Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers
The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin. December 5, 2018
Elwood's Main Street grant exciting news
Things are looking up for the city of Elwood.
Keeping businesses in storefronts and making way for new opportunities just got a little easier.
The city was one of eight communities to receive a $100,000 federal grant from the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs.
The pilot OCRA program will provide direct funding to the community via the city's Main Street organization, according to a press release.
"The Main Street organization has a great relationship with the city administration," Elwood Mayor Todd Jones said.
Jones said the Main Street organization will partner with Ball State University's Indiana Communities Institute to help design and implement strategies for their downtown.
"This is a great opportunity to attract future investment," Jones said. "Receiving this honor clearly shows that the city of Elwood and Elwood Main Street Organization are being recognized at both state and national levels."
Elwood also is working on facade improvements downtown and custom signage directing visitors to the business district, through Madison County Council of Government's food and beverage tax grants.
"The importance for us to renovate our uptown business district is to show people we are serious about the city, working our way from the inside out," Jones said. "It's the pride of our community. The uptown business district is the heart of our community."
Maintaining Elwood's historic business district is key to its future economic development, which includes attracting new companies, Jones said of the Facade Improvement Program.
The other eight Main Street organizations selected for this pilot program are Fairmount, Tipton, Dillsboro, LaPorte, Rockville, Seymour, Sullivan, and Tell City.
The investment in rural communities makes for stronger environments in core commercial centers, according to Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.
"Rural Indiana is the next great economic frontier, and we will continue to do what we can to support them and help them thrive," Couch said.
How can these communities not thrive?
"This type of innovative programming directly impacts local business development and spurs further private investment," said Jodi Golden, OCRA executive director.
Once the pilot is complete, OCRA says they plan to extend the program to other Main Street organizations.
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The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. December 6, 2018
Too heavy a toll
Wisely, Gov. Eric Holcomb has rejected the idea of adding more toll roads - at least while he's in charge.
The 2018 Ball State Hoosier Survey shows why. Eighty-eight percent of respondents listed improving highways and roads as either a priority or important to the state, and 55 percent approved of the increase in the gasoline tax passed last year. But only 21 percent favor "charging tolls on Indiana interstate highways" to help fund improvements.
A 2017 feasibility study showed tolling new roads could bring in up to $53 billion between 2021 and 2050. That would help replace falling gas-tax revenue if hybrids and electric vehicles dominate the roadways in the future. But there are other uncertainties in play, such as whether the Trump administration's rollback of auto-fleet mileage requirements will mean gas-tax revenue will remain higher than previously predicted.
All in all, it seems way too early to start levying tolls on more roadways. As northern Indiana residents can tell the rest of the state, once tolls are put in place, they're powerfully hard to undo.
Case in point: Though the governor wants to take tolling of other Indiana interstates out of the equation, he seemed comfortable cutting a deal to raise truck charges on the Indiana Toll Road earlier this year.
A little too comfortable, some legislators said in a budget hearing this week. As The Journal Gazette's Niki Kelly reported, some legislators are considering changing the law to ensure they have a role in decisions such as the one Holcomb announced in September. The increases, which will not affect passenger cars, will raise $1 billion for the state and an undisclosed amount of money for the company that operates the Toll Road. Holcomb said much of that money will be used to complete the last link of Interstate 69 south of Indianapolis, but money will also go to increasing broadband access for rural Hoosiers and improving trails.
Legislators said they weren't consulted on either the toll-rate increase or the planned dispersal of the resulting funds.
"We knew nothing," said Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis. "What else is going on that we don't know about?" Other members of the budget committee said they're considering changing the law so the legislature won't be blindsided on Toll Road decisions in the future, Kelly reported.
That would also be a wise move. The governor's plans for the additional Toll Road revenue are worthy, but Hoosiers deserve to know details of the deal with the toll road operators. And the legislature deserves to have a voice in funding choices and future deals.
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South Bend Tribune. December 4, 2018
Time for quick action on St. Joseph County's 911 system
You know things have gotten bad at St. Joseph County's 911 center when dispatchers are resorting to pen and paper to record the details of emergency calls for help.
The latest problems stem from a software upgrade that was completed at the end of October and is causing the system to crash. Handwriting that information can potentially add minutes to the time first responders are notified of a call and the time they arrive.
The system has been experiencing problems since it was installed in June 2017. Thousands of calls have been delayed and sometimes the system can't verify addresses of 911 callers if they're located on streets whose names also exist elsewhere in the county.
St. Joseph County commissioners have already solicited bids to replace the current computer-aided dispatch system, but because of lack of a quorum there was no agreement on whether to accept the bids and let the 911 center's Technical Review Committee open and analyze them before making a recommendation to the commissioners.
The Editorial Board said in an earlier comment that the county should hold Tyler Technologies, the system's provider, accountable and that accepting another set of bids for a new system did not commit the county to anything other than a review of those proposals.
The review committee has narrowed to two the list of companies to replace Tyler Technologies: Motorola and TriTech Software Systems. The proposals of those two companies will be reviewed and a recommendation made to the executive board on Dec. 14.
The county has given Tyler Technologies ample time to try and correct issues with the CAD system, but problems persist. For its part, Tyler blames the county's existing Geographic Information System for the problems.
Ray Schultz, executive director of the center, told The Tribune that he believes the software crashes will continue and that it doesn't make sense to wait for Tyler to try and fix the problems. Schultz said the company indicated that late 2019 is the earliest that some of the most urgent issues, which are related to verifying addresses, could be resolved.
That's unacceptable.
Is it time for the county to face the difficult decision of spending as much as $3 million to replace the existing system with a new one? With each passing day, and each potential crisis, it appears that answer is yes, unless Tyler and the county have a last-minute solution up their sleeves.
The time has come for quick action, even if the fix is an expensive one. Residents need peace of mind, and a system that works, when it comes to emergency responses.
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(Terre Haute) Tribune-Star. December 4, 2018
Protect yourself, others from the flu
The dreaded flu virus hasn't taken hold yet this season, but that doesn't mean it isn't lurking, ready to exploit a weakened populace and wreak havoc in families, workplaces and entire communities.
It's wise to remember that last year's flu season hit late, and it was a bad one when it did.
State health officials report that flu activity is at minimal levels so far, but remains a serious threat. The state has recorded two flu-related deaths this season, even though infections have not been widespread.
It's important to remember that it's never too late to get an influenza vaccination.
This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week. That sounds to us like the perfect time to get a flu shot if you haven't already done so.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Kris Box is encouraging Hoosiers to protect themselves and those around them by getting the flu shot. Getting a flu vaccine can reduce illnesses, doctor visits and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 6 months and older get a flu vaccine each year. Because infants under 6 months can't be vaccinated, it's important that anyone in a household where a young baby lives or visits get a flu shot to protect the child. Antibodies that provide protection develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination.
Influenza is a viral infection of the respiratory tract. It is spread by respiratory droplets released when infected people cough or sneeze nearby or when people touch surfaces or objects contaminated with those infectious respiratory droplets. People can also become infected by touching surfaces or objects contaminated with influenza viruses and then touching their eyes, mouth or nose.
Remember the common signs and symptoms of the flu: Fever of 100 degrees or greater, headache, fatigue, cough, muscle aches, sore throat and a runny or stuffy nose.
But the best approach to dealing with the flu is vaccination. Take responsibility for your health and be a good citizen to those around you. Get a flu shot.
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