Hoosier lore

Here's one of those "shocking murder in a small town" stories, but not all the good information was supplied by the TV station. We learn from its story only that the man shot his wife dead then shot himself in the head when police approached him, that the two had been fighting "in the past several months" and that police had been called to control the situation "on many occasions," all of them ending "in a peaceful manner." The rest is mostly "Mayberry will never be the same" boilerplate:

Since the idea of red-light cameras keeps coming up at the state and local levels, I think we should keep bringing it to the attention of politicians every case we discover of the concept being discredited:

Madison, Wis., leanrs a "reap what you sow" lesson:

The slaying of a college student in a downtown neighborhood frequented by beggars has forced this liberal city to ask a difficult question: Has Madison been too nice to the homeless?

OK, think like a government bureaucrat:

NEW YORK - The big cigarette tax increases that many states are instituting to balance their out-of-whack budgets are raising fears that the trend will make black-market smokes more profitable and lead to more cigarette smuggling.

Cigarette smuggling has been going on for generations and already costs states untold billions in lost tax revenue.

On the other hand, "Hands up, I have a note!" probably wouldn't be very effective:

A Richmond Police lieutenant investigating a bank robbery on the city's north end said Wednesday he was surprised the suspect used a gun.

[. . .]

Berner said the suspect's decision to use a semi-automatic handgun surprised him given the area's recent history of bank robberies.

Everybody knows politics are getting mean this season -- haven't we all been saying it? Still, this seems a little over the top:

 MUNCIE -- A Republican voter registration deputy jailed Wednesday for attacking a newspaper reporter and hitting the Democratic 6th District congressional candidate could be back to work as early as today.

Oh, come on:

For more than 100 college presidents and athletic directors, beer and the NCAA men's basketball tournament don't mix.

Talk about a misleading headline -- "Region casinos post better March":

Northwest Indiana's five casinos enjoyed a healthier March, but there still remains no reason to celebrate.

The Indiana Gaming Commission reported Tuesday that Indiana's casinos brought in $224.1 million in revenue last month, or 11 percent less than the $252 million brought in during March of last year. March 2008's revenues were even less than the $230 million brought in during March 2006.

For the "if you build it, they will come" file:

Voter registration ended Monday and while the numbers are still being tallied, there are clear signs that registration in the Hoosier state is way up.  

[. . .]

Thousands of Hoosiers are taking the steps necessary to make sure they can vote in the May 6 primary. In Marion County the numbers are huge.

I can sympathize with these people:

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Christine Dedon is tired of seeing cars blast down neighborhood streets at more than 20 mph over the speed limit.

The mother of three lives in Village Farms subdivision, where a city traffic study spotted cars traveling 60 mph on Greyhound Pass, which has a posted speed limit of 25 mph.

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