Hoosier lore

The horse died, Mike; leave it alone:

Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) today filed what he calls "one of the toughest illegal immigration bills in the country" aimed at punishing those who harbor, transport or employ illegal immigrants in Indiana.

I know the Inauguration is the hottest story around, and every newspaper and TV station in the country is scrambling for any angle to make the coverage special, but this does seem like a reach:

While many folks amass in the cold of Washington, D.C., or gather in front of television sets to witness the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama today, one former Anderson resident received a personal invitation to attend a presidential inauguration more than 30 years ago.

Gov. Mitch Daniels, looking at a tight budget for the next couple of years, is proposing only two new building projects -- expansion of a couple of correctional faclities in order to add 1,200 beds to the state's prison capacity. This doesn't over too well with some Democrats:

The state beverage of Albama is Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey. Nice! It's milk in Arkansas and Delaware and a lot of other states. Boring but defensible. It's orange juice in Florida, naturally. It's tomato juice in Ohio, tea in South Carolina and Kool-Aid in Nebraska.

Hoosiers lead the way on family values:

A Portland woman has been sentenced to prison for drug-related convictions, and her 17-year-old son might be joining her in the Indiana Department of Correction.

Patricia J. Martin, 39, recently was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison after she pleaded guilty to dealing in a controlled substance, a Class B felony that carried a standard 10-year sentence.

[. . .]

Duct tape is a wonderful product that has a thousand and one uses. I'm guessing this isn't one of the recommended ones:

Tippecanoe Schools has dismissed a veteran teacher who reportedly duct-taped a student's mouth shut.

In a letter to the School Board dated Dec. 19, Superintendent Scott Hanback recommended ending Battle Ground Middle School teacher Pamela Dahnke's contract. The School Board voted Wednesday to cancel her contract.

[. . .]

Omigod, here's some astonishing news that's just going to blow the lid off this whole casino thing:

Indiana's casino workers and customers breathe air containing 14 times more secondhand smoke than the air outside, a Purdue University study has found.

Not in the running for Future Leaders of Indiana:

Three "bored" New Castle men face criminal charges over their alleged plan to bomb a homeless man's campsite in a wooded area behind a local church.

Well, this one's going to make me sound like a callous jerk, but here goes anyway.

So, you're just living your life, minding your own business, and one day the city stops picking up your garbage:

Alan Davis, a resident of Jeffersonville's Colonial Park, learned of a new city policy the hard way.

He put his garbage out to the curb during the first week of January and it wasn't picked up. The next trash day rolled around and so he tried it again — still the same result.