IndyStar.com: Matthew Tully
Indiana's leading news source for all the top stories, local news, sports and weather.
Back so soon: ethics, taxes, lobbying
It seems like they just left. In fact, they weren’t gone long enough for most of us to even miss them. Nonetheless, lawmakers returned Tuesday to the Statehouse and announced grand plans for the General Assembly’s upcoming session....
Shameful score: Budget 1, football 0
Deep in the back of Manual High School, in a room just beyond the main auditorium, you can find the school’s history. It can be discovered in yearbooks dating back a century; in yellowed school newspapers; and, among other clippings and papers,...
Bayh was close 2nd for VP
Hoosier political junkies who read the new book by President Barack Obama’s former campaign manager are likely to be most interested in Chapter 13. There, David Plouffe details one of Obama’s biggest campaign decisions: his selection of a...
HUD must hold Phoenix owners accountable
Of all the troubles at the Phoenix Apartments, the most perplexing has been the federal government’s lackadaisical attitude toward a problem it helped create. The Phoenix continues to exist only because of artificially high rents paid by the...
Manual High School's tough math
490 Original size of Class of ’10; 151 Students still in school; 9 Who will have taken calculus A small group of determined Manual High School students starts each day by studying calculus in room 306. It may be the most challenging course in a...
For Mind Trust, star power
Jane Pauley first heard about The Mind Trust this spring during a dinner party focused on education issues in Washington. By the end of the dinner, she wanted to know more. The former “Today” show host was intrigued by the nonprofit...
Tully: Wishard rewarded for solid, sensible campaign
A few thoughts about an Election Day many Indianapolis residents chose to skip. It’s hard to imagine how supporters of the Wishard Memorial Hospital project — specifically Matthew Gutwein, head of the Marion County Health and Hospital...
2 brothers, 15 days: Can they change their lives?
Two brothers, 16-year-old Tyler and 17-year-old Chris, walked into Manual High School 10 days ago with plans to add their names to the school’s long list of dropouts. Neither had shown up for school much this year, continuing a trend from past...
Ballard's veto threat helped kill smoking ban
Why did the city’s proposed workplace smoking ban fail? A particularly crushing blow fell a couple of hours before the City-County Council’s vote Monday night. That’s when Mayor Greg Ballard walked into a closed-door meeting with...
IPS, city can't give up on Manual students
Ten weeks ago, in search of a close look at the complex problems facing many Indianapolis high schools, I walked into Manual High School for the first time. I’ve been there nearly every school day since, sitting in classes, hanging out in the...
GOP needs to settle on a challenger to Burton in 5th District race
For a few months, the crowded field in the 5th District Republican primary didn’t seem to hurt the four men taking on incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Burton. If anything, the roster of top-tier challengers drew attention to the race much earlier than...
Councilman whose dad represents tobacco industry says he won't vote on smoking ban
Tobacco-lobbyist dad will host fundraiser just before smoke ban vote I called Indianapolis City-County Councilman Dane Mahern on Monday afternoon to ask about the interesting timing of an upcoming campaign fundraiser. The fundraiser is tonight....
Thoughtful politics are overdue, ex-Rep. Lee Hamilton says in latest book
I was standing in the Downtown Dunkin’ Donuts the other day, paying the clerk for a cup of afternoon coffee and holding a copy of former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton’s latest book. As the clerk handed over my caffeine and my change, he took a...
Victory is elusive, but players' spirit deserves a cheer
The pep rally had just ended when I stopped in Cedric Lloyd’s office at Manual High School last Friday. Lloyd, the school’s 40-year-old head football coach, wore a crisp red “Redskins” shirt and was hoping at least 20 players...
Daniels' 'no' has the ring of 'not yet'
Gov. Mitch Daniels is not running for president. Nope. Not gonna happen. No way, no how, no chance. Not this guy. That’s what he says, anyway. But today, let’s talk more about actions than words. By that measure, it sure seems like...
Violence in verbal form? Manual lets it pass
A nasty, F-bomb-laden scene unfolded on the first floor of Manual High School on a recent Friday afternoon. It was one of many examples in the past several weeks of how some students talk to teachers and administrators at the Southside school. The...
Ballard must emerge from haze of smoking debate
As far as I can tell, most people have an opinion — a strong one, at that — about Marion County’s new smoking ban proposal. Whether it’s cheering or cursing, I’ve heard from many readers eager to share those opinions....
Manual senior is 'something special'
It’s impossible to spend a day at Manual High School without meeting Jammyra Weekley. Which is a good thing. This 17-year-old senior is definitely worth meeting. “There’s something special about her,” English teacher Jill...
Passing a no-exemptions smoking ban is the right thing to do
In coming weeks, as the City-County Council debates and, I hope, passes a strengthened smoking ban — one that would finish what the city started in 2005 — you’re probably going to hear a lot of complaints. Bar owners, smokers and...
Water company deal could be a win-win for Indy, Ballard
If he can pull off a deal — and, more important, if he can pull it off right — Mayor Greg Ballard will have a monumental and long-lasting policy victory to take to voters in 2011. The political implications are huge, and we’ll get...
Water company deal could be a win-win for Indy and Ballard
If he can pull off a deal — and, more important, if he can pull it off right — Mayor Greg Ballard will have a monumental and long-lasting policy victory to take to voters in 2011. The political implications are huge, and we’ll get...
Phoenix Apartments need a local owner
Two years ago, as I prepared a series of columns on the crime-filled Phoenix Apartments, I realized how easy it was for the out-of-state owner of a government-funded housing complex to escape scrutiny. The Phoenix’s owners were hidden away in...
Bayh's re-election may be the safest best in 2010 elections
When it comes to politics in Indiana, there are a few eternal questions. Will lawmakers ever allow Hoosiers to buy booze on Sundays? Will anyone ever discover what magical hold Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer has over his Democratic caucus? Will...
Sounds of Summer '09 signify midterm fury
What did we learn — politically speaking — during the overheated summer of 2009? Quite a bit, actually. Here are my Top Five Lessons from the just-concluded summer. 1. As hyperpartisan as this summer was, just wait until next year....
Another angry kid -- but a different ending
The young man sat slumped in a chair, his eyes staring at the carpet below him and his hands cuffed behind his back. A few feet away, Sgt. John Barrow sat in another chair. He was leaning back and frowning, shaking his head and wondering why another...
There's little to inspire school spirit at Manual
I’ve seen many mind-boggling things during my first month at Manual High — including students arrested and teachers threatened — but I was still caught by surprise when informed about a tidbit of life at the school. “The...
President's message rings true at Manual
Thirty students in a school with a 39 percent graduation rate sat in a government class Tuesday, quietly and intently listening as President Barack Obama told them to work hard, stay in school and take responsibility for the future. So ended the...
Best friends at Manual are busy writing a success story
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For Ballard, little fixes may add up
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the 2011 race for mayor. Democratic challengers are already lining up to take on Mayor Greg Ballard, and the mayor has taken what his people call “concrete steps” toward a re-election bid....
Sparks fly early in 2010, '11 races
As summer winds down, let’s talk about five hot political stories. 1. The 2011 mayoral race is on. Former Indianapolis Deputy Mayor Melina Kennedy recently filed paperwork to create an exploratory committee, joining Indianapolis businessman...
