Editorial Roundup:

The Munster Times. February 5, 2020

Women face violence, death, as justice system fails them

A gunshot rang out in the parking lot of a Hammond gas station Tuesday in a suspected domestic dispute.

A greater warning shot has been fired, over and over, in recent years regarding how our justice system responds to cases of violence against women.

In Tuesday's case, a 28-year-old Griffith woman was shot inside her vehicle while her child was present.

We can only hope the rest of our justice system responds as urgently to this matter as Hammond police, whose quick work led to the arrest of a suspect - a 28-year-old Griffith man - within an hour of the shooting.

Unfortunately, our Region has seen far too many examples - one as recently as last week - in which domestic violence cases against women have not brought the right gravity and urgency in response.

In another case unrelated to the Citgo gas station shooting, we saw the tragic consequences.

Sylvia Williams, 55, of Hammond, was gunned down in her own residence Jan. 30, fatally shot five times by her ex-boyfriend, Charles Goforth, 56, police and court records allege.

It wasn't the first time Goforth shot Williams at the very same residence, police said.

On Nov. 1, Williams survived after Goforth shot her six times at the same Hammond mobile home, police said.

Lake Criminal Court Magistrate Natalie Bokota allowed Goforth to go free on $8,000 cash bond shortly after the initial shooting.

It's a fact that should be unfathomable, given that Goforth was charged with attempted murder in the first shooting case.

In the first case, Goforth had threatened to kill Williams and then tried to make good on that promise, shooting her those several times in front of her 12-year-old granddaughter, court records allege.

Then, while free on bond, it would appear Goforth returned to finish the job, if what police and prosecutors allege is true. He now faces a charge of murder in Williams slaying.

Salient questions remain, including why Goforth was released when it was believed he already had threatened to kill and attempted to carry out that promise.

Why would our system even provide room for interpretation that such a suspect should be safely locked away until standing trial?

Now Williams is dead allegedly at the hands of a man who most would agree should not have been free to carry out an act he'd already shown a strong propensity for perpetrating.

There are so many other examples of both alleged and proven violence against women that should send a shudder down society's collective spine.

In the case of Tuesday's shooting of the woman in the parking lot of the Citgo gas station, we're still waiting for the police to release more information.

The suspect's identity was not available as of Wednesday afternoon, nor were any updates on the victim's condition.

Now we can only hope our justice system takes this case - and so many others like it - more seriously.

Lives and the salvation of our collective conscience depend upon it.

How many women must die or face serious violence before the lesson is learne?

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The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. February 7, 2020

Hoosiers' outsized role on political stage

From the chaos of the Iowa caucuses, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has emerged as an early leader in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But if history is a guide, he's more likely to snag second place on the national ticket.

As Kathy Mulder of the Indiana Historical Society noted in a blog, Indiana has produced 12 vice presidential candidates, more than any other state except New York, which has produced 14.

Four of those Hoosiers were elected. Charles W. Fairbanks, an Indianapolis attorney, was a U.S. senator before serving as vice president under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1909. In the 1912 election, Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the presidency with another Hoosier, Thomas R. Marshall. In 1916, when Wilson and Marshall were reelected, it was Hoosier vs. Hoosier: the unsuccessful vice-presidential nominee was, again, Fairbanks, with Charles Evans Hughes at the top of the Republican ticket. Marshall, who was born in North Manchester and lived in Columbia City, served as vice president from 1913 to 1921.

No one in Indiana has to be reminded of the state's two most recent vice-presidential nominees '“ Republicans Dan Quayle, who served with President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, and Mike Pence, who is running for reelection with President Donald Trump.

There were unsuccessful presidential bids by U.S. Sens. Vance Hartke (1972), Birch Bayh (1976) and Richard Lugar (1996). Viewed from those perspectives, Indiana appears to be an epicenter of national politics.

But what about the top spot? 'œWe may only lay partial claim to ninth President William Henry Harrison, who served as the first governor of the Indiana Territory in Vincennes from 1801 to 1812, and 16th President Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Indiana from 1816 to 1830,'ť Mulder writes. Benjamin Harrison, who served from 1889 to 1893, 'œis the president most closely associated with Indiana, making it his home from 1854 until his death in 1901,'ť she noted.

So Buttigieg, if he won it all, could become the first uncontestable Hoosier to occupy the Oval Office in 128 years.

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South Bend Tribune. February 6, 2020

Hoosiers could pay the price for '~coal bailout bill'

For all the well-deserved criticism directed at House Bill 1414, which could delay coal plant closings in Indiana, the legislation has managed to unite a diverse coalition of Hoosiers in opposition.

The controversial measure, which comes as utility providers in the state have announced plans to shift away from coal-burning power, could end up raising rates for customers. On Monday, HB 1414 passed out of the House, 52 to 41, and moved to the Senate.

This disingenuous effort - the word 'œcoal'ť does not appear in bill's language, though it's clear the legislation specifically targets coal-burning plants - is a denial of and roadblock to the future. Little wonder that critics call it the 'œcoal bailout bill.'ť

Coal mines in Indiana have closed at a rapid pace in the last several years. In 2010, the state had 26 active coal-burning power units. By 2016, it had just 13.

Bill sponsor Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, claims the bill is needed to make the state more thoughtful about the implications of closing its coal-fired power plants.

In fact, as pointed out by state Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, there's already a process in place, with federal and regional oversight, to ensure that such transitions are handled in a responsible manner.

Democratic lawmakers say that the bill would prop up the coal industry and raise Hoosiers' electric bills by making ratepayers continue to pay for inefficient coal plants.

Supporters of the bill defend it as a stopgap measure to help the state as it moves toward cleaner energy sources.

Among those aligned in opposition to HB 1414 are environmentalists and conservatives, who perceive it as heavy-handed favoritism. The list of opponents includes the state's five investor-owned utilities; the Indiana Chamber of Commerce; the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy; the National Taxpayers Union; the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP; Citizens Action Coalition; the Hoosier Environmental Council; and Sierra Club.

The only group to speak up in support of the bill during hearings of the House utilities committee? The Indiana Coal Council.

Soliday noted during his comments on the floor that the state 'œis in a transition, and all we're asking is to be able to manage it.'ť

But HB 1414, in ignoring the future of energy and making Hoosiers pay the price, is pure mismanagement.

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