going to the movies despite the economy, and perhaps in large part because of the economy:

"I have four children and it's the cheapest thing around," said Laurie Furrer.

[. . .]

If we were going to go to something like the zoo, I would probably spend $50-60 and I've only spent $25 here with myself and four children," Furrer said.

Hey, Indianapolis is trying to steal our casino idea:

Here's an unlikely but plausible scenario that could unfold as the General Assembly's current session marches toward a frantic finish:

Legislative leaders look for a way to plug the deficit plaguing the city's Capital Improvement Board, which operates Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse and other venues.

Not in the running for parents of the year:

Kyle Dillard and Megan Darr of Mount Vernon are both facing numerous charges.

[. . .]

Further investigation found an active meth lab outside and a growing marijuana operation inside a child's bedroom.

But at least the meth lab was in a barn in the back yard, so maybe they shouldn't be disqualified from next year's contest.

That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more, Thursday entry:

The Indianapolis Star has compiled a nifty database of Indiana employee salaries, so we're now able to look up how much our favorite bureaucrat or lawmaker gets. It's no great surprise that the highest-paid public employee in this basketball-crazy state is Tom Crean, the IU coach. He gets a base salary of $600,000, but built-in contract extras guarantee him $2.36 million a year -- that makes it nearly $400,000 per victory this season so far! It's also not too startling that Gov.

Newspapers frequently hear complaints from groups that they aren't being treated fairly, and some of them won't give up the complaint even if you go through back copies with them and prove them dead wrong. The one we've probably dealt with the most here is from southside residents, who say we put their part of town in headlines about crimes much more often than we do other parts of town. If Johnny gets nabbed for drugs in the Glenbrook parking lot, then we'll just slap a generic "Police make drug arrest" headline on the story and forget about it.