Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers

The (Munster) Times. March 28, 2018

Carter must get tough on OWI plea deals

In July 2016, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter promised he would no longer serve up light charges for drunken motorists.

"Basically, we have taken the position that there will be no reductions," Carter told The Times Editorial Board then.

Carter seems to have forgotten that promise.

On Saturday, The Times reported on how the Lake County prosecutor's office handled the case of Alexis M. Karagias, who was pulled over Oct. 28 for weaving side to side on U.S. 30.

Her 8-year-old daughter was in the car with her, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Karagias was charged with felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a passenger under 18, along with four misdemeanors.

Months later, the prosecutor's office agreed to drop four charges, including the felony, in exchange for her guilty plea to a Class C misdemeanor.

A relative told The Times of contacting the prosecutor's office about Karagias' case, attempting to present information about her previous out-of-state drunken driving charges, but was turned away by one of the attorneys handling the case.

Moreover, a federal background check, using the National Crime Information Center database, noted previous convictions.

Carter said the attorneys in his office should not have negotiated the plea they did in this case.

He promised to address the Schererville woman's case as a result of The Times' reporting.

"We'll set it aside. It will become null and void, and we'll either renegotiate or go to trial," Carter said. "We've made it very clear we're going to take a strong look at these cases."

But not clear enough for his staff to understand.

His attorneys should regularly check the federal database for previous convictions elsewhere. As the county's top prosecutor, it is Carter's responsibility to ensure this becomes standard operating procedure, and that anyone who violates it faces consequences.

After The Times reported in 2016 Carter's office was lax in prosecuting OWI cases, especially for repeat offenders, Carter seemed to recognize the failure of his office to be as tough as it needs to be protecting the public from drunken drivers.

Now it's time to do the real work of getting tough.

Require ignition interlock devices, especially for repeat offenders, which require the driver to breathe into a device before the car will start. If there's alcohol on the driver's breath, the car won't start. The offender pays the installation and monitoring costs.

Carter also should routinely review plea deals for such cases.

Carter is ultimately responsible for operations in his office. He needs to be more involved in day-to-day operations to ensure cases are being appropriately handled.

___

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times. March 29, 2018

Be More Award honorees stand for best of us all

"Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the Earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain loving one another." - Erma Bombeck, newspaper columnist, author and humorist.

Many of those human beings who reflect compassion, unselfish caring, patience and love were honored at the annual Be More Awards this week.

These honorees and the other individuals and groups who were nominated by community members represent the best of all of us.

Congratulations and thank you to:

. Bob Muldoon, recipient of the Be More Dedicated (Lifetime of Service) award, for his dedication and work for St. Vincent de Paul Society, Shalom Community Center, Area 10 Agency on Aging, New Hope for Families and the people served by those organizations. As a news release about the awards stated, "hundreds of people who are homeless, elderly or with low incomes have benefited over the decades Bob has served."

. Sue Cull, Be More Knowledgeable Award (Education/Literacy), who has been a key force in building Teachers Warehouse, which provides free classroom supplies to teachers in several southern Indiana counties.

. Volunteers for Backpack Buddies, a program of the Community Kitchen, winners of the Be More Collaborative Award (Group). They take responsibility every Thursday for distributing more than 400 backpacks filled with food to 17 schools to ensure families identified as food insecure have enough food at home for the weekend.

. John Labban, of Volunteers in Medicine, for the Be More Healthy Award (Health and Wellness). Dr. Labban's volunteer services through VIM has focused on prenatal care for many community women who are not U.S. citizens and who might not otherwise receive the care they need to have a healthy baby.

. Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs, the Be More Phenomenal Award (for board participation). The award was given for the commission's "deep work attending to needs, concerns and interests of this community."

. Molly Wagschal, the Be More Energized Award (Youth), for her work as a tutor for children at Monroe County Public Library's 'El Centro Comunal Latino' outreach programs.

. IU Civic Leaders Center, the Be More Involved Award (College Student). This group helps first-year college students plug in to service opportunities in the greater Bloomington community.

. Lotus Education and Arts Foundation 2010-2017 Powerhouse Volunteers, the Be More Creative Award (Arts/Culture), a group of people who have assisted Lotus in a wide range of roles from 2010 to 2017.

. Rita Lichtenberg, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, who received the Be More Peaceful Award. She founded the Southern Indiana Branch of this organization 52 years ago and still is an active board member.

. Friends of Lake Monroe Steering Committee, Be More Sustainable Award (Environmental Sustainability). This citizens group works toward protecting and improving the water quality at Lake Monroe.

Bombeck's quote above describes them all.

___

South Bend Tribune. March 27, 2018

A review of an Indiana legislative session that won't end

Even before Indiana's 2018 legislative session, House Speaker Brian Bosma offered an underwhelming prediction for all that might be accomplished. He drew a contrast to previous sessions, proclaiming this year was a little bit different, that "there's usually one over-arching, bright shiny object that keeps attention focused."

The decidedly unfocused short session that followed more than lived up - or should we say "down"? - to those expectations. It concluded in chaos, with enough unfinished business that lawmakers will return in May to deal with some of it - an exercise that will cost Hoosier taxpayers an estimated $30,000 per day.

Other than its train-wreck ending, this session may well be best remembered as the year that legislators were finally able to end the ban on retail alcohol sales.

Left disappointed were those - including the members of this board - who were looking for the General Assembly to tackle such issues as redistricting and hate crime legislation. And the Republican leadership's pass on addressing the unfolding crisis in the Department of Child Services with committee hearings was shameful.

Of course a full accounting of what lawmakers did - and didn't - accomplish won't come until after May's special session called by Gov. Eric Holcomb to, in his words "finish the people's business before the next budget session is upon us."

Until then, here's a brief review of the session that was ... and that will be again in about a month:

Opioid epidemic. A trio of bills attempts to address the state's opioid crisis. Senate Enrolled Act 221 phases in a requirement for doctors to check a prescription-monitoring service before prescribing an opioid; House Enrolled Act 1007 allows for the approval of up to nine new hospital-based opioid treatment programs throughout Indiana; and HEA 1359 increases the criminal penalty for drug dealing that results in a death. The opioid battle has been prioritized by the governor and these bills are sincere efforts at attacking the problem.

Sunday alcohol sales. SEA 1 allows the carryout sale of alcohol from noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. However, an effort to change its status as the only state that still regulates the sale of beer by temperature failed. Progress, indeed.

Workforce development. HEA 1002, which passed both chambers unanimously, creates a grant program for helping employees receive a high school equivalency diploma or industry certification. It also expands the existing workforce readiness grant. SEA 50, a less popular measure, would create a smaller board to replace the Workforce Innovation Council; the new board would have greater funding authority. Both are attempts to help the state tackle its shortage of skilled workers in key sectors.

Standardized perinatal care. SEA 360 empowers the state health department to evaluate birthing centers and hospitals and designate the level of care each facility is able to provide. In a state with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, this is an important step toward giving Hoosier babies a better chance at survival.

___

The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. March 30 2018

Pothole problem

This is where the rubber meets the road, as they say, amid all the grand plans about fixing America's infrastructure. If we can't protect drivers from potholes in their city and neighborhood streets, we might as well forget about the interstates, bridges, airports and seaports that need overhauls.

One pothole is too many for a driver changing a shredded tire beside the road. But it appears Fort Wayne has a better handle on pothole prevention and repair than some places.

Like Indianapolis.

Our own travels to Indiana's capital city reinforce the horrible conditions there, along with the dismal condition of I-69 between Indianapolis and Anderson.

Comments from angry residents abound in Indianapolis media. An emergency-room physician, Dr. Louis Profeta, recently said the city's roads were in such bad shape, he feared for the safety of children on life-support devices being transported by ambulance between hospitals.

"We could take a child that is critically ill, being transported, and we could lose their airway and they could literally die with the problem with potholes," Profeta told Fox59-TV.

"Recently," the Indianapolis Star reported, Profeta "thought one child might not make it just a few miles on Indy's battered streets to the 86th Street St. Vincent pediatric ICU." He said he briefly considered calling a helicopter for the short trip.

Earlier this month, the Indianapolis City Council voted to allow Mayor Joe Hogsett to spend $14.5 million in emergency funds to try to keep up with the city's pothole crisis. By this week, the city had spent more than half of that, with thousands of road-craters left unfilled.

Fort Wayne's pothole season has been no drive in the park. "Since the beginning of winter, the city has filled more than 8,000 potholes," public works spokesman Frank Suarez said Wednesday. The city's 311 system has logged 930 pothole complaints since Jan. 1, he said; there were just 40 during the same time period last year. The number fluctuates wildly, depending on the severity of the winter. In 2016, there were 445 complaints by late March, but in 2015, there were 942.

Potholes are caused by water seeping into roadway cracks, freezing and expanding. When there's more rain, snow and freezing, there are more potholes.

"It really is more about freeze and thaw," Suarez said. "If the temperature changes drastically, that's when have problems."

There is no backlog here, Suarez said. Four first-shift and four third-shift four-person crews have logged 10,331 staff hours on pothole patrol since the beginning of the year, he said - part of the more than $30 million the city has dedicated to infrastructure maintenance and improvements this year. The 311 operators alert the proper agencies if the problem is on a county or state road. But city-road potholes are generally filled within three hours of being called in, Suarez said.

It may be cold comfort if you've landed in the bottom of a crater here recently, but Fort Wayne appears to have been far more effective in keeping up with the problem than our neighbors to the south this season. Hope the Circle City can get its act together by 500 Week.

_____