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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Just for fun on Friday

Posted in: Uncategorized

Flush with success

Ain't progress wonderful?

AS the world celebrates World Toilet Day today, sanitation experts have called for the end of the flushing dunny to save water and provide fertilizer for crops.

Posted in: Current Affairs

What budget crisis?

This is never, ever going to end, is it?

The Indiana House will once again invite clergy members and other guests to give opening prayers before legislative work begins, a tradition that had been halted temporarily because of a lawsuit challenging the practice.

Spend to save

Consumer prices dropped by the largest amount last month in the 61 years the records have been kept. Why that's not the immediate good news we might think:

Posted in: Current Affairs

The yearly yikes

Wouldn't it be nice if we could stay home for the first few snows until all the idiots completed their winter-driving remedial education?

The Indiana State Police suggest drivers look in the mirror before pointing a finger at Mother Nature for weather-related traffic accidents.

Posted in: Our town

Novak's whacks

A fascinating interview with Robert Novak, who has been the man so many have loved to hate for so long. A tease:

In over their heads

The Sistine Chapel it ain't:

[caption id="attachment_6610" align="alignleft" width="74" caption="What $23 million buys."]What $23 million buys.[/caption]

Posted in: Current Affairs

Us, too

On Monday, I did a post taking The Journal Gazette to task for not identifying those quoted in a story about illegal immigration:

I wonder if the JG would pull that “first names only” stunt if this were a bank robber or a burglar. As a matter of fact, would law enforcement let them get away with it, or would some reporter be hauled in front of a grand jury?

The bum's rush

You're doing a lousy job, so never mind waiting for the regular election. You're outta here!

GARY -- Local lawmakers are promising to push legislation empowering voters to remove officials from office in the middle of their terms.

State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said he's responding to constituents, who want a way to force Gary Mayor Rudy Clay out of office.

Betrayed by reality

The "give peace a chance" crowd is getting a little nervous:

Reporting from Washington -- Antiwar groups and other liberal activists are increasingly concerned at signs that Barack Obama's national security team will be dominated by appointees who favored the Iraq invasion and hold hawkish views on other important foreign policy issues.

Don't need yer stinkin' edjemuhcation

Even if they don't go to jail over the truancy, these parents probably deserve a little time for sheer stupidity:

A rural Richmond couple is facing a possible jail term for refusing to obey state truancy laws.

The case involves the alleged failure of Eli and Stephanie Collins, 3398 N. Salisbury Road, No. 44, to make their child go to school.

[. . .]

Check it out

I can understand people having strong objections to consolidating school districts or combining city and county governments. There is a sense that government will get so big and complicated that the ordinary citizen's concerns will get overlooked. But consolidating libraries at the county level -- having a county library system with numerous branches instead of a county library and several city libraries -- seems like a logical move to me.

Fenceless in Madison

This Associated Press story about a certain problem at the Madison Correctional Facility has a wonderfully understated line -- "A fenceless prison presents some security problems." Gee, do ya think?

The Madison Correctional Facility announced Wednesday it's putting up a fence because joggers, bicyclists and even parents pushing baby strollers inadvertently enter the grounds of the minimum-security women's prison.

BE GODS, By God!

UPDATE to "The God trap" post:

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles commissioner today backed off its denial of a woman's request for a personalized license plate reading “BE GODS.”

In style

If you read anything sillier about the Obama presidency, please let me know so we can keep a record:

Still, Bush and Clinton fit into the expectations of what earlier generations thought a president's wife should look like. Obama has the opportunity to break the mold.

Now you know

For you nitpickers who like to impress people with esoterica, Barack Obama is not actually the "president-elect." He is the "president-designate." He doesn't officially become president-elect until Dec. 15 when the members of the Electoral College meet to cast their votes.

We're ahead -- so far

First, I saw this story:

A chilly, mostly dry day helped this year's four-day deer cull at the Indiana Dunes State Park get off to a good start, according to property manager Brandt Baughman.

[. . .]

Indiana Dunes is one of 17 state parks selected by Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists for organized deer reduction hunts to protect sensitive species of plants.

Posted in: Hoosier lore

Help, help, Obama*

The line forms on the left:

America's mayors are crying out for help from President-elect Barack Obama, seeking immediate relief from a national economic crisis that has slammed budgets in big cities, suburbs and small towns.

Catch me if you can

The God trap

Boy, do I feel silly. Yesterday, I did a post about the suit against Indiana's "In God We Trust" license plates being tossed. I said it didn't seem like a big deal to me, and in the discussion thread I went back and forth with Doug and Alex, essentially putting myself out on a limb defending the state, a dangerous position to find oneself in. Now the state has gone and sawed that limb off:

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