Hoosier lore

One thing this story about a smoke-free Statehouse doesn't mention is that the General Assembly isn't affected -- that pesky old separation-of-powers deal. So, legislators will still have their little hidey holes where they can puff away. That's probably a good thing; politics as we know it would disappear if we had to do away with the smoke-filled back room literally as well as figuratively. What would they do -- consummate deals over Big Macs? Somehow, "cholesterol-filled back room" doesn't quite cut it.

Perhaps we ought to thank the Indiana stadium authority for being so aggressive in trying to steal the property of a business that's been in operation since 1938 -- and stealing is what such eminent domain amounts to. It seeks not to take private land for public use, such as a road or a school, but for a public good, which amounts to giving it to another private entity that the government thinks would be of more importance.

The most interesting comment in the aftermath of James Dungy's suicide came from his older sister, Tiara:

Sen. Tom Wyss has introduced seat-belt legislation, the primary result of which would be to remove the buckle-up exemption for pickup trucks. As Masson's Blog notes, "That distinction is awfully silly.

Students desperate to get into their colleges of choice naturally can't just be satisfied with sending in boring applications, so they trot out their circus acts. They are then shattered to learn that:

. . . college admission has more to do with finding a good fit rather than determining a student's worth.

It might seem tacky for Columbia City Mayor James Fleck to break the City Council tie and vote for his own pay raise. But he has a valid point:

He was pushing for the mayor's salary to be boosted to the same level as the department heads he supervises.

People who know they make more than their bosses tend not to take them seriously.

Looks like the Blueberry Festival in Marshall County, after 39 years in business, is encountering some tough financial times:

But organizers say the city of Plymouth increased its bill for services such as equipment rental by more than $5,000 for this year's Labor Day festival.

"We want to stay involved with the city ... but they're kind of driving us away," festival president Randy Bowser said at this week's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

Republican State Sen. Tom Wyss of Fort Wayne faxed me a copy of legislation he's introducing to put a right-to-view provision into Indiana's death-penalty statute. (It's not available online at the legislative site yet, but when it is, it should be Senate Bill 160). Under current law, relatives of the person being executed can view the execution, but family members of the victims can't.

The Indianapolis Star looks back at the high and low points for Indiana's congressional delegation. This is the take on 3rd District Republican Rep. Mark Souder:

Highlight: His Fort Wayne-based district was a winner in the military base-closing process, gaining new Air Guard planes and more than 200 jobs.

We're confused enough about time in Indiana. This will probably drive us right around the bend:

Leap seconds are not without controversy, however.  They can affect communications, navigation and air traffic control systems and computer systems that have to be updated.