IndyStar.com: Editorial
Indiana's leading news source for all the top stories, local news, sports and weather.
Don't let curtain fall on the arts
The impending loss of one of Indianapolis’ longtime cultural institutions once again underscores questions of just how committed this city and the Ballard administration are to the arts. The Indianapolis Civic Theatre, founded in 1915,...
In sickness and in health
Believe it or not, the news isn’t all bad all the time when the health of Hoosiers is compared to the nation’s. America’s Health Rankings, the 20th annual survey conducted by three prominent national groups, shows Indiana at 35th...
Play fair when drawing new maps
Something’s gotten into the water over at the Statehouse, and the Hoosier public just has to hope the spell isn’t broken by details and old-fashioned inertia. Answering the redistricting trumpet recently sounded by Secretary of State Todd...
It's time for real change
Efforts to push legislative ethics reform through the Indiana General Assembly have long faced an insurmountable obstacle in the person of House Speaker Pat Bauer. The South Bend Democrat, a fixture in the House for nearly 40 years, has the power to...
Citizens left out in cold
State Rep. David Wolkins isn’t shy about what he likes: golf, basketball and football. As ranking Republican member and former chairman of the Indiana House Environmental Affairs Committee, he’s in a position to indulge his interests...
Legislators feast on perks
It was the party of the year, and, thanks to telecommunications giant AT&T, state Rep. Trent Van Haaften was there. On Jan. 19, the night before Barack Obama was sworn in as president, AT&T paid more than $1,600 for the state legislator and...
Hoosiers burned in smoke study
It is safe to say Hoosiers do not look forward to the release of national health rankings with quite the same eagerness folks in Florida and Texas harbor for the weekly round of football polls. The latest survey, covering one of our several...
A messy test of free speech
One of the beauties of the First Amendment is that it protects the right of any citizen to freely express an opinion, even an unpopular opinion. It also protects the right of critics to offer counter arguments. And so, in an often messy but crucial...
State may have to shift gears
State government has been forced into the same tough spot that many private businesses have languished in for a year or more. It hurts without question, but it’s also necessary. Workers in the private sector know all too well the pain of pay...
Mayor's choice: health or foul air
Greg Ballard is only halfway through his first term as mayor of Indianapolis, but it’s not too early to think about his legacy. Does he want to be remembered as a leader who helped protect the good health of some of the city’s...
Home crowd cheers grow quieter
The revved-up retro home of the Indiana Pacers is celebrating its 10th anniversary with accolades from throughout professional basketball, where it is hailed as a model of creative, capacious, community-building design. The community, which built it,...
State needs to know when to fold 'em
State leaders soon will have to make a critical decision about Indiana’s joined-at-the-wallet relationship with casinos. Start to back away from the table now that Ohio has upped the ante? Or bet even more of the state’s future on...
State's reserves look more tempting
It appears hard times are here to stay, at least for now. On a day when national unemployment figures topped 10 percent for the first time in 26 years, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced that the state will be forced to cut another $300 million to...
Ouch! This health bill hurts
With Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently determined to force a vote on a health-care bill on Saturday in the U.S. House, Indiana’s congressional delegation should be cautious about supporting the $1 trillion proposal, which attempts to dramatically...
A chance worth taking
Just like a contest involving human candidates, Tuesday’s special election produced revelers and mourners. Supporters of Wishard Hospital celebrated landslide approval for replacing that creaking complex with a state-of-the-art facility, while...
You get a vote; make it a 'yes'
A few days ago, as the lengthy debate over a proposed bond issue for a new Wishard Hospital neared its end, the writer of a letter to the editor of The Star pointedly asked why such an essential institution even had to be put through the drama of an...
For fiscal health, stop the bleeding
Americans have plenty to worry about at a time when the job market is tight, the housing market is weak and the stock markets swing like a 6-year-old at recess. Yet, there’s a danger quietly building that seldom attracts the attention of most...
Vote Yes: 'People's hospital' needs your support
Wishard’s mission must continue, meet demands of 21st century. For those not voting early, Tuesday is the moment when Marion County residents declare what kind of health care they wish to provide as a community into the future. Wishard Hospital...
Ban goes down in flames of secrecy
When the proposed ban on smoking in Indianapolis is revived — and it almost certainly will be in time — let’s hope the air will be clear of some of the lamer arguments, as well as the behind-closed-doors politics, that helped block...
Market's make-or-break moment
As long as the future of City Market is in the thinking stage, it’s good that the Ballard administration is thinking big. Some of the more ambitious aspects of the long-term plan unveiled Thursday will beat tall odds if they become reality. But...
Fire around Visclosky gets hotter
It appears the leadership of a small startup company from Skokie, Ill., learned quickly how the game is played in Washington. In less than three weeks, as The Washington Post documented Tuesday, a three-employee firm called NanoSonix filed its...
Voters should choose, not officials
When Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita launched his campaign to reform the redistricting process a few weeks ago, state legislative leaders told him in so many words to mind his own business. That implied that the Indiana General Assembly...
Arguments against ban go up in smoke
It’s time for the City-County Council to hammer home the coffin nails for some long-dead arguments that keep being propped up against the movement to clear the air in public places. No, bars and restaurants don’t sign their death warrant...
Power play for political purposes
Republicans on the City-County Council appear ready to waste $500,000 in taxpayers’ money for purely political purposes at the same time the city has been forced to cut funding for basic services. The council, controlled by its GOP members,...
No pat answers on privatization
The idea of privatizing operations at the Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium and Conseco Fieldhouse is certainly worth exploring. But Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration needs to keep in mind that relying on private companies to run public...
Our parks at risk: Speak up tonight
Few assets are more vital than a city’s parks. They are not just fields for play and exercise but also havens for rest and renewal. So the adequacy of resources devoted to their care says much about a community’s values. It can be...
Heed the red flags over red ink
Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke delivered a crucial message to Congress and the White House this week: Cut the budget deficit or run the heightened risk of another financial crisis. Bernanke’s warning came three days after the federal...
Green dreams set in reality
A futuristic “green” community, bustling with state-of-the-art homes, pleasant shopping and thriving businesses — at 22nd Street and College Avenue? Don’t scoff, says a team of architecture experts and city leaders...
Vote yes: Wishard's work eases concerns
Costs? Taxes? Voters get answers to nagging questions. In City Hall, at the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and throughout the Indiana health-care community, there is clear consensus that Wishard Hospital needs to replace its out-of-date,...
Back to the state for personal touch
Large, troubling questions remain about the fate of a public assistance system that affects one in every six Hoosiers. How will the transition back to the state from a failed privatization effort be accomplished? Will IBM express its ire over losing...
