Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers
The (Munster) Times. July 8, 2016
Region festivals are beckoning .
it's human nature to focus on shortcomings and challenges, but we can't let it blind us to some our community's best assets.
And right now the Region's cup runs over with our most defining summer festivals. Northwest Indiana residents and their families should get out and enjoy these annual rites of summer passage before the season passes into fall.
This weekend is a good time to start.
Jets, planes and historic aircraft will soar and barrel-roll their way into our Region's skies this weekend in the 2016 Gary Air Show.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Army Golden Knights parachute team and Lima Lima flight team could anchor any air show by themselves. This year, those aviation teams all are part of the Gary Air Show offerings.
Gary's Marquette Park beach is the perfect venue to watch this incredible show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Just a short distance south from the airshow is the annual Merrillville Greek Festival at SS. Constantine and Helen Cathedral, 8000 Madison St.
This years festival runs from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, offering popular Greek dishes including gyros, lamb and Greek chicken. The festival also offers a carnival atmosphere of games and rides, and a '60s and '70s cover band, The Rave, is set to perform from 6-11 p.m. Friday night.
In Porter County, Portage's Nativity of Our Savior Church, 2949 Willowcreek Road, also is serving up its annual tradition of food, bingo, live music, casino and children's games. The festival began Thursday and continues from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
The LaPorte County Fair kicks off Sunday and runs through July 17, offering a host of live music and livestock-related events in addition to the traditional carnival atmosphere.
Soon we'll be welcoming the late summer Lake and Porter county fairs and the world renowned Pierogi Fest in Whiting.
Some church and community festivals already have passed. Don't let the sun set on summer before you've experienced your share.
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The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin. July 8, 2016
ACS knows where it's headed, must find the ways to get there .
Anderson Community Schools officials know exactly where they want their school system and its student body to go. And they've taken the first step in getting them there.
During a recent strategic planning meeting, the board discussed its goals for the next three years. These "destinations" included improved student health and well-being, continued emphasis on education excellence and better family communication and school operations.
Superintendent Terry Thompson puts improving family communication at the top of that list. He wants to see more families involved and to have them involved more often. He also wants to have an open dialogue and be "totally transparent."
It's an important objective. Schools cannot succeed without the support of the parents. Clear and concise communication and honest, working relationships are necessary to achieve what's best for the students. And isn't that what everyone's supposed to want?
The health of the student population is equally important. Many students face emotional, mental and physical health issues that affect their performance in the classroom. Making sure each of them is ready to learn is vital. But it's a challenge in this community, which annually ranks near the bottom of the state in health-related behaviors and outcomes.
And, of course, no educational institution can ignore the need to achieve excellence, from its youngest students to its graduating seniors.
As part of the strategic goals exercise, board members began outlining specific objectives to achieve these goals. This is perhaps the most important step of the entire process.
Having ideas and grand expectations is nice. It makes you feel good about the direction you're headed in.
But how are getting there? What short-term and long-term steps will you take? What resources will you need or be willing to sacrifice?
ACS has compiled a sound list of goals, but officials must find concrete (and creative and cost-effective) ways of addressing them.
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The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. July 8, 2016
Seat of the problem
Non-competitive districts undercut democracy.
Fort Wayne Republican David Long wrapped up his re-election as president pro tem of the Indiana Senate Thursday. That's when the deadline passed for the political parties to fill vacancies on the November ballot, ensuring the GOP a solid majority. Five Republicans, including the president pro tem, have no challenger.
On the House side, a quarter of the incumbent lawmakers - both Republicans and Democrats - face no opposition. Two first-time candidates are unopposed for open seats. But who can blame potential candidates from taking a pass on a race they can't possibly win? Campaigns are time-consuming and costly, particularly when incumbents can summon the support of deep-pocketed interest groups.
The lack of competitive contests for the General Assembly leaves voters without choice and with diminished clout in affecting policy. Districts drawn to favor one party discourage moderation and compromise, pushing both Democrats and Republicans to the ideological extremes of their respective parties.
Disproportionate influence leads to ill-advised legislation. In a state divided roughly 55-45 between Republican and Democratic voters, the GOP currently holds 40 of 50 Senate seats and 71 of 100 House seats, affording the GOP supermajority status in both chambers. The party holds seven of Indiana's nine congressional seats.
Districts drawn by the legislators themselves to create "safe forever" seats created that imbalance.
The good news is that the General Assembly's 12-member Interim Study Committee on Redistricting, a panel of citizens and legislators charged with studying states with independent redistricting commissions, could propose changes before new electoral districts are drawn in 2021. Its first three meetings have drawn large crowds, indicating Hoosiers want change.
But it won't be easy. During a meeting of the interim committee Thursday, Republican Sen. Brandt Hershman, the committee's vice chairman, said he's not even sure a problem exists.
There is a problem. You end up denying Hoosiers a meaningful vote when elections are determined by a small number of voters in a primary election, said committee member Theodore Boehm, former associate justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Voter apathy, cynicism and bad legislation are the end products. The redistricting process must change.
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(Terre Haute) Tribune-Star. July 7, 2016
Carrying the torch for Terre Haute.
Bicentennial event will allow community to shine brightly
When the Indiana Bicentennial Torch arrives in Terre Haute via hovercraft on the Wabash River and then passes through Fairbanks Park on the evening of Sept. 21, the community has a chance to make it a deeply Hautean moment.
Sure, the ceremony involving 21 local torchbearers serves as the Vigo County piece of a statewide project to celebrate Indiana's 200th birthday. The trek will take the torch through all 92 Hoosier counties, and more than 2,200 Hoosiers will take turns carrying it. The torch relay begins Sept. 9 in Corydon, the state's original capital, and concludes with the flame's delivery to the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on Oct. 15.
The yearlong state bicentennial observance and countless related activities have been planned for years. It is a big deal.
Still, just as Indiana was born in 1816, so was Terre Haute. This city has contributed mightily to the Hoosier culture, history and economy. From this town came Paul Dresser, composer of "On the Banks of the Wabash (Far Away)," the state song; Tony Hulman, the businessman who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; acclaimed novelist Theodore Dreiser; social justice leader Eugene Debs; "Desiderata" poet Max Ehrmann; actor Scatman Crothers; baseball greats Max Carey and Tommy John; basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Lovellette and Bobby Leonard; the Coca-Cola contour bottle; Clabber Girl Baking Powder; the Columbia House Record Club; Larry Bird and the 1978-79 Indiana State Sycamores; a handful of diverse, excellent colleges; Wabashiki; the Action Track; Indiana Theatre; Square Donuts and more.
Indiana would indeed be diminished without Terre Haute.
The state's Bicentennial Committee said the torch relay "is designed to connect Hoosiers everywhere" and it "underscores the achievement, influence and aspirations of Indiana and its people." The torch's moment here can bond Hauteans, too. Perhaps the week surrounding Sept. 21 and its pass-through of Vigo County could serve as a local renaissance, too. Not only should the community turn out in big numbers to watch the relay, but residents could also visit landmarks, vintage restaurants and cultural events that week.
Terre Haute's light should shine along with Indiana's when the local runners carry the torch.
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