Privatization Gone Awry

The Los Angeles Times does the kind of investigative reporting the Indianapolis Star used to do (before Gannett gutted the city room). Here's their story today about privatization of Indiana's public ashttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsistance program:

"Though the $1.37-billion project proved disastrous for many of the state's poor, elderly and disabled, it was a financial bonanza for a handful of firms with ties to Daniels and his political allies, which landed state contracts worth millions....

"All told, three politically connected firms gained from the welfare privatization effort in Indiana: ACS; the Lucas Group, a Boston-based firm that wrote the specifications for the contract; and Barnes & Thornburg, the Indianapolis law firm that lobbies for ACS and is representing the state in its suit against IBM."

Read it all here.

(And a tip of the hat to Paul K. Ogden for the reference.)

Indiana's Mean-Spirited Laws

Judges in Indiana have issued injunctions regarding implementation of two sets of legislation, according to The Indianapolis Star.

One federal judge has ordered the state not to enforce two provisions of a state immigration law that was scheduled to take effect on 1 July, and another has halted enforcement of a law cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood of Indiana and other entities that provide abortions.

New York Times Writes About Indiana's Economy

"But Indiana is no world apart, even if Mr. Daniels would like to suggest it is. Large cracks have opened in its economic foundation, a sign of just how severe the downturn remains...."

"One in three Hoosiers qualifies as low-income now, compared with one in four a decade earlier. And 58 percent of unemployed Indianans have burned through their benefits."

This Indianapolis Observer recommends reading the entire article here.

Art of the American Indians Comes to IMA

An exhibit of North American Indian art opens 2 December 2011 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, running through 12 February 2012.

The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of North American Indian art comprises more than 800 masterpieces of Native American art from across North America and spanning more than 2,000 years.

This exhibition features more than 80 of the most outstanding works of art drawn from this collection, now held at the Fenimore Art Museum. The exhibition highlights the range of art produced by Native American cultures.

Note: the image shows a Nepcetat Mask, ca. 1840-1860, Central Yup’ik, Probably Lower Yukon River, Alaska, Thaw Collection, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, N.Y., T231. Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor.

Tours of Former Central Avenue Methodist Church

Indiana Landmarks offers free one-hour tours of the recently opened Indiana Landmarks Center every Friday and Saturday on the hour from noon to 2 p.m.

Located at 12th Street and Central Avenue in Indianapolis’s Old Northside, Indiana Landmarks Center occupies the 120-year-old former Central Avenue Methodist Church.

The late Hoosier businessman and preservationist Bill Cook and his family funded more than $16 million of the nearly $20 million restoration and adaptation.

The one-hour tours highlight the history of the church, its influence on the city, and the restoration that adapted the three-building complex as theaters, reception halls, gallery and offices.

The free tours start in the lobby of Indiana Landmarks Center on the hour, beginning at noon, with the last tour leaving at 2 p.m. Reservations are not required for the tours, which will run through October.

To learn more about the tour of Indiana Landmarks Center and other tours offered by Indiana Landmarks, contact Gwendolen Raley, 317:639-4534 or 800:450-4534.

Broad Ripple Parking Garage

Indianapolis: "where the red carpet is rolled out for every sleazebag willing to stuff the politicians' pockets with money."

Check out this post on Advance Indiana for the details on the latest scam.

This Indianapolis Observer is no longer surprised by anything that comes out of the 25th floor of the City-County Building.

We hold these truths to be self-evident...in Indy!

"Apparently if companies want to win contracts in Indianapolis, they need to make political contributions and hire the right attorneys and lobbyists." -- Paul K. Ogden

Read it all here: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/06/city-accused-of-steering-lucrative.html