Indiana News Update

No hard feelings
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., hoped to arrive at the Democratic National Convention here under different circumstances. Bayh, a former governor of Indiana, was one of three finalists in Sen. Barack Obama’s hunt for a running mate, raising his profile and underscoring the growing importance of Indiana in presidential politics. Obama ended up picking Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice-presidential nominee. But Indiana delegates said Tuesday that Bayh will remain a presidential contender in the future and that there will be an intense battle between the Democratic ticket and Sen. John McCain and the Republicans over Indiana this fall.
 

Chamber stresses bipartisanship to Gov candidates
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce advocated bipartisanship Tuesday in the last of eight policy letters to the candidates for governor. The final dispatch to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson warns that “strident partnership breeds mistrust of government, turning ‘politician’ and ‘politics’ into dirty words.” Chamber President Kevin Brinegar said working across party lines will be critical to achieving the education, energy, health care and tax issues to which the business group has sought to draw attention with its series of letters.

Suit filed over northern Indiana’s pending welfare changes
A Democratic Party activist representing eight welfare clients has asked a local judge for a restraining order that would block the state from extending changes in welfare eligibility screening to 13 northern Indiana counties. A lawsuit naming Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Secretary Mitch Roob of the Family and Social Services Administration seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions that would bar FSSA from making its next scheduled rollout of the welfare changes in northwest and north central Indiana. The lawsuit was filed Friday by LaPorte attorney Shaw Friedman, a former general counsel for the Indiana Democratic Party and a former party chairman in LaPorte County.

Sam Turpin Indiana Lobbyist

Indiana News Update

DNC has bigger focus on Indiana  85 delegates represent state this week 
Bob Pastrick, one of 85 Indiana delegates here, is no stranger to conventions. After all, he’s been going to them for almost 50 years. Pastrick, 80, and thousands of other Democrats descended on Denver on Monday for the start of the Democratic National Convention, the first of two week-long gatherings of the nation’s major political parties. His first was in 1960. “I’ve been a delegate for a hundred years,” joked Pastrick, who was mayor of East Chicago for 33 years until voted out of office in a special election, having been linked with a voter fraud scandal that forced out three top aides and three city councilmen.
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=62213&comview=1

Farm Bureau PAC skips endorsement
The Indiana Farm Bureau ELECT – the political action committee affiliated with the Indiana Farm Bureau – will not endorse either candidate for governor, according to a written statement issued Monday. The PAC’s state committee of trustees considered Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Democrat Jill Long Thompson, but neither received the two-thirds vote needed to gain the endorsement.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080826/LOCAL/808260382/1002/LOCAL

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Indiana election picks up speed
Indiana voters will have a lot to consider when deciding who to vote for in the state’s gubernatorial election in November. Incumbent Republican governor Mitch Daniels is going up against Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson, and both campaigns are working to prove to the public that their candidate is the best choice for the state. Both campaigns will attempt to highlight the extensive experience in both politics and the private sector that Daniels and Long Thompson have accumulated over their years of public service.
http://www.bsudailynews.com/home/news/2008/08/21/News/Indiana.Election.Picks.Up.Speed-3400015.shtml

Cutting through red tape
Fielding constituents’ complaints about Medicaid enrollment delays and other snags in the state welfare modernization program has taken up the majority of state Rep. Suzanne Crouch’s time recently. Crouch, R-Evansville, is a member of a legislative committee holding summer hearings on the automated welfare-eligibility project. To cut through red tape, Crouch and other lawmakers have intervened on behalf of constituents who applied for Medicaid and other state public assistance and encountered long delays or unexpected denials.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/aug/21/cuttingthrough-red-tape/

Effort grows to change face of government
That is the subtitle to last year’s report, authored by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, on streamlining government in Indiana. It also is the mantra of a group spearheaded by business interests intent on bringing the state’s local government structure out of the 1850s. “The alliance will have as its purpose building grassroots support to enact the changes recommended by the Kernan-Shepard report,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Corporation Partnership.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/BUSINESS07/808210437/1104/BUSINESS07

Sam Turpin

Upcoming Events

Friday, August 22, 2008 

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting 
Indiana State Museum
The practices of knitting, crocheting, and lace-making have experienced a phenomenal rise to prominence in the work of contemporary artists. Their vision uses fiber to explore line and space, marrying traditional methods, such as knitting needles and crochet hooks, with new technologies and materials that include rubber, lead, glass, industrial wire shelving and found objects. Organized and circulated by the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, “Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting” showcases works ranging from obsessive miniatures to architectural interventions, video installations, and performance and participatory pieces. Supported by Wingate by Wyndham – Indianapolis Northwest, Mass Ave Knit Shop/BroadRipple Knit/Mass Ave Too!, the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis.

Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition 
Indiana State Museum
From Grand Tradition to Artistic Edge Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition A juried exhibit of paintings, drawings and sculptures by Indiana artists. This exhibition is an 84-year tradition. In addition to showing winning works submitted for the 2008 competition, this year’s exhibition features works from artist who have won the “Best of Show” award over the past 25 years. July 21 – September 13, 2008 Indiana State Museum 650 W. Washington Street (in White River State Park) Indianapolis Museum admission: Adult $7 Senior $6.50 Child $4 Museum hours: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m For more information: www.hoosiersalon.com The exhibit is sponsored by Hoosier Salon Patrons Association 

Lunchtime Concerts
Indianapolis City Market 
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM 
Enjoy free outdoor concerts on Fridays 11am-1pm at the Downtowntown City Market . get out of the office and soak up some rays and tunes! ( Just make sure you go back to work!) 

Fun Fridays
Brookside Park Family Center  – 3500 Brookside Pkwy S Dr
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM 
Do you have basketball skills? Do you want to expose yourself to different types of board games? Would you like to relax to a free movie? Come on out and have fun with this FREE program. Ages 18 and under. 

Late-Summer Wine-tasting and Concert
Morris-Butler House Museum
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM 
Spend a relaxing late summer evening in elegant surrounds at the Morris-Butler House, while sampling a variety of wines and light hors d’vours. Following a discussion of wines, be transported to another time as you listen to the beautiful strains of a classical trio. Must be 21 years or older to attend. Cost is $30/member and $35/non-member, reservations required. Please contact the Morris-Butler House staff at 317.636.5409 or mbhouse@historiclandmarks.org for reservations. 

Once Upon a Mattress
Footlite Musicals at the Hedback Theater – 1847 North Alabama Street
8pm
Ed Trout will direct this Young Artists production featuring performers ages 13 through 18. This delightful retelling of the story of “The Princess and the Pea” is best known for its original New York production, which starred a young Carol Burnett in her Broadway debut. The musical was nominated in 1960 for the Tony Award as Best Musical, and Burnett received a nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Footlite has presented the musical in two main stage mountings (1969 and 1988) and two Young Artists productions (1980 and 1997).  “Once Upon A Mattress” is a rollicking spin on the familiar classic of royal courtship and comeuppance as Princess Winnifred of the Swamps tries to win the hand of the bashful Prince Dauntless the Drab. It is great entertainment for young and old.   This production is open to anyone ages 13 to 18 years old and a 2007 high school graduate.  Past Young Artist Shows have included Sweet Charity, Grand Hotel, Chess, Jekyll And Hyde, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Fame, Grease, Bells Are Ringing, Godspell, and City Of Angels

Movies in the Park
Indiana History Center – 450 W Ohio St
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM 
Spend your summer evening with your family watching stars in the sky and on the big screen! All movies are family friendly features and are rated either “G” or “PG” All movies begin at dusk. Movie: All About Eve (1950) 

National Veterans’s Golden Age Games
War Memorial/American Legion Mall/Convention Center
Senior sporting events for veterans/patients who receive their care at the VA Medical Center.  All 50 states will attend the competition.

Indy Fringe
Six venues in the Massachusetts Avenue Cultural District.
Experience 53 groups from local, national and worldwide acts perform 270 live theatre performances over 10 days. Performances range from dance, drama, magic, multi-media, cabaret and comedy. Tickets are only $10 per show and performers receive 100 percent of the box office. Buy a $3 backer button good for festival admission all 10 days and discounts at a number of unique Mass Ave stores.  The festival kicks off with the IndyFringe Opening Night Party on Thurs. Aug. 21 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.  at 748 Massachusetts Ave, inside the Indianapolis Firefighters Museum & Historical Society. Admission to the opening night party is free. A cash bar is available, as are buttons, t-shirts and passes for purchase. Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair.  Log on to www.IndyFringe.org for a list of IndyFringe shows and events.  

Saturday, August 23, 2008 

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting 
Indiana State Museum

Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition                                     
Indiana State Museum

National Veterans’s Golden Age Games
War Memorial/American Legion Mall/Convention Center

Movies in the Park
Mozell Sanders Park -  1300 N Belmont 
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM 
Spend your summer evening with your family watching stars in the sky and on the big screen! All movies are family friendly features and are rated either “G” or “PG” All movies begin at dusk. Movie: Mr.Margorium’s Wonder Emporium 

Once Upon a Mattress
Footlite Musicals at the Hedback Theater – 1847 North Alabama Street
8pm

Indy Fringe
Six venues in the Massachusetts Avenue Cultural District.

 

Sunday, August 24, 2008 

 

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting 
Indiana State Museum

Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition 
Place: Indiana State Museum

IACC pets available at Petsmart! 
Petsmart at 5750 W. 86th St.
Noon – 4:00 PM 
Come to the Petsmart at Traders Point to see a selection of IACC pets available for adoption! You could find your forever friend!! 

National Veterans’s Golden Age Games
War Memorial/American Legion Mall/Convention Center

Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills 
Lucas Oil Stadium
8:00 PM 

Once Upon a Mattress
Footlite Musicals at the Hedback Theater – 1847 North Alabama Street
2:30pm

Indy Fringe
Six venues in the Massachusetts Avenue Cultural District.

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Candidates’ views clash on jobs stats
When monthly jobs numbers hit in July, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jill Long Thompson reported Indiana had lost 17,900 jobs. The number perplexed Gov. Mitch Daniels and his staff, whose own numbers indicated Indiana had made a small gain of 1,500 jobs from May to June.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS07/808200314/1002/LOCAL

Arts Council wants to pack annual lunch with backers
Organizers of the 22nd annual Start With Art luncheon hope the Sept. 4 get-together tops 1,200 in attendance. A ballroom filled with artists, arts lovers and business leaders would show how much wide-ranging support there is in Indy, even in the face of plans to cut city arts funding by more than $500,000 in 2009. The Arts Council of Indianapolis seems to be on its way to reaching that goal — close to 800 people have already reserved a spot for the 11:30 a.m. event in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom, according to spokesman Mike Knight.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS07/808190389/1037/NEWS07
BCSC eyes funding based on teacher experience
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. officials said they will lobby state officials in this winter’s legislative session to fund schools at least partially based on teacher experience.
http://www.therepublic.com/main.asp?SectionID=396&SubSectionID=972&ArticleID=123444
http://www.indianaprairiefarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=35376&fpstid=2

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Governor’s race targets youth vote
But Indiana’s gubernatorial candidates aren’t doing too badly themselves, with GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels launching his own social networking site and Democrat Jill Long Thompson putting together a staff largely younger than 30. “Sen. Obama has blazed a new path, and we are all working to emulate that as much as possible,” said Jeff Harris, spokesman for the Long Thompson campaign. “As younger Hoosiers are getting interested in presidential politics, we want them to check out the governor’s race, too.”
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080818/NEWS07/808180315/1002/LOCAL

 
Hershman Sees Committees As Beneficial Work
Like his colleagues in the Indiana State Senate, Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Wheatfield) will serve on a number of committees during the months leading up to the legislature’s 2009 session. Hershman explained the purpose of these committees. “To learn more about the issues coming before the legislature, so we can make informed decisions,” he said Thursday.  As co-chairman of the Regulatory Flexibility Committee, Hershman expects to review legislature surrounding utility-related issues, including broadband, 9-1-1 centers and wind farms.
http://ftimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=88&SubSectionID=244&ArticleID=47312&TM=23411.21

 

 

Ethanol Investments Outpace Oil Imports
Americans spent 10 times as much on oil imports in June than was invested in all new U.S. ethanol producing capacity last year “Americans spent 10 times as much on imported oil in the month of June than all the investment in new U.S. ethanol producing capacity for the entirety of 2007,” U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar said today. Trade data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today showed that the U.S. spent $45.207 billion on oil imports for the month of June, up from $40.36 billion in the month of May, also $20 billion more than was spent in the month of June 2007 ($26.723 billion).
http://www.indianaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=625&yr=2008

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Metro-area home sales dip 9% in July
Home sales in the Indianapolis area fell again in July. Pending sales in the nine-county metro area slipped 9 percent compared to the same month a year ago, F.C. Tucker Co. officials said today. Hancock County saw the biggest sales drop, with its sales down 30 percent in July.  So far this year, sales in the metro area are down 13 percent from last year.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/BUSINESS/80813033/1003

 
Daniels’ plan aims to make college education more accessible, affordable

Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to make a college education more accessible and affordable for Hoosier high-school graduates, particularly those from middle-income families. He will ask the next Indiana General Assembly to approve the Hoosier College Promise, which would be available to high-school graduates whose families earn about $60,000 or less annually. Those students would receive two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College or an equivalent amount of $6,000 in need-based aid to use for their first two years at other colleges or universities in Indiana.
http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_226220702.html

 

Ethanol plant considered for Warren Co.
A South Dakota-based company that operates ethanol plants in seven states is in negotiations to build its largest facility so far in Warren County. The Warren County Board of Zoning Appeals voted Tuesday to grant a special exception to landowners north of West Lebanon that would help clear the way for a proposed $260 million ethanol plant to be constructed by POET LLC. The 115 million-gallon per year facility “would be our largest so far,” said POET director of site development Bob Berens. In comparison, VeraSun’s facility in Linden, about 15 miles south of Lafayette, produces 100 million gallons per year. West Lebanon is about 35 miles west of Lafayette.
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/BUSINESS/80813019/1059&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL 

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Schools, health focus of governor race
The state’s gubernatorial candidates hit southwest Indiana on Tuesday to offer up campaign proposals on education and health care. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels started first with a stop in Evansville, where he said he wants to move forward with a previous initiative to get more dollars into the classroom and out of administrative expenses.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/NEWS07/808130338/1002/LOCAL

Herbster enters 7th District race
Republican Dan Herbster has announced he will run for the Indiana House of Representatives in the 7th District, facing an incumbent Democrat who, while finishing his first term in the state House, has years of name recognition in the county. Herbster, a 25-year-old South Bend resident, received a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from Bob Jones University in South Carolina. He was a student teacher in public and charter schools in South Carolina and worked as a teacher in Kenya and South Africa on mission trips.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/NEWS07/808130358/1052/News01

State Representative candidate
Andy Schemenaur, Democratic candidate for Indiana House District 33, Friday expressed concern regarding the recent manure spill that resulted in the death of thousands of fish in the Mississinewa River near Union City. Indiana Department of Natural Resources has counted about 10,000 dead fish and expects the number to possibly reach 40,000. The spill was caused by heavy rains that washed manure from a hog operation into a drainage tile into the river. The farm had recently applied 27,000 gallons of manure to a field near the river.
http://www.winchesternewsgazette.com/articles/2008/08/13/news/news2.txt

Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

Candidates unveiling campaign ideas
With the Nov. 4 election just 12 weeks away, the candidates for governor are unveiling detailed campaign proposals. Republican incumbent Gov. Mitch Daniels will be in Evansville today to announce the second in a series of four education-related campaign promises this week. Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson will be in Terre Haute and Indianapolis today to announce a health care proposal.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/aug/12/candidates-unveiling-campaign-ideas/

Group to lobby for Sunday alcohol sales
A coalition of retailers and trade associations has launched a Web site as part of a push for Indiana to repeal its long-standing ban on Sunday alcohol sales. The coalition called Hoosiers for Beverage Choices wants the state to allow Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages at drug, grocery and convenience stores. The group also is lobbying to allow the sale of cold beer at those same locations. Currently, only package liquor stores can sell cold beer, and no Indiana stores can sell beer, wine or spirits for carryout sales on Sundays. The group launched a Web site Friday that will collect petition signatures ahead of its plans to lobby lawmakers next year to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Indiana.
http://www.wabashplaindealer.com/articles/2008/08/11/state_news/state3.txt

 
State holds listening session in Seymour
Staff members from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) were on hand at Jackson County Education Center last Wednesday evening, conducting one of 12 rural Indiana listening sessions geared towards helping the office prioritize objectives and gather information concerning rural communities around the state.
http://www.thebanner.com/articles/2008/08/11/news/news05.txt

 Sam Turpin

Indiana News Update

State school funding could cause a debacle
State legislators may have opened Pandora’s Box by inadvertently creating a school free-choice scenario. By eliminating local funding for schools from property taxes, legislators eliminated the need for many schools to collect tuition from students outside of their school districts who would like to transfer. State dollars now cover 100 percent of the tuition costs for students, and that money goes where the student goes beginning in January 2009. The Department of Education (DOE) denies open enrollment in Indiana, but its argument may be an issue of semantics.
http://www.kokomoperspective.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=6952

Governor’s wife to host special Heartland Walk
Indiana First Lady Cheri Daniels will host her fourth annual Heartland Walk for Health on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. The Heartland Walk for Health strives to raise awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and to promote heart-healthy lifestyles for all Hoosiers. Free health screenings by Clarian Cardiovascular will begin beside the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand at 8 a.m. The governor’s wife will lead the walk around the Track of Champions around 9 a.m.
http://plaindealer-sun.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=64&ArticleID=5910&TM=23116.18
Let’s find out why Jalen died, then fix the flaws
Our position: State must take more precautions to protect children. All of the alarm bells should have been sounding. A mother, whom police say admitted to using methamphetamine, showed up at a hospital with her young son to report suspicious injuries. A drug test revealed the presence of meth in the child’s system. Yet, a Department of Child Services caseworker, despite the positive drug test, decided to leave the boy with his mother.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080807/OPINION08/808070334/1291/OPINION08