Hoosier lore

We've had candidates before who promised to work "for a Better Indiana," and there have even been organizations such as Taxpayers for a Better Indiana and the Association to Build a Better Indiana. But now, merely "better" apparently isn't good enough:

News outlets searching through 2010 Census data have made the biggest deal about the increase in the number of same-sex households. ("States gay household tally up 61%," blares The Journal-Gazette, but the current actual number of 16,428 isn't all that impressive.) There are also other intersting things in the numbers that shouldn't be overlooked:

The latest information places Indiana's median age at 37.

Fort Wayne has gone the right way on taxicab control,  deregulating to the point where one-cab companies can operate. South Bend has gone the other way:

South is considering an ordinance with additional requirements for taxi cabs, but some drivers are concerned it will eliminate independent operators.

The News-Sentinel and Journal Gazette editorial pages might disagree on the worth of right-to-work laws (go ahead and guess which paper holds which position), but I think we'd agree with at least one part of the JG's editorial:

The committee did not hear testimony from the public at its meeting last week, but is expected to do so later. Hoosiers need to consider the repercussions of a right to work law and let lawmakers know what they think. The 2012 session will be too late.

Hey, let's not be so alarmist:

Chicago - Chicago's former top cop is coming out strong against the state's new gambling bill, which would expand gambling across Illinois and bring a new casino to Chicago. Gov. Pat Quinn has yet to sign the bill into law, and Jody Weis is hoping that won't happen.

Working stiffs 1, billionaire 0:

"Illinois tipped workers make more than double Indiana's." When I saw that headline, I thought it was a story about what cheapskates Hoosier restaurant diners are. But, no, it goes somewhere else:

Illinois minimum wage is $4.95 for tipped employees -- $2.82 cents more than Indiana's.

Indiana is one of the 17 states following the federal minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers -- the lowest in the nation.

Former Democratic Indiana House Speaker John Gregg has finally filed his official paperwork to run for governor. He correctly identifies the loss of manufacturing jobs as a top concern, but if he can't come up with any solution better than this, perhaps he should move on the some other issue:

Gregg said he would attempt to lure wind-turbine manufacturers to the state as part of his strategy to revitalize the state's crumbling manufacturing base.

Sound familiar?

Maintaining Evansville's Roberts Stadium on standby until officials decide what to do with it could cost the city as much as $300,000 a year.

[. . .]

A new $127 million downtown arena is scheduled to open in November, which will take sporting events and concerts from the 55-year-old Roberts Stadium.

Tiny Roselawn, Ind., makes someone's list of the "10 kinkiest cities in America":