Archived NewsBytes located at the bottom of the page

December 31

• This holiday marks the first New Year's Eve under the state's stiffer blood-alcohol law, and Indiana State Police will have the equivalent of 275 extra officers on the lookout for drunken drivers during this New Year's holiday.  They also will step up enforcement of rules requiring children under age 12 to wear seat belts or be in child-safety seats.  Aircraft and unmarked cars will supplement regular patrol vehicles Monday and Tuesday, watching for speeding violations and aggressive driving.  For the second year in a row there will be no sobriety checkpoints because in November 2000, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that such checkpoints are unconstitutional since they represent an "unreasonable seizure" done without a warrant or probable cause. Although there will be no roadblocks, the extra patrols will target specific areas where drunken drivers have been found in the past.  Remember, IF YOU DRINK, DON'T DRIVE!

December 28

• Bob Knight has settled a lawsuit with a Wisconsin man who said the former IU basketball coach asked him to lie about a hunting accident. The Wisconsin State Journal says the lawsuit was dismissed yesterday.

• The car belonging to a Jasper man, who authorities believe made a desperate 911 call for help Tuesday night, was found Thursday submerged under water on Indiana 257 in Pike County.  The man, however, has not been found or heard from since the call.  The window of the car was rolled down and authorities are guessing that he tried to swim out but didn't survive the cold water.  The road near the East Fork of White River was flooded because of heavy rains.
  The water in the area is being dragged in search of the body.

• The Louisville Zoo reports that its $15 million Gorilla Forest exhibit is 95% complete.  Six of the 12 western lowland gorillas will arrive in February from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.  This exhibit is found in only two other zoos in the world and will feature Gorillas-in-the-Round in which visitors may enter a room surrounded by gorillas displayed behind 6" thick glass walls.  The zoo is planning a major public fund-raiser is for the spring to cover the first-year expenses, marketing costs and an operating endowment, and a gift shop at the exhibit will also help with expenses.  This exhibit will be the first time the Louisville Zoo has displayed gorillas and officials are expecting an large increase in zoo attendance and revenue.

December 27

• Is payback time on the agenda?  National Weather Service officials report that frigid weather with potentially dangerous wind chills is about to settle on parts of the United States -- including all of Indiana -- and will last for at least a couple of weeks.  The jet stream will plunge south, pushing temperatures 10 degrees to 20 degrees below normal winter readings for a triangle of the U.S. ranging from central Texas to Maine and as far south as central Florida.   The low temperature with the accompanying high winds will be a shocker after experiencing the second warmest November ever.  Not much snow is expected, however.  The combination of forces producing this expected artic blast happened last in 1996, as well as in 1976-77, which some of us remember as a winter that set new records and blizzard conditions for Indiana.

• A sudden snow squall about noon Wednesday reduced visibility and produced road conditions that resulted in a pileup of more than 20 vehicles on Interstate 65 in Johnson County.  Six people transported to the hospital.  The pileup apparently started when a tractor-trailer rig that began to jacknife in the snow-covered southbound lanes near Edinburgh. Although the truck driver recovered control, the vehicles behind him skidded trying to avoid hitting the rig.  Traffic backed up for nearly 10 miles.  The same weather system also played a role in several crashes in neighboring Shelby County, with crashes reported on I-74 east of Shelbyville, injuring two children.  

• Pike County authorities will continue a search today for a Jasper man who may have been  swept away by floodwaters on Ind. 257 near the Pike-Daviess county line on Christmas night.  Vincent Pahn called 911 on his cell phone at 8:53 p.m. Tuesday asking for help because he was "in the water and it was rising.  Rescue units and the Daviess County Hospital's helicopter conducted an unsuccessful search.  Pahn had spoken to his family earlier in the day and said he was in Indianapolis and his roommate in Jasper told police that he never made it home.  That section of the highway, which was closed, floods from time to time when White River gets high, but motorists sometimes drive around the barricades.  Police know of at least three other cars that were swept off the roadway.  One man was rescued about 3 a.m. Wednesday.

• There are those who are happy with the arrival of cold weather--Southern Indiana’s ski resorts!  Although there a hills, there isn't any snow.  When that happens, they make the snow themselves.  Dozens of snow guns at Brown County’s Ski World and Paoli Peaks have been blasting the slopes with gray clouds of tiny snowflakes as temperatures finally fell low enough for the snowmaking equipment to work. The Paoli Peaks website indicates they are open for business today and that all trails will be open tomorrow. 

• Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed wants schools to publish annual performance reports earlier, between January 1 and 15 instead of the current period of Sept 1-15.  With the current reporting period, many information items are from data from the pvevious school year and are almost 11 months old.. She also announced Wednesday that her agenda for the upcoming legislative session includes a later cutoff date for kindergarten enrollment so more 5-year-olds could begin school.  Lawmakers may be somewhat reluctant on the earlier cutoff date because of budget concerns.  During the last session lawmakers moved the cutoff date from June 1 to July 1, which is still the earliest cutoff date in the nation.  Reed wants any child who turns age 5 by Sept. 1 to be able to enroll in kindergarten if their parents request it. 

• With the cold snap and predicted artic weather, people need to use common sense about walking on ice covered ponds.  This is emphasized by the death of a 9-year-old Goshen, IN, boy who fell through the ice on a pond into about 9 feet of water.  He and his brother 10-year-old brother had walked to an island on the pond and fell through the ice on their way back to shore about 4 p.m.  State conservation officers said the the ice was about one-half to three-quarters of an inch thick.   The minimum recommended for activities on frozen bodies of water is four inches.

December 26

• The day after Christmas, and it is a slow news day as shoppers head back to the stores to make returns.

• The cold weather will continue and there is a chance of snow showers the rest of the week, with daily highs mostly in the 20's and lows in the teens.

December 25

• MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Although it is not a white Christmas, there is a slight dusting of snow on the rooftops this morning!

\December 24

• One more day till Christmas!  Crowds of shoppers are expected to flock to malls and grocery stores for one last round of shopping--until Wednesday.  Many offices will be closed and services curtailed today, as well as stores closing early,  in observance of the Christmas holiday.  Area churches will have Christmas Eve services tonight.

• Dreaming of a white Christmas?  Well, don't count on it!  However, we will have a spell of cold weather to shock us into the reality that it really is winter.  Today it will be breezy with a high in the upper 20's and there is a chance of flurries this afternoon.  Tonight the temperature will fall into the mid teens.  Christmas Day will be mostly sunny and cold with highs again in the mid 20's, falling tomorrow to around 10 above.   This morning the east fork of White River has fallen below the flood stage in Seymour, but flooding continues along in the Bedford, Williams, and Shoals areas. The river was falling at all locations however.  At Bedford it was still 5 feet above flood stage this a.m., but the flooding will end in Lawrence County by Wednesday morning and in Martin County by Wednesday night.

December 21

• This is the shortest day of the year!  High temperatures will be getting cooler over the weekend with a possibility of snowflakes.  Perhaps winter actually will arrive!  Meanwhile, the river is receding.

• Cummins Incorporated has decided to restore full pay and work hours to its employees. The company cut employee pay 10 percent for some and reduced work hours by 10 percent for others in October. CFO Tom Linebarger says Cummins is now concentrating on long-term savings.  

• Another security hole in what has been billed as Microsoft's  most secure ever!   So what else is new?!  The latest version of Windows contains several serious flaws that allow hackers to steal or destroy a victim's data files across the Internet or implant rogue computer software.  The director of Covert Labs for Network Associates Inc. and his researchers demonstrated the flaws for the Associated Press by hacking into a reporter's laptop running Windows XP from 2,300 miles away and successfully instructed the computer to connect automatically several times to the Web site for the National Security Agency, the government's super-secret spy agency. The  manager of Microsoft's security response center admitted that it was a very serious vulnerability and said that every Windows XP user needs to immediately take action by downloading the company's free fix which it released Thursday.  It reportedly requires several minutes to download.  Check the Microsoft security  bulletin MS01-059 as well as patches at http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eFRZ0BdPvZ0V20NU30Ar .  The director of Covert Labs for Network Associates  Inc., says  it's just a matter of time before someone publishes  automated tools to exploit this vulnerability or unleashes an automated exploit such as Code Red.  Be prepared!

December 20

• Display the motto "In God We Trust" in every school classroom, auditorium, and cafeteria in Indiana public schools?  It could happen if State Sen. John Nugent, R-Lawrenceburg gets his way during the coming legislative session.   His  bill, modeled on a Mississippi law that took effect in July, requires that the posted motto be at least 11 inches by 14 inches and framed.  Similar efforts have not been successful in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Virginia, but the Michigan legislature passed a bill this fall that "strongly" encourages the motto's display in public buildings.  The American Family Association has begun a nationwide campaign to put the motto in every public classroom in the country.  In use since the Civil War period, we encounter this official national motto every day on our coins and bills, but undoubtedly passage of this bill in Indiana will fuel the fervor of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union.  The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on a challenge to the national motto.  Read about the history of the motto.

• Remember the whooping cranes that are part of a reintroduction experiment and followed an ultralight through Indiana in October?  They were on their way to a winter refuge in Florida.  One of the cranes was not a good follower, however, and it was transported in a cage although it spent evenings resting with the rest of the birds.  Even after the group arrived at the refuge, the bird still exhibited some of its independent tendencies and would leave the group occasionally.  The cranes are free to come and go as they please at the refuge, but they are provided with an open air pen to protect them from predators.  This week the independent crane wandered outside that protective enclosure and was killed by a bobcat.  The culprit cat was captured and released far away.  All the other birds are doing fine, and the experiment to establish a group of cranes in the Midwest will continue as planned.

•  Would you like to have beautiful outside Christmas decorations but don't want to put forth the effort yourself?   That may not be the norm for this part of Indiana, but apparently that is a growing trend in the country as an increasing  number of people are paying someone else to decorate their homes for the season.  This is become a new area of endeavor especially for landscape businesses who have slow times during the winter months.    It is reported that the fees for this service range from $800 to $5,000 or more.

December 19

• The National Weather Service in Indianapolis reports that the current flooding is the worst in the state since January 1999.  The flood, caused by the storms that dumped nearly 3 inches of rain on some areas, is affecting farmland and outlying county roads in the White River watershed.  Jackson County, which is mostly a floodplain, seems to be hardest hit with about 40 percent of the county under water Tuesday, and areas downstream are bracing for flooding later this week  Water levels are expected to reach about 5 feet above flood stage today along the East Fork of White River from Columbus to Shoals.  The worst should be over by Saturday.

• Would you believe?!  The constitutionality of the state's new law allowing residents to prevent most telemarketers from calling them at home is being challenged by a firefighters union asked a federal court yesterday to halt the law.  Attorney General Steve Carter promised to fight the challenge, citing the nearly 800,000 people who have signed up for the no-call list. After Jan. 1, telemarketers who call people on the list risk a fine of up to $25,000.  The Professional Firefighters Union has asked for a temporary injunction that would prevent the law from taking effect on the grounds that the law is too restrictive and limits the firefighters union's ability to raise money.  The law still allows charities and other nonprofit organizations to solicit donations over the phone if they use their own employees or volunteers and not a professional telemarketing company.  The Attorney General says the law does not violate any group's constitutional rights, but provides for reasonable protection of consumer's rights balanced against telemarketers' rights to operate in Indiana.  What do YOU think about this?

December 18

• Water, water everywhere! Just remember that it could have been snow, and that 1" of rain equals about 10" of snow!  Thanks to rain over the weekend and through Monday, many roads in the area are flooded  this morning. Law enforcement officials stress that when you approach areas which are flooded DO NOT drive through the flooded area. A Metamora woman drowned Monday morning as she was on her way to drop off her two children at a day care center before she went to work.  Her Ford Escort became stuck in the high water of the Yellow Bank Creek.  She was trying to seek help when she was swept away and drowned.  Rescue crews were able to get to the children by extending a ladder from a dump truck across the water and crawling to them.  The waters are expected to rise steadily all week.

• Purdue University wants to be the school with leads the nation in engineering technology. The university has launched a one billion dollar fund-raising campaign. University president Martin Jischke says the campaign is aimed at what he calls pre-eminence.

• A 14-year-old Elletsville boy with a history of heart problems collapsed after playing in a Sunday afternoon basketball game and died.  James Collier never regained consciousness after he became ill and collapsed during halftime of a youth league game Sunday afternoon at Edgewood Junior High School.  James had undergone two open-heart surgeries several years earlier. Bystanders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until the arrival of emergency medical technicians, who worked on him unsuccessfully for 45 minutes.

• Health officials closed Shelbyville High School Monday after several students and teachers were found to have
  contracted histoplasmosis.  The disease spreads by spores found in soil and bird droppings.  It causes flu-like symptoms but it usually not contagious or life-threatening.  It is believed that the spores traveled into the building's ventilation system after trees -- where many birds nested -- in the school's courtyard were cut down shortly after Thanksgiving.  State health officials recommended the school be closed so that ductwork could be vacuumed clean.

December 17

• A man who began a peace vigil in Bloomington says he'll continue his protest on the Indiana University campus through the winter. Sean Bagley admits he isn't winning many converts in the unprecedented time of war. He has camped out on the campus since October.

• It may be partly sunny tomorrow, but meanwhile the rain is still falling and the creek's on the rise.  The Flood Watch for south central Indiana has been extended until noon. This includes the counties of Decatur ...Bartholomew ... Brown ...Jennings ...Jackson ...Lawrence ...Knox ...Martin and Daviess. Radar estimates indicate 1.5 to 2 inches of rain have fallen since Saturday, and another half inch to an inch may occur between 500 am and 1000 am.  Afterwards rainfall should decrease as low pressure over the Ohio Valley moves on to our east.  This rain falling on already saturated ground and will aggravate any existing flooding of low lying areas.  Avoid low lying areas and be careful when approaching highway dips and underpasses ...especially at night.

December 14

• More than 250 people in Columbus will be without jobs when Onkyo America will cease production Sunday.  The producer of sound speakers for cars, computers, cellular phones and televisions has posted losses topping $16 million over seven consecutive quarters.  Global Technovations of Palm Beach Gardens, FL,.bought  Onkyo America last year and reduced the work force at the Columbus plant to 380 in February.  Employment was currently running around 265.  The company says it will have completed production on all orders by Sunday.  Most of Onkyo's competitors had relocated to Mexico and China, where production is cheaper.

• Businesses and individuals, beware!  Reports indicate that there are unscrupulous souls who call and claim to to collecting money on behalf of a local organization.  People should be aware and use caution when giving to a charity or organization. If you have any questions about a group soliciting donations, you can call the police department.

• Happy Birthday to us!  The state of Indiana marked its 185th birthday this week.  Tuesday was officially known as Indiana Day, the state's observance of its birthday.  In 1800 Vincennes, a French village on the Wabash River, was the territorial capital of the Indiana Territory, which covered all of what is now Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, plus part of Minnesota and half of Michigan.  When Illinois became a territory of its own in 1809, Vincennes was considered too far west to be the capital of Indiana, so Corydon became the territorial capital in 1813.  For Indiana to become the nation's 19th state, a census had to show that at least 60,000 people lived in the territory.  Census takers came up with 63,649 men, women and children -- and that counted only the population of the southern counties.  Delegates drafted a constitution in June 1816, and a General Assembly met in Corydon, using what was then the Harrison County Courthouse for its meetings.  Word arrived on Dec. 11 that Congress officially had granted statehood.

December 11

• Expect delays if  you are traveling I-70 on the eastside of Indy.  You should be aware of the road construction now and also in the future.  State highway officials announced Monday that the area will be severely restricted in both directions during overnight construction that will continue tonight.  Traffic may be temporarily stopped for 20-minute intervals while new ramp beams are swung into place at the construction zone at the interchange of I-70 and I-465.  Otherwise, the six-lane highway will be restricted to two lanes -- one in each direction -- between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.  The restrictions will be in place on both eastbound and westbound I-70 between Post and Franklin roads. The current new ramp construction is part of a much bigger project at the Eastside interchange that kicks into full gear next spring.  The project will expand lane capacities and add flyover ramps to untangle the bottleneck experienced at rush hour by commuters going from Downtown to the Northeastside.  This project will expand the the ramp to three lanes, and all three will flow without obstruction into a wider I-465.

December 10

• A 15-year-old Monroe County boys has been arrested in an apparent plot to shoot a teacher and two students at Edgewood High School last week. Police say the boy told two other students to stay home the next day because of his plan to shoot the people. The students told the assistant principal who then contacted police. A search of the boy's home in Ellettsville revealed a hidden, loaded handgun inside his room.

• It's just weeks before Christmas and at the White House
  You may come for a tour, but you must use your mouse.
  Because of security you tour it online
  To see it decked out so beautifully fine!
  Thanks to technology, you pan and zoom
  To view decorations from room to room.
  So visit the White House without delay
  At whitehouse dot gov slash holiday!
  http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday 
  (J. McMillen - jmcmillen@seymouronline.com )

December 7

• It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Brownstown is going to add to the season with The Jackson County Christmas celebration which is scheduled for tonight on the Courthouse square..

• The deadline is Sunday!!!  The General Assembly has given us this wonderful opportunity, and we feel it is our duty to keep reminding people that Sunday is the deadline to register for the new telephone privacy list that becomes effective in January.  The Attorney General's office is preparing to issue the state's first privacy list to telemarketers, who will be prohibited from calling anyone whose name is registered with the attorney general. The list will be updated every quarter, but if you want to start off the New Year without the telemarketing calls, register now!   Charitable organizations, newspapers, insurance agents and real-estate agents are exempt from the rule and may continue to contact customers.  To register simply call 1-888-834-9969 or log onto the attorney general's Web site at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/telephoneprivacy.  People can register for the first list until 11:59 p.m. EST Sunday. Phone numbers registered after that time will be placed on the second quarterly list, which takes effect in April.  This has been well accepted by the state's residents, as more than 450,000 people have registered for the list since May.

December 6

• After a very long Indian Summer with record highs, sweater weather may be coming to an end if we are to believe the long range weather forecasts.  Today it will get cooler with temperatures steady in the upper 40s and lows tonight in the mid 30's.  Highs tomorrow may be near 50, calling to the lower 30's tomorrow night, and would you believe a 30% chance of snow!  Saturday's highs will be only in the upper 30's with lows in the 20's.  This is reality time, and it's going to be a shock to Hoosiers, as well as to the budding shrubs and venturesome bulbs.

• Kent Benson is making state news as he travels to different cities to announce his intention to become a candidate for Indiana Secretary of State. Benson, who currently lives in Lawrence County, says that the state, along with the country, is at a critical time in which strong leadership is needed. He claims his experiences in business and on the basketball court (playing for IU, including the undefeated 1976 team, and in the NBA) have proven him to be a person of honesty, integrity and character, which is needed for the job of Secretary of State. Benson is currently one of five Republicans seeking the nomination for the position.

• After Purdue's loss to Notre Dame last Saturday, the renovation has begun -- at least to Ross-Ade Stadium!  As part of a $70 million renovation, construction crews are tearing down the stadium's 46-year-old press box on the west side of the stadium.  It will be replaced with a new four-story pavilion that will include a working media area, lounge, 1,650 club seats, 34 luxury suites (costing as much as $52,000 with a 7-year commitment), and scheduled to be finished before next season's home opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31, 2002.  In addition, fans will have wider seats, wider aisles, better restrooms and more concession areas.  This is all in the first phase of a three-phase renovation plan has been prepared.  The stadium's seating capacity, which is currently 65,332 will be reduced to 62,000, but only until the completion of phase two, which would add a deck on the east side of the stadium, increasing capacity to 70,000 and include more suites. Phase III would add a deck on the north end of the stadium and increase capacity to 80,000.  If the second and third phases of renovation are approved and completed, the total cost of the project would be more than $100 million.  Sounds like quite a project.  Then maybe we can work on the team!

December 5

• Through the state's Surplus Property Program, towns that qualify can receive free office supplies, vehicles, and other used items.  The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is already a member of the program and in the past has received gear for its emergency management response team, combat boots and one vehicle.  Now the Brownstown Town Council is going to apply  to join the program in hopes of benefiting its police, fire and street departments.  Qualified towns are encouraged to make a wish list of needed items, and if the item is not available in the Indianapolis warehouse, the program will search the world for the used item, with the town paying only the handling charges.

• The deadline is Sunday!!!  Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter is reminding people that Sunday is the deadline to register for the new telephone privacy list that becomes effective in January.  Carter's office is preparing to issue the state's first privacy list to telemarketers, who will be prohibited from calling anyone whose name is registered with the attorney general. The list will be updated every quarter, but if you want to start off the New Year without the telemarketing calls, register now!   Charitable organizations, newspapers, insurance agents and real-estate agents are exempt from the rule and may continue to contact customers.  To register simply call 1-888-834-9969 or log onto the attorney general's Web site at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/telephoneprivacy.  People can register for the first list until 11:59 p.m. EST Sunday. Phone numbers registered after that time will be placed on the second quarterly list, which takes effect in April.  This has been well accepted by the state's residents, as more than 450,000 people have registered for the list since May.

• Benson for Secretary of State! Former IU basketball star and current Lawrence County resident, Kent Benson spoke to a group of around 25 people during a breakfast this morning at Stoll's Restaurant as he continues his weeklong blitz to announce his bid for the office. Benson told the group the state needs strong leaders including in the Secretary of State office, using the example of the elections in Florida last year as an example of the importance of the office. Other stops scheduled for today include visits to Bloomington, Martinsville and Princeton.

• A new mass mailing e-mail worm that can disable antivirus software and personal firewalls is spreading across the Internet, virus protection vendors are reporting.  Dubbed W32/Goner, the worm, which masquerades as a Windows Screen Saver, spreads through Microsoft Outlook e-mail and ICQ and IRC networks. Upon execution Goner searches for a number of security products -- such as antivirus and firewalls -- looking for executable names. It then tries to shut them down and delete files. Most antivirus vendors placed Goner as a medium risk earlier in the day, but by late Tuesday afternoon it became apparent that Goner was spreading faster than many expected.  DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS!  And update your antivirus software.

December 4

• 'Tis the Season, but weatherwise it is not beginning to look like Christmas yet!  Indiana has been experiencing one of the warmest autumns in years as temperatures have been far above average for weeks.  According to the National Weather Service in Indy, the average high for the month of November was 60.3 degrees, the highest since records were started in 1870.  That's why there was a lilac in bloom at the Bedford Post Office last week, the hydrangeas at Bedford On-line are leafing out, and daffodils are coming up.  Perhaps we'll soon see forsythia in bloom?   Besides raking leaves, we mowed the lawn December 1-2!  The golfers and construction workers love it, but the sky slope operators are not happy because they need cold weather to make snow.  When football games were postponed in September and rescheduled for December 1st, who would have dreamed that it could be so pleasant sitting in the stadium!  The projected weather forecast, however, indicates that somewhat cooler temperatures may arrive for the weekend.

• The six whooping cranes, along with the ultralight aircraft that was showing them the way, arrived at their wildlife refuge in Florida Monday .  The 1,200 mile journey required 48 days, longer than originally planned, because of being grounded 23 days due to fog, rain, hail, snow, and headwinds.  The group passed through Indiana early in November.  Seven cranes were in the group when they left October 17 from a refuge in Wisconsin, but one had trouble staying on track, so it finished the trip in a vehicle.  Researchers hope the birds will return to their northern home in the spring and become a new migratory flock of whooping cranes in Northern America.  The whooping crane is North America's tallest birds, standing 5 feet tall, and it is on the endangered list.  However, the number has increased to 400 since 1941 when there were only about 20 left.

December 3

• Remember Kent Benson, former All-American who helped lead Indiana University's basketball team to the 1976 NCAA championship?  He has decided to test the political arena and plans to announce his candidacy Monday for Indiana Secretary of State.  He is planning a Wednesday rally outside Assembly Hall.  It is expected that he will face at least four other individuals for his party's nomination -- Marion County Coroner John McGoff, Vanderburgh County commissioner Richard Mourdock, outgoing deputy secretary of state Todd Rokita and Mike Delph, a top aide to U.S. Rep. Dan Burton.  The party's candidate will be chosen at its June convention in Indianapolis, and that candidate will face the Democratic candidate in the November 2002 election.  So far, the only Democrat who has announced his intentions to run for that office is Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez. Candidates can officially file in January 2002.

• Is it a naturalized landscape and wildlife habitat or an overgrown yard ?  It seems to depends on the point of view.  In Bloomington the Earth Garden Collective advocates more naturalized landscapes, but there is a city ordinance which requires that weeds be kept below 8 inches and other yard litter kept to a minimum, thus allowing city police to ticket property owners who have tall grass and backyard brush piles.  Some members of the Earth Garden Collective claim that the city itself is in violation of the ordinance because some of the city flower beds are planted with native grasses which exceed the height limit.  City officials say the ordinance gives the city a way to get out-of-town landlords and property owners to mow and clean up regularly.  All agree that there is a need to talk, work together, and come up with a more flexible arrangement.  

• Louisville would really like to have an NBA, and the Charlotte Hornets are looking for a new home because the people in their current city refused to build them a new arena.  Of course, a move to the Louisville would require a new downtown arena and a large investment. funded partially by a new ticket tax.  Several state legislators have indicated  they will not approve a new ticket tax (a 5% surcharge on tickets for arena sporting events.  As a result, the ticket tax needed to help pay for the $250 million project has almost no chance of getting through the General Assembly when it begins meeting in January.  Will the Hornets' owners agree to give 5 $ of ticket proceeds to help pay the arena debt? Developing....

• The Republicans don't like it, but what do Libertarians think of Gov. O'Bannon's tax restructuring proposal?  They are coming up with an alternative plan, which they hope will get some attention although they have no representation in the General Assembly.  The Libertarians' would focus on local control of property taxes and schools.  Their plan would change property taxes and assessments and would restructure school funding.  They claim their party's proposal would keep elected officials more accountable for tax and spending decisions, as attention is focused back on the counties, which would allow citizens to challenge spending that is unreasonable.  Land would be taxed by a flat rate, per unit of land, and structures would be taxed only on a square-footage basis and classified as residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural.  Local tax increases would require approval by a county or city referendum, and property taxes would be used to fund only education, police, fire and park funds.  Personal property would not be taxed and welfare would be eliminated, with local charities providing those services.  School funding changes would include a $3,500 grant per student to schools to finance education, with any additional money to be raised on the county level.  Parents would be allowed to send their children to any state supported public or charter school, but for those who select private or parochial school or home-school their children, a $1,750 income tax credit for each child would be made available.
  School buildings, including gymnasiums and swimming pools, would be financed on the county level as community resources.

• Some local Internet users have been wondering what would happen after a bankruptcy judge cleared the way for the ExciteAtHome high-speed Internet network to cut service.  ExciteAtHome on Saturday did in fact cut off service  to 850,000 AT&T Broadband, but said subscribers to other cable companies were not immediately affected.  Some high-speed Internet service providers in Indiana, including Comcast and Insight, had been negotiating with ExciteAtHome to continue service uninterrupted.  ExciteAtHome wanted the cable companies to pay substantially higher fees to connect to its network. Until ExciteAtHome's bankruptcy, the cable companies had been paying a monthly fee of $12 per subscriber.  By forcing the cable companies to pay more to use the high-speed Internet service, ExciteAtHome and its bondholders hope to prove the network is worth substantially more than the $307 million AT&T has bid for it.  In a message on the company's Web site, ExciteAtHome said it was still negotiating continued service with its other cable company customers, but ended service to AT&T "after determining that it would not be able to reach agreement ..."  ExciteAtHome's bondholders have accused AT&T of using its controlling position on ExciteAtHome's board to steer the company into bankruptcy as part of a scheme to buy the company, owner of one of the nation's biggest high-speed Internet networks, at a bargain price. 

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