A professor makes a find that should do wonders for our self-esteem:
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- What was the original meaning of the word "Hoosier"? In this month's issue of the Indiana Magazine of History, Jonathan Clark Smith of Hanover College unearths the earliest known references to the term. He concludes that far from being a derisive epithet (as some historians have maintained), Hoosier status was a point of pride from the start.
Ruth Holladay, the Indianapolis blogger who used to be a columnist for the Star, thinks everybody should quit picking on Jack Trudeau:
Robert Annis of the Star is reporting that Jack Trudeau has denied serving alcohol to teen-age guests at the recent Park Tudor graduation party he and his wife hosted at their Zionsville home.
And I believe him. Based, of course, on my own experience.
[. . .]
If you think New Hampshire has had far too much influence on presidential politics, blame it on Indiana:
Listen up, dummies; you obviously won't be able to make it through the summer without help. If it hasn't rained in awhile, and you know what that means? Come on, think:
If you haven't been doing so already, you need to begin watering your landscapes to keep them healthy and growing.
But don't overdo it because, you know:
The obvious point is made that, having a record he must defend, Gov. Daniels can't just rely on his RV-tour gimmick during his next campaign:
Indeed, Daniels has made some waves in these first 21/2 years in office.
[. . .]
But Republicans say for every person angry about one of those issues is a person -- or people -- who benefited.
Gas prices have been high long enough for Indiana Senate Minority Leader Richard Young to notice. What's a leader to do? Fire off a letter to the state attorney general, of course, demanding an investigation:
In the letter Young said that while the economic forces of supply and demand are most often cited for the rising fuel costs, attention needs to also be paid to the profits made by oil companies and to the possibility that fuel supplies are artificially manipulated to keep prices high.
A North Putnam teacher got into trouble for some terrible transgressions:
The school board released a findings of fact document at the end of its special meeting Thursday that alleged Porter violated school policy by sending e-mails containing adult humor during scheduled work hours while students were under her supervision. Porter is also accused of making or receiving personal telephone calls during work hours at the school in Bainbridge, 35 miles west of Indianapolis.
The Lafayette Journal & Courier has an editorial on the state of taxes in Indiana:
Compared to the rest of the United States, Indiana's tax burden is about average. And the property tax, as part of that burden, is also about average.
The mayor of Indianapolis is sick of pit bulls and wants them banned:
The city's mayor on Wednesday said he'll ask the City-County Council to ban pit bulls in Marion County, citing recent dog attacks on residents.
"More kids and more people in our community (are) getting torn up by pit bulls, and I'm just sick to death of it," Mayor Bart Peterson told 6News' Rick Hightower.
Congressional Quarterly reports that Democrats want to add Mark Souder to their list of Hoosier takedowns. On the down side, he has supported President Bush in a war that is increasingly unpopular even in his heavily Republican district. But Andy Downs sounds a cautionary note:
