#61

According to Indy Undercover, Indianapolis just suffered its 61st homicide.

Want to Know Your Neighbors' Property Taxes?

Check out this new site!

This Indianapolis Observer thinks its a good place to start preparing your own tax increase challenge.

#60

Indy Undercover reports that Indianapolis has logged its 60th homicide.

Wonder if that'll turn up in Mayor Peterson's announcement today? This Indianapolis Observer is betting noooooooooooooooooooooo!

This Just In...

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson will make a major policy speech on the future of crime fighting in Indianapolis and the future financial stability of the city at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday (27 June) at Boner Community Center, 2236 East 10th Street, Indianapolis.

This Indianapolis Observer can't wait to hear what Bart has to say, but here's a hint: your taxes will go up. The Indianapolis Star says: "To reach the $85 million in spending Peterson said is necessary for public safety, the income tax rate in Marion County would have to jump from 1 percent to about 1.65 percent."

So, in addition to the big jump in property taxes in Marion County, we can all look forward to a big jump in income taxes. Yikes!

Don't Smoke and Work at Clarian

Clarian Health, the hospital network, will begin charging its cigarette-smoking workers $5 per paycheck next year as punishment for the unhealthy habit. The fee applies to any worker covered by health insurance Clarian offers its employees.

Clarian hospitals in Indy include Methodist, University and Riley.

Convention Center Expansion Unveiled

Indianapolis-based Ratio Architects today unveiled final plans for a 420,000-square-foot expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal

Among the details: 254,000 square feet of additional exhibit space, 63,000 square feet of meeting rooms, a new banquet kitchen and 100,000 square feet of so-called "pre-function space" -- including a three-story entry pavilion planned for the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Georgia Street on the southside of downtown Indianapolis.

Plans also call for a covered connector between the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium, which is being built to replace the RCA Dome. The connector will stretch south from the center along Capitol, then go underground at the CSX railroad tracks before crossing South Street.

Construction on the $275 million convention center project is slated to begin in late 2008, after the dome is torn down.

When complete, the expanded Indiana Convention Center will be the 16th-largest such facility in the country and the second-largest among Indianapolis' peer cities, behind only Atlanta.

Click here for more architectural renderings of the expansion project.

The IMPD Has Gone Completely Nuts!

WTHR-Channel 13 reports that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police -- in a crazy bit of "post 9/11" -- told a tourist in town for the F-1 race to stop taking pictures downtown for security reasons.

"Two police cars came up," Miller said by phone Friday. "One on the side of me and one behind me with their lights flashing. And some officers got out and said 'what were you taking pictures of?' I said, 'Well the art exhibit.' He said, 'I need to see it, for matters of homeland security. You can't be taking pictures around here,'" Miller recalled the officer saying to him hours after the race....

According to IMPD, pictures of certain government facilities are off limits. Never mind that Stop 10 of the Opie art exhibit [see photo!] sits smack in front of the City-County Building....

So, here's what this Indianapolis Observer suggests. Y'all get your cameras and head downtown and shoot up a storm around the City-County Building. They can't arrest us all!

Shelter House at Military Park Gets a Makeover

A more than $700,000 renovation to the Shelter House at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis is complete, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The shelter is the centerpiece of one of the city's oldest parks. The park worked with local preservation experts on the project. The federal funding for the renovation was provided through the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Has the S#%@ Hit the Fan?

Morale seems to be at a crisis point at the new Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Check the Indy Undercover for the latest on the feud between the law enforcement officers and the brass.

Between the demotions and the firings...well, read it for yourselves.

UPDATE:
Others have taken up the inquiry. Check out this post by Karen Celestino Horseman on the American Values Alliance blogspot, posted 21 June 2007.

UPDATE 2:
Check out what The Indianapolis Star has to say about the topic in the online version of "Behind Closed Doors" on Sunday, 24 June 2007:

Reserve deputy gets boot over blog

Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson fired a volunteer reserve deputy this month for his "dastardly" and "boorish" criticism of the department on a Web site.

Anderson fired Rick Skirvin on June 5 from his $5-a-year job as a reserve deputy assigned to drive a prisoner-transport vehicle after Skirvin admitted criticizing department officials on the blog IndyUndercover.

A statement from Anderson's office used the words "dastardly," "boorish" and "pernicious" to describe Skirvin's actions.

"If Skirvin had valid constructive criticism of the Marion County Sheriff's Department, he should have acted in accord with departmental rules and regulations," the statement said. "Instead, under cover of darkness, Skirvin elected to anonymously spread his noxious screed over the Internet."

Skirvin, who runs a business that installs and maintains cryogenic freezers for the health-care industry, said he immediately acknowledged authoring the posting and expected to be reprimanded. He said he was stunned by his firing.

"In the 21/2 years I was on the street, I never had one complaint from a citizen or anyone on the department," Skirvin said. "The sheriff is always preaching accountability. I bought into that. I was accountable for my actions. Unfortunately, some people don't live by what they preach."

Lewis Hamilton Won the 8th US Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton, a Formula One rookie driver, won the 8th U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday.

Hamilton beat teammate Fernando Alonso for his second straight F-1 victory.

Will there be an F-1 race at Indy next year?

Track officials and Formula One honcho Bernie Ecclestone say they're talking about a new contract, but the future remains unknown.

Zoobilation Raises $1.1 Million This Year

Zoobilation 2007, the annual fundraiser for the Indianapolis Zoo, raised more than $1.1 million, according to Inside INdiana Business.

The event on 8 June exceeded last year's fundraising amount by $200,000. The money raised will benefit the Zoo’s general operating fund.

Bonsai at the Garfield Park Conservatory

If you've wanted to see a bonsai tree up close and personal, you'll get your chance 23-24 June in the Garfield Park Conservatory.

The Indianapolis Bonsai Club will present their annual show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

There'll be a display featuring a variety of different bonsai plants, and club members will be on hand to answer questions.

It's also a chance to take home a bonsai of your own (yes, there's a sale area).

The event is free and open to the public.

The Sunken Garden and Conservatory is located within the 136-acre Garfield Park, on Indianapolis' near south side.

St. Vincent Chosen for Cancer Pilot

St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital has been chosen by the National Cancer Institute to participate in a pilot program, reports Inside INdiana Business.

St. Vincent is the only Indiana hospital in the program. The project is aimed at encouraging collaboration between various medical professionals and then linking them to NCI research and cancer centers based at large research universities.

The program will also research how to better serve the needs of underserved populations, as well as racial and ethnic groups with unusually high rates of cancer.

Proteomics Research at IUPUI

Using high-speed computer networks and Indiana University's supercomputer, a team of researchers from IU and Purdue University will be contributing to an open-source bioinformatics software platform development project in proteomics ( the study of the structure and function of proteins), thanks to a $25,000 bioinformatics research award from the Canary Foundation, reports the IUPUI News Bureau.

The San Jose-based foundation's slogan is "stopping cancer early", and it awards funding for cancer-related research to accelerate realization of that goal.

Canary, and the LabKey Software Foundation designated five grant recipients from around the world for their Bioinformatics Platform Dissemination Award, and among the 50 contenders was the Indiana bioinformatics group, led by Dr. Jake Y. Chen (above, left), assistant professor of informatics and computer science, IU School of Informatics at IUPUI.

The awarded research teams nationwide will share $225,000 in total funding to be used to customize and expand CPAS (Computational Proteomics Analysis System), an open source proteomics data analysis and data management platform. CPAS is based on LabKey Server and includes a large number of proteomics data processing tools.

"The Speed" to be Unveiled in Speedway

The Town of Speedway will soon have its first chance to view a new master plan for a 400-acre area targeted as the town's first redevelopment area, reports Inside INdiana Business.


Plans for the area known as The Speed Zone will be unveiled at the meeting Tuesday (19 June) of the Speedway Redevelopment Commission. The plan will be used to help the town attract new businesses, residents and tourists.

The Speedway Redevelopment Commission is a five-member board of volunteers appointed by the Speedway Town Council.

Property Tax Deduction Application Deadline

Today is the deadline to apply for any of three expanded property-tax deductions, notes Inside INdiana Business.

State legislators this year approved increased eligibility for deductions for disabled veterans, senior citizens and veterans of World War I.

Indy Hosts Gathering of Poets Laureate

The 3rd National Gathering of Poets Laureate will be held in Indianapolis 24-27 June.

The theme of the Gathering is "Sporting Words" as the participants will use poetry to celebrate Indiana's rich history and current culture in athletics.

As an element of the gathering, local poets will lead sports/poetry clinics for youth this spring. Students will write poetry in advance, then recite their creations in various locations around Indiana for our Poet Laureate guests. The recitations will be distributed to the participants on CD.

Guest speakers include:
David Allan Evans, poet laureate of South Dakota
Jane Gentry of Kentucky
Marie Harris, New Hampshire Poet Laureate from 1999-2004
Dr. Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia’s Poet Laureate
Denise Lajimodiere, one of several Native Americans Associate Poets Laureate from North Dakota
Kae Morii 森井香衣, a member of Japan Poets Club
Lisa Starr, Poet Laureate of Rhode Island

Joyce Brinkman of Indianapolis is the Indiana Poet Laureate.

The Indiana Arts Commission funds the Poet Laureate education efforts through an annual stipend, administers special programs, and maintains the website. The public and local poets are invited to this Gathering.

Contact Rebecca Stergos, 317:232-1281, for more information.

#57 is Logged

We're up to 57 homicides this year, folks.

Speaking of getting a passport...

Thousands of Americans, who have been caught up in a backlog waiting for U.S. passports due to recently enacted regulations are getting some relief, at least temporarily, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The U.S. State Department and Homeland Security announced today that U.S. citizens who have applied for, but not yet received, passports for travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribean and Bermuda can travel by air with government issued photo identification through September.

NOTE: Passengers must also show proof that they have applied for a passport.

The regulations were eased after passport centers were inundated with requests for new passports, leaving some to wait months to get one.

Got a passport?

If you're headed abroad (and that includes Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean), you gotta have a passport.

This Saturday (9 June) the U.S. Postal Service will hold "passport fairs" at post offices in Carmel, Fishers and Greenfield to help people apply for U.S. passports.

The delay between application and receipt is pushing three months, says the U.S. Department of State, so if you're planning a trip, don't put off your application. To see the list of documentation you need to bring along, go to this website.

Addresses are:
Carmel Post Office, 275 Medical Drive, Carmel, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Fishers Post Office, 8500 East 116th Street, Fishers, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Greenfield Post Office, 207 Nort State Street, Greenfield, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Talbot Street Art Fair

This weekend is the 52d annual Talbot Street Art Festival!

Check out more than 250 booths featuring art from around the United States (including Indy's own K.P. Singh, right), plus live entertainment and food booths.

Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday (9 June) and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday (10 June).

Talbot is on the Near Northside, running north/south between 16th & 19th streets midway between Pennsylvania and Delaware streets.

Local artists hung in Mayor's office. Really!

Mayor Bart Peterson continued his tradition of using the Mayor’s Office to showcase the work of local artists. Recently, he unveiled artwork by local artists April Willy and Kirsty Saalfrank.

* April Willy works predominantly in acrylic on canvas or on paper, which has been textured with gesso and sand. In her artist statement she writes that her “images range from dreamy landscapes, to stylized still-life, to whimsical portraits.”

* Kirsty Saalfrank is an emerging local photographer. She works out of a studio in the Stutz and is a member of the Stutz Artists Association.

OMG! The incredibly shrinking Star shrinks again!

Taking Down Words reports this evening that The Indianapolis Star is downsizing (further) its business coverage.

"At a meeting this afternoon, the Star's top brass announced that, despite being one of the few major dailies in the country to increase circulation in the last quarter, the paper will be deep-sixing its stand-alone business section in short order," TDW reports.
"Come on down, Indianapolis Business Journal. You've got the golden ticket."

UPDATE:
As of Wednesday, 6 June, IBJ reports:
"Editor Dennis Ryerson said today that details of the changes are being ironed out. Ryerson said the new section has not yet been named, but it has been determined that business columnists John Ketzenberger and Daniel Lee will be rotated with Metro & State columnists including Matthew Tully on the Metro & State front."

Oops!

According to The Indianapolis Star, Zionsville police arrested Jack Trudeau, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, and a dozen teenagers early Saturday after police responded to a complaint of a loud party and found liquor being served at a Park Tudor High School graduation party.

UPDATE:
Former Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau now faces a felony charge of obstructing justice, according to The Indianapolis Business Journal. Police say Trudeau refused to hand over a guest list of teenagers at a graduation party for Park Tudor students at his home. Police found open containers of alcohol at the home. Conseco Inc. co-founder Steve Hilbert and his wife, Tomisue, also were at the party, IBJ Daily reported on 5 June.

Pacers hire Jim Morris

Pacers Sports & Entertainment has announced hiring James “Jim” Morris (left) as Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and President. The Pacers have been dealing with a litany of problems the last three seasons, including players' involvement in community dust-ups, a spiraling on-court record and dwindling attendance.

Morris joins PS&E after spending five years as the Executive Director for the United Nations World Food Program, where he oversaw the world’s largest humanitarian agency. The WFP has more than 12,000 staff members, 90 percent of whom work in the developing world.

Prior to Morris’ role as head of WFP, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for IWC Resources Corporation and Indianapolis Water Company from 1989-2002. From 1973-89, he served in several capacities for Lilly Endowment, Inc., including President from 1984-89. Prior to joining Lilly Endowment, Morris served as Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff to the Office of the Mayor, City of Indianapolis from 1967-73.

Lacy Leadership Concludes Indy Needs Rapid Transit

Research conducted by the Mayor’s Leadership Cadre (a subset of the Lacy Leadership Association) suggests that Indianapolis is more than ready for rapid transit. The cadre recommended Automated Guideway Transit for its speed and capacity, and found that commuters, out-of-town travelers, teenagers and shoppers would be potential high-use riders.

Nearly 1800 respondents to the cadre's survey agreed that Indianapolis needs an improved Rapid Transit System. (Click here to read the White Paper.)

A long-term vision for, and commitment to, Indianapolis-area rapid
transit system development is a key imperative for today’s civic leaders, the cadre concluded. "The mobility of our citizenry depends on it. The sustainability of our environment depends on it. The quality of our residents’ lives depends on it. The economic growth and very competitiveness of our region depends on it.

"The people are ready. When are the trains a-comin’?"

Members of the Lacy Leadership Association are alumni of Leadership Education and Development (LEAD), Opportunity Indianapolis (OI) and the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series (SKL). LLA provides a platform for members to address and advance community issues; hosts networking, educational and service events; and conducts two annual leadership development programs for community members.