From a rocky start, the Indiana General Assembly has settled into a more contemplative, polite and even productive mode in the second half of its session.Winners
Sheriff Ken Fries: Worried about drivers’ ability to hear police sirens – especially considering the amount of electronics in today’s vehicles – Fries works to make sure newly purchased sheriff’s department cars are equipped with sirens that are twice as loud as before.
J.K. Rowling: “Harry Potter” creator donates $15.4 million for center to research multiple sclerosis, the disease that killed her mother. The center, at the University of Edinburgh, will also study other degenerative neurological diseases.
Health care reform: Seventy-five Indiana employers, government agencies and unions that offer health insurance will benefit from the new law, helping pay for health coverage of retirees age 55 to 65.
Billy Osterholt: The owner of Ajax Tool, avid golfer and member of Orchard Ridge Country Club expressed an interest in helping the Lifetime Sports Academy before his death in May at 59. This week, the Billy Osterholt Golf Outing and Auction – also called “Howdy Boys” after his catchphrase – at Orchard Ridge raised more than $12,000 for the academy.
Big Ten: Realignment of the now 12-team conference keeps IU and Purdue together in one division, Michigan and Michigan State in another.
Milestones
Airlines: Government regulators OK merger of United Airlines and Continental, creating the world’s biggest airline. Merger expected to be completed by Oct. 1.
Iraq: U.S. military engagement officially ends. Cost so far: $700 billion, more than 4,000 U.S. lives and as many as 106,000 Iraqi lives.
Plastic bags: California took steps to becoming first state to ban single-use bags, but lawmakers ultimately defeated it. Look for this effort to return.
Losers
Bedbugs: U.S. households fighting an infestation, with EPA warning against use of pesticides not intended for indoor use and of pest-control businesses making unreasonable claims.
Lake County politics: In yet another blow supporting the northwest Indiana county’s corrupt image, the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles rules that the Democratic candidate for Lake County assessor is not a state resident and fraudulently sought a driver’s license.
