June 30

• Taking effect tomorrow, July 1st, is a new open container law.  The Indiana State Police encourage all motorists to be responsible and safe as they travel Indiana's highways.  Any person in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle may not possess  an alcoholic beverage container that: has been opened, has a broken seal or has had some of its contents removed.  Furthermore, the motor vehicle does not need to be in motion for a violation to exist.  the responsibility ultimately falls on the driver of the vehicle and he /she will receive the ticket for violations of the new law.   Please do not drink and drive.  Use a designated driver!

• In the name of historic preservation!  The commissioners in Randolph County are determined to demolish the 128-year-old courthouse and replace it, claiming it is not wise to spend millions of dollars to renovate the building.  The members of the Farmland Bridge Club have decided to join the fight by becoming "calendar girls" and posing for a calendar that will be sold as a fundraiser for the Save the Courthouse Fund.  They will pose nude with strategically placed miniature replicas of the courthouse in front of them.  The women range in age from their early 70s to older than 90.  The calendars will be on sale sometime in July and will sell for $12.95.  Organizers hope to raise at least $20,000.

• There is an old saying that "What's good for the goose is good for the gander".  Maybe that's what a man in California is thinking.  Logan Darrow Clements from CA has faxed a letter to town officials in Weare, NH, suggesting taking over Justice David Souter's farmhouse and turning it into a hotel.  He claims that the hotel on the property would bring the town economic development and tax revenue.  Souter, a longtime Weare resident, joined in the 5-4 court decision allowing governments to seize private property from one owner and turn it over to another if doing so would benefit a community.  Souter could not be reached for comment.

June 29

• It sounds like the fight isn't over yet!  A monument similar to the one in Texas stood near the Indiana Statehouse for more than 30 years, but it was removed in 1991 after suffering damage from repeated vandalism.  A federal judge blocked the installation of the replacement monument in 2000, saying it could be seen as a government endorsement of religion.  Gov. Mitch Daniels said he would welcome a Ten Commandments monument back to the Indiana Statehouse and said returning the monument to the Indiana's capitol grounds should be "a straightforward matter" after the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Texas monument.  However, Ken Falk, the legal director of the ICLU, claims any effort to bring back the monument would violate the standing order in the lawsuit the organization filed to block its installation near the Statehouse.  "Just because there has been Supreme Court cases doesn't change the fact that there is currently a permanent injunction prohibiting the monument from being displayed," Falk said.  He said renewed litigation would surely follow any attempt to bring a commandments monument back to the Statehouse.

• The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling that will allow Lawrence County's Limestone Ten Commandments monument to be moved from the entrance to the Subway restaurant on the corner of 16th and I, back to the Courthouse lawn.  A hand-delivered letter from State Senator Brent Steele and Representative Jerry Denbo is already in the office of Governor Mitch Daniels.  This reporter wonders if the varied customers that patronize Subway might deliver more people that take time to notice the monument, maybe even comment on its significance....those customers might outnumber the people that would notice it on the Courthouse lawn.  Denise Hodges of Subway commented that they've had customers and groups that take pictures.  Subway also has a camera that helps protect against vandals.  With traffic 24 hours a day so close to the marker, they may be another reason it hasn't been defaced.  Plus, Denise says they occasionally suggest to kids that they not sit on the monument's base.  Should the monument stay put?

• Most states require school students of certain ages to prove they've received vaccinations and general health screenings. However, The state of Illinois has added a new requirement that will become effective on July 1st.  Now students attending kindergarten, second and sixth grades in Illinois would be required to undergo dental checkups if they want to collect their end-of-year report cards.  The dentist and lawmaker who sponsored the measure said it's important to establish good hygiene habits that will save money in the long run and improve children's education.  Will Indiana follow suit?

June 28

• The constitutionality issue of displaying the Ten Commandments on public property was addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday for the first time in twenty-five years.  The Court upheld the constitutionality of the display outside, but although they consider the displays inside their chamber to be constitutional, they decided that displays inside a courthouse violate the doctrine of separation of church and state and must be decided on a case by case issue.  Inside, outside--it shouldn't make any difference.  But that should help line the pockets of attorneys!  The decision allowing the display in Texas, however, may lead to installing the Ten Commandments monument on the State House lawn.   A few years ago, State Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, arranged for the Bedford-area limestone industry to create a monument containing the Ten Commandments.  Intended for the Lawrence County Courthouse lawn, the monument currently resides outside the downtown Subway restaurant in Bedford after the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July 2001 that the monument amounted to state endorsement of religion even though it also also includes the Bill of Rights and the preamble of the Indiana Constitution.   Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said he had a letter hand-delivered to Gov. Daniels yesterday after the nation's highest court ruled in favor of the Texas monument, and Rep. Jerry Denbo, a French Lick Democrat who authored a state law authorizing such displays, said the governor should take action challenging a 2000 federal court order barring a Statehouse monument.

• New driver's licenses will be required for all Indiana school bus drivers this fall.  Pete Baxter is head of the Indiana Department of Education's school traffic safety division.  He says before drivers can qualify for the Class "S" endorsement, they'll have to complete a 20-question written exam.  He says drivers with two or more years of experience won't be required to take the "behind the wheel" exam.

• Indianapolis-based Guidant has begun enrollment in a clinical trial of a new drug-coated stent.  The company hopes to use results of the trial to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of coronary artery disease.  Guidant has scheduled a similar trial to begin in Europe sometime in the future.

• Could this help our pigeon problem?  It might work better than trapping them and sending them to a pigeon ranch!  Many communities have a problem with Canadian geese that don't believe in migration, and they are even messier than pigeons.   Communities seeking to oust the protected geese have tried noisemakers, scarecrows -- and fake coyotes and alligators -- often with little to no success.  There are now an estimated 2.6 million resident Canada geese in the U.S. that don't migrate. They prefer open areas and litter golf courses and parks with their droppings.  However, bait laced with a contraceptive is showing promise as a way of controlling the population of Canada geese.  The National Wildlife Research Center says more than half of eggs at treated test sites didn't hatch.
• Sushi, fine wine, table linens, and ---a tent?  Luxury camping?  That sounds like an oxymoronic arrangement!  The July issue of Outside magazine is profiling a trend in which some campers opt for five-star cuisine served tent-side.  They want to sleep in a tent under the stars in the woods, but they'd rather not deal with the hassles of building a fire and eating canned food.  The magazine lists several companies that offer camping experiences with fine food and other amenities in areas including the Chattooga River area of South Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Vermont's Green Mountains and near British Columbia's Crystal Lake.

June 27

• Scattered thunderstorms may develop in the heat of the afternoon and early evening hours both today and Tuesday.  Will that improve the comfort index?  Not likely!  But we do need the rain!

• On Friday, July 1st, a number of new laws that came from this year's General Assembly will go into effect.  One of those laws ends the 75-year-old system of using the sale of personalized license plates to subsidize the Democratic and Republican parties in Indiana.  The practice of using license plates to fund political parties dates back to the 1930s, when the party in power ran the license branches as a patronage perk. The state took over operation of license branches in 1987, but the parties were allowed to continue keep splitting revenue from personalized license plates, a practice that had begun 10 years earlier.  The need to modernize the BMV and the state's budget deficit meant it no longer would turn over the license plate money to the parties. Lawmakers went along, voting 47-1 in the Senate and 97-0 in the House to eliminate the funding.  The money amounted to more than $665,000 to each party in 2004 and provided as much as a quarter of their operating budgets in some years.

• Today could be an historic day as the U.S. Supreme Court meets for the last time before taking a 3-month break.  In addition to speculation about retirements of some, especially of Chief Justice William Rhenquist, the court is expected to make a ruling on the constitutionality of government Ten Commandments displays, resulting from appeals from Texas and Kentucky.  The issue has surfaced in many states.  It has been twenty-five years since the court last dealt with the issue, and at that time the Justices ruled that the Ten Commandments could not be displayed in public schools. Now they will decide if a granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol and framed copies of commandments in two Kentucky courthouses are allowed.

• On Friday Indiana will start spending from its new 2-year budget, which is projected to eliminate the state's deficit within two years.  Will that happen?  Only time will tell!  Some of the other new Indiana laws that will be effective Friday will:

-End the practice of allowing driver's licenses to be renewed via the Internet.
Prohibit open containers of alcohol in cars and trucks. Violators could be fined up to $500.
-Require the state Board of Education to adopt standards and guidelines for cheerleading safety at schools.
-Provide significant salary increases for trial court and appellate court judges, Supreme Court justices and full-time prosecutors.
-Require all children up to age 8 to ride in a booster seat.
-Require stores without pharmacies will be to keep medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine in a locked case or behind a counter. Those with pharmacies can have the drugs within sight of a pharmacy employee, if the store has 24-hour video surveillance.  Customers will be limited to 3 grams (about 100 tablets) of the medicines per week and have to show a state or federal ID and sign a logbook to make the purchases.
-Raise speed limits on rural sections of interstates and on rural stretches of some four-lane, divided highways, but that won't be official until the Indiana Department of Transportation posts signs stating the new limits. That process won't begin until July 5 and could last through the summer, said INDOT spokeswoman Jessica Mace.
-Require schools to display U.S. flags in every classroom and offer daily moments of silence and an opportunity for students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
-Require school to draft policies to prevent and identify bullying.

• The 90 degree heat did not keep tens of thousands from attending Billy Graham's crusade at Flushing Meadows, New York.  The event was translated into 20 languages.  Around the world, viewers heard a mighty chorus singing praises to God.  Those singers represented Christians of many skin colors and a multitude of backgrounds.  Billy Graham is 86: this could be his last Crusade.

• The height of basketball players in the NBA continues to climb.  A player from China, who is 365 pounds and seven feet-eight inches tall hopes to be picked in the NBA draft tomorrow.  If a team signs him, he'll become the tallest player in the league's history.

June 24

• Yesterday the state Gaming Commission granted conditional approval  for a $250 million plan to build a casino in Orange County to Blue Sky Casino (a partnership between Cook Group of Bloomington and Lauth Property Group, Inc), the only proposal submitted for the project.  Blue Sky.  Gov. Daniels stated that he believes  we're going to get a much better outcome with the : a casino that is first of all Hoosier owned, will be up and running just as fast and not nearly so vulnerable to big disappointment and a stoppage as could easily have happened with what turned out to be a bankrupt company (the Trump group).  Completion of the casino, parking garage, event center, golf courses and the first 200 rooms at French Lick is slated for December 2006, with the final 240 rooms completed by December 2007. Blue Sky expects to finish restoring the 240 rooms at West Baden by July 2007.  The casino must be operational by Dec. 23, 2006, or Blue Sky will face financial penalties from the commission.

• The Jackson County Public Library Board of Trustees approved an additional appropriation of $85,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to help with the Seymour building project when the board met on June 21st at the Medora Library.  Library Administrator Mary Reed also updated the board on the project status.  The Seymour Library will close July 25-August 14 for the final stages of construction.  A grand opening and open house is scheduled for August 21st.

• The Greenwood Trails Advisory Board and the Indianapolis Hiking Club are teaming up to offer the city's first organized hike this summer.  The first hike is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, starting at the Greenwood Public Library.  The nearly eight-mile hike, with a shorter option available, will include the new Polk Hill Trail. The hike is free.

• Seven homeowners in New London, CT, a small waterfront community, lost a groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision Thursday when justices ruled that the city may take their property through eminent domain to make way for a hotel and convention center.  How does this decision affect us here in Indiana?  According to Kobi Wright, city attorney for Indianapolis, Indiana law requires a determination that the area is blighted before eminent domain can be used to acquire property that ultimately will be owned by a private entity.  Do we need more protection than that?  Some property owners think so!

• A new Federal report says Indiana leads the nation in the percentage of school spending to pay off interest on long-term debt.  The .National Center for Education Statistics reveals Hoosier taxpayers spent more than seven cents of every school dollar on debt interest, much of it connected to school construction.  State Education officials argue that the state's 694-million dollars share of interest includes borrowing to cover pay for retired teachers. 

• An Indiana delegation will travel to Japan and Taiwan next month to try to attract some of the more than 7-billion dollars in investment that Japanese companies make in Indiana.   Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will lead the business and government delegation.  The state is currently home to more than 220 Japanese companies, employing more than 40-thousand workers.

June 23

• If you are going to Indy over the next few days, don't breathe deeply!  They are under  the first summertime air pollution warning in two years.  People with respiratory problems are advised to limit outdoor activities, and everyone is urged to avoid creating more pollution by limiting driving, avoiding drive-through lanes and waiting until after 6 p.m. to fill gas tanks or mow lawns.  Ground-level ozone forms when chemicals that evaporate easily, such as gasoline or paint, and nitrogen oxides from power plants and other sources build up in the atmosphere, then "cook" in the sun and heat.  No ozone alerts were issued last year because temperatures were cooler than normal, officials said. There were no 90-degree days -- the first time that has happened since recordkeeping began in 1871, National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Haines said.  Although pollution levels have been dropping for decades, the nine-county metro region and 15 other Indiana counties fail to meet new federal ozone standards, toughened because of health concerns.  The state and counties have until 2007 to develop plans to meet the standards. Most must be in compliance by 2009, while Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, where pollution is worse, have until 2010.

• Purdue researchers have isolated a substance that does much of the damage following trauma to spinal cords.  "acrolein" is thought to be the real cause of paralysis in many cases.  Researchers say it is a naturally-occuring toxin that goes to damaged tissue, and causes even more damage.  The research team leader says tests will now be done to find drugs that will attack acrolein, or neutralize it.

• It's time to plan your activities for the July 4th weekend, and Spring Mill State Park has a lot to offer!  July 1-4 from 9-5 daily the Pioneer Village will be celebrating Independence Day weekend with a variety of hands-on crafts, flag ceremonies, fun and games for the whole family.  July 2nd at 9 a.m. will be the Kids' Parade at the amphitheater in the campground.  Kids can decorate their bikes, trikes, wagons, strollers, pets, etc. in red/white/blue and join in the parade.  What kind of sports did the people of Indiana enjoy during their Fourth of July celebrations before the Civil War--a time when there was no football, basketball, or even modern baseball?  It was most likely the old English game of criket!  On July 4th, visitors will have an opportunity to actually play an informal 19th century cricket game.  Friends of the Mill and Root's RV will sponsor an American cricket player and historian, Tom Melville from Milwaukee, WI, to conduct hands-on cricket games throughout the day near the flagpole in the Pioneer Village.  The games are open to everyone and absolutely no experience is necessary.  Come and discover what "take me out to the ballgame" would have meant to the people of Indiana 150 years ago!  There is no charge for the event, although a gate fee for entrance into the part will be $4/in-state licensed vehicle or $5/out-of-state vehicle.  For more information contact the park office at 812-849-4129 or email Dwilliams@dnr.state.in.us.

• Times are tough for the Pork Queen. It seems there aren't many young women who want the title.  Now, pork industry officials in the hog heaven of Iowa are wondering if it's time to retire the queen.  Iowa has crowned a Pork Queen every year since 1960. But last year there were only 11 contestants.  One suggestion is to open the contest to guys, too. Instead of being Pork Queen, the title would be Pork Ambassador.  The Iowa Pork Producers Association, which sponsors the queen, is considering a contest makeover. Recommendations about the future of the Pork Queen will be presented at the association's annual meeting next Jan

June 22

• The June Lawn of the Month winning lawn belongs to Leonard & Carolyn Bruce at 701 Redding Road in Seymour.  This project is sponsored by the Beautification Committee of the Seymour Chamber of Commerce.

• Indiana University trustees will meet Friday in Gary and one of the items on the agenda is the consideration of a proposal by the University Faculty Council concerning whether newly hired faculty should undergo the same criminal background checks as other university employees.  The proposal before the trustees would limit background checks for academic employees to those handling university funds or working with "vulnerable populations".  IU started criminal background checks for new nonacademic employees last July.  Should the university require the same background approach for academic employees that they do for nonacademic employees?  Some trustees believe that faculty should be scrutinized as closely as people the university hires to cook meals and sweep floors.  However,  David Daleke, co-secretary of the University Faculty Council, claims that  requiring background checks for academic appointees could be seen as an insult at a time when IU is competing to hire the best faculty.

• You may think that tuberculosis is a disease of the past, but so far this year Allen County (Ft. Wayne) has confirmed 10 new cases, seven other cases that are likely to be confirmed, and one TB-related death.  Tuberculosis can be treated by a combination of antibiotics over six months but can cause severe illness and death if untreated.  Most of the cases are in Fort Wayne's urban area.  The county was working with health care providers and free clinics to promote awareness of the disease's symptoms, likely leading to its increased diagnosis. 

• We all know the meaning of the term "couch potato".  However, Monday there was a potato farmer protest outside Parliament in London because the term is giving potatoes a bad name.  Low carb diets and lazy living have taken their toll on the vegetable's image.  The British Potato Council claims the phrase makes the vegetable seem unhealthy.  They want the term removed from the dictionary and suggest that we start referring to "couch slouch" instead.
• If you have visited New York City, you may have wondered if there is anyplace in the world that is more expensive.  While NYC is the most expensive U.S. city, a recent list compiled by Mercer Human Resource Consulting indicates there are twelve other cities in the world (of 144 cities surveyed) that really are more expensive, and Japan captured the top two with Tokyo and Osaka, followed by London, Moscow, and Seoul in that order.  NYC came in at No. 13.

June 21

• The first day of summer.  It will feel like summer with temperatures in the mid 80s, as they begin the climb into the 90s by Friday.  Hot days, warm nights.  The corn should like it!  But the flowers will need to be watered.

• Downtown Nashville, IN, is getting a $450,000 face-lift this summer.  The improvements will include new benches, lighting, sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, drainage improvements, and street signs.  The project is expected to be finished by September.  All businesses and street will remain open during the project.

• Indiana University Dental and Medical researchers are trying to determine if there's a link between the bacteria in your mouth when you don't brush your teeth and an increased risk of heart disease.  Nearly 50 participants were required not to brush, floss, gargle or chew gum for 21 days.  Blood was drawn each week as part of the study.  There will be two more study groups before the results are finally tallied next year.

• The phishers are busy!  When MasterCard went public last week with news that a security breach exposed more than 40 million cards to fraud, customers weren't the only ones interested. Phishers picked up on it, too, and quickly launched a campaign to piggyback on the blunder.  The crude e-mail -- which was spotted by Seattle-based Secure Computing -- sports several clues that it's a phish, including the from: address, which is "Master Bank" rather than MasterCard International.  The message reads in part: "During our regular update and verification of the accounts, we couldn't verify your current information."   Although it makes no specific reference to the security breach -- likely because the message and bogus Web site were already "in the can" -- the campaign could have more legs than usual, since card customers who read the news will be expecting to hear from MasterCard or their issuing bank about how the security screw-up affects them. --Information Week

• A bit of trivia!  According to a new report published by Research and Markets, Africa remains the world's least-connected continent with only 1.5% overall Internet penetration, although certain regions have seen dramatic increases.  This is compared to 50% overall for developed countries..  High prices and lack of telecom infrastructure in many regions is blamed for the problem, but cell phone usage skyrockets.  Although Internet access is lagging, Africa's cellular phone industry is the fastest growing in the world, at 40% in 2004.  Twenty African countries tripled their growth rates this year. Fixed-line connections are sparse and expensive, so cellular phones are enticing to many.

June 20

June 17

• Good news for our listeners who believe that the Fox News Network delivers a fair and balanced portion of what's going on in the world.  Bill O'Reilly's audience on cable draws more viewers than the combined viewers of CNN, NBC, CBS ,ABC, and MSNBC!!
• A 19 year-old driver, Matthew R. Griffith of Scottsburg reached over to change a compact disk that was playing, and in the process of changing the CD he drove off the right side of the road, his Mustang rolled over, he was injured with non-life threatening injuries.  However, a passenger, 23 year-old Michael W. Griffith, Jr. of Lexington was pronounced dead at the scene.  Another 17 year-old passenger was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.  Police stress the danger of driving while using cell phones, and as in this report, reaching to change CD's while behind the wheel.
• PSI Energy is Indiana's largest electric supplier, serving more than 700,000 customers in portions of 69 of the state's 92 counties.  PSI has filed a petition with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission supporting the proposed merger of Cinergy and Duke Energy.  The transaction is expected to create a financially stronger organization that will keep customers provided with reliable electric service at reasonable. rates.
• The level of spiritual hunger in Iraq is truly remarkable.  The staff of Campus Crusade for Christ International says as they distribute Boxes of Blessing packages, containing rice, beans and other food, people recognize the distributors as believers and request Bibles and other materials about Christ.  They "crowd on" the boxes of Bibles.....more excited about them than about the food they also desperately need.  They know there is something special about Christianity because of the love believers have shown them.

June 15

• The Seymour Library will have no public access to the upstairs adult collection or any public Internet access through Friday, June 17th, due to carpet installation.  Access will be uninterrupted to children's materials and the music and movie collections, as well as the summer reading program at the Seymour Library.  The Bookmobile and Crothersville and Medora libraries will maintain regular service through Friday.
• You may remember Damon Bailey?  Next Monday, June 20th the 2005 Damon Bailey Basketball Clinic is scheduled at Bedford North Lawrence Fieldhouse.  Sessions are open to boys and girls in grades 1 thru 9 and will run from 8am until noon.  Damon and his staff will offer one-on-one instruction.  The tuition is $110 and registration is accepted on a first-received basis.  Call 277-8713.
• The Indiana Attorney General's Office has stopped an alleged pyramid scheme by getting a Hendricks county judge to issue a temporary restraining order.  Steve Carter says his office has filed suit against two men and an alleged illegal gift club called "Elite Activity".  Carter says defendants Michael Roller and Demlar Neely sought people to make an initial donation of $116 and then were asked to recruit others.  The pyramid scheme promised an ultimate pay off of  $48 thousand.
• According to a report prepared for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, most online pharmacies that appear to be Canadian are not located in Canada, and many are located in the U.S.  The president of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) believes that gives the legitimate Canadian companies a bad name and has asked for the phony sites to be shut down.  The survey examined some 11,000 online pharmacy sites claiming to be Canada-based and found that just 1,009 actually sold prescription drugs and only 214 of those seemed to have Canadian origins.
• There's a big recall for owners of some Ford vehicles that have problems with stalling diesel engines and disconnecting fuel lines.  The first recall involves 180,000 diesel F-250 through F-550 pickup trucks, Excursions and E-350 and E-450 commercial vans built between 2003 and 2004.  The second recall is for nearly 79,000 vehicles with a problem of disconnecting gas lines--2005 F-250 through F-550 models.  For more information call 800-392-3673, your Ford dealer, of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration at 888-327-4236.

• The Jackson County Public Library will hold a free program for senior citizens and other interested persons at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 21st, in the Crothersville Library meeting room.  The topic will be "Remembering Fun and Games".  Refreshments will be served and registration is not required.  For more info call the Crothersville Library at 793-2927.

• The Medora Branch of the Jackson County Public Library will hold a free book discussion program for adults at 6 p.m. Monday, June 20th in the Medora Library meeting room.  Mary Jane Burton will lead discussion for this month's book "In This Mountain" (by Jan Karon) in which Father Tim and his wife Cynthia deal with retirement and life changes.  Registration is required and participants may pick up a copy of the book at the Medora Library.  For more info, call 966-2278.

June 14

June 13

• June had been a dry month so far.  Lawns and gardens needed rain and we got it yesterday as the remnants of tropical storm Arlene moved through Indiana dropping the heaviest rain in two months and interrupting some activities.  A tornado watch was issued and funnel clouds were reported aloft.  Jennings County residents spotted a few brief tornado touchdowns and funnel clouds, but they did no major damage, the sheriff's department said.  The National Weather Service confirmed Jennings County had the only report of a tornado touchdown in Indiana as of 9 p.m.  Heavy rain was also reported in much of central and southern Indiana.  There were some roads and underpasses that presented problems for motorist in many areas.  About 8:30 p.m. yesterday , State Police closed the ramp from southbound I-465 to westbound I-70 because of the water.  At the Indianapolis International Airport the total precipitation for Sunday June 12 was 3.04 inches.  A chance of rain remains in the forecast through Wednesday.  Starting Wednesday night, clouds should gradually depart, just in time for a visit to Holiday World and the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

• Bloomington has done it.  Indianapolis has done it.  Now Metro Louisville also may be close to doing it.  We're talking about a smoking ban in the workplace.  A committee of the Louisville Council will discuss it Wednesday night, and if a proposal gets out of the committee, the full Council will vote on it June 23rd.  The chief sponsor of the bill believes there are enough votes to pass a ban.  As it stands now, the ordinance would ban smoking in all public places and work places, including restaurants but not bars. Last week, Greater Louisville Inc came out in favor of a ban saying it would improve the city's image.  When is YOUR city going to make the move to cleaner air for our citizens?  Check out Smoke-free Seymour!

• They may really be serious about this!  Indiana and Kentucky have been talking and planning for two new bridges over the Ohio River in the Louisville area.  The Indiana Department of Transportation has recently acquired its first parcel of land for this project--a 7-acre tract.  The projected completion date for this project is 2020 and will require the purchase of 382 acres on both sides of the river.  One bridge would connect downtown Jeffersonville with Louisville, Ky. The other bridge would be built a few miles upstream, near the Clark County town of Utica, as part of I-265.

• A new image for Ronald McDonald!  A new ad campaign will have a slimmer trimmer Ronald promoting an active and healthier lifestyle for kids.  Will the new ad campaign work?  Only time will tell.  The campaign began airing June 10th, and is to be supplemented with in-store education materials as well.  The company has had some bad publicity alleging that it contributes to obesity, and they would like to be part of the new trend toward healthy living.  They have also introduced more health-conscious options on the menu, such as the fruit and walnut salad and the option to replace fries with fruit in the Happy Meals.  There is no doubt that most home-cooked food is better for kids, but many parents don't do that anymore.  Is that why we have a nation of obese kids--and adults?

June 10

• The federal government provides grants for homeland security to the states. Indiana has received its share, and since 9/11 it has given local governments about $83 million.  This was done during Gov. Kernan's administration in th months before the 2004 election, with very little oversight, and it was done without requiring receipts or purchase orders.  Now the state needs the receipts in order to be reimbursed by the federal government.  The state wants to know what was purchased with about a quarter of the money and is pushing cities, counties and other governments to turn in receipts or to give back the money. The deadline is today.  By the close of state business Thursday, $7.5 million of the $22 million had been accounted for, either through receipts or money that was returned.  The federal Department of Homeland Security is completing an audit of Indiana's program.

• There are now at least 15 cases of measles that have been identified in Clinton County, and at least eight in Tippecanoe County.  This is the state's worst outbreak in more than a decade.  All are thought to be linked to an unimmunized Clinton County girl who visited a Romanian orphanage in May and unknowingly brought the virus to the Upper Room Christian Fellowship in West Lafayette on May 15.

• How do YOU feel about the news that American citizens, Moslems, have traveled to Pakistan for the purpose of being trained as terrorists and returning to the U.S. with plans to bomb hospitals and super markerts?

  Early on, those selling tickets for Bill Clinton's address at the Congregation Beth-El Zedeck Synagogue in Indianapolis reported the tickets were selling for $500.  If they sold  out at that price and found no need to drop down to $50 per ticket, the stop in Indy netted $750,000.

June 9

• The hot muggy weather has brought many people to the the swimming pool this week.  The hot humid temperatures will continue.  Thunderstorms are predicted through the weekend, so the lifeguards in addition to keeping a keen eye on the swimmers will also be glancing at the sky to watch for signs of lightning and listening for sound of thunder.. 

• Ninety-nine Indiana schools have been named to a federal list for failing to meet expectations in 2004, up nearly a third from the year before.  The federal No Child Left Behind law requires schools receiving Title I money for poor and minority students to improve on state tests every year and keep attendance and graduation rates stable.  No Child Left Behind tries to ensure that poor, minority and disadvantaged students make progress and requires schools receiving Title I money for poor and minority students show those children are moving ahead.  And if one group at a school -- such as special education students, those living in poverty or those learning English -- shows too little progress, the entire school flunks.  Schools that fail to show progress for two years in a row are put on the list and face penalties that range from being taken over by the state to allowing their students to change schools. The penalties become more severe the longer a school stays on the list. Jackson County Seymour-Redding Elementary School is on the list this year.

• Will Indiana Senator Evan Bayh make a run for president in 2008?   Bayh said last week that it is too early to make any such decision and says he is not running today.  "Today" is the operative word here.  His current speaking tour seems to indicate he will make that move.  Sen. Evan Bayh addressed Iowa business and civic leaders in Washington yesterday and told reporters he'll be traveling to Iowa in August.  He has already been the keynote speaker at the Colorado state party's annual fundraising dinner and a fundraising dinner for the Butler County, OH, Demo Party, will be the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Demo Party state convention on Friday, and will possibly travel to New Hampshire.  This activity is considered political moves by some observers, and one person present at the address yesterday said Bayh's speech sounded like a campaign speech to her.  Bayh projected a centrist image as he talked about the need to decrease partisanship, reduce the federal deficit, increase energy independence and improve education and research and development to make the nation's businesses more competitive in a global economy--all popular pre-campaign subjects..

June 8

May 10

• May entries are now being accepted for the fifth annual LAWN OF THE MONTH program, sponsored by the Beautification Committee of the Seymour Chamber of Commerce.  Judging will take place Wednesday, May 18 and homeowners or individuals are welcome to nominate a property.  Judging is based on the front lawn appearance and is limited to residential lawns in the city limits or within a two-mile radius of city limits.  You can enter a home in the May, 2005 “Lawn of the Month” by calling the Chamber office at 522-3681 by May 16 with the name, address and phone number of the home you wish to enter.

• Everyone connected with Crane is anxiously waiting for the Department of Defense to release the list of proposed base closures or realignments on Friday morning.  Meanwhile, lobbying efforts to keep Indiana military bases open are continuing. 

• Clark County Judge Cecile Blau ruled that Indiana University trustees did not violate Indiana's Open Door Law when they met to hear about plans to fire men's basketball coach Bob Knight.  Judge Blau ruled Monday that no more than four of the nine trustees -- not a quorum -- met at any one time with then-IU President Myles Brand.   She said that Brand's conversations with less than a quorum did not fall within the law's definition of a meeting. The Open Door Law defines a meeting as a gathering of the majority of the governing body of a public agency to take official action, said Blau, a special judge selected to rule on the case filed in Monroe County.   Official meetings must be advertised 48 hours before they are held.  Even if the meetings did break the law, Blau could not set aside Knight's September 2000 dismissal because Brand, not the trustees, had the authority to fire him, she wrote.  The attorney for the 46 basketball fans who filed the lawsuit in October 2000 said the decision it not going to be the end of the road and that he hopes they will appeal to get a definitive ruling on what the Open Door Law requires.  Meanwhile, IU is facing another lawsuit filed by The Indianapolis Star, which is demanding documents related to Knight's firing, with a trial set for August.

May 9

• It was a weekend of perfect weather!  Summer temperatures are back.  It may be air conditioner time for some today as temperatures will reach 80 degrees.  Today will be partly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.  The chance of thunderstorms will be with us several days this week, as well as next weekend.

• The big event focus has been on the Kentucky Derby Festival for the past two weeks.  Now the Derby is over, and eyes turn toward Indy and the 500 Festival events.  The Mini-marathon kicked off those events on Saturday.

• The Indianapolis City-County Council is expected to hold its final vote on a proposed workplace smoking ban tonight.   At this point, no one can predict how the vote will go, and Mayor Peterson has not stated his position yet.  Of course, he is concerned about the economic impact of such a ban on Indy.  Smokefree workplace laws are spreading throughout the world.  Entire countries, including Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, just to mention a few, have adopted smokefree workplace laws, and Sweden's law takes effect on June 1st.  Recently, voters in Columbus OH and Austin TX approved ballot measures requiring clean indoor air in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.  Columbus is the nation's 15th largest city and Austin is the 16th largest.  These two cities join New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and hundreds of other smaller cities in providing clean indoor air in the workplace. 

May 6

• It's that time of year!  The 59th season at Holiday World, our favorite  theme park in Santa Claus, IN, opens tomorrow, May 7th.  The Splashin' Safari will open on May 14th, with the premiere of the second wave pool!  Hooray!  Save time and buy your tickets online at www.holidayworld.com  

• Baby Qudrat Wardak captured the hearts of everyone when he was brought by his father from Afghanistan to Indy's Riley Hospital for heart surgery.  He died unexpectedly very shortly after he returned to his home country.  From her Statehouse office, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman said she's doing what she can to speed up the lengthy immigration process that eventually could bring the parents of Qudrat Ullah Wardak to Indianapolis.  Even with Skillman's help, overcoming the tough U.S. immigration laws could take years.  Skillman's office is working with the staff of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to see if anything can be done to facilitate Hakim and Tajbara Wardak's move to the United States.  Skillman was among those who held Qudrat during his send-off party from Indianapolis, deeming him an honorary Hoosier.

• The Indianapolis Museum of Art is open again following a $74 million expansion that added three pavilions and more than 170,000 square feet of exhibition and programming space to the museum.  The museum has embarked on a membership drive to attract 6,000 new members.  Five things are on the "must see" list:  Raphael's "La Fornarina," one of the world's most famous paintings, is on display for the first time in the United States in a special exhibition area on the first level of the Wood Gallery Pavilion; The Davis X Room is the museum's new art-meets-technology space where you can use digital tools to explore artworks from the museum's collections; "Amorphic Robot Works: The Feisty Children," a display of interactive robots designed by artists, engineers and technicians; "Overbeck Pottery of the Arts and Crafts Movement" highlights the ingenuity of the Overbeck sisters from Cambridge City; "Never Odd Or Even," a mural by Indiana artist Kay Rosen.  The museum is located at 4000 Michigan Road.  Starting Tuesday admission will be $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for members, college students with valid ID and children 12 and younger.  For more information call 317-923-1331.

• As the Mexican population increases in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo has become a popular festival in the country.  As people get caught up in celebrating a festival, many people mistakenly think this one celebrates Mexico's independence day.  Wrong!  It really commemorates a small military victory on May 5, 1862, when an poorly equipped Mexican army defeated French troops.  Mexico's real independence day is September 16th.  Reportedly there is more enthusiasm for Cinco de Mayo in this country than in the home country.  Maybe we're just looking for a reason to have another festival?

May 5

• The weather continues to improve.  This Saturday is the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast in downtown Seymour and the Garden Show.  Plan to attend.

• If you haven't seen it already, there is still time!  Jackson County Community Theatre's production of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" will be performed May 6, and 7 at the Royal Off-the Square Theatre in Brownstown at 7:30 p.m.  Corporate sponsor for the production is Jay C Foods Stores.  Tickets may be purchased at Family Drug in Brownstown and Bevers Pharmacy in Seymour.

• Gambling was the reason people flocked to Orange County years ago.  It is a big part of Orange County's history, and developers of the proposed Orange County casino hope to awaken the sleepy town and its economy again with gambling plus!  Developers from Blue Sky Casino, the only bidder for the Orange County casino, have revealed some of their plans in the proposal that they submitted to the Indiana Gaming Commission yesterday.  The casino will have a nautical themed casino with 1,000 slot machines, a bistro, a sports bar, entertainment lounge, two golf courses, an 800-car parking garage, and more convention space.  The casino expects to employ approximately 560 employees.  The French Lick Springs Resort & Spa and the West Baden Springs Hotel will be renovated to provide hotel rooms and additional jobs, and eventually the company plans to add more convention space, new restaurants, town homes, an RV park, and apartments.  According to the proposal, Orange County residents will be first in line for the jobs that will be created.  The Commission will vote on the application on June 23rd, and if the proposal is accepted, construction is expected to begin this fall with a target date for opening by December 31, 2006.

• Are you one of these?  In a recent study sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, researchers at the University of London Institute of Psychiatry, found that there is a serious "Info-Mania" problem among British workers, who are so addicted to constantly checking e-mail and text messages during meetings, in the evening, and on weekends that their IQs fall by 10 points. That's more than double the four-point plummet seen in studies done on the impact of smoking marijuana, the researchers said, and equal to the affect of missing a night of sleep. An accompanying survey of 1,100 Britons found that 62 percent were addicted to checking messages out of office hours and while on vacation. Half of them responded to an e-mail within an hour, and one in five said they were "happy" to interrupt a business meeting or social gathering to respond to an e-mail or telephone message.  The distractions not only dull workers' intelligence, but irk other workers, said the survey and the study. Nearly nine out of ten said that colleagues who answer e-mails, text, or phone messages in a face to face meeting are "extremely rude." "We are in danger of being caught up in a 24 hour 'always on' society," said David Smith, of HP's U.K. division, in a statement. "This is more worrying when you consider the potential impairment on performance and concentration for workers, and the consequent impact on businesses.  HP's posted a guide to spotting Info-Maniacs, and putting a stop to the problem; it's in PDF format and can be downloaded from the U.K. Web site of Hewlett-Packard.
• Wal-Mart stores are usually quite successful, and new ones are springing up everyday unless the community comes together to fight it.  Did you realize that in all of Germany, there is only one Wal-Mart and it is reportedly not doing well.  Why?  The German people have figured out that if they purchase goods made in China, India, Indonesia, etc., while it is cheaper, they will be killing their small village businesses and end up exporting manufacturing jobs.  There are some communities in the U.S. that have fought Wal-Mart's plans to build in their areas for this very reason.

May 4

• Monday's announcement from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that twelve license branches would be closed in June has caused political flap all over the state, from citizens to legislators.  Yesterday  the Bureau of Motor Vehicles released the locations of the facilities that will be closed in June in order to save money.  The branches are:  Berne, Bloomfield, Butler, Cayuga, Elwood, Garrett, Hope, Knightstown, Montpelier, North Manchester, Summitville and Warren.  All 12 are in towns with a population of less than 10,000, with nine towns containing fewer than 5,000 residents. Six of the offices to be closed are satellite branches that are staffed by BMV employees from another branch nearby and are open fewer days of the week.  To comply with state law, public hearings will be held at each of the 12 branches, beginning at Bloomfield on May 11th and ending on June 2nd at Butler.  Gov. Daniels, claiming the hearings are not a sham, says they could have an impact on which branches close.  BMV Commissioner Silverman, however, says he cannot imagine hearing anything that would change his plan.  It was reported that more closings could come later because the BMV is reviewing its branches to see if some should be renovated, closed or moved.  Needless to say, some state legislators are livid over the planned action and are calling the timing sneaky because it was announced after the close of the session.  There has been an on-going effort to remove the BMV from politics, but it seems that it difficult to accomplish.

• Two years ago, on May 31, 2003, Tamar Fellner fell out of The Raven rollercoaster at Holiday World when she stood up in the car as it neared a drop.  She was among a group of roller-coaster enthusiasts who visited the park in Santa Claus, IN, that day.  An investigation showed her seat belt and lap bar were buckled and locked when she started the ride, but when the car returned to the station they found her seat belt unbuckled when the car returned to the station.  Officials concluded no criminal charges should be filed and that Fellner's standing was the only factor contributing to her fall.  Now, however, Fellner's father has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Holiday World was negligent by failing to ensure the woman was properly restrained and that the manufacturer could have used a safer design.  What do you suppose is the motivating factor in this lawsuit?

• This is National Water Week, and everyone is urged to treat water like the precious resource it is.  Help conserve water by taking shorter showers and fixing all the leaks in your house.

May 3

• First the ACLU.  Now the Indiana Democratic Party.  Yesterday the Indiana Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against state officials in U.S. District Court in Indy, hoping to overturn a new state law that requires most Indiana voters to show government-issued photo identification before casting a ballot.  The lawsuit claims that the voter ID law violates the U.S. Constitution, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.  It is based on the belief that requiring a photo ID at the polls unfairly affects the poor, minorities, people with disabilities and the elderly who are more likely to lack driver's licenses and might struggle to obtain a photo ID.  Supporters claim the law, which is scheduled to take effect July 1st, is needed to prevent voter fraud. The law offers free photo ID cards for those who cannot afford a driver's license, and makes exemptions for some people in nursing homes and state institutions.  The chairman of the state Democratic Party claims the law is not needed because there have been no recorded instances of voter fraud at the polls that could be prevented by the bill.  Chairman Ed Treacy calls the law a "Republican scheme" to suppress Democratic voters and claims that timecard-punching Democrat workers who stop in a polling place to vote before work might end up leaving without casting a ballot because lines will be longer.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 19 states ask voters for identification, but only five currently ask for photo ID, as of March.  This spring three states have tried changing their laws.  Georgia's new law requiring photo ID is waiting for approval of the U.S. Department of Justice. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle on Friday vetoed photo ID legislation that lawmakers passed in that state.  A New Mexico law taking effect in July requires identification, but not specifically with a photo.  How many "dead people" vote from the grave?  How many people go to the polls in more than one location?:  How many people voting are actually illegal immigrants?  Probably not many, but it has happened in other places and it could happen in Indiana as well!  What do YOU think?

• In an effort to save money the Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to close 12 license branches across the state, but the list will not be released until sometime today because officials are still in the process of notifying the employees, branch landlords, and legislators of the affected branches.  The branches that will be closed in June are ones that do the least business in the smallest communities.

• Delaware County officials are again considering a ban on smoking in workplaces, including bars, officials said.  Health advocates claim it would boost the health of local workers and patrons, but local bar and tavern owners claim it would hurt their businesses.  The aim is to protect ALL workers in ALL workplaces.  At its April 14 meeting, the Delaware County Board of Health considered and endorsed proposed ordinances from anti-smoking organizations. One would require that all workplaces be free of smoking, and the second would exempt any business that caters to people over 21, said Bob Jones, health department administrator.  Copies of the proposals had been forwarded to the county commissioners but no firm date for public consideration by the commissioners has been set.  Commissioners Larry Crouch and Tom Bennington said they would consider some kind of no smoking ordinance that excluded places where customers must be 21, which probably refers to bars.  So that would protect workers except those who work in bars.  It is a well-known fact that the Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana opposes smoking bans in bars and restaurants without regard for the health of consumers who are subjected to the effects of second hand smoke.

• A historic covered bridge in Bridgeton, located in Parke County, burned down early last Thursday morning, and the cause was said to be arson.  Currently, man with a history of arson convictions is being questioned in connection with the loss of the 137-year-old bridge.  Court records show 34 year-old Jesse Payne has three prior arson convictions, as well as felony convictions for burglary and theft.  The bridge was among 31 covered bridges in Park County's annual Covered Bridge Festival.

• Saturday morning Chase and Chandler Bright, ages 3 and 5, began the morning as most kids do on Saturdays--watching cartoons.  However, after a while they decided they wanted to go visit their grandfather, so they took the van keys from their mother's purse and took off.   Chase and Chandler both sat in the drivers seat to steer the van.  The boys' other grandfather, Mike Bright, found them at the U.S. 31 bypass, where he said older brother Chase was careful and looked both ways before successfully crossing the four-lane highway some 45 miles south of South Bend.  However, the boys later missed a turn onto a street, drove through a fence of a fertilizer business and crashed into a pile of dirt. They emerged without a bruise, and the van only had a flat tire and some minor damage.  Chase apologized for wrecking the van.  According to Mom, security at their home is tighter now.  "We got this house locked down like Fort Knox," she said. "I'm going to have to sleep with the keys around my neck now."

• How long does it take you to actually make a purchase from the time you start shopping online?  Do you put things in a shopping cart only to abandon it while you go to another website?   Study results released Monday by retail security firm ScanAlert indicate that web shoppers take an average of 19 hours from the time they first visit a site to actually making a purchase.  About one-third of online shoppers take more than 12 hours to make a decision, and about 21% take more than three days.   The study showed that consumers, in general, do a lot of shopping research before deciding where to buy, and shopping cart abandonment was a habitual part of many consumers' shopping behavior prior to a purchase.

May 2

• We had summer weather in the first part of April, then it turned cold and wet.  May has started off chilly, but there is no talk of rain this week, and by Friday the temps should be more normal for the upcoming weekend activities.  One of those activities is the Garden Show and the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast next Saturday.

• A warning to all!  Almost four weeks ago, Steve Butterfield of Bedford was getting ready to go to work at Visteon.  He went out to the garage where he had left his shoes.  When he put his foot into a shoe, he was bitten by what was probably a brown recluse spider.  Steve was told that he could lose his toe.  Brown recluse spider bites are very dangerous because the poison eats away at the tissue.  Steve is currently taking strong medication.  Good advice is to always give each shoe or boot a hard shake before you put them on--even if you simply leave the shoes in a closet, but especially if you leave them in the garage.  Brown recluse spiders like the seclusion of a dark place.  Our prayers are with Steve in his recovery.

• Many communities are completing plans for the National Day of Prayer, which is May 12th.  The observance which became a law in 1952 states that one day each year is to be set aside for the people to pray for the nation and its leaders.  In 1988, that day was specified, designating that the first Thursday in May each year would be the observance of the National Day of Prayer.

• According to reports, once upon a time, the Victorian-themed city of Cape May, NJ, required men and women to swim in the ocean at different times of the day, wearing heavy woolen swimsuits that left everything to the imagination..  Of course, that was eventually modified.  However, for more than 30 years now, Cape May has had a code banning "skin-tight, formfitting or bikini type" bathing attire on males over the age of 12, as well as banning men from walking bare-chested on the oceanfront promenade.  Last week the city voted to amend those beach regulations, since they were never enforced anyway. 

April 30

• Farewell to April, 2005.

• With just a little over an hour left in this session of the General Assembly the House passed the financing plan for a new Colts stadium and expanded Indiana Convention Center.  The Senate passed it earlier in the night.  So Indy's NFL future is assured--until the Colts make their next round of demands.  The vote paves the way for the start of one of the biggest public works projects in Indianapolis history.  Work could begin this summer on the 63,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium, the first piece of the roughly $900 million Downtown project. Gov. Mitch Daniels, who won control of the project from the mayor during the session's debate this year, has promised the stadium will be ready for the 2008 NFL season.  For residents and businesses, the long-sought votes mean a series of local taxes likely will increase. If local governments act by early summer, the stadium and Convention Center project will be funded with increases in Marion County restaurant, hotel and car rental taxes, and with revenues from new restaurant taxes in the seven counties that border Indianapolis.  The state is kicking in about $11 million a year by redirecting state taxes generated at the city's sports and convention facilities.  City officials say the project offers a dramatic array of opportunities for Indianapolis. The NCAA has agreed to have several Final Four basketball tournaments at the stadium in the coming decades, and the NFL has suggested the city would have a good chance of winning one of the biggest events in all of American sports -- a Super Bowl.  Moreover, the Convention Center is set to nearly double in size once the stadium is built to the south of the RCA Dome. The Convention Center expansion would take place on the Dome's site with a target completion date of 2010.

• The Kentucky Derby Festival is celebrating its 50th birthday this year, and so far the weather is not cooperating.  Although, the cold, breezy, misty weather last Saturday did not cancel Thunder Over Louisville festivities, it did cut the number attending in half.  The Great Balloon Race was scheduled for this weekend.  Usually on a Friday night the weekend of the Great Balloon Race and the Mini Marathon, you will find people walking around the downtown Chow Wagon, but not on this Friday night.  The Chow Wagon  was closed early because of rain, and the Balloon Glow and Great Balloon Race have been postponed.

• Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike?  Or do you remember when your child rode on two wheels for the first time?  Three Purdue University industrial designers have built a bike, called SHIFT, slowly transforms from a tricycle to bicycle configuration as the rider pedals faster, then returns to trike formation as the rider slows down.    Lead designer Scott Shim hopes the design, which won top honors recently at an international bicycle design competition, can help children slowly gain the skill and courage to pedal off on their own.  Doesn't that sound great!?  The design features a single front wheel and two slim rear wheels that are initially splayed outward to stabilize and prevent the rider from toppling over. As the rider accelerates and leans forward, the rear wheels shift inward, narrowing into a single wheel surface that essentially makes it a two-wheel venture.  As the bike slows, the rear wheels tilt back to the tricycle formation.  Shim, an assistant professor of industrial design, said he and his two collaborators came up with the idea while brainstorming a concept to enter in the 9th International Bicycle Design Competition in Taipei, Taiwan.  Their design was among 24 of 853 initial entries chosen for the competition's final round, in which teams had three months to build a quarter-scale model of their bike.  Judges were so impressed with the Purdue team's design they awarded it the $15,000 top prize and had a full-scale prototype built for display.

• More than the Coke you grew up with!  The Coca-Cola company has plans to test some new flavors.  For instance, how about a coffee-flavored cola in the morning?  The company is also hoping that a new citrus-flavored soda called Vault will win over those who now drink Pepsi's Mountain Dew.  The coffee-flavored cola, called Blak, is being tested in Spain and could enter the U.S. market.  Coke is exploring the idea of fortifying soft drinks with vitamins and other health benefits.

April 29

• It's finally a done deal, although there are many disappointed Hoosiers!  Daylight-saving time is coming to all of Indiana for the first time in more than 30 years.  The Indiana House voted on the DST bill again late last night, after several hours of behind-the-scenes pleading (arm-twisting?) and this time it passed, 51-46.  According to reports, it was an emotional vote--certainly one that has dominated the entire session.  On April 2, 2006, Hoosiers will join people in 47 other states in turning their clocks ahead one hour.  Currently, 82 Indiana counties are in the Eastern time zone, and 10 counties in northwestern and southwestern Indiana are in the Central time zone. The bill will validate five counties in southeastern Indiana that have been illegally observing daylight-saving time. One thing the bill doesn't change is Indiana's time zones. Many opponents had argued that Indiana, now mostly in the Eastern time zone, is a better fit in the Central time zone. The bill requires Daniels to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to hold hearings on where the time zone boundary should fall.  Some are adamant that the move to DST will increase jobs and improve the economy of Indiana.  Some vow that the fight is not over, however, and even proponents expect they will be fending off attempts to repeal daylight-saving time as soon as January, when lawmakers return.  Time will tell!

• The open container bill passed the House Wednesday on a 77-15 vote, cleared the Senate Thursday 42-6, and now  moves to Gov. Mitch Daniels for consideration.  Currently, open containers of alcohol are prohibited only if the driver has a blood-alcohol level of 0.04 percent or more, and That law does not meet federal guidelines for open container restrictions. As a result, some federal money Indiana receives for roads and transportation improvements must instead go toward enforcing drunken driving laws and alcohol education programs.  The new law, which would make it illegal to have open containers of alcohol in vehicles even if the driver is sober, complies with federal guidelines, supporters said.

• The voter ID law, requiring residents to show a state or federal ID before they will be given a ballot, was signed Wednesday by Gov. Mitch Daniels.  Those who do not have a driver's license and can't afford to pay for a state identification card can be issued a state ID for free.  Seems fair enough in these days of voter fraud at the polls.  However, the ICLU has stepped into the picture and filed a lawsuit claiming the law sets up an unconstitutional barrier that disenfranchises thousands of Hoosiers, discourages the poor, elderly and minorities from voting without a valid state or federal i.d., and places an unconstitutional burden on those who are homeless or cannot afford to pay for original birth certificates and other need documents to obtain a free state ID.  Plaintiffs named in the suit are Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, Indiana Coalition for Housing and Homeless Issues, Indianapolis Resource Center for Independent Living, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, United Senior Action of Indiana, state Rep. William Crawford and Washington Township board member Joseph Simpson.  A poll by The Indianapolis Star and WTHR-TV (Channel 13) found that 75 percent of 1,003 Hoosiers surveyed are in favor of requiring voters to show government-issued identification.  Indiana's voter ID law is a barrier only to those who want to cast a fraudulent ballot, said Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita.

• Was there ever a child who did not love to swing, climb, or go down a slide?  Playgrounds, whether at home or in a park, can offer hours of activity, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission they can also be dangerous.  More than 200,000 kids end up in the emergency room each year because of playground injuries, and there are about 15 deaths each year occurring mostly on backyard play sets.  The No. 1 deadly danger in the backyard is posed by homemade rope swings or things like dog leashes or belts attach to play sets.  This week is National Playground Safety Week.  To make playtime safer, new standards call for all climbing ropes to be anchored at the top and bottom to prevent strangulation.  Also, new recommendations call for up to 12 inches of shredded mulch or wood chips to be placed under play sets to minimize the severity of injuries from falling.

April 28

• Yesterday the Indiana Senate passed the DST bill with a vote of 28-22.  Now the House must vote on it again.  Passage in the House is not guaranteed, but if they do approve it, the bill goes to the governor for his signature, which is guaranteed since it was one of his priorities.  If the bill is approved by the House, Hoosiers will turn their clocks ahead with most of the rest of the nation on April 2, 2006.  The bill does not automatically change Indiana's time zones, but does set up the possibility of that happening because it will require Daniels and the legislature to ask the federal Department of Transportation to hold hearings on where the Central and Eastern time zone boundary should be in Indiana. Daniels has said he prefers moving most of the state to the Central time zone. Only the federal government can move that boundary, and the transportation department -- which sets the boundaries -- has promised the state it will hold hearings promptly.

• Still pending in conference committee is the plan to fund a new stadium for the Indianapolis Colts and an expanded Indianapolis convention center, which could total more than $900 million. Funding would largely be provided through a proposed food and beverage tax in central Indiana counties.

• A smart shoe?  Why not?!  But it costs a pretty penny!  Adidas has come out with brainy running shoes that contain  microprocessors. The high-tech Adidas One sneakers are capable of making 5 million calculations per second and adapting to factors like running style, terrain and pace.  A tiny electric motor adjusts the shoe as the runner pounds the pavement.  The new Adidas costs $250 a pair.  When will they start putting a GPS in running shoes?

April 27

• Illegal immigration has become quite an issue in many states.  Although Indiana fortunately is not a border state, we still have many illegal immigrants in this state.  Two years ago a huge scandal was uncovered in the Indiana BMV when several people on the state payroll were arrested for furnishing hundreds of drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.  People across the U.S. are signing petitions demanding the U.S. secure its borders.  How concerned are you?  That's the question of the day!  One person responded that he was really concerned and that they work for cheaper money, which removes jobs from us, while another reported she didn't know much about it because she didn't watch television much.  Another claimed he didn't worry about it because they come in from everywhere and we'll take care of them, but he doesn't have kind thoughts about illegals.  What do YOU think?  Send YOUR comments to us.

• An ordinance worth enforcing!!  Bloomington police could soon start issuing $100 tickets to smokers and to businesses where they are lighting up as part of a plan to make sure people are complying with the new smoking ban, officials said.  The city said the random inspections will be primarily at bars and clubs.  The enforcement responds to complaints that some establishments have allowed smoking since the ban took effect Jan. 1 without consequences from the city.  To date, the city has received 119 complaints, 78 of which were anonymous. It has levied three fines and filed legal action against one bar.

• With only three days left in this legislative session, Republicans reached a $24 billion budget deal Tuesday that would give Gov. Mitch Daniels nearly everything he wants--except his biggest goal which is a balanced budget by next year.  A vote on the lean, two-year spending plan could come Thursday.  Daniels had said last week it would be worth it to him to call lawmakers back for a special session to close the state's nearly $600 million deficit if they failed to pass a balanced budget, but the governor's aides declined Tuesday to respond to questions about the likelihood of a special session.   Republicans say that without a tax increase, which several House Republicans adamantly refused to support, the best they could deliver was a budget that would balance by mid-2007, and Republican leaders say they are willing to come back and override a budget veto, but they also are hopeful Daniels will accept their plan.  The committee report, expected to be filed today, will closely adhere to the version of the budget the Indiana Senate passed earlier this month. Public schools would receive small funding increases, on average. Medicaid spending would go up 5 percent a year. Higher education and prison spending would remain nearly flat.  Republican fiscal leaders said their plan would leave Daniels plenty of room to accomplish his balanced-budget goal. Daniels could use his executive power to balance the budget by delaying or canceling capital projects and withholding tens of millions of dollars the new budget would set aside for state programs.  To win Republican budget votes, GOP negotiators abandoned plans for a $114 million-a-year cigarette tax increase and for withholding nearly $70 million a year in gambling tax money from communities with floating casinos.  Democrats intend to use the prospect of teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and Republicans' earlier tax votes as campaign fodder next year. Democrats say they oppose the budget because it would force property taxes higher and hurt public schools.  The conference committee report would give public schools their lowest funding increases in decades, increasing funding by statewide averages of 1.2 percent in 2006 and 1.3 percent in 2007. The formula would reduce funding to nearly 130 of the state's 293 districts next year.

• Will we or won't we--adopt daylight saving time?  There is still a question about whether or not it will pass if called for a vote, and at this point, there is still some decision about whether or not that vote will actually be taken.  The major item currently on the table is the budget, so the DST bill may die without a vote.

• If the governor signs the bill to raise speed limits, the law would become effective July 1st.  However, the bottom line is that it won't really become effective until the IDOT conducts engineering studies on all the roads and interstates to make sure cars and trucks traveling at faster speeds can safely handle the layout of the roads, especially on curves.  Even though the General Assembly has approved raising speed limits, don't get that lead foot out just yet. The studies, of course, would not be completed by July 1st.  In fact, it could be months before the higher limits are allowed.  Once the roads are approved for higher speed limits, posting new signs won't cause much of a delay. That's because the department makes most of its speed limit signs in-house.

• Another good intention gone awry!  Kudzu, which is a native of Asia, was planted in many states during the 1930s to control erosion. It soon grew out of control and now covers millions of acres in the South, choking out native plants and trees with its dense foliage and heavy vines.  Surely everyone has seen this vine that blankets the countryside as you drive south on I-75, etc.  Now that notoriously fast-growing vine that covers vast tracts of the South has spread its green, choking blanket to at least 28 Indiana counties, posing a threat to woodlands and to the state's soybean industry.  Purdue University recently began studying some of the more than 70 patches of kudzu in the southern half of the state after stands of the invasive vine in Florida were found to harbor a deadly fungus that preys on soybeans.  Soybean rust has not yet been found in Indiana, but plant pathologists believe it's only a matter of time before the fungus shows up in the state. The fungus began devastating soybeans in South America three years ago and reached U.S. fields last fall, spreading as close to Indiana as Tennessee and Missouri.  Earlier this month, Purdue researchers visited three kudzu-infested sites in southern Indiana as the vines were starting to bud. Some had diameters of 2 inches and were intertwined with smaller vines to form a dense thicket.  They are interested in whether Hoosier kudzu is the same as the vines found in the South and how Indiana's infestations got started. Purdue staffers will monitor some of the state's kudzu stands for signs of the soybean rust fungus throughout the season.  The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is also keeping watch.  A nursery inspector with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said all but one of Indiana's 28 counties with kudzu colonies are south of Interstate 70. The exception is LaPorte County in northern Indiana.  Once kudzu starts growing it can be nearly impossible to eradicate because its roots grow deep and wide.  Any eradication program in Indiana would take 10 to 15 years, he said.

• In the automobile industry there is speculation about how Richard Wagoner will fair as boss of General Motors' North American operations.  The situation is dire.  It is a serious problem and one that Wagoner has not been shy in publicizing is its $5 billion-plus annual medical bill, mostly for retirees and dependents.  He cannot be blamed for that.  The United Auto Workers first got coverage of retiree medical costs decades ago.  The talk is that Wagoner would like the UAW to open the current contract, which expires in 2007, for a cut-back in this benefit.  It is going to be a tough sale for him.  And it won't be any easier for his successor. 

April 26

• Campaign commercials in April?  Well, in a sense--yes!  Governor Mitch Daniels is using radio during this final week of the General Assembly to campaign for a balanced budget.  Daniels urges support, saying that everyone has a statehouse lobbyist except the Hoosier taxpayer.  He calls on Hoosier taxpayers to call their legislators and ask them to pass an "honestly" balanced budget.  Readers, contact your Representatives: District 65 -- Eric Allan Koch,  phone 800-382-9841,  District 66 -- Terry Gooden, phone 800-382-9842,  District 62-- Jerry Denbo, phone 800- 382-9842, District 69 -- Billy Bright, phone 800-382-9841.

• Yesterday was a busy day in the legislature!  The daylight-saving time moved out of the Senate Rules Committee today--just barely, by a 6-5 vote.  Now the full Senate will vote on it.  One of those on the committee, who is actually against the bill, voted to let it out of committee simply in order to let it go to the full Senate.  Still quite controversial, most legislators know the vote is going to be close, whichever way it goes.  If it passes in the Senate, the House must vote on the bill again before it goes to Gov. Daniels to be signed into law.

• Speed limits would increase on many sections of Indiana's interstates and four-lane state highways under a bill approved by the Legislature Monday.  The speed limit bill, approved by both chambers and sent to Gov. Mitch Daniels, would increase limits on rural sections of interstates from 65 mph to 70 mph for cars and from 60 mph to 65 mph for trucks. Limits on freeways built to interstate standards, including the U.S. bypass near South Bend, would go from 55 mph to 65 mph.  Limits on some sections of four-lane highways divided by barriers or medians would increase from 55 mph to 60 mph.  "Our roads and vehicles are much safer than they were 10 years ago," said Sen. Larry Lutz, D-Evansville. "This allows Hoosiers to safely travel at increased speeds."  The bill requires state police keep separate statistics on fatalities that occur on interstates and divided highways and how many involve motorists aged 16 to 19. It also would allow the Indiana Department of Transportation to keep speed limits at current levels on some highways or parts of them.

• Also headed to Gov. Daniels is the tax amnesty bill,  in which delinquent taxpayers would have a grace period to pay state back taxes.  The Legislative Services Agency estimates an eight-week amnesty period could bring in as much as $103 million, based on average collection rates.  Those eligible for the program could pay delinquent taxes without interest, penalties or fees, but the bill would double penalties for those who did not take advantage of the amnesty period.  Under the bill, the state Department of Revenue would adopt emergency rules to set up the program for taxes due and payable for a period ending before July 1, 2004. The amnesty period could last no more than eight weeks and would end before July 1, 2006.

• The House and Senate approved significant salary increases, more than 20% for some,  for judges and court officers.  Indiana Supreme Court justices would make $133,600 instead of $115,000, an increase of 16%. The state's 301 trial court judges would make $110,500 instead of $90,000, a 23% increase, while salaries for prosecuting attorneys, deputy prosecuting attorneys and certain magistrates also would increase as well.  The legislation also would give judges a salary adjustment each fiscal year in which the General Assembly does not specifically provide a pay raise. The increase would be the same as the cost-of-living increase that state executive branch employees in similar pay brackets receive.  How do we pay for these increases?  With new and increased court fees, of course!   Those fee changes were included in a bill that already passed the General Assembly.  Judges and prosecutors have not had a raise since 1997, and a state pay commission last year recommended raising the salaries of trial court judges to $121,122.

April 25

April 22

• The "Move Over" law was passed in 1999 to require motorists to slow down and switch lanes when approaching a stopped emergency or maintenance vehicle that has its lights flashing.  If a lane change is not possible, the motorist must slow down and "pass with caution".  State police will mark the anniversary  of the death of Trooper Andrew Winzenread eight years ago by ticketing motorists who do not follow the Move Over law.

• Just what is the current status of the controversial Daylight Saving Time bill in the legislature?  The conference committee has agreed on a compromise proposal that would move all of Indiana to DST.  However, the compromise bill would require Gov. Daniels and the General Assembly to seek federal hearings on whether more parts of the state should be moved to the Central time zone.  The Senate Rules Committee will consider the bill Monday, and if it is approved there, the bill will go before the full Senate.

• Air quality has dramatically improved in the city's bars since a smoking ban was imposed this year, a study for a state anti-smoking agency found.  Bars were measured before and after the city's smoking ban to effect Jan. 1.  In seven bars sampled, pollutants decreased by 89 percent, according to the study commissioned by Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation.   "The bottom line is the quality of the air that people are exposed to ... is dramatically improved," said Jon Macy, an indoor air consultant for the Monroe Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition, who helped with the study. "The risk to their health is greatly reduced."  Tests in Indianapolis, where the City-County Council has been considering a smoking ban, showed levels of indoor air pollution to be 14 times greater than that of Bloomington.

• This could change the world!   One has come to expect unpopped kernels in the bottom of a popcorn sack.  We have always heard that the kernels must have the right moisture level to pop, but Purdue University researchers have found the real reason it the composition of the hull itself.  The unpopped kernels have leaky hulls that prevent the moisture pressure buildup needed for the kernel to pop.  This discovery will lead popcorn breeders to develop new varieties.  Actually, some of us like those kernels that try to pop but don't quite make it.

April 21

• Only one application was submitted for the Orange County casino project.  A partnership between Bloomington-based medical device maker Cook Group Inc. and Lauth Property Group Inc. of Indianapolis submitted an application and a $50,000 application fee to Indiana Gaming Commission by the deadline.  The application proposes that the southern Indiana riverboat casino would be operated by Majestic Star Casino LLC, a company owns and operates a Gary riverboat casino.  The $240 million casino proposal would restore the French Lick Springs Resort & Spa and the nearby West Baden Springs Hotel. The riverboat would be moored in a lagoon dug next to the French Lick hotel.  Cook Group's 50 percent interest in the project would be held by a nonprofit charitable foundation. Under the proposal, half of the casino profits would go toward historic reservation, restoration and education in the region.

• The Pacers came from 14 points down to beat the Bulls 85-83, thrilling a sellout crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse, ending their three-game losing streak, locking up the sixth seed in the NBA playoffs, and marking Reggie Miller's final regular season with the Indiana Pacers. Miller scored 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting.   On Saturday the Pacers  open their best-of-seven series on the road against the Boston Celtics.  Last night fans paid tribute to Miller at his final regular season game.  His exclusive tenure with one team ranks second in NBA history. Miller finished with 25,279 points, 12th on the NBA's career scoring list.

• Watch out for the Wookiees and the light sabres!  There may be Thunder in Louisville, but it's Star Wars in Indy!  What a choice for the weekend coming up!  Starting today and running through Sunday, Celebration III, the only Lucasfilm-sanctioned fan event in the entire U.S. is expected to draw thousands of fans from all over the world to the Convention Center in Indy.  Already 22,500 advance passes have been purchased, but tickets are also available at the door.  The event will be covered by TV networks, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and other news gatherers.  One reason for the event is to publicize the May 19th debut of "Star Wars:  Episode III--Revenge of the Sith", the third of the prequel trilogy.  Another reason is thank "Star Wars" fans for their loyalty.  Indianapolis was the site for Celebration II in 2002 as well.  Lucas will be making three appearances in the Convention Center's Sagamore Ballroom.  Among the activities offered at the celebration will be shows, costume contests, games, autographs, and many more.  To see a list of events, check out the website at www.starwarscelebration.com/swchome.aspx?file=swc

April 20

• Tonight will be Pacer Reggie Miller's final regular-season home appearance at Conseco Fieldhouse.  The game against Chicago is sold out.  Miller, now 39 years old, is completing his 18th season.  He is the Pacers' all-time leader in 13 statistical categories, and he is popular with fans off the court as well.  The Pacers will say good-bye with video tributes and a postgame ceremony. Owners Herb and Mel Simon, Walsh and team president Larry Bird will preside. Miller's sister Cheryl and former teammate and best friend Mark Jackson also will be on hand. The ceremony to retire his jersey number (31) will wait until next season.  Tonight is a big game, as the Pacers are trying to end a three-game losing streak and the outcome could determine their playoff seeding

• Do you remember the Marlboro Man cigarette ads depicting rugged cowboys witting on their horses and puffing on cigarettes?  Montana was used as a backdrop in some of those ads.  This past Monday, however, the state of Montana sent another kind of message to the world as Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed smokefree workplace legislation into law.  Montana becomes the nation's 8th smokefree workplace state, joining California, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.  The law takes effect Oct. 1 for all restaurants, buildings, and offices, but it will not apply to Montana's bars for another four years.  Gov. Schweitzer, a Democrat, said during a signing ceremony at the Capitol. "This will protect children for generations to come."  Some states are concerned enough about health that they have acted responsibly!  Undoubtedly more will follow eventually.

• This humorous piece of news included pictures to prove it is true.  It seems that Bill owns a company that manufactures and installs car wash systems.  These are complete systems, including the money changer and money taking machines.  His company installed such a system in Frederick, MD.  A problem started when the new owner complained to Bill that he was losing significant amounts of money from his coin machines each week.  The new owner was noticeably upset and even went so far as to accuse Bill's employees of having a key to the boxes and ripping him off.  Bill just couldn't believe that his people would do such a thing, so they set up a camera to catch the thief in action, and they caught the act on film!  A revelation!  That's a bird sitting on the change slot of the machine!  The bird had to go down into the machine, and back up inside the machine, to get to the money.  That's three quarters he has in his beak!  Another amazing thing is that it was not just one bird--there were several working together.  Once they identified the thieves, they found over $4000 in quarters on the roof of the car wash and more under a nearby tree.  The birds in the pictures were obviously blackbirds--no surprise!  We don't yet know how they solved the problem.

April 19

• Rehearsals are in the final stage for the Jackson County Community Theatre's upcoming production of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women".  The show will be performed April 29, 30, May 6, and 7 at the Royal Off-the Square Theatre in Brownstown at 7:30 p.m.  Corporate sponsor for the production is Jay C Foods Stores.  Tickets may be purchased at Family Drug in Brownstown and Bevers Pharmacy in Seymour.

• Here is another event to put on your calendar for May 13-14!  The American Cancer Society's Jackson County Relay For Life will start at 6 p.m. on May 13th and end at 2 p.m. on May 14th.  This event is an overnight celebration of hope, progress and answers. In honor of the 8.5 million Americans who have survived cancer, teams of friends, families and co-workers raise funds to support the continued fight against the disease. You can walk. You can run. You can Relay For Life. This is an American Cancer Society signature activity. There is access to the bleachers by wheelchair for the Luminaria ceremony. They also have wonderful restrooms. Music, food, games, overnight camping, for 18 hours. Teams can be formed of co-workers, family, friends, school groups, sports teams; any sort of group. The team's pledge amount can come from personal contributions or can be raised with fundraisers like bake sales, car washes, sports tournaments; ideas are limited only by your imagination. If the weather is judged to be dangerous, the event might be on a temporary hold until the storm passes by and/or moved to the school gymnasium. A simple rain would not stop the activities. Come prepared with an umbrella. Limited seating is available under the tent or ou can bring your own lawn chairs. Smoking is not permitted. Dogs (big and small) and other animals are NOT allowed on the premises. Alcohol and smoking are prohibited during the event. No bicycles, skateboards or scooters. No smoking. Manuevering in a wheelchair is not easy without assistance.

• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will drive the pace car at the Indy 500 on May 29th.  He acknowledges he needs to practice to learn the track and that he'll have 'butterfflies' on race day.  Who wouldn't, with all those drivers right behind him ready to gun it the second he steers off the track!

• A bill that has passed both chambers and is now ready for the governor's signature will take political parties out of the personalized license plate loop, taking away more than $1 million from political parties and redirecting it to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  Indiana drivers currently spend $48 on personalized license plates. Of that, $30 is split between the Republican and Democratic parties, a throwback to the time several years ago when the parties ran the BMV.  Gov. Mitch Daniels said during his campaign that he wanted to break ties between the BMV and political parties, so he is expected to sign it.

April 18

• The ideal weather will continue through the first part of this week--perfect for farmers and gardeners, while providing wonderful nighttime temps for sleeping.  We may get some needed rainfall around the middle of the week.
• Question of the day:  "Is it time the citizens or military secure our southern border?"  Have you thought about the reality that over a million illegals come across the borders every year?  Mexico has their military on their southern border, yet it is adamant about the U.S. not putting military on our southern border.  Fox News is the only major network covering the story in depth (and in order to get Fox News on cable now, you must upgrade to digital!).  In some areas of the southwestern U.S. citizen groups are patrolling the border.  Some responding to the question of the day had mixed emotions about the problem and said it was a complicated problem, while another declared the border should have been secured a long time ago!  What do YOU think?  Send your responses to Bedford On-Line..
• The Kentucky Derby Festival blasts off Saturday with the Thunder Over Louisville, the nation's largest annual fireworks display.  And the following two weeks will be filled with sports events, musical entertainment, and more, culminating in the Run for the Roses.  Thunder Over Louisville will take place downtown on the Riverfront with a 3 p.m. Airshow and the fireworks at 9:30 p.m.  Another favorite event, the Great Balloon Race will be the following Saturday, April 30th, if weather permits, at the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center.  For a list of events check out the website for the Kentucky Derby Festival at http://www.kdf.org/events/eventcalendar.asp
• Yesterday there was a lot of activity in Madison as the movie "Madison" was premiered at the Ohio Theater there. The red carpet was out, the paparazzi were snapping away and  movie fans and Madison, Ind. residents were lined up to watch.   Jim Caviezel and co-stars were on hand for the premiere of the movie, which was filmed in the city.  Caviezel also attended church services in Madison on Sunday.  The movie, which was filmed six years ago, recounts the story of how a small town pulls itself together around the dreams of one man to win the 1971 hydro-plane regatta with a craft named "The Miss Madison."   Madison is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 22.
• Do you sometimes (or maybe often) wake up grumpy?  If so, help could be on the way!  Waking up grumpy could be due to the fact that you awoke during the wrong phase of sleep.  As you sleep, you pass through a sequence of sleep states -- light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep -- that repeats about every 90 minutes, according to the article. The point in that cycle at which you wake can affect how you feel later and may even have a greater impact than how long or little you have slept. Being roused during a light phase means you are more likely to wake up perky.  If you get up on the wrong side of the bed every day, a new alarm clock, may be your answer!   An article published in Saturday's issue of New Scientist magazine describes a clock, called SleepSmart, which measures your sleep cycle and waits for you to be in your lightest phase of sleep before rousing you. Its makers say that should ensure you wake up feeling refreshed every morning.  With SleepSmart, the sleeper wears a headband equipped with electrodes and a microprocessor so the clock can record the pattern of brain waves produced during each phase of sleep. You program the clock with the latest time at which you want to be wakened, and it then wakes you during the last light sleep phase before that.  The concept was invented by a group of students at Brown University in Rhode Island after a friend complained of waking up groggy and performing poorly on a test. They have almost finished a prototype and plan to market the product by next year.

April 15

• Qudrat Wardak, the 16-month-old Afghanistan toddler who had heart surgery last month in Indianapolis, captured the hearts of people in Indiana and everyone who met him.  From all indications, he made a remarkable recovery, and last week he returned with his father to his home in a refugee camp in Afghanistan.  We are saddened to learn that he stopped breathing and died this morning at his home in the refugee camp.  At his physical exam Wednesday after returning to Afghanistan, there were no indications of medical problems.  Qudrat will be buried in Konduz province, where his father is from.

• The tax man cometh--TODAY!  Your tax return must be postmarked today to make the government happy.  Post offices all over the country are bracing for the rush.

• Fantastic Friday weather!  And it will move us into a glorious weekend with sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s--good for golfing, yard work, etc.

• Since mandating the state to observe daylight saving time is supposed to result in more jobs and an improved state economy, has anyone thought about redefining a gallon of gasoline to be five quarts instead of four?  That would result in more miles per gallon and look like improved fuel economy!

April 14

• Are you getting in shape for this?  Seymour WalkAmerica is coming up on April 23rd, starting at the Seymour High School stadium.  This includes a bicycle ride as well.  Registration starts at 7am for the bikes. Walk starts at 9am. For information call the March of Dimes at 1-800-737-9255.

• It's time to get your tickets for the JCCT production of  "Little Women".  It will be presented April 29, 30, May 6, and 7 at the Royal Off-the-Square Theatre in Brownstown at 7:30 PM.  Tickets for the show may be purchased at Family Drug in Brownstown and Bevers Pharmacy in Seymour. JayC Food Stores are sponsoring the play.

• A bill requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls is now on its way to the governor for his signature.  Last month the bill was one of the issues which prompted House Democrats to walk out.  The final vote on the bill was anticlimactic, with only brief debate, followed by party-line approval.

• Indiana State Police report an arrest has been made in the Indianapolis 'overpass killing'.  An 18-year-old, Robert Roberts, is being held on several preliminary charges including overpass mischief and reckless homicide in the death of truck driver, 44-year-old Richard Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was hit in the chest and abdomen by a large object thrown from the overpass when the object smashed through his windshield.  He died two days later.

April 12

• Thought provoking:  In studying where our tax dollars go:  Social Security and Medicare-Medicaid take 40%, the military 21%
• The Indiana House passed the controversial daylight-saving time bill after a second vote.  The first vote saw the bill being defeated 50-49, but passed 51-47 during a second vote.  The bill was eligible for a second vote because the original tally was one vote short of the 51 votes needed to pass or defeat it.  The bill now goes to the Senate for a possible vote.  At this point, nothing has changed for Indiana's time, and it may not change anytime soon.
• Indiana's fight against the ever-expanding methamphetamine use has gone to jail.  Inmates hooked on the powerful stimulant can now get help staying clean at a new prison unit devoted only to treating meth addicts.  The meth treatment wing opened today at the Miami Correctional Facility, about 60 miles north of Indianapolis.  The program is voluntary and lasts nine months.  Those who complete the program can have up to six months shaved off their sentences.
  

April 11

• Fighter pilots slated for overseas duty would be allowed to practice high-speed maneuvers as low as 500 feet above much of southern Indiana under a U.S. Air Force proposal.  Maj. Ken Stone, a pilot with the Indiana Air National Guard, said the training areas would help pilots keep their skills sharp before heading to duty in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.  F-16s and other jets from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio would use eight proposed training zones covering hundreds of square miles, including airspace above Jefferson, Jennings and Scott counties on both sides of Interstate 65, starting about 30 miles north of Louisville.  But officials and civilian pilots say the plans, which have not yet been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, might impede recreational and commercial flying and could pose a safety hazard.  The president of the Scottsburg Aero Club, said is concerned small aircraft such as the ultralights flown by club members would be extremely vulnerable to collisions with low-flying fighter jets.  Seymour's Freeman Municipal Airport manager Don Furlow said he was concerned the training zones might restrict corporate jets and freight haulers at the airport near Seymour and others in Bedford, Bloomington, Columbus, Madison, North Vernon, Salem and Scottsburg.  He said the military had agreed to raise the minimum altitude above 500 feet in some areas in response to such concerns.  Stone said the Air Force and the Indiana Air National Guard started studying the proposed zones in the late 1980s. Indiana already has several such flight zones.  One cluster of four zones would be centered at the Camp Atterbury bombing range near Columbus, and the other four zones would branch out from a bombing range at the former Jefferson Proving Ground near Madison. Airspace over both ranges already is restricted.

• On Wednesday the Indianapolis Star will honor  40 Indiana Academic All-stars, their parents, and educators who influenced their lives.  The event will be held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.  Sponsored by the Indiana Association of School Principals, the Indiana Department of Education, and State Farm Insurance, Indiana private and public high schools nominated 222 graduating seniors, from which the 40 were chosen.   The winners were judged on grade-point average and the SAT or ACT; achievements, course load and academic extracurricular activities; and other activities, community service and leadership. A committee of educators and civic leaders selected most of the recipients from four groups based on high school size.  Half of the group this year plan to attend colleges within Indiana, and most plan to study math or science.  One of the winners from this area is Nick Krabbenhoeft from Columbus East High School.  Although they were not among the finalists, area students receiving honorable mention are: Brent Bradley - Seymour High School and Elizabeth Jean Millis - Columbus North High School.  Other nominees from the area were:  Jessica Bryant from Brownstown Central High School and Andrea Webster from Jennings County High School

• For the third straight year Purdue University students won the national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on Saturday by proving that changing the batteries in a flashlight isn't always simple.  Students from the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers devised the most whimsically complex method of taking two batteries out of a flashlight, replacing them and turning the flashlight on.  The Purdue team used 125 steps to accomplish this year's design task--more than six times the 20 steps required in the event.  The winning machine simulated a rocket launch and a meteor impact on Earth, which was portrayed by an orange ping-pong ball.  The team also won the event's People's Choice Award, which was voted on by the more than 400 audience members. A team from Ferris State University placed second with a carnival-themed machine. A team from the University of Texas at Austin was third.  The competition, which took place in the Purdue Armory, pays homage to the late cartoonist Rube Goldberg, whose drawings displayed whimsical machines with complex mechanisms to perform simple tasks.

• The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis recently released the results from some research that suggests that tall, slim, and attractive people make more money and get more promotions that average-looking people.  They tried to find a possible link between appearance and wages, but they can't say for sure whether the reason is that "beautiful" people develop the marketable self-confidence and social skills or the rest of us are victims of bias.

April 8

• As we head from damp to delightful, this weekend will shape up to be a winner!  Now to get back to making your city shine!

• A growing number of Orange County citizens raised questions about how much attorneys working for the Historic Hotels Preservation Commission were charging.  The total at this point is over $500,000!  Adina Cloud, HHPC Chairwoman, reports that all the applicants for the casino license have agreed to pay the attorneys' fees.  Good luck!  Are they counting on Trump to come through with its portion also, or will that group default and pass its portion on to the other applicants?!

• Using a bit of strategy, the supporters of the bill that would require all of Indiana to adopt daylight saving time decided it was prudent to delay the vote until Monday, the last day for bills to pass the House and Senate.  The vote will be close on the controversial bill, and those leading the drive to pass it decided there would be a better chance of passage on Monday since two supporters were absent on Thursday.

• Senate Bill 200 has been sent to the governor for his signature.  Assuming that he signs it, high school students will have to complete a Core 40 course of study in order to graduate, beginning in the 2010-11 school year.

• Are you suffering from pump shock?  Have you stopped driving?  Probably not, and apparently others also have not because the demand for gasoline continues to increase.  However, there is a lot of conversation around about the high gasoline prices!  The Energy Department reports that prices will rise even more, so you had better get used to it or learn to walk or ride a bike.  Although this may not help, the cost of a postage stamp now is thirty-seven cents, a little over twelve times what it cost in 1958,  when a gallon of gasoline cost about twenty-five cents.  Had gasoline prices increased correspondingly we would have been paying $3/gallon for quite a while now.  How about the cost of bread, going to a movie, etc.  People are using more gasoline for a variety of reasons: more people of driving age, motorists driving more miles, a rebounding economy, and an overall decline in automobile fuel economy, according to the EIA.  In a separate report released Thursday, the International Monetary Fund projected that global demand for oil by 2030 would reach 139 million barrels a day, a 65 percent increase.  "We should expect to live with high and volatile oil prices," said Raghuram Rajan, the IMF's chief economist. "In short, it's going to be a rocky road going forward."   We have had it easy, and we are spoiled.  We are a nation on wheels (our bodies attest to that!), used to being able to go and do what we want, and we don't like to feel hobbled.  But it looks like we had better get used to high fuel costs!  Maybe this will drive the search for an alternative to gasoline to fuel the vehicles?

April 7

• Hopefully, you have spent the past three days making "Seymour (or wherever you live) Shine"!  As predicted, today there is rain, which will slow down the shining progress, but look forward to sun and a chance to finish those shining projects tomorrow!

• On March 24th, NewsBytes mentioned the fact that textbooks have moved to a politically correct historical designation, replacing B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D.(Anno Domini) with B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era), and posed a question concerning whether our children will grow up not knowing anything about B.C. and A.D.  WBIW's Barbara Spencer asked three seniors and one junior at BNL if they understood the meaning of B.C. and A.D., and they all correctly understood the designation.  The next stop was an elementary school, where she visited a fourth grade classroom.  The students in that room also understood the designations because the teacher has chosen to teach beyond what the text uses in that she explains all four abbreviations to her students, although the textbooks now use only the politically correct designations.  Do your children know the meaning of all four abbreviations?  Ask them and find out!

• Yesterday the Indiana Senate voted to delete the proposed tax increase on alcohol in House Bill 1120 and to instead raise cigarette taxes by nineteen cents instead of fifteen cents.  The provision to divert more than $70 million/year from communities with riverboat casinos is still part of the bill, a provision very unpopular with the senators who represent those communities.  Also included is higher taxes to pay for the Colts stadium and a new local income tax to offset some property tax increases.  Although the bill would provide more than $600 million for the Senate Republicans' proposed $24.2 billion budget, some Democrat Senators have stated they cannot support higher taxes.  A vote on the tax bill could come as early as today.   The Senate is expected to vote Monday on the budget in House Bill 1001, setting the stage for the House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, to negotiate differences in a joint conference committee.

• The Senate also approved, by a 47-0 vote, House Bill 1056, which would make most churches and nonprofits exempt from having to hire certified food handlers to work church suppers and other charity events.  The bill now goes back  to the House for a vote on whether to accept or reject Senate changes to the bill.

• You have undoubtedly received emails that look as if they are from banks or other legitimate sites, asking you to log in to a website to "fix or update account information".  Most of the public now is aware of this scam and it has become necessary for the criminals to change their tactics.  They are becoming more sophisticated and finding smarter ways to get into your machine.  The Internet crooks are pretending to send e-postcards from family members to lure consumers onto websites where their computers then can be infected with a malicious Trojan program.  The e-mail arrives as a postcard-pickup notification with a message that reads, "You have just received a virtual postcard from a family member!"   Clicking on a bogus e-postcard could upload a program that would remain dormant on your computer until you visit a banking or e-commerce site, at which time the program would log your keystrokes and send that information back to the phisher. 

April 6

• “MAKE SEYMOUR SHINE” Week is in full swing, and so far the weather is cooperating!  The cleanup effort began Monday and runs through Friday, April 8th.  It is an annual program sponsored by the Beautification Committee of the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the City of Seymour Department of Public Works and the Jackson County Solid Waste Management District.  All business people and residents are encouraged to clean up their properties to “MAKE SEYMOUR SHINE”.  There will be FREE pick-up of all items (up to one pickup load) on your regular trash day.  Items can also be dropped off at 1100 East Fourth Street Road.  Call 524-1100 for car removal (title required).  Any items which contain freon (a/c units, freezers, refrigerators, coolers, etc.) can be picked up without being tagged.  The City of Seymour will have the freon removed by a certified heating and air conditioning specialist.  Informational flyers will be given to all elementary students to help them remind their parents of “MAKE SEYMOUR SHINE” Week and area organizations are invited to volunteer to clean up public areas of the community.

• State Senator Brent Steele's office in Indianapolis has been inundated with calls regarding a scam in this area.  Someone is calling people and telling them they are going to receive a considerable amount of cash--grant money from the state of Indiana.  The callers then ask for personal information.  Senator Steele asks that we help spread the word that no one should ever give personal information to anyone over the telephone.

• According to authorities in Bartholomew County, there are 60-80 tanks used to store anhydrous ammonia, an ingredient in methamphetamine production, that police have confiscated in the past 18 months and are awaiting disposal in the Bartholomew County Highway Department back lot.  These tanks include backyard grill tanks, scuba tanks, and other containers that have been converted to store anhydrous ammonia, which is used in the production of methamphetamine.  Discarded tanks have been found in ditches along roadsides and in creeks under bridges.  They pose a danger to the unsuspecting public.  There is a concern that children will find and tamper with the unstable containers and get burned, become ill, or die.  The number of methamphetamine labs dismantled by Indiana authorities in 2004 was up nearly 25 percent from 2003, and authorities say that is just a fraction of the backyard and woodlands labs that exist.  State police figures released in January show that 1,549 labs were dismantled during 2004 compared to 1,260 in 2003. The report showed the greatest number continued to be found in a stretch of counties from the Terre Haute area south along the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana.  Vigo County, which includes Terre Haute, had the most meth labs dismantled last year with 166, up from 108 in 2003.

• The Indiana House voted, 68-25,  yesterday to increase speed limits to 70 mph on  rural interstates and the Indiana Toll Road and to 60 mph on four-lane divided highways.  Forty-one Republicans (including Eric Koch) and twenty-seven Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while eight Republicans and seventeen Democrats (including Terry Goodin) voted against it.

• Monday the daylight saving time bill was amended so some counties in the Eastern time zone could opt out of daylight time if the measure became law.  But the U.S. Department of Transportation shot that down Tuesday, saying the opt-out provisions would violate federal law. The transportation agency, which regulates time zones, cited a federal law that says any state with more than one time zone can exempt either the entire state from daylight time or all of its area within any single time zone.  The letter, sent to Steve Schultz, the governor's general counsel, did not address why five counties in southeastern Indiana are allowed to observe daylight time, even though 77 other counties in the Eastern time zone do not under state law.  The amendment, which was passed Monday, also would move back the effective date of statewide daylight time from June 5, as the bill was written, to April 2006.  The governor has no problem with that change.  The fate of the bill is still up in the air.

• Former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats has been hired by Gov. Mitch Daniels as Indiana's lead lobbyist to keep Crane off the Pentagon's list of bases to be closed.  Coats has been through previous base closings as a member of the Armed Services Committee and had strong Defense Department ties.  While acknowledging that Crane does indeed face its greatest threat yet as the Pentagon considers shrinking its number of installations nationwide by about 25%, he believes Crane's dual mission as a Naval research and development facility and an Army arsenal, the high costs of transferring Crane operations elsewhere and the lack of development around the Martin County base, as well as the economic impact of closing the base, are points in favor of keeping it open.  Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will submit a list of recommended base closings and realignments to an independent commission in mid-May. That commission will submit a final list to Congress and President Bush in September.  Coats recently resigned as ambassador to Germany and joined the Washington law firm of King & Spalding LLP. He served four terms in the U.S. House and 10 years in the Senate before retiring in 1999.

April 5

• Dot Goodwin, one of seven people who are sewing period costumes for the Jackson County Community Theatre production of "Little Women", was caught on film as she carefully adjusted the skirt of Ariel Reyes's costume.   Reyes plays the part of Meg in the production, which will be presented April 29, 30, May 6, and 7 at the Royal Off-the-Square Theatre in Brownstown at 7:30 PM.  Tickets for the show may be purchased at Family Drug in Brownstown and Bevers Pharmacy in Seymour. JayC Food Stores are sponsoring the play.

• An Amber Alert was issued, but thankfully the 4-year-old Hanover, IN, girl has been found unharmed in Kentucky.  According to the Jefferson County, IN, Sherriff's Dept., Justice Marie Watkins was found in Bedford, KY.  Police said she was abducted by her mother from her father's home Monday evening.  The girl's father reported that the mother, who has a long history of drug-related charges and several outstanding warrants against her, took the girl in a van.  The mother and her boyfriend were taken into custody by Kentucky authorities after they located the van.

• Still not a sure thing!  A bill to put all of Indiana on daylight-saving time hit a major snag in the House Monday when lawmakers changed the bill to make the time change optional for some counties.  The amendment adopted Monday by a vote of 52 to 48 also moves the date that Indiana would begin observing daylight-saving time from June 5 to next April, when the rest of the nation annually moves its clocks ahead one hour.  The bill, Senate Bill 127, is still expected to be voted on by the full House today, said Rep. Jerry Torr, the Carmel Republican leading the legislative effort to pass the time change.  But, he said, he now expects the bill, if passed by the House and the Senate, to end up in a joint House-Senate legislative committee in order to revamp it.  Most of Indiana currently is in the Eastern time zone. Under the amendment adopted Monday by the House, a county contiguous to the Central time zone could opt out of observing daylight-saving time. In addition, a county next to a county that opts out could also choose not to observe the time switch.  Is this an improvement over what we have now?

• A Senate bill to raise speed limits has been significantly expanded.  Senate Bill 217 may come up for a full House vote as early as today and would need Senate action. The proposal now incorporates:  Rural stretches of interstate, on which peed limits would rise from 65 to 70 mph, limits for semis would rise from 60 to 65 mph, and  would raise to 70 mph the speed limit on the Indiana Toll Road;  Non-interstate freeways, on which speed limits would rise from 55 to 65 mph; and Rural stretches of four-lane divided highways, on which speed limits would rise from 55 to 60 mph. (Example: Ind. 37 between Indianapolis and Bloomington.)

April 4

• Have you mowed your grass yet?  Today and tomorrow are predicted to be perfect for outside activities, sunny with warm temperatures, but the rest of the week may produce showers.  After all, this is April!  You've heard the saying, "April showers bring May flowers".  We don't have to wait until May for the flowers, however.  Trees, shrubs, and flowers are popping into bloom everywhere.  And if you don't have any of those flowers yet, garden centers are stocked and ready to help you!

• This past weekend the world has been focused on the late Pope John Paul's faith in God, his reverence for life, and his belief in biblical morality.  Pope John Paul's funeral will be Friday.

• There is a fiscal tsunami headed our way, and few people realize the enormity of it!  It is coming because of the enormous cost of healthcare.  How can our government underwrite the drug entitlement?  How can corporations remain in business when they are locked into paying healthcare expenses?  GM's outlay for healthcare was $5.2 billion last year, and their car operations are in the red.  They could be profitable if the GM healthcare cost were as low as that of some of its rivals.  And with illegal immigrants streaming across our borders and being able to access medical help, our nation is heading into a black hole.  Ask your elected representatives on the local, state, and federal levels how they are working to avoid the threat of a permanent fiscal crisis!

• Indy Star and WTHR recently polled 1,000 Hoosiers about three of the most controversial proposals currently before the Legislature:  the adoption of daylight-saving time, the requirement of photo IDs for voters, and a Constitution amendment banning same-sex marriage.  All three issues have the support of a majority of Hoosiers.  Fifty-six percent of those polled favor the constitutional amendment, while forty percent oppose it.  Seventy-five percent approve the proposal requiring voters to show a government-issued photo ID before casting a ballot.  Fifty-six percent favor the adoption of daylight saving time for the state.  According to the poll, a majority of urban and suburban residents support the time change, while people in the rural areas oppose it.  We will soon know just which way these issues will go.

April 1

• Don't forget to attend the Health Fair tomorrow, April 2nd, at the main gym at Seymour High School.  Sponsored by Schneck Hospital, it will be from 8 a.m. until noon.  Since the focus if on health, several free screenings will be available to those attending:  bone density test, blood pressure check, glucose and cholesterol test, glaucoma test, hearing test, and lung function studies.  The fair is open to the public.  Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the screenings.

• Does this increase the value of those fortune cookies you get at the end of the meal in a Chinese restaurant?  Several people used those numbers when they bought their Powerball tickets, resulting in a record number of players winning $500,000 and $100,000 prizes in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.  Unfortunately the cookie was one number away from the $25.5 million jackpot.   The winning numbers were: 22, 28, 32, 33 and 39, with 42 being the Powerball.  Tickets that match the first five numbers but miss the Powerball win $100,000 each. There were 89 of those.  There were 21 Power Play Match 5 winners. Those players matched the first five numbers and missed the Powerball, but placed an extra dollar on the Power Play number, a multiplier number from two to five. Last night's multiplier was five, meaning that the $100,000 prize for matching all five numbers increased to $500,000.  According to Powerball statistics, the multistate lottery expects only four tickets to win at the Match 5 prize level.   In Indiana, two tickets worth $500,000 were sold, one each in Crawfordsville and Franklin. The Hoosier Lottery said eight $100,000-winning tickets were sold, one each in Angola, Brazil, Evansville, Jeffersonville and Merrillville and three in Indianapolis.

• A two-year budget plan advanced by Senate Republicans would increase spending on schools and Medicaid with the money coming from an increase on cigarette taxes and alcohol, as well as shifting some gambling revenue from communities with casinos.  The plan was approved yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee and now goes to the Senate.  Although details are still being worked out, the revenue-raising proposals will be included in a separate bill and voted on before the budget plan receives a Senate vote.  Lawmakers raised cigarette taxes from 15.5 cents per pack to 55.5 cents per pack in 2002 to prop up spending. Another 15 cents would take the tax to 70.5 cents per pack. Each penny raises about $6.1 million a year, but that could drop if sales decline because of higher taxes.  A lobbyist representing R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., reminded lawmakers that "it's not the tobacco companies that pay the tax, it's the people who use the product." He said about 25 percent of Indiana residents smoke and would get hit by the new tax.  Could it be that perhaps some smokers might actually give up the habit?   The House Republican plan relied in part on increased property taxes but would not raise state taxes.  The Senate plan will be eligible for floor amendments next week. Any final budget will require a compromise between House and Senate Republicans.

Still trying to find a way to fund a stadium.  Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed what could be the final piece of a deal to build a Colts stadium Thursday -- a new 1 percent restaurant tax throughout the Indianapolis metropolitan area.  In his plan, Marion and seven surrounding counties, not including Madison, would contribute half of the new restaurant tax revenues to the project and keep the other half for their own projects. Along with Marion County's taxes, the initiative would raise about $22 million a year for the $625 million stadium project and a $275 million Convention Center expansion.  The bottom line for consumers is that approval of the governor's still-developing plan would mean an extra tax on fast-food bills, formal restaurants tabs and even fried chicken from a grocery store deli counter.  For Indianapolis, approval would mean keeping the Colts for at least three more decades and expanding a booming convention business. A new stadium also would be used for major convention and NCAA events, such as the Final Four basketball tournament.  Daniels would not discuss other ways to raise money for the project. He said the final details are expected in coming days.  In any event, it is going to cost more to visit Indy and surrounding counties.  Some people may give that up also.

March 31

• Vandals have attacked the Medal of Honor Memorial at White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.  Park property manager Claude Hamilton says it will cost thousands of dollars to replace two thick sheets of glass etched with the names of medal recipients.  The glass was shattered and obscenities and political messages were spray-painted across the Memorial.  Totally disgusting!

• With a bit of fancy footwork, the daylight saving time issue is moving again as expected.  Today the House Public Policy Committee stripped a speed-limit bill of its provisions and replaced them with the DST language.  They then voted 8-4 to send the bill to the full House, which may vote on it next week.  Although It is a divisive issue, it is expected to pass in the House, and its prospects for passage are good in the Senate as well.  Residents of 47 other states that observe the time change will make that change this Sunday at 2 a.m..  If the Indiana bill becomes law, the time change would become official at 2 a.m. on Sunday, June 5, and the residents in 77 Indiana counties that do not observe daylight-time will have to move their clocks ahead an hour.  The reason for the delay in implementing the bill if it passes is to give businesses time to make the necessary arrangements and to avoid confusion with the Indy 500 events.

• Hakim Gul Wardak, the father of a 15-month-old Qudrat, the Afghan boy who underwent heart surgery at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis on March 8th, is visiting Rotary Clubs in central Indiana to thank them for their donations, through the organization's Gift of Life program, that helped pay for the $55,000 surgery.  Qudrat had surgery  to repair life-threatening heart defects discovered by an Indiana National Guard doctor during an examination at a clinic in Afghanistan.  Qudrat, his father, and his interpreter have been living at Jim Graham's home in Brownsburg while Qudrat recovers.  Graham, who is deputy district governor of Rotary in central Indiana, reports that he has seen enormous improvement in the boy's health.  Qudrat's weight has increased from slightly less than 13 pounds to about 19 pounds in one week, and the little boy is has a sweet disposition, always smiling and laughing.

• The Renaissance period of history produced many art masterpieces, paintings as well as sculptures, in which nudity was prevalent.  Consider, for example, Michelangelo's sculpture of "David" and his some of his paintings, such as "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel.   No one thought it necessary to drape these masterpieces to hide the nudity when Michelangelo created them, and they have been admired for centuries.  The Bartholomew County officials have told a yard art business near I-65 that it must move cement copies of these classical statues, as well as about 10 others, out of public view because they are obscene under Indiana law and they should not be in the view of a minor.  Indiana's obscenity law prohibits the display of nudity where children might see it and also stipulates that such material is harmful for minors if, "considered as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors."  Do museums drape their masterpieces to shield the public from the nudity.  The Bartholomew County sheriff's department and zoning officials received two complaints about the statues, which prompted the crackdown.  Is the Indiana obscenity law being misinterpreted.  There was a lot of flap about the "accidental" display of bosom on a recent important athletic event, which was viewed, enjoyed, and accepted by millions.  Although the acceptance is somewhat recent, mothers are allowed to breast feed their babies in public.  Although Ken Falk, legal director for the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, said nudity has been part of art for hundreds of years and that using nudity to define obscenity could raise serious constitutional questions.  "Just because something is nude doesn't mean it's obscene," he said. "If that were the case, most Renaissance art would have to be put into back rooms or hidden." 

March 30

• Saturday, April 2nd, from 8 a.m. until noon, there will be a Health Fair in the main gymnasium at Seymour High School.  With the focus on health, several free screenings will be available to those attending:  bone density test, blood pressure check, glucose and cholesterol test, glaucoma test, hearing test, and lung function studies.  The fair is open to the public.  Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the screenings.
• State Senator Brent Steele (R-Bedford) sponsored House Joint Resolution 4 that passed the Senate by a vote of 41-6.  The resolution will amend the Indiana Constitution to guarantee citizens the right to hunt, fish, and harvest game, which are valued parts of our heritage and shall be preserved for the public good.

• An anonymous donor is offering a $100,000 reward for the return of a missing college student and the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance.  The Molly Dattilo Reward Fund was established to coordinate the payment of any reward, Fifth Third Bank officials said today. The reward will be offered for one year.  Molly Dattilo, 23, of Madison, was last seen the evening of July 6, 2004, walking to an Indianapolis fast-food restaurant to apply for a job. Since then, her family has conducted several searches.  Dattilo, an Eastern Kentucky University student who had been attending summer classes at IUPUI, was last seen near an apartment she shared with her brother on the west side of Indianapolis. Although there have been reports of possible sightings since then, none has been confirmed as being the missing woman.  Police have said there was no evidence of foul play.

• A 118-year-old covered bridge in southern Indiana's Jennings County remained closed Tuesday after being hit by a car.  A wooden support beam of the James Covered Bridge was damaged Sunday when a driver lost control of her car and ran into it, according to a Sheriff's Department report.  The beam about one-third of the way across the 140-foot bridge was broken in two by the crash, said Dale Pettit, the county highway clerk.  "It can be repaired and will probably be closed 20 days or so," Pettit said.  The span, one of two covered bridges remaining in Jennings County, is just off Indiana 3 about 40 miles north of Louisville, Ky.  The bridge was built in 1887 and named after Thomas S. James, who owned the property, according to the Jennings County Visitor Center.

• The future of a landmark piece of Indiana University's Astronomy Dept. now seems in doubt.  The Goethe Link Observatory has helped scientists make advances in the study of asteroids since it opened in 1939.  The observatory is actually about 30 miles from the I.U. campus, on a hill north of Martinsville.  Light pollution has increased in the area as the population has grown, decreasing the usefulness of the building and its 36-pinch telescope.  Since the university no longer uses the observatory for exploration, the land may be sold in the future.
• Come to think of it, there is a lot of light pollution spreading across the countryside.  One wonders why people move to the country and then put in security lights, producing or adding to the light pollution.  In one sense, it is taking away the rights of  those who have lived in a rural location for years in order to escape the bright lights of the city.  It is now almost impossible to view the meteor showers, to try to locate constellations, or to simply look up and admire the heavens from one's backyard because of the light from neighbors' security lights.  Will we need to pass laws governing the number of security lights across the countryside?   Could the lights have any effect on weather patterns, global warming, or plant growth?
• Burger King will soon offer two new breakfast choices to its morning customers.  Monday they rolled out the Enormous Omelet Sandwich, which carries 730 calories and 47 grams of fat.  It consists of a 2-egg omelet, sausage, three strips of bacon, and two slices of melted American cheese on a bun.  Another new new item, Western Omelet Croissanwich, will appear May 8th.  With a mere 320 calories and 17 grams of fat, it will consist of fire-grilled onions, ham, and melted American cheese inside a folded egg on a croissant.  Officials at Burger King claim that surveys indicate customers want bigger sandwiches, although healthier alternatives are available.  Is it any wonder that obesity is a problem in America?  People are their own worst enemy!

March 29

• Tomorrow the battle over daylight saving time is expected to return to the Indiana House.  The first action in the process will be to discard an unrelated Senate bill in a House committee and use the vacant bill number to resurrect the DST legislation.  Even if the move is successful and is endorsed by the committee, a vote on daylight-saving time by the full House could be close. Numerous efforts to impose the clock change twice a year in all of Indiana have failed at least 24 times in the past three decades.  House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said last week that Daniels believed the proposal would pass the House, but Bosma is not betting on that.  However, House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, a South Bend Democrat who has opposed the change, said Monday that he believed the governor probably could muster the votes to win approval of daylight-time legislation in the House.  If that occurs, a resurrected bill would be sent to the Senate for consideration.

• Yesterday the House approved legislation requiring schools to adopt rules designed to prevent bullying.  Passing by a 67-30 vote, it is now on its way to Gov. Mitch Daniels.  Although backers of the bill acknowledge it will not be a magical answer to the problem, it does require schools to establish safe school committees and provide additional training for school safety specialists.  Also on its way to Gov. Daniels is a bill, which passed unanimously, that would require the Indiana Board of Education to develop standards and guidelines on cheerleading safety in schools.

• Many airfares are climbing.  The major carriers are desperate for money to help defray the soaring cost of fuel.  The only exceptions will be on routes where the airlines compete with low-cost carriers.  Even with the rise, tickets nationwide are still 20% below 2000 levels.

• The Terri Schaivo case in Florida has prompted discussions of what might be termed "disorder in the courts".  Thoughtful questions are raised regarding the judicial supremacy.  The founding fathers never dreamed there would come a time when an American court would presume to make up and then enforce rights never mentioned in the Constitution, such as the right to an abortion and the right to die.  Government by judges is no longer democracy (rule by the people).  When judges rule and do so under no restraints, it is tyranny!

• Kimball International has its headquarters in Jasper, IN.  The timber on the land owned by Kimball in Orange County is virtually inaccessible to logging equipment and trucks.  The problem of harvesting lumber in environmentally sensitive and steep areas has been solved by Kimball's use of a military-type helicopter that can lower the crews into the forested terrain and later lift the trees out to a place where they can be processed.  The aircraft is brought in by a company based in Oregon.  They use their expertise in the U.S., Canada, and as far away as New Zealand.

• The theory that the bobcat population is on the rebound in Indiana is supported by a growing body of evidence and is now on camera, thanks to Scott Banfeld, an Angola, IN, hunter who set up an infrared-activated camera after finding mysterious animal tracks in a swamp. He thought the tracks might be coyote tracks.  He set up his camera in January, photographed the tracks and posted them on a hunting Web site, where an Arizona man saw them and identified them as bobcat prints.  He was determined to photograph the bobcats, se he mounted his camera on a tree near where he saw the tracks, smeared the tree with beaver scent since bobcats are believed to hunt beaver.  He got nothing on the first try, but after changing the camera direction and leaving the camera out for an entire month, he had nine images of bobcats, including a pair that was walking side by side at the swamp's edge.  Scott Johnson, a non-game biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' Bloomington office, said the area where Banfield put his camera is ideal bobcat territory.  Bobcats are listed as endangered species in Indiana after years of decline because of overhunting, population growth and farming expansion.  A bobcat weighs 15-30 pounds, is nocturnal, and has a short tail and tufted ear hair.  They are considered rare in northern and central Indiana, but are comparatively common in parts of southern Indiana's hill country.

• Did you know that the Navy is planning to since the USS America, a Kitty Hawk class aircraft carrier that was commissioned in 1965, used during the Vietnam War, and was decommissioned in August 1996?  The current plans are to tow the old warship into the Atlantic Ocean next month and batter it with explosives over a four to six week period, presumably simulate attacks by torpedoes, cruise missiles and perhaps a small boat suicide attack like the one that damaged the destroyer USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.  At the end, explosive scuttling charges placed to flood the ship will be detonated, and the America will begin its descent to the sea floor, more than 6,000 feet below.  The Navy claims that sinking the America, the largest warship ever sunk, will provide vital information in the development of new carriers.  Some parts of the world might be encouraged and find this action symbolic.  Couldn't they pick a ship with another name for this mission?

March 28

• Jackson County Community Theatre will present it’s final production of the 2004-2005 season, Louisa May Alcott’s "Little Women," April 29, 30, May 6, and 7. The play, dramatized by Kristin Laurence, will be presented at the Royal Off-the-Square Theatre in Brownstown at 7:30 PM. JayC Food Stores will sponsor the play.  The audience will follow the lives of the four March girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, through a memorable year which begins on a Christmas during the Civil War. The family struggles to survive with its meager resources, yet the girls find that they are more fortunate than many. Despite sisterly disputes, they also have a close and happy family, which they treasure above any possessions. After learning that her husband, a soldier, is ill, their mother, Marmee, leaves the girls in the care of their housekeeper, Hannah, while she travels to his side. The rich and irascible Aunt March occasionally visits to reprimand Jo for her tomboyish ways. Kindly Aunt Caroll and socialite Sally Moffatt add color to the production.  Rick James is directing the production, assisted by producer Stephen Jones. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are played by Ariel Reyes, Candice Noelker, Kayla Gill, and Lea Niglio. Sheila McDonough plays Marmee. Aunt March is played by Jacque James, Aunt Caroll by Heather Kelsch. Sallie Moffatt is played by Mary McDonough, and Hannah by Vickey Oliphant.  The period production requires many costumes, complete with hoop petticoats. Costumer Julie Bradley has designed the Civil War era dresses and supervised a group of volunteer seamstresses. Those sewing are Anne Clodfelter, Naomi Gambrel, Dot Goodwin, Darlene Hayes, Shiela Richardson, Sharon Townsend, and Bradley.  Joel McGill and Joe Bradley are in charge of set construction. Tony Wright is light and sound technician. Backstage crew members are Christina Jones, Gina Rae Morrisey, Shelby Trayes, Suki Wright, and Colton Wright. Tickets may be purchased at Family Drug in Brownstown and Bevers Family Pharmacy in Seymour.

• Purdue University researchers are developing a high-altitude, helium-filled aircraft that may be used for surveillance, homeland security, missile defense, and weather forecasting.  The airship, funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, would hover over the earth for more than a year and would be roughly four times the length of the Goodyear blimp.

• Last December the Courier-Journal found that bars, restaurants, social clubs, and truck stops across Indiana operate thousands of illegal video gambling machines, and the newspaper also found that enforcement is spotty at best, with many county prosecutors having chosen not to pursue cases against tavern owners or clubs.  Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration is taking more aggressive steps than his predecessors to combat these illegal gambling machines, and it seems that move is worrying the businesses' owners.  In the last ten days, the state's excise police have begun confiscating money from the machines, citing owners for illegal gambling and removing the "motherboard" circuitry that control them.  David Heath, who has been chairman of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission since January says, "The fact is the money in those machines are fruits of an illegal activity."  Don Marquardt, president of the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association claims the tougher enforcement will kill some Hoosier business.  The association estimates that 70 percent of its members use unlawful machines to supplement their revenues.  Gov. Daniels has said Indiana must decide whether to legalize, regulate and tax the machines, or prosecute those who illegally operate them.  The change in enforcement comes as Daniels and Indiana lawmakers are considering whether to legalize and regulate the machines, a move that could generate as much as $400 million annually for the state budget, but Daniels believes legalization probably can't win a majority of votes in the legislature this year.

• Is this another sign of the times?  During the 1980s many historians and college instructors replaced the historical designation B.C (which we all know means "Before Christ") with B.C.E., which means Before the Common Era.  The A.D. designation (referring to anno Domini, Latin for Year of the Lord) has become C.E., standing for Common Era.  While the use of these new terms originated with historians and college instructors, a growing number of schools and school textbooks across the country are now using them.  One UCLA professor claims the new terms make sense in the global age, while others say it done simply for the sake of political correctness.  Gilbert Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, says he finds the trend "distressing", but points out that most major textbook companies have adopted the new terms.  Will our children grow up not knowing anything about B.C. and A.D.?  What do you think?