Hoosier lore

In the past, I've dreaded the drive back to Fort Wayne from visits with my family in Indianapolis for various reasons: It was snowing, it was raining, I was tired, I had chores to do when I got home. Today, I found another reason: Worrying about whether a sniper might pick me off on I-69. Early this morning, my sister and I were talking about the two sniping incidents on I-65 in southern Indiana, and by the time I was ready to leave, there was news of the two on I-69 near Muncie.

I bet this isn't much like any other story you've read lately:

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- We might be more responsive to robots designed to look human rather than mechanical, but other factors may determine what causes us to accept or shun these virtual humans.

The Wall Street Journal has a report on all the states, including Indiana, that have raised speed limits recently. Officials are finally starting to realize that there is a "flow of traffic" speed that the law has to acknowledge:

Evan Bayh has the right message for Democrats: Pay attention to the middle class. But his solution is, predictably, more government:

Bayh proposed several measures to create economic opportunity for the middle class, including a $6,000 tax credit to make college more affordable, a plan to cut health insurance premiums for 57 million middle-income Americans and a program to boost retirement savings.

I like to see people with a purpose:

A local band of teachers has recently made the trip to Terre Haute to bike across Indiana.

[. . .]

On a hot and humid day, the group hopped on their bikes and made the 160 mile journey in just over 12 hours.

I walked across my back yard on Sunday. I've almost recovered.

Here, here:

Money burning a hole in state's pocket again?

Officials can't seem to stand the idea of having some cushion.

Isn't this what got the state in trouble in the first place?

Indiana got a couple of billion ahead, and then the money started burning a hole in elected officials' pockets, and they had to find ways to spend it.

The backlash over fireworks legalization continues to grow:

Three Northwest Indiana legislators who voted this year to legalize fireworks now say they want to give cities and counties the power to impose tighter restrictions on backyard barrages.

A fourth local lawmaker, meanwhile, says he wants to completely scrap Indiana's new fireworks law and make sparklers the only Independence Day incendiary device available to Hoosiers.

Both opponents and supporters of higher speed limits look at a year of statistics and say the figures prove their case:

I'm for openness in government, but I'm not too sure the police were smart to publicize this:

Well, howdy, stranger, welcome to Indiana! Sit yourself down Put your feet up and enjoy a little Hoosier hospitality:

The first man sentenced to death in Vermont in almost 50 years is now on death row at a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.