Bon Chance!

According to The Indianapolis Star, Michael McRobbie (left), Indiana University's chief academic officer, will be named the new university president tomorrow.

Shucks!

This Indianapolis Observer had hoped it would be James Morris (right) -- who knows that the Indianapolis campus is where the action is (not that backwater to the south). A past president of the IU Board of Trustees, he finishes up a stint as executive director of the World Food Program in April. Morris has served as chairman of the Indianapolis Water Co., president of the Lilly Endowment, and chief of staff to current Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar when Lugar was mayor of Indianapolis.

There's no word yet on the Indiana University website, except this hint from Media Relations that a decision has been reached:

"Two IU trustee executive sessions canceled
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Feb. 28, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two executive sessions scheduled for the IU Board of Trustees have been canceled. The canceled sessions are those that were scheduled for this evening (Feb. 28) from 5-8 p.m., and tomorrow morning (March 1) from 8-10 a.m."


UPDATE
At 4 p.m. this afternoon (1 March), the Trustees of Indiana University will select the 18th president of Indiana University. The vote will be taken during a meeting in the Auditorium at University Place Conference Center, 850 W. Michigan St. at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. A news conference will follow at 5 p.m., also in the Auditorium.


UPDATE TWO
It's official: McRobbie will officially take over as president on July 1, 2007.


UPDATE THREE
On Monday (5 March), IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz and the Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis campus will roll out the red carpet for IU President-elect Michael McRobbie. An IUPUI Campus Welcome Reception will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Monday on the lower level of University Library.

Care to Volunteer at an Artists' Open House?

The Stutz Artists Association is looking for volunteers for the 14th annual Stutz Artists Open House on 27 and 28 April at the historic Stutz Business Center, 1060 North Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis.

Volunteers who work at least one three-hour shift will receive a free T-shirt and admission to the two-day event In addition to enjoying the art and atmosphere of one of the city’s premier cultural events, volunteers may help sell tickets, give directions, assist artists in their studios, run the historic elevators or help entertainers move equipment. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and will be asked to attend a one-hour training session.

At the event, more than 60 artists will be in their studios showing work that ranges from paintings, drawings and photography, to sculpture, installations and fabric. Hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, 27 April, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 28 April, at the Stutz Business Center at 10th and Senate streets on the northern edge of downtown Indianapolis.

Friday night’s atmosphere is geared toward adults and features special gallery opening activities such as acoustic music, food vendors and wine tasting. Children are welcome and encouraged on Saturday afternoon, when there will be art activities, and admission for those 16 and under is free.

Admission is $12 for the two-day event, and ticket proceeds support the Stutz Residency Program, a scholarship that provides free studio space and utilities for emerging local artists. It is one of the largest grants to individual artists in the state. The volunteer coordinator for the event is Kate Oberreich, an artist who is one of the two current Stutz Residency Program scholarship recipients.

For more information or to complete a volunteer application, visit the website. Applications are due 6 April.

The Stutz Artists Association is the largest association of working artists in Indiana.

DePauw's letter to Delta Zeta

The followup to the New York Times story on Delta Zeta's purge last fall of its DePauw chapter (to remove the "un-cute") has begun.

DePauw University has posted on its website the letter addressed to Deborah A. Raziano, national president of Delta Zeta Sorority, from Robert G. Bottoms, president of DePauw. In it, he makes clear his displeasure at the sorority's actions and hints that their future is uncertain at DePauw.

DePauw notes on its website that "Fifty-five faculty members signed the document condemning the actions of DZ national."

Now that the story has hit the national news (the letter is dated 19 February and the story hit print 25 February), it'll continue to be interesting to watch developments.

If you're a Delta Zeta active or alum, I'd hope you'd write your national officers and headquarters staff and let them know what you think of their despicable actions in Greencastle.

And if you're one of the Indiana University DZ members who participated in the sham rush, I'd start hiding from the press. If you're among the six at the DePauw DZ who DIDN'T QUIT in protest, we already know where your ethical standards are.

But, then, this Indianapolis Observer was a GDI.

Although Greencastle isn't Indianapolis....

This national story is bound to bleed over into the Circle City.

Delta Zeta Sorority at DePauw University has tossed out 2/3 of its membership.

Here's what it says in the New York Times:

"...Delta Zeta’s national officers interviewed 35 DePauw members in November, quizzing them about their dedication to recruitment. They judged 23 of the women insufficiently committed and later told them to vacate the sorority house.

"The 23 members included every woman who was overweight. They also included the only black, Korean and Vietnamese members. The dozen students allowed to stay were slender and popular with fraternity men — conventionally pretty women the sorority hoped could attract new recruits. Six of the 12 were so infuriated they quit."

Sigh!

Just when you think Central Indiana has become a tolerant, diverse place, this kind of idiot behavior erupts.

Granted, the idiots were from the sorority's headquarters in Ohio, but, still....

In the opinion of this Indianapolis Observer, every one of us should contact the Delta Zeta executive director, Cindy W. Menges, 513:523-7597, and register our genuine Hoosier dismay with the actions of the group she heads.

UPDATE

Other college newspapers are weighing in on the topic.

Here are some comments from Laura James, writing in the Indiana Statesman, the student publication at Indiana State University:

Sunday, the New York Times wrote an article about DePauw University sorority Delta Zeta. A smaller sorority on a roughly 70 percent Greek campus, Delta Zeta National Headquarters faced the question of how to get more ladies interested in Delta Zeta at DePauw.
Instead of doing what would seem logical (more promotion and better recruitment events), Nationals decided to kick out the ones that they felt were not the typical "sorority girl." After a semester of interventions by National representatives, 23 of the 35 girls were forced into alumni status.
These women were kicked out, according to Delta Zeta Nationals, because they were not "committed to recruitment," yet women kicked out included the President, Secretary, all the overweight members and all the non-Caucasian members, whereas the "traditional" sorority girls were invited to stay, though many of them had done nothing for their chapter.

UPDATE TOO
Read what the student paper at DePauw has to say here.

Super 70

Keep track of what's happening on that stretch of I-70 between downtown and the eastside leg of I-465 by checking Super 70 website.

It's gonna be a mess for a year and a half, with ramp closings, lane closings and more adding to the fun.

The project began in June 2006, with the bulk of construction and lane restrictions occurring in 2007. Construction will be complete in mid-2008.

Another Reason to Live in Beech Grove

The City of Beech Grove says it is moving closer to becoming a "digital city", according to a report by Inside Indiana Business.

The city says it expects to name a broadband Internet service provider by the end of March and plans to have part of the system, which will include wireless, up and running by the end of the year. The city says it will own the equipment and will hire someone to service it.

Basic Bicycle Maintenance

Learn basic maintenance on your bicycle from a professional bicycle mechanic:
How to clean your bicycle, make minor adjustments, change a flat (at home or out on a ride), what to take with you on a ride, what do all those parts do and why, and when to take your bicycle to a professional.

Adults and teens are invited to Indy Parks' Lake Sullivan Sports Complex, 3700 Cold Springs Road, Indianapolis, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday (24 February). Bring a brown bag lunch.

Great for parents who need to learn how to take care of their children's bicycles.

Whole Foods buys Wild Oats

Something's gotta give. Either the plans for the controversial Whole Foods Market on the northside will be scrapped or the existing Wild Oats Market in Nora will close.

Earlier today, Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets announced that they'd merge.

The agreement says Whole Foods Market, the largest U.S. natural-foods grocer, will acquire Wild Oats Markets’ outstanding common stock in a cash tender offer of $18.50 per share, or approximately $565 million based on fully diluted shares.

Whole Foods, with 191 existing stores, has annual sales of approximately $5.6 billion, and Wild Oats, with 110 stores, has annual sales of about $1.2 billion.

O.J. Simpson: the Indianapolis Connection

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, Indy's own Sommer Barnard attorney Jonathan Polak has won a partial victory in the lawsuit he orchestrated against O.J. Simpson on behalf of the family of Ronald Goldman.

IBJ Daily reports that a judge in Los Angeles yesterday ordered that Simpson pay the family earnings he made from making television commercials and such movies as "Naked Gun" and "No Place to Hide."

However, Reuters reported, Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg delayed a decision on whether Simpson could be forced to pay the family the $1 million advance Simpson reported received for the book, "If I Did It," which wasn't published.

2007 Homicides

The twelfth homicide in Indianapolis this year was reported today.

Be careful out there.

Next Economic Club is 2 March

John Choon Yoo (right), a professor of law at the University of California in Berkeley, will be the speaker at the 2 March luncheon of the Economic Club of Indiana.

Yoo is former deputy assistant attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.

For information and reservations, check the website or call the Indiana Chamber of Commerce at 800:824-6885.

UPDATE:

Prof. Yoo also will be at Sagamore Institute for Policy Research from 2:30-4 p.m. Friday (2 March).

If you'd like to hear his observations and assessment on the interplay between the Judiciary-Executive-Legislative in waging the War on Terror, check with Pat A. Hasselblad, 317:472-7824, to see if there are any seats left at the table in the third floor conference room at SIPR, 340 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

"Yoo, a former Bush administration official, who played a key role in creation of the Patriot Act, since 1993 has served as a law professor at the University of California Berkeley. Professor Yoo achieved notoriety in recent years for his advisory opinions to the Bush administration about the legal standing of captives in the Afghanistan conflict. This one-time clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas has aroused controversy with his view that Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners held at Guantanamo do not qualify for protection under The Geneva Convention. Please join us on March 2, 2007, when Yoo will offer his assessment as to whether the Judiciary-Executive-Legislative are finding the right balance, whether they are out of step with other war efforts in US history, is one branch growing too strong, are any branches shirking responsibility on the War on Terror," writes John Clark in his announcement of the event.

Wal-Mart has plans for Lafayette Square area

According to Inside Indiana Business, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Wal-Mart Vice Chairman John Menzer will hold a news conference later this morning in the Lafayette Square area of Indianapolis and will announce plans for a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Which means that the Lafayette Square area has officially hit bottom.

In April, Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott said the company planned to build 50 stores in areas with high crime or high unemployment, according to an Associated Press report today.

Menzer, who heads the company's U.S. operation, planned to visit both Indianapolis and Pittsburgh today, "to announce that the company is moving into neighborhoods in each of those cities where commerce has faltered".

The Lafayette Square site in Indianapolis is to get a Supercenter, which is planned to open in 2008.

Mayor's Advisory Council on Disability

The Mayor's Advisory Council on Disability meets from 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesday (21 February) in Washington Park Family Center, 3130 East 30th Street, Indianapolis.

The meeting is open to the public, but the Mayor's office asks that those attending refrain from wearing perfumes and other chemical-based scented products.

The Washington Park Family Center is physically accessible. American Sign Language interpreters are available at all meetings. Agendas are provided in large print and braille.

For information and requests for accommodations contact the Coordinator of the Mayor's Office of Disability Affairs: Juli Paini, 317:327-3798.

Oh, and it snowed again!

Check Indy area traffic conditions here before heading out into the snow and cold!

Black Identity in Antebellum America

Dr. Leslie Alexander will speak on "We Are A Distinct People: Black Identity in Antebellum America" at noon Thursday (22 February) in the Lilly Auditorium of University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

The presentation is sponsored by the African American & African Diaspora Studies Program and The Department of History at IUPUI as part of Black History Month.

Dr. Alexander is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Ohio State University.

Wayfinding in the Cultural Districts

Visitors exploring Indianapolis’ six Cultural Districts should notice several new ways to navigate.

Directional signage has been enhanced to and within Broad Ripple Village, The Canal and White River State Park, Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Mass Ave and the Wholesale District.

Wayfinding additions include pedestrian kiosk pedestals, district bands on "Direction Downtown" signs and street-pole medallions in each district.

Now, if they could just plow all that snow out of the parking spaces.....

Keep shoveling!

We're digging out after all that snow!

Events are being rescheduled and there's even a break from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

If your vehicle registration expires today (15 February), you've got 'til 21 February because the winter storm closed many BMV branches Tuesday and Wednesday.

Umm, it's snowing -- again!

Check Indy area traffic conditions here before heading out into the snow and cold!

Many of the surrounding counties have declared snow emergencies (which means DO NOT DRIVE EXCEPT IN CASE OF EMERGENCY).

Snow-Related Updates

Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis has cancelled classes for today.

Specifically: "Due to adverse weather conditions, all on- and off-campus IUPUI classes, with certain exceptions, have been cancelled on February 13, 2007.
"Dental students should call 317-278-3000 or check the school website
"Third-year and fourth-year medical students should contact their clinic chiefs to find out where they should report. Classes for first-year and second-year medical students are cancelled. All notifications of class cancellations for medical students also are posted on the school website."


The Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Indianapolis is extending its blizzard rate for another night, reports Inside Indiana Business. The hotel says it is offering a discounted rate of $59 to people that work within a five mile radius of the hotel, who are unable to make it home tonight.
Call 317:632-1234 for reservations.


Trash pickup in Indy is affected by the snow, because 25 of the city's dump trucks are pressed into service as snowplows.
There will be no residential trash or recycling collection today (13 February), according to the city's website.
Normal collection days will ‘slide’ to one day later if the resident’s normal collection day falls on or after Tuesday. Trash and recycling normally collected on Tuesday will be completed Wednesday, and so on, with Friday routes completed Saturday, February 17, weather permitting.

It's Snowing, Again

Check Indy area traffic conditions here before heading out into the snow and cold!

Oopsy!

WTHR has been covering health code violations at Indianapolis area restaurants (here is the list of the top offenders for 2006).

The results, of course, are great blog fodder.

Tops on the Marion County list for total number of critical violations (41) and tops on the list for the number of non-critical violations (91) is Sushi on the Rocks at 235 S. Meridian, Indianapolis.

Second on the list is Mexico City Grill, 8028 South Emerson Avenue, Indianapolis, which has a seemingly inconsequential (in comparison) 25 critical violations and 22 non-critical.

Several Indy blogs have reported that Sushi on the Rocks is co-owned by Bill Mays and Lacy Johnson, two of the principal investors in the controversial 300 East bar in the Julia Carson Government Center, crediting a story by Susan Guyett of The Indianapolis Star from 18 December 2005 as the source for this information.

This Indianapolis Observer wonders why Sushi on the Rocks wasn't shut down by the Marion County Health Department until all the violations were corrected, and awaits the results of the first 2007 health department inspection.

Indianapolis a Top 10 city for disability friendliness, outreach

For the third year in a row, the city of Indianapolis was recognized for its commitment to promote and offer services to residents and visitors with disabilities, according to a press release from the Mayor's office.

The National Organization on Disability announced the winners and finalists in the 2006 Accessible America Contest, and Indy was one of ten cities honored as a nationwide model for its focus on full and equal opportunities to participate in the life of their community, including access to transportation, recreation, jobs, housing, voting, emergency planning and services.

During the upcoming year, the release notes, Indianapolis will organize a Mayor’s Summit on Inclusive Employment, an event designed to enhance opportunities for people with disabilities. Tentatively planned for the fall of 2007, the event will include a job fair and disability networking day.

Peashakes, round two

Are the feds involved?

According to Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, on the Indiana Barrister blog today, "reliable sources are saying that several Federal law enforcement agencies are looking at the city's pea shake houses for possible federal racketeering charges because of possible ties to organized crime."

Hakim-Shabazz writes, "Sources say the Government has identified nearly a dozen pea shake houses with net profits of more than $29 million, after payouts. And that is a conservative estimate. There is also reason for the federal government to believe that in addition to those profits, millions more have been funneled into financing drugs, prostitution and loan sharking. Money may have also been funneled into financing legitimate businesses in Indianapolis."

So much for State Senator Glenn Howard's comments that peashake houses don't harm nobody.

Peashakes and the Police

"LEOs, the people who oversee us got so busted!" That's the lead-in to a discussion on the IndyUndercover blog this morning.

Regular readers of that blog site chiefly for and about Indy's law enforcement officers know that one of their continuing gripes is peashake houses -- the low-stakes gambling operations ubiquitous in Center Township -- and the police brass' propensity to ignore enforcement of that particular set of laws governing illegal gambling operations.

Well, the s**t hit the fan this morning when the front page story in The Indianapolis Star spotlighted an altered police report of a peashake bust on Feb. 2.

The first version, filed Feb. 3, quoted a certain State Senator who turned up during the bust. The second, released to the press Feb. 6, omitted any reference to his presence.

"This looks political, smells political and probably is political," says the concluding quote in the article from Henry Karlson, a professor at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis.

This Indianapolis Observer can't wait for the followup to this story!

Rep. Carson congratulates the Colts, sort of -- UPDATED

DC gossip blogger Wonkette spotlights Indy again, noting that "Rep. Julia Carson, from Indianapolis, congratulated the Colts for letting America know that her district is not 'all drive-by shootings'."


UPDATE: Indianapolis Star political writer Matt Tully has noticed Carson's inane comment, and talks about it in his Sunday column 11 February 2007.

Goodwill to Open New Commercial Services Facility

Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc. opens its new commercial services facility today in Haughville at 413 North Tremont Street, Indianapolis, according to Inside Indiana Business.

Eastgate Mall auction snags two conditional offers

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, two unnamed real estate development firms from outside Indiana made conditional offers for Eastgate Mall at an auction for it and several other properties yesterday.

Both offers for the nearly vacant 370,000-square-foot property were “north of $3 million,” said Gordon Greene, manager of the auction division of Cleveland-based Chartwell Group, which conducted the auction in Columbus, Ohio.

Greene expects one of the offers—both of which are contingent on financing—to be accepted. The reserve price for the mall, which is owned by Dallas-based JTL Capital LLC, was $2.8 million, the IBJ reports.

Raggedy Ann and Andy host a tea party!

This Saturday’s Raggedy Ann & Andy Tea at the Indiana Historical Society in downtown Indy likely is a sell-out.

The eighth annual tea party/luncheon on 10 February is hosted by the Raggedy Ann and Andy characters, along with special guests Patty Hall (Ann and Andy historian) and Joni Gruelle (granddaughter of Ann and Andy creator Johnny Gruelle).

There are a couple of reasons Indy can claim Raggedy Ann and Andy for its own. Their creator, cartoonist Johnny Gruelle, was an illustrator for The Indianapolis Star and several other local rags early in his career. And, legend has it, two works by beloved poet James Whitcomb Riley were mined for their names – “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphant Annie”.

It's Snowing - check Indy area traffic

The latest word on accidents and road conditions for our neck of the woods is right here -- map, latest pix from traffic cameras and all.

IUPUI cancels classes (except medical and dental schools)

Due to the adverse weather conditions, all on- and off-campus classes for Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. or later on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 - with the exception of those in the Medical and Dental schools - have been cancelled, according to a notice distributed this afternoon by IUPUI.

Further updates and closures can be found at IUPUI's snow website and on the Registrar's ENS page.

Indianapolis Art & Antiques Show

The Indianapolis Art & Antiques Show celebrates its 20th anniversary 9-11 March at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis. More than 100 exhibitors are expected for the show and sale in the Blue Ribbon Pavilion. Admission at the door is $8; fairgrounds parking is an additional $3.

Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 9 March; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 March, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, 11 March. Tickets for the opening night preview party, from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, 8 March, are $100.


2008 UPDATE:
Details here on the 2008 show, 7-8 March in the Toyota Blue Ribbon Pavilion, Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis.

Girls' Math, Science and Technology Conference

“Curiosity, Confidence, Challenge!” is set for 10 March.

The one-day conference introduces girls in Indiana middle schools to possible careers in scientific fields before they enter high school.

The conference will be held at Sycamore School, 1750 West 64th Street, Indianapolis, from 8:15 AM to 2:45 PM on Saturday, 10 March.

Registration is now open. Contact Kim Nguyen, 317:274-1126.

From The Star to Reuters

Look who’s reporting on the Indianapolis Colts for Reuters! None other than a former Indianapolis Star reporter:

By Judith Cebula
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Happy fans hit the frigid streets of Indianapolis on Sunday night after the Colts beat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, celebrating the Indiana city's first big-time professional sports crown in more than 30 years.

The rest is here.

Enzon moving New Jersey operations to Indianapolis

According to today's edition of IBJ Daily, Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc. said yesterday it is closing a plant in South Plainfield, N.J., that makes enzyme booster Adagen and the leukemia drug Oncaspar, and consolidating the work at a manufacturing site at 6925 Guion Road on the northwest side.

Indianapolis Business Journal reports that the Bridgewater, N.J.-based company said 50 workers in South Plainfield are affected but didn't specify what the change will mean for Indianapolis.

How Cold Was It?

The Indianapolis Colts will ride inside buses for today's victory parade in downtown Indianapolis, but that didn't stop the partying last night. Police report a half-dozen alcohol-related arrests.

Oh, the temps in Indy are well below freezing, even in the brilliant sunshine of this Monday afternoon.

If you want to see the parade, it steps off somewhere around 4:30 p.m. (depending on team arrival).

Route starts on West Street at Maryland Street, East on Maryland Street, North on Illinois Street, East on New York Street, South on Meridian Street (Around west side of Monument Circle), continuing South on Meridian Street, West on Georgia Street and finishing at the RCA Dome.

Where the smart people will be waiting. Gates 1-4 open at 3 p.m., and the rally inside the RCA Dome begins following the parade, at approximately 5:30 p.m.

There's more here.

How 'bout them Colts!

We did it!

What else needs to be said?

Shortridge Renaissance in the Works - UPDATED

Watch for an announcement Wednesday about yet another overhaul for Shortridge.

Once the premier college prep high school in the IPS system (counting Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Lugar among its alums), it's weathered many academic fads in the last couple of decades.

Now, rumor has it, Butler University will partner with IPS to turn Shortridge back into a high school, one with a law and public policy focus, and lean on Shortridge alums to fund some of its projected programs (such as college scholarships not only for grads, but for kids who want to take college courses while finishing up their diploma requirements for high school).

This Indianapolis Observer says it's about time to have a magnet high school that privileges academic performance over the feel-good "every kid is a winner" mentality pervading recent pedagogy.

UPDATE:

It's Wednesday, the news is out, and it's wimpier than this Indianapolis Observer had hoped.

Here's what it says in The Indianapolis Star 7 February 2007:

"Butler University will offer free classes to Indianapolis Public Schools students through a partnership at the district's new law and public policy magnet at Shortridge High School.
"The program would start in 2009, and Shortridge students would be eligible to take the courses for college credit beginning in 2011.
"Key details remain to be worked out, including how Butler and IPS would raise the money to pay for the courses and how much the entire program would cost."

Live in Franklin Township?

Indianapolis is looking for your ideas and opinions to help shape a viable recycling program, says the press release.

Panelists include representatives from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Earth Day Indiana and DPW's solid waste and policy and planning departments.

Join the Indianapolis Department of Public Works and its partners at the Franklin Township Recycle Indianapolis Town Hall Meeting from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday (Feb. 5) at the Franklin Civic League, 8822 Southeastern Avenue.

Condi Says Colts Will Win on Sunday!

According to DC blogger extraordinaire, Wonkette, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, hanging out with the foreign secretary of Russia, was asked who she liked in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“I really like both Chicago and Indianapolis, but I think Indianapolis is going to win it,” she said. Then, as if it were an afterthought, she added: “And that would be a good thing.”

Wonkette concludes, "The Bears are now expected to handily beat the Colts, then find themselves trapped in a deadly occupation of an increasingly violent Indianapolis for the next four years."

Hmmmm. Even Washington gossip columnists know about our homicide rate!

There's more here on the Secretary of State's predictions for Sunday's game.

Indy Cooks for the Colts...and for the Bears?

Chef Greg Hardesty, co-owner of Elements, will represent the Indianapolis Colts in this year's Taste of the NFL.

Hardesty will be preparing beef carpaccio for 3,000 people using beef from Fischer Farms in Jasper and Fleur de la Terre cheese from Traders Point Creamery.

But, that's not the only familiar face among the 30 chefs from around the country who will create special recipes for the Super Bowl on Saturday.

There’s another Indianapolis connection. The Chicago Bears will be represented by Susan Goss of West Town Tavern in the Windy City. Many of us remember when she (and her husband, Drew) pioneered good food in Indy at their late, lamented Something Different restaurant on the far northside.

Colts and Bears face off in Super Bowl XLI

The Indianapolis Colts will play the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI on Sunday, 4 February at 6:25 p.m. Not taking the trip to Miami? Come Downtown and be part of the action.