Hoosier lore

Do states have collective personalities? Research just published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science says so, and, based on 600,000 questionnaires, states were ranked in five categories: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness:

One of my favorite Hoosier excursions over the years has been to the June bluegrass festival in Bean Blossom -- good music (when Uncle Pen played the fiddle!), good food (ham 'n beans n' cornbread!) and friendly people in a relaxed atmosphere. And you get to see and even meet the people whose records you've been buying for years. So hooray for Steve Johnson, the Indianapolis businessman who is trying to save the place.

Criminal genius of the week:

A text-messaged picture led to the arrest of a Perry Meridian High School student who confessed to and apologized for vandalizing a rival high school, police said.

Investigators said the 15-year-old student, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, found an open door at Franklin Central High School in an area that is under construction.

How would you like to be seated in a restaurant booth and have an SUV come crashing in on you? Greenfield police have released the video of a high-speed chase that ended with such a crash. "Me and the cook, we look at each other and run out and they're like 'Down, down.' " I'm like OK, you were scared, huh?

Let's keep our eye on the ball:

Only one of the three candidates for governor supports an amendment limiting residential property taxes to 1 percent of a home's assessed value. Incumbent Republican Mitch Daniels, who pushed for the proposal during the last legislative session, will make it a priority of the next session, his senior policy adviser said last week. Democrat Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andrew Horning oppose the cap but for different reasons.

The mayor of Huntington needs a time out (be sure to watch the video of his tirade):

In the lawsuit filed by attorney Bill Hogg, HCAAN is stating that not all interested parties were allowed to speak at the public hearing August 25th to discuss the annexation and that some people were even afraid to speak.
HCAAN says therefore, the common council doesn't have the legal right or authority to adopt or vote on the ordinance because all of the steps required by law were not taken.

No, no, no:

PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- Blue Obama for President signs began to sprout in Plainfield lawns Monday night even before the Town Council voted not to enforce time limits on political signs before the Nov. 4 election.

Faced with a federal lawsuit claiming the town's ordinance on political signs is a violation of free speech, the council passed a 90-day moratorium on enforcement of the controversial part of the ordinance.

I guess I'm not as jaded as I thought I was. This still seems like a staggering amount to me:

The City-County Council tonight passed a $1.1 billion budget for 2009 by a vote of 17-12.

Jill Long Thompson thinks she has a winning issue, so add her to the list of people who just won't let the time zone and DST issues die:

Noblesville tries to ram through a tax by calling it a "trash fee," but outrage from taxpayers might hold if off at least for a while:

The fee would add $3.82 to wastewater bills beginning this November and about $7.60 in 2010. That would raise about $750,000-$800,000 in 2009 and about double in 2010, said Clerk-Treasurer Janet Jaros.