Are the Pacers Losing Money? Only the Simons Know!

"We're ... not being told what Herb Simon paid this past year to buy out his late brother Mel's 50% stake in the franchise. How much is an NBA franchise that is losing so much money worth? It's entirely relevant, but the corrupt leadership of the CIB made damn sure we won't know the truth."

Read the rest of what Gary R. Welsh has to say on his blog.

Lilly Endowment Provides Grant to Vonnegut Library

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library says it has received its first major grant, reports Inside INdiana Business. Lilly Endowment Inc. has given the nonprofit $50,000 to help with strategic planning. The library named for late writer, artist and Indiana native Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is expected to open its new home in Indianapolis in November.

Advance Indiana Talks About Conflicts on C-C Council

Jackie Nytes...is administering federal funds on behalf of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation while participating in partisan politics in violation of the Little Hatch Act. Last year, Nytes' husband's business was awarded a lucrative printing contract from the cash-strapped parks department just weeks before she crossed party lines and supported the CIB tax, spend and borrow bailout plan. Ballard then awarded her CDC a million dollar grant less than two weeks after her vote.

Read the whole commentary on Gary R. Welsh's blog here. He also has interesting things to say on the management of the Indianapolis Indians vs. that of the Indiana Pacers (guess who comes out looking prescient!).

Indianapolis Area Among Top Cities For Exports

A new study shows Indianapolis is among the nation's leading metro areas for exports, reports Inside INdiana Business. Research from the The Brookings Institution shows the Indianapolis-Carmel area ranks ninth in share of exports and 20th in the value of exports.

Bike to the Brickyard

Volunteers from the Speedway Trails Association will be staffing a Pedal & Park corral for the Brickyard 400, just one block south of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 1111 Polco Street, Speedway.

The Pedal & Park corral for the Brickyard will be open race day, Sunday (25 July) from 6 a.m. to one hour after the race ends. Parking is free for bicycles, and the lot is secure and supervised. Area law enforcement officers close much of West 10th Street, but bicycles will be allowed to use this route to get to the Pedal & Park corral.

The Pedal & Park program was founded by the Greenways Foundation to encourage use of non-motorized transportation alternatives, promote activity on Indy Greenways, dispense relevant recreational literature, and raise funds for its partnering not-for-profit organizations.

Upcoming Pedal & Park events include; The Indiana State Fair, 6-22 August; Mass Ave Criterium, 14 August; Feast of Lanterns at Spades Park, 28 August; Dig-IN: A Taste of Indiana, 29 August; Penrod Arts Fair, 11 September; Diamond in the Rough, 18 September; Hoosier Outdoor Experience (Ft. Harrison State Park), 18-19 September; Rocky Ripple Arts Festival, 25 September, and the Carmel International Arts Festival, 25-26 September.

Convenience's Gonna Cost Ya at IUPUI

This Indianapolis Observer received the following notice from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

"In order to continue to accept credit cards, payments made with MasterCard, Discover, and American Express on student bursar accounts at IUPUI (Indianapolis) a 2.7% 'convenience fee' (service charge) will be assessed by the third party vendor on the payment amount effective August 1, 2010. Unfortunately, because of limitations imposed by VISA we will no longer be able to accept VISA as a payment method for the student bursar account, effective August 1, 2010."

Oh, and "Note: the 2.7% rate is subject to change."

This Indianapolis Observer thinks that VISA opted out 'cause they prohibit a vendor's passing the service charge onto the client.

In any case, IUPUI should be embarrassed to "doing a Ticketmaster" on its students!

Eiteljorg to Receive Museums For America Funding

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is the recipient of a $150,000 Museums for America grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, reports Inside INdiana Business. The institution is one of three museums in Indiana to receive the award. The funding will support Project New Moon, a major initiative to develop the Eiteljorg into an active, sensory and engaging experience.