For the "sometimes you can't win" file: Some of the bars in Franklin have a special liquor license that allows customers to buy a closed container of alcohol inside and then take it outside to drink. More people than ever are apparently taking advantage of this ability since the city's smoking ban went into effect earlier this summer. And -- surprise, surprise -- this doesn't please some people:
It seems the city is finally giving up on the idea of condos at Harrison Square:
The condos aren't selling in a tough housing market, and city officials now admit they were probably over-priced in the first place.
Flummoxed by swine flu? Not to worry, the government has your back:
Businesses should encourage employees to stay home sick at the first symptom of swine flu and should drop requirements for doctor's excuses during flu season, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
The government has to do something about health care just to bring its own costs down (it already pays for about half of all health care in the U.S.) It could do this sensibly, by changing the tax rules that lead to the wrong kind of insurance. If this isn't going to happen,
Oh, for goodness' sake:
While weddings may bring to mind images of white, the color "green" is also becoming part of the big day for couples who want more eco-friendly celebrations.
Demand for sustainable weddings has grown across the country, including in Indiana, as more couples strive to make their events more like their everyday lives.
Activists led by a 24-year-old Notre Dame grad want a moratorium on executions in Indiana until "the system's fairness and massive costs can be examined." But those massive costs -- an average of $624,000 per execution, eight times the cost of life without parole -- are there because of the endless appeal process. And the "fairness" the group seeks would only add to the cost of appeals:
Today's "Let's spend good research money to demonstrate the obvious" story comes from Purdue University, where an exhaustive study has shown that people can, indeed, worry themselves to death:
Pay attention, cheapskaes. Indianapolis has come in fifth in the Match.com list of most affordable cities for dating:
The survey does not say how much it costs for a casual dinner and two movie tickets in Indy, but it's somewhere between the cheapest date in Pittsburgh costing $77.80 and the most expensive evening in Los Angeles for $126.06.
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce (pdf file) has issued its report on how the recent session of the General Assembly went on "issues important to business and the state's economy," and folks there don't seem too happy:
It was politics as usual -- with common sense often checked at the door.
Suck it up, smug, arrogant liberal scum:
Self-identified conservatives outnumber self-identified liberals in all 50 states of the union, according to the Gallup Poll.
At the same time, more Americans nationwide are saying this year that they are conservative than have made that claim in any of the last four years.
I don't usually like to gloat -- that is something we smug, arrogant, conservative scum like to leave to the other side -- but ha, ha, ha. See you at the polls next year.
You know that governor we have in our heads that tells us when we've talked enough and it's time to listen and also frequently advises us not to speak at all? Well, Antonin Scalia's wasn't working this week:
This court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is
One person's economic downturn is another person's opportunity:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A University of Notre Dame business expert says repair shops and discount stores are riding high in the recession even as other businesses struggle.
John Michel says consumers have turned frugal in the recession and have been shopping for the lowest-cost goods they can find at deep discount stores. They're also having their possessions repaired, rather than buying new items.
Former Fort Wayne Democratic City Councilman Tom Hayhurst plans to give 3rd District Republican Rep. Mark Souder a rematch:
Hayhurst said that "the economy here is a huge problem," adding that the unemployment rates in some areas of northeastern Indiana are "approaching" Depression-era levels.
"I think there needs to be more focus with regard to that particular challenge," Hayhurst said.
So, let's recap. Women in their 20s and 30s have grown up beating the boys in math class, knowing that combat is an option for them, celebrating "Girl Power" and in general watching all traditional male-female roles go out the window.
How could I not comment on Bob Dylan getting questioned by police and escorted out of the area? Most of the articles get a good chuckle out of the fact that these young punk cops had no idea who Dylan was and treated him like some little old man who looked suspicious and acted strange:
A lesson learned by the Muncie school board -- don't ask for suggestions if you're just going to ignore all of them. The board got 90 potential names when it asked the public to come up with one for its newest school:
But ultimately board members ignored those ideas and named the facility the Muncie Community Schools High Performance Academy.
I grew up in a rural area where it wasn't that uncommon to barter, even for medical services: I can't afford to pay for that tooth extraction, but, say, do you need some chickens or a little firewood cut? Now, apparently, the deepening recession has gotten even city folks in the bartering mood.
Is it the federal government's business that some people can't travel by bus between Indianapolis and the cities of Muncie, Columbus, South Bend and Evansville and between Louisville and Evansville? It must be, beause $2 million has been awarded to provide that service, which, guess what, makes it your business, too. But don't think of that money as providing only limited service.
Illinois, where it sometimes seems political corruption was invented (it surely was perfected there), gets a little more serious about transparency in government:
The measure will plug many loopholes in the FOIA law and establish a public access counselor under the attorney general to issue binding opinions in records disputes.
[. . .]
Of all the money flowing out of the Obama administration, one of the chunks that has the best chance of accomplishing something good is the $4 billion set aside to encourage more charter schools. The monetary incentive has encouraged seven states to ease restrictions on charters. An attempt was made in the Indiana General Assembly to put a limit on the number of charters, but it was beaten back.
