The IPS Board Can't See the IPS Budget?

That's what Eugene White, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, told Kelly E. Bentley, an IPS board member, according to The Indianapolis Star today.

Supt. White "said he wouldn't waste the board's time by giving it the entire budget to review," according to "Behind Closed Doors".

"'We have not, and we don't intend to, give you the specificity of each of those items,' White said. 'It would be too prohibitive for you to go through that. . . . We're not going to bring that to you. We're asking you to approve the budget, and to go any deeper than that would take a lot of your time and be ridiculous.'"

This Indianapolis Observer thinks that Ms. Bentley, who was the only board member to vote against the budget as presented, is the only IPS board member worth the title.

Pedrosa Led the Way Friday at MotoGP

IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com's Eric Powell reports, "Spaniard Dani Pedrosa led the first day of MotoGP practice at the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Friday, 28 August, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 51.507 seconds in wet conditions on the No. 3 Repsol Honda Team entry.

"Nicky Hayden, of nearby Owensboro, Ky., was second-quickest at 1:51.662 on the No. 69 Ducati Team bike, and defending Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi was third at 1:51.814 on the No. 46 Fiat Yamaha Team MotoGP entry on the Speedway's 16-turn, 2.621-mile road course.

"Rossi's teammate No. 99 Jorge Lorenzo was fourth-quickest at 1:51.894, and Alex de Angelis was fifth at 1:52.264 on the No. 15 San Carlo Honda Gresini machine."

The preliminaries continue tomorrow, with the big race scheduled for Sunday, 30 August, at the IMS.

Indy Hosts Regional Figure Skating Championships

The 2010 Eastern Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships, hosted by the Ice Skating Club of Indianapolis, will take place 16-20 October 2009 at the Carmel Ice Skadium. The event will feature more than 600 competitors representing 60 figure skating clubs from across the Midwest.

The Ice Skating Club of Indianapolis (ISCI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 to promote the sport of figure skating in the Indianapolis area. Skaters range in age from preschoolers to adults, beginners to skilled competitors who represent the club at regional, sectional, collegiate, national and adult national levels.

John Stossel to Speak at Economic Club

The Economic Club of Indiana has scheduled John Stossel (pictured), co-anchor of ABC's "20/20", to speak at its luncheon gathering at noon 6 October in the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis. Non-member tickets are $30; call 317:264-3165.

UPDATE (10 September 2009):
John Stossel is leaving ABC News for Fox, where he'll host a weekly show on Fox Business and host a series of specials for Fox News.

If Republicans were Chippendales...

There really are no words possible to comment on this JibJab video....

Check it out.

The Mayoral Race Starts Early

Paul K. Ogden has a fascinating comment on his blog today:

"Mayor [Greg] Ballard comes into the election with about a 45% base Republican vote. He has gone out of his way to alienate Republicans by backing off on virtually all of his campaign promises and snubbing his die hard supporters who backed the Mayor when he was seen as having no chance against [then-mayor Bart] Peterson."

Tree Trimming by Public Utilities

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will hold its Central Indiana field hearing on 2 September in Pike Township High School, 5401 West 71st Street, Indianapolis. The topic is tree trimming. If you want to testify, please arrive before 5:30 p.m. to register; testimony begins at 6 p.m.

Citizens are invited to appear to give their views on Indianapolis Power & Light's tree trimming practices, and that testimony will become part of the legal record of this investigation. You can also submit written testimony if you prefer not to speak.