Berry Street Beacon

• FANTABULOUS FOGERTY AND AN EVENING IN THE WINDY CITY

  Finally, I made it to see John Fogerty of old CCR fame and on his own since about 1972.  December 1, 2007,  I had purchased a ticket for his concert at the Murat in Indianapolis, but the weather turned ugly with ice and sleet beginning at about 3:00 in the [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 2:24pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DANIELS HIRING FREEZE THAWS QUICKLY FOR HIS REPUBLICAN SENATE

  Number of comments: 4
  I read everyday about the Indiana budget and how education, salaries, social programs, etc. must be trimmed in order to ward off the state’s financial problems.  So what does the Little Napoleon do? Here is the release in the Journal-Gazette: Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, sent out a statement [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:52am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PFIZER FOLLY- CORPORATE GIANT BETRAYS NEW LONDON 4 YEARS AFTER EMINENT DOMAIN FIASCO

  Number of comments: 4
  Four years after one of the most disastrous Supreme Court eminent domain “takings” cases in recent history, Pfizer will vacate its facility in New London, Connecticut.  Pfizer in cooperation with the City of New London wouldn’t be stopped by mere private property rights.  But just like child who covets a [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 2:12pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PIQUA PRESERVATION AND GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS

  Number of comments: 4
  Last week I drove down to southern Ohio to see one of my sons and his family.  I take a fairly regular route, heading southeast out of Fort Wayne on U.S. 27 to Decatur and then picking up U.S. 33 through St. Marys.  Just outside Sidney, Ohio, I hop onto [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:54am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• HAYHURST FOCUSES WHILE SOUDER SPUTTERS

  Number of comments: 10
  Mark Souder has decided the best way to deal with the issues of the Third District is, well, to just ignore them for what he mistakenly believes are better pickins.  Souder, with his little pea-pickin’ right-wing conservative heart, is dodging and weaving like a boxer trying to avoid punches and [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 5:56pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST

  How many times do we need to learn a lesson?  The cause in Afghanistan is not winnable.  So listen to the John Fogerty song once again and see if you can learn anything.   And, if you can’t, then I really feel sorry for you. [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 12:39am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• A DRUGGED OUT NATION

  Number of comments: 10
  While Mark Souder whines and vents about the “War on Drugs” and focuses on restricting marijuana, perhaps he should take a look around at the unbelievable number and kinds of prescription drugs that have us – as a nation – drugged to the hilt. I receive the AARP magazine – a [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 11:04pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• LETTERMAN NEEDS TO EXIT – STAGE RIGHT

  Number of comments: 10
  This past week, in a blatant show of protecting his butt, David Letterman made a mockery of his show, his marriage, his fans, and the women with whom he works.  Letterman’s performance was pure CYA.  As he alternately apologized and joked about his now-infamous indiscretions with his subordinates on the [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 9:14pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• ARMY CORPS TO BEGIN “TAMIAMI TRAIL” REVERSE ENGINEERING FEAT

  Number of comments: 4
  Normally, I have little use for the Army Corps of Engineers.  After all, they are the ones who have worked hand-in-hand with the City to build the ugly concrete walls in Fort Wayne that were erected to stop flooding in a number of areas.  Unfortunately, stopping flooding in some areas [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2009, 7:20pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SOUDER SCROUNGES FOR DONATIONS

  Number of comments: 8
  Throwing out his old, worn standard – the Liberals are coming, the Liberals are coming – Souder has already saddled up his trusty steed of conservatism and started to send out letters soliciting donations.   Whining that he is a “good” conservative, he is now portraying himself as a poor, beleaguered [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2009, 4:06pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPUBLICAN ANGST OVER ACORN LEADS TO UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

  Number of comments: 10
  The angst over ACORN has led to introduced legislation that – whoops – well sweeps in such entities as military contractors and could conceivably lead to defunding of some of the military-industrial giants.   Representative John Boehner, the ever-omnipotent partisan pol from Ohio, has introduced H.R. 3571 – Defund ACORN Act. Ah, [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2009, 1:12am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• COMPETITON IN HEALTH INSURANCE BUSINESS A MYTH

  Number of comments: 10
  Competition in the health insurance business is a myth.  Those who oppose President Obama’s public option are crying foul that a public option would tilt the insurance coverage playing field unfairly.  Bull – the health insurance field is already tilted in favor of just a few insurance companies and is [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2009, 6:51am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• BOOT THE BLUES – DOGS THAT IS

  Number of comments: 10
  What do Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth, and Baron Hill have in common?  They have decided to enter into the ranks – 52 in all – of the Blue Dogs, or more accurately, as newer members of Congress are called the “Blue Pups.”  Just what is a Blue Dog?  The Blue [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 1:20am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CODIE ROSS FOR STATE HOUSE

  In a classic match up involving stagnation and the status quo – represented by Dick Dodge – confronted with energy, youth, and new ideas – represented by Codie Ross – the evolving 51st Indiana House race has captured state attention albeit luke-warm.  But we can change that.  Howey Politics Indiana, [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 11:41pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPUBLICANS SHOOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT – HOBBLE OFF IN THE SUNSET

  Number of comments: 10
  What was supposed to be a unified Republican uprising against the “socialist” agenda hidden in President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren has turned into a full rout of Republican antagonists.  Tucking their tiny little tails between their crooked little legs, Republicans have found little comfort in the non-issue that was to [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 10:35pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• AND SO, MY FELLOW AMERICANS: ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU – ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.

  Number of comments: 10
  I would imagine most Americans of any age would recognize the above quote from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of January 20, 1961.  Amazing isn’t it that such a quote holds so much meaning to so many and has been and still is often repeated. Yet, almost 50 years later, our President is [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2009, 4:36pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPUBLICAN IDIOCY CONTINUES OVER OBAMA ADDRESS TO SCHOOL CHILDREN

  Number of comments: 10
  President Obama is planning to address the nation’s school children next week.  Of course, Republicans are having a hissy fit and throwing out all kinds of statements accusing Obama of potential indoctrination of the millions who may be allowed to listen to his remarks.   Heaven forbid, our children may just [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 11:27pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE HORRORS OF EGG PRODUCTION

  Number of comments: 2
  I have been a vegetarian for almost 20 years now.  I have still been eating eggs about once or twice a month, but after watching this video, I won’t be eating any more eggs. Enough said and seen. [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 11:45pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• WEST BADEN SPRNGS AND FRENCH LICK- FINALLY

  Number of comments: 4
  Last week was our annual Democratic Party IDEA Conference. This is the first one I have attended, but it won’t be my last. The conference was held in French Lick, Indiana, at the French Lick Resort and Casino – an enormous complex which includes two hotels, golf courses, and every [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 11:22pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• AS THE LION FADES – TED KENNEDY

  Number of comments: 10
  Ted Kennedy – better known as the Lion of the Senate – has terminal cancer.  His days are numbered.  But while the most infamous indiscretion of his life forever kept him from running for president and haunted him the rest of his days, he will always be known as a [...]
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  Posted: August 22, 2009, 1:37am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CODIE ROSS – CHANGE FOR INDIANA’S 51ST HOUSE DISTRICT

  Sometimes, it is just time for change.  That change needs to take place in Indiana’s 51st House District race in 2010.  The current incumbent, Dick Dodge, is a likeable enough person, but he is languishing in his role as the representative of an area that encompasses the entire area of [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2009, 10:55pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• HAYHURST IN FOR 2010

  Number of comments: 10
  Hayhurst is in – three words that his supporters have been waiting to hear for months.  While many of us knew this informally to be the case for quite some time now, it wasn’t official since Tom had not formally announced his intentions.  However, today’s JG carries an article by [...]
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  Posted: August 16, 2009, 8:07am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CALHOUN STREET – TWO-WAY TO BECOME THROUGH WAY TO E. STATE?

  Number of comments: 3
  The proposed Calhoun Street reconstruction into a two-way avenue provides no solution to the downtown’s traffic problems.  The two-block stretch which is to be converted to two-way traffic in a $1,000,000 + project, will restructure the street for two whole blocks.  Not much of an area in comparison to the [...]
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  Posted: August 15, 2009, 12:37am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SARAH PALIN: HOLY HOPPIN’ HEALTH CARE HYPOCRISY – PUSHES END-OF-LIFE PLANNING IN 2008 – CRIES THE SKY IS FALLING IN 2009

  Number of comments: 10
  In what has to be one of the most stunning turn-abouts in political pandering, Palin now believes in death panels despite the fact that she declared a “Healthcare Decisions Day” in Alaska just a little over a year ago.  Here is her proclamation for digestion: Healthcare Decisions Day WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2009, 11:52pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CITY TO HOLD “END-OF-LIFE” PLANNING SEMINAR

  Number of comments: 8
  Recently Representative Mark Souder hopped off the deep end by suggesting that a part of one of the health care reform bills would steer seniors to commit suicide.  The section to which he was referring was the advanced directive provision section that would provide an opportunity for citizens to learn about [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2009, 6:43pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPRESENTATIVE SOUDER NO FRIEND TO VETERANS

  Number of comments: 3
  Several years ago Mark Souder threw up his hands in disgust and told veterans that if they pushed too much they would lose everything in Fort Wayne.  Souder offered no support, no encouragement – all recorded on an a DVD for posterity. Cowardice comes to mind.  His position at that time [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2009, 12:26am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SOUDER INSANITY – HEALTHCARE BILL WILL STEER SENIORS TO SUICIDE

  Number of comments: 9
  Just when you think he couldn’t lose any more marbles, Souder proves us wrong.  In an article written by Sylvia Smith and published in the Journal-Gazette, Souder unabashedly proclaimed,  “The health insurance bill being written by congressional Democrats “will probably steer people to use public funds to kill themselves.”  Souder [...]
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  Posted: August 08, 2009, 7:07am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• INVASIVE BURMESE PYTHONS SETTLE IN FLORIDA

  Burmese pythons, one of the largest snakes in the world and native to Southeast Asia, have been on the increase in Florida since 1992, thanks to the international pet trade.  The native habitat of Burmese pythons in Asia is a climate match for much of the southeastern United States.  Originally [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2009, 9:23pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DELUSIONAL DOBBS

  Number of comments: 10
  Lou Dobbs has become delusional in his old age.  Despite the fact that the election is going on 9 months old, and Obama was clearly elected president, Dobbs continues his fanatical harping about Obama’s birth certificate.  CNN, placed in a delicate position, has put the kibosh – kinda – on [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 9:58pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• NORTH RIVER DEVELOPMENT – WRONG TIME – WRONG PROJECT

  Number of comments: 9
  The North River issue has finally crept back into the headlines with the news that a local architectural firm, MSKTD (short for MOAKE SHELDON KRATZAT THOMPSON DEARING), has prepared a $163 million downtown project for the 29-acre site which may contain hazardous materials left over from its previous owner, Omni [...]
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  Posted: July 27, 2009, 10:22pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• LEVELING THE TRADE PLAYING FIELD

  Number of comments: 1
  Outsourcing corporate entities would have us believe that changing or modifying free trade agreements to effect a more level playing field for American workers is – gasp – unAmerican.  What those corporate powers don’t want you to know is the depth to which our workers are truly affected. Last year, Japan [...]
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  Posted: July 27, 2009, 9:08pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• MY FIRST HELICOPTER RIDE – AND DEFINITELY NOT MY LAST

  Number of comments: 1
  For the last several years I kept thinking I would take the helicopter ride that comes with the Three Rivers Festival, but I never got around to it.  Boy, what was I thinking!  Today, I finally made the time to do it, and I have to say, I will be [...]
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  Posted: July 20, 2009, 12:17am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• NEW BMV RULES – SHADES OF BEN FRANKLIN’S FEARS

  Number of comments: 10
  Eight years after 9/11, the public is still surrendering to fear and willing to sacrifice “essential liberty” for a little bit of security.  Promulgated under the guise of protecting unsuspecting Hoosiers from identity theft, new Indiana BMV rules, which demand an expanded array of goodies to prove identity, will go [...]
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  Posted: July 19, 2009, 5:40am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE INTERSTATES – LOSING OUT ON AMERICANA

  Number of comments: 4
  The interstate system – championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the automobile manufacturers – was created by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.   The system today consists of 46,876 miles of multi-lane highways criscrossing our country.  Fort Wayne has Interstate 69 bypassing it on the west and the north [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 2:16am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE FALLACY OF REUSABLE TOTES

  Number of comments: 10
  The concept of the reusable tote is good in theory; however, in reality, reusable totes are no better than the plastic bags they are meant to replace.  And, here is why.  Check out the labels to see where the totes are made.  I have been taking stock of these totes [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 9:39pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DEVELOPING NATIONS WANT THEIR TURN TO TRASH THE ENVIRONMENT

  Number of comments: 1
  The G-8, meeting this week in Italy, ran into a spot of trouble when the developing nations of the world – primarily China and India – and the already-industrialized nations failed to reach an agreement on specific cuts in heat-trapping gases by 2050, undercutting an effort to build a global [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 9:08pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PALIN WALKS OUT ON ALASKA

  Number of comments: 10
  In a move that surprised almost everyone – save perhaps her family – Sarah Palin announced that she wanted to save Alaska from the horrible prospect of a  “lame-duck” governor.   Perhaps Palin does not understand the term lame duck.  Lame ducks are those politicians who are at the end of [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 11:05pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• RAISED BED GARDENING

  Number of comments: 7
  I have gardened now for about 40 years – typically the old-fashioned way plowing up ground and planting directly into the soil.  This year, I am trying something different – raised bed gardening.  My back yard in West Central is pretty small, but one of my friends and her husband [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 9:29pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PHARMACEUTICAL BEHEMOTHS BIG WINNERS WITH “MOTHERS ACT ”

  Number of comments: 10
  For those out there who dislike government – whether at a minimal level or an all out invasion – you should really ramp up on this Act.  Of course, before I write about this, let me make this disclaimer: some will find this Act entirely appropriate – after all it [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 12:39am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE COMING COTTON CRISIS

  Number of comments: 10
  “WHEN ONE TUGS AT A SINGLE THING IN NATURE, HE FINDS IT ATTACHED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD” John Muir had it right. Everything is connected – despite corporate powers that would have you think differently.  Everything we do and every step we take impacts some other fragment of our [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 1:13am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• “THE ARC OF THE MORAL UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT IT BENDS TOWARD JUSTICE”

  Number of comments: 6
  President Obama responded to the Iranian crisis by aptly quoting Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The universe will always bend toward justice – it may be a long trek and it will inevitably cost millions of lives, it will result in [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2009, 11:15pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN – AHH, MY FAVORITE SIGN

  Number of comments: 2
  I love traveling, but lately, I haven’t traveled the way I used to travel.  I have been to 40 of the 50 states with virtually all of my travels on my own, playing the radio or the CD player, and talking to myself – yes, I talk to myself – [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2009, 9:56pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• MY SHOPPING TRIP TO CHINA … AND HONDURAS … AND THAILAND … AND PAKISTAN

  Number of comments: 6
  This past week I had to do some clothes shopping – something I really hate to do.  I had an event to attend on Saturday night, so I thought I would buy something new to wear since I don’t have a lot of fancy clothes.  I was also out of [...]
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  Posted: June 19, 2009, 9:13pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DANIELS THE WHINER – RATHER THAN INSPIRE, DANIELS TRASHES BABY BOOMERS

  Number of comments: 9
  Daniels can’t think of too much positive to say since he has been pretty much non-existent this year during Indiana’s legislative session.   So at Butler University’s recent graduation at which he gave a speech, he decided to trash the “Boomer” generation with a mea culpa of  “don’t be like [...]
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  Posted: June 12, 2009, 9:39pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES

  Number of comments: 10
  Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. The above is from the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Ah, how horrible to be surrounded by a sea of water – salt water – and nary a drop to [...]
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  Posted: June 06, 2009, 12:37am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• MY FIRST FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

  Number of comments: 10
  I filed my first Freedom of Information Act request – better known as an “FOIA”  request – asking for information about Thieme Drive and the City’s plans to destroy it. I received a couple of calls from a city attorney to clarify a couple of items, but other than that, I [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2009, 11:51pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPUBLICANS PLAIN BIGOTED – AND PLAIN SCARED

  Number of comments: 9
  So far the Republicans have failed to instill in the American public a fear of Sonia Sotomayor.   But I have faith that they will keep trying.  However, as the public is introduced to Sotomayor, the Republicans will become more and more enraged that their bigoted tactics just aren’t going to [...]
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  Posted: June 04, 2009, 10:01pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SOTOMAYOR CRITICS – IT’S OKAY IF CONSERVATIVES ARE ACTIVISTS AND HAVE EMPATHY

  Number of comments: 10
  With all the squawking going on about Justice Sotomayor’s past statements, the din must have numbed the minds of the conservatives who have forgotten that some justices in their own party have held pretty much the same views as Justice Sotomayor.  So here are  just a couple of reminders – [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2009, 9:45pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• EVERYDAY HERO – JASON SCHECHTERLE

  Number of comments: 1
  Several years ago as I was surfing the web, I came across a truly amazing story of a young, 28-year-old, Phoenix  officer who was horribly burned in a crash involving a taxi cab driver who, while driving, suffered a seizure.  On that fateful evening in March 2001, Officer Jason Schechterle’s [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2009, 12:24am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DANIELS NEXT MOVE – DESTRUCTION OF INDIANA’S FORESTS

  Number of comments: 1
  In 2005 the Dynamic Duo of Daniels and Skillman put out its “Possibilities Unbound” plan which sets out guidelines to the destruction of our state’s environment.  Here is that portion of the Plan of Destruction that deals with Indiana’s best opportunities: Indiana’s best opportunities are in the hardwood, grains, oilseeds and [...]
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  Posted: May 29, 2009, 10:25pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• WOMEN – 50% OF THE POPULATION AND ONLY 11% OF THE SUPREME COURT

  Number of comments: 10
  Finally, after the Bush farce of selecting Harriet Miers in 2005 as his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace Sandra Day O’Conner, we now get the chance to have a woman once again claim a rightful seat to the high Court.  Bush and his advisers knew that selecting [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2009, 10:09pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PELOSI – WEAKNESS SHOWS IN CIA WATERBOARDING CONTROVERSY

  Number of comments: 10
  Despite the fact that I was proud to see the first woman chosen as the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has proven to be a bitter disappointment.  In almost every political news show I have watched where she has appeared, in almost every news conference she has held, she [...]
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  Posted: May 19, 2009, 1:12am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OUT OF TOUCH – OBAMA REACHES OUT TO SOOTHE

  President Obama was warmly welcomed at the University of Notre Dame – proving that many Catholic students, parents, friends, and relatives were able to keep a saner and calmer mind than the 35% of the Catholic hierarchy who decided to equate President Obama’s presence with Judas-like treachery. Apparently, the 35% have [...]
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  Posted: May 19, 2009, 12:16am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• OBAMA TO GO AFTER CORPORATE OFFSHORE TAX HAVENS

  Number of comments: 10
  In what will be a test of his ability to stave off powerful lobbies, President Obama will go after offshore tax havens used by corporations.  Originally established to ease a double tax burden for companies that set up operations overseas, the tax laws have provided havens for corporate avoidance of [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2009, 11:14pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PANIC OVER PUPPY MILLS - CALLOUSNESS OVER CAFOS

  Number of comments: 10
  Labeling is everything.  Recently, the Indiana legislature wound itself up over “puppy mill” legislation this session, but no one seemed to give a second thought to the treatment of animals that bear the label of  “here for your eating pleasure.” I just am not sure how people ignore the fact that [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 10:00pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• VERA BRADLEY INSANITY

  Number of comments: 10
  Well, the recent Vera Bradley insanity is over once again.  I can’t imagine how anyone would stand in line all night just to run in and buy a pile of merchandise that was, more than likely, made in China.  But, here’s to the good, old American capitalistic profit motive. Rush in [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 8:56pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• A NATION OF CHINESE JUNK

  Number of comments: 10
  I ventured out last week to the new Gordman’s located in yet another new mall constructed along Illinois Road.  It is located in the same mall as the new Target store.  All these stores sell pretty much the same thing – one item after another shipped in from some foreign [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2009, 11:38pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• COMING HOME - CALL CENTERS RETURNING HOME TO U.S.

  Number of comments: 5
  Companies can save 50 to 75 percent on their call centers by putting them overseas.   But does that savings translate into happy customers who will continue to buy a company’s product or use a company’s services?  Apparently not. In response to customer dissatisfaction with overseas call centers, Delta Airlines has become [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2009, 1:09pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• LIMBAUGH THE LOSER

  Number of comments: 10
  Rush has a problem – he simply detests the fact that American voters elected a Democrat as president for the next four years. And, to boot, a president who was labeled the “most liberal” in the Senate.  He can’t over it, and he has no intention of getting over it.  [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2009, 10:47am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CITY MANIPULATES THIEME DRIVE FLOOD CONTROL ISSUE

  And now, the rest of the story – the real story that is.  The City, through one of its engineers, continues to misrepresent and manipulate information about flood control measures along Thieme Drive located in the historic district of West Central.  The  City’s goal?  To build a wall along Thieme [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2009, 1:39am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• TARPONS, TURTLES, AND MANATEES

  Number of comments: 10
  When I lived in Palm Beach County, Florida – So Fla to Floridians -  we had such a variety of wonderful creatures surrounding us – as does all of Florida.  I have a picture of me standing on a golf course with a crocodile behind me.  Now, he or she [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2009, 4:23am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• APPALACHIAN RAPE - MOUNTAIN-TOP DESTRUCTION

  Number of comments: 3
  In a reversal of disastrous Bush Administration policies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning an aggressive review of permit requests which would allow mining companies to blow the tops off mountains in West Virgina and Kentucky.  Mountain top removal (MTR) is equivalent to lopping off a person’s head from, [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2009, 2:30am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• JUDGE RULES AGAINST HUNTINGTON RELIGIOUS TRAILER

  Number of comments: 10
  In a decision likely to draw fire from those who believe God and religion should be implanted into our children’s minds from the moment they leave the birth canal, a United States district judge, James T. Moody, has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Huntington School System from keeping a [...]
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  Posted: March 22, 2009, 10:53am EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• BARBIE AT 50 - UNABLE TO AGE GRACEFULLY

  This month “Barbie” turned 50 - the big 5-0.  And she sure has held her age well - in fact, she has refused to age at all.  Her youthful looks belie her years of accumulated wisdom, and she still maintains that perfectly coiffed look.  She has slimmed down and toned [...]
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  Posted: March 21, 2009, 10:09pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• ELDERLY WEST CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT THINKS HE STEPPED ON MY TOES

  Number of comments: 7
  It is no secret that I oppose a flood wall on Thieme Drive.  And, the neighborhood association also does not want a wall.  So when I am called an obstructionist by a certain neighborhood resident who lives at the end of Thieme Drive where it joins W. Washington - at [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• FAIRMOUNT PLACE - CONVOLUTED TRANSFERS RESULT IN $525,000 PRICE TAG OF FLOOD BUYOUT PROPERTY

  Fairmount Place has now become not only a site upon which a disputed structure was to be built but also the subject of how it landed in the hands of the Rescue Ministries.  In today’s Journal-Gazette, Tracy Warner details the convoluted journey of the property from the point of its [...]
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  Posted: March 15, 2009, 10:45pm EDT
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE GREAT BLACK SWAMP - OUR RIVER HERITAGE

  Number of comments: 8
  River front development in Fort Wayne, for the most part, is a phantom dream, and we should accept this fact.  Our City - and anyone who knows me understands that I love this City and where I live - sits at the end of the Great Black Swamp - a [...]
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  Posted: March 05, 2009, 12:32am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CITY COUNCIL SQUANDERS OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT WORTHY WOMEN’S SHELTER

  Number of comments: 1
  City Council couldn’t quite get its act together to make a decision that would have allowed a worthy and much-needed women’s shelter to begin construction.  Amidst bickering and heated debate, the Council voted to delay its decision on whether or not to vacate Fairmount Place - a ghost of a [...]
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  Posted: March 04, 2009, 11:49pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• A PANDORA’S BOX OF PARADIGMS

  Number of comments: 9
  The United States is lurching and convulsing through a shift in a number of paradigms related to issues such as energy independence, the role of capitalism, and the place of unbridled consumerism in our society.  The following are two definitions of paradigm. One that serves as a pattern or model. A set [...]
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  Posted: February 27, 2009, 1:33am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CHARIS HOUSE - CLASSIC NIMBY SYNDROME

  Number of comments: 10
  Tuesday night’s City Council chambers became the scene of the classic Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) nonsense that tends to surround the location of many group homes and shelters.  While many genuflect and pay homage to helping others through shelters and homes, when it comes to locating such an establishment [...]
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  Posted: February 27, 2009, 12:52am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SHELBY STILL PONDERING OBAMA’S CITIZENSHIP - GET OVER IT!

  Number of comments: 10
  Good Lord - get over it.  The election was three and a half months ago, yet some Republican blowhards simply can’t get past the fact that Obama is president despite effort after effort to derail his road to the Whitehouse.  Richard Shelby of Alabama  is still pondering whether or not [...]
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  Posted: February 22, 2009, 11:54am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON FACES TYPICAL DOUBLE STANDARD IN SOUTH KOREA PRESS QUESTIONS

  Number of comments: 4
  Deciding that matters of state are less important than Hillary Clinton’s views on love, the South Korean press corps perpetuated the alive-and-well attitude that women just don’t deserve the same respect as men when it comes to their roles in high government positions. Clinton has been traveling abroad this past week, [...]
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  Posted: February 22, 2009, 10:08am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• EPA THROTTLES DANIELS’ ATTEMPTS TO WEAKEN IDEM ENFORCEMENT

  Number of comments: 8
  Well, what do ya know - slick Mitch doesn’t have quite the slight-of-hand he thought he did.  After abolishing the enforcement arm of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), sliding the employees into the air, land, and water divisions, and changing the way in which evidence is used to [...]
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  Posted: February 21, 2009, 8:23pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CAFO LEGISLATION MOVES OUT OF COMMITTEES

  Maybe this will be the year the General Assembly decides to watch out for environmental interests rather than pork producers.  Several bills have been introduced this legislative session which attempt to regulate Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).  In years past, bills have been introduced and interest groups have kept them [...]
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  Posted: February 21, 2009, 5:33pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CAFOs HARBOR MRSA SUPERBUG

  Number of comments: 10
  The harm generated by confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) continues to increase - this time by generating a breeding ground for the superbug MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.  We usually think of MRSA as occurring in hospitals, nursing homes, or other health-care institutions where bacteria may flourish in residents with [...]
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  Posted: February 15, 2009, 8:39pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• REPUBLICANS - UNITED WE STAND BUT STILL FALL

  Number of comments: 10
  After eight years of disastrous deficit policies - six of those years under complete Republican domination - Republicans have now decided that party unity trumps all else - hey, they’ve got their groove on again.    They have turned into a bunch of whining, sore losers using their pulpits from an [...]
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  Posted: February 15, 2009, 10:40am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• AN ARTICULATE, INTELLIGENT, AND REASONED PRESIDENT - I LOVE IT!

  Number of comments: 10
  I listened to Obama’s first press conference last night, and I was taken aback.  Why?  Well, after eight years of a man who could barely string a coherent sentence together in desperate attempts to explain his imperialistic view of the world, we now have a president who can string together [...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 11:30pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PRIVACY RIGHTS FALL TO DESPERATE ANTI-CHOICE ULTRASOUND TACTIC

  Number of comments: 10
  When it comes to getting the government out of our lives, the anti-choice crowd exercises a double standard.  Senate Bill 417 introduced by Senator Jean Leising of Indianapolis mandates a woman considering an abortion shall obtain an ultrasound at least 18 hours before the abortion. To top it off, the [...]
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  Posted: February 06, 2009, 12:40am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• EIGHT IS ENOUGH - OR IS IT JUST PLAIN DUMB

  Number of comments: 10
  In today’s economy, giving birth to eight babies at one time is ludicrous.  The mother, apparently, saw an opening to further advance her financial prospects - either that or she has some fairly substantial mental issues.  Nadya Suleman already has six children ranging in age from two years to seven [...]
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  Posted: February 04, 2009, 10:49pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• ANTI-CHOICERS PUSHING HOSPITAL ADMITTING PRIVILEGES AT STATE LEVEL

  Number of comments: 8
  The Indiana Senate and House are again poised for a tussle over an anti-choice bill that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in the county in which the abortion is performed.  SB89 has been around the block before and has failed to [...]
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  Posted: February 04, 2009, 10:18pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CITY CONTINUES TO STRAIGHT-JACKET THE ST. MARYS

  Number of comments: 10
  The City doesn’t seem to want to quit messing up the banks of the St. Marys River.  After the Flood of 2003, the City requested a Section 205 Study of the St. Marys River for the purpose of deciding where more levees, walls, and earthen berms would be slapped up.  [...]
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  Posted: February 02, 2009, 12:05am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DANIELS CONTINUES ASSAULT ON INDIANA’S ENVIRONMENT

  Number of comments: 6
  The Little Emporer and two of his supporters - House Representative Phyllis Pond of New Haven and Senator Dennis Kruse of Auburn - have once again come up with an idea to assault Indiana’s environment.   House Bill 1047 - submitted by Pond and Senate Bill 0079 - submitted by Kruse [...]
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  Posted: January 24, 2009, 6:56pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• I, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

  Number of comments: 7
  With those four words, Barack Obama set sail - our Captain of the American enterprise with us as the crew - on a new journey in American history:  a history that all but chafed against such an event that occurred today in Washington, D.C.   With Obama’s inauguration, the words [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2009, 1:35am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CAFOs DAMAGE WATER QUALITY IN THE ST. MARYS RIVER

  Number of comments: 9
  In general, a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a very large Confined Feeding Operation (CFO)  that requires a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) System for discharges or potential discharges of water contamination. However, any animal production unit, regardless of size, that has had a significant pollution discharge or plans [...]
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  Posted: January 17, 2009, 7:21pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• BUSH - THE END OF AN ERROR

  Number of comments: 10
  I know that this reference isn’t new and has been bandied about for some time now, but it sure sums up my feelings about the departure of the 43rd president of the United States. From the moment Bush arrogantly swaggered into the White House vis-a-vis a slanted 5-4 decision by [...]
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  Posted: January 17, 2009, 9:58am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• THE POWER OF CLOSURE

  Number of comments: 3
  Today I closed two of my credit card accounts.  What a great feeling!  The one was paid off anyways and the other pulled the old lowering the credit line trick.  My credit line wasn’t that high to begin with, so it won’t be a major loss.  I have slowly been [...]
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  Posted: January 10, 2009, 9:28pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• PALIN POUTING NEVER ENDS

  Number of comments: 7
  Well, she’s at it again.  Sarah Palin just can’t stop whining about how the media dealt with her ditzy behavior and answers during the presidential election campaign.  Despite the efforts of FOX news to paint her as a much-suffering victim of the “liberal” media, Palin’s recent comments about Caroline Kennedy [...]
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  Posted: January 10, 2009, 8:35pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CAROLINE KENNEDY - MORE MEDIA GENDER BIAS?

  Soon after Hillary Clinton’s selection as the next potential Secretary of State, Caroline Kennedy made known her desire to fill the seat to be vacated by Senator Clinton. As the talk grew about her assuming the seat, so did the rise in criticism concerning her qualifications. Caroline Kennedy’s background: Caroline Kennedy is [...]
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  Posted: January 10, 2009, 7:21pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER - BUSH AND PALIN TEAM TO TRASH ENVIRONMENT

  Number of comments: 2
  Earthjustice - a legal environmental advocacy group - will be at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, arguing against an attempt by the mining industry - supported by President George “what environment” Bush and Alaska Governor Sarah “you betcha” Palin - to turn our nation’s waterways into industrial waste dumps. The [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 9:09pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• CONSTITUTIONAL PROPERTY CAPS BAD IDEA

  Number of comments: 8
  Attaching an amendment to a constitution is a serious matter, whether it be the United States Constitution or the Indiana Constitution.  Amendments take a lot to pass, and they become virtually set in stone once implanted into constitutions. So I have been anxiously watching the debate over whether or not to [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 12:18am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• MITCH DANIELS FOR PRESIDENT? ARE THEY NUTS?

  Number of comments: 10
  Since Daniels easy re-election bid this past November, a number of Republican party faithfuls have claimed to have had a moment of serendipity, touting Daniels as a “person to watch” in national politics, possibly at the presidential level. Hmm.  I believe we did watch him from 2001 to 2003 as [...]
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  Posted: January 04, 2009, 11:29pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• UPPITY REPUBLICANS MAY CHALLENGE DANIELS’ FSSA MESS

  The leaders of the insurrection are two Republican who just might introduce legislation to halt the roll out of changes to Indiana’s welfare intake process.  And, of course, the Guv isn’t happy about it.   Evansville lawmakers, state Sen. Vaneta Becker and Rep. Suzanne Crouch, are considering introducing similar bills in [...]
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  Posted: January 04, 2009, 11:01pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• FORT WAYNE WISH LIST INCLUDES $10 MILLION FOR NORTH RIVER PROJECT

  Number of comments: 2
  The U.S. Conference of Mayors has decided that cities might as well climb on the stimulus bandwagon along with the rest of the businesses and corporations in the country.  The Conference’s Main Street Economic Survey provided a vehicle by which mayors from numerous cities around the country tossed in their [...]
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  Posted: January 01, 2009, 1:08am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY DISCUSSION - DECEMBER 29TH

  Number of comments: 1
  A Health Care Community Discussion is being held at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night, December 29th.  The address is 5310 Old Mill Road. The discussion is a chance for those interested in health care issues to join in and express their opinions and to ask questions [...]
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  Posted: December 28, 2008, 9:01am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• DANIELS REMOVES ENFORCEMENT UNIT OF THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

  Number of comments: 3
  Building on his reputation for being a friend of big business and a not-so-good friend of the environment,  Daniels has decided that the environmental management division can manage just fine without an enforcement division.  In his “Possibilities Unbound Plan” of 2005, one of the Guv’s goals was to make Indiana [...]
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  Posted: December 26, 2008, 9:20am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• GAMING CASINO COMING TO FORT WAYNE? PLACE YOUR BETS!

  Number of comments: 1
  What appeared to be an idea that had little impetus a couple of years ago continues to gain steam.  Derreck Gingery of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly takes on the issue and provides pros and cons of bringing such an institution to Fort Wayne. Personally, I think we have enough [...]
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  Posted: December 25, 2008, 12:15pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• FRANTIC ANTI-OBAMA FANATICS STILL FILING FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS

  Number of comments: 8
  Yikes!  And this time it is two Hoosiers who have jumped on the proverbial “you ain’t no natural born citizen” bandwagon.   A number of the lawsuits have failed to gain traction and have been dismissed by judges across the country who have seen them for what they are - pathetic [...]
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  Posted: December 25, 2008, 11:25am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAIR GOES TO MITCH DANIELS - WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

  Number of comments: 7
  Okay - what were those governors thinking? Or whoever it was that was responsible for selecting a chair for the Great Lakes Compact regional council? Mitch Daniels as the chair is the classic fox guarding the chicken coop. And for those who aren’t quite sure what that means, let me [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2008, 9:12am EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• ALLEN COUNTY GM TO IDLE WORKERS

  Number of comments: 3
  In what could be a devastating move for the Midwest auto industry, GM has indicated it will close 20 plants temporarily early in 2009.   Six of those plants are in Michigan with the Allen County GM auto plant also set for closing.   The GM plant in Allen County will go [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2008, 7:02pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright

• SOUTHERN REPUBLICAN SENATORS CHOOSE THEIR FOREIGN CAR TIES OVER AMERICAN COMPANIES

  Number of comments: 5
  A number of key Republican senators who led to the defeat of the recent auto loan package have foreign-owned automotive companies in their states.   Senator Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, has emerged as Detroit’s leading nemesis during two sets of hearings.  He seems to be everywhere these days giving [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2008, 6:27pm EST
  by Charlotte A. Weybright