Indiana Writers Group column for July 26 and thereafter 730 wordsby Andrea Neal     On July 17, inmates at the new Plainfield Educational Re-Entry Facility began earning college credits in one of three tracks intended to help them land jobs after prison.     The hospitality track will prepare them to work in hotels, restaurants and service industries. The logistics management track will open doors in purchasing and supply, transportation and distribution. The entrepreneurship track will teach skills…

Indiana Writers Group column for July 19 and thereafter 566 words By T. Norman Van Cott It seems as if it were only a few weeks ago that Hoosier opinion-makers were obsessing about Wal-Mart’s negative impact on Indiana. Wal-Mart’s offense? Low prices. Wal-Mart’s marketing technology, including its access to low-cost foreign suppliers, was chipping away at the Hoosier fabric. Nationally it was the same tune. Indeed, Wal-Mart crisis mongering saturated the media culture, college classrooms…

Targeting Freshmen on Path to Dropping OutIndiana Writers Group column for July 12 and thereafter 740 words By Andrea Neal     INDIANAPOLIS – If Hoosiers didn’t already grasp the extent of the dropout crisis, they do now. The 17th annual “Kids Count” data book, just released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, labeled our high school dropout rate –- 13 percent a year — the worst in the nation. That report came just days after…

Indiana Writers Group column for July 5 and thereafter 744 words by GEOFFREY SEGAL for the Indiana Policy Review Foundation Now that the dust has settled on the lease of the Indiana Toll Road (ITR), Hoosiers should be all smiles. To put it simply, Indiana got a great deal. Last week when Macquarie-Cintra took over the toll road they handed the state a check for $3.85 billion. If nothing else, this will fully fund the…

Editors: Andrea Neal’s series on the state of the Indiana public school system can be run daily in series beginning June 1 or weekly in place of the Indiana Writers Group, which will resume July 5. Captioned color digital photos are available on request. Giving Up on Geyer: A School That Couldn’t Be FixedFirst in a series Indiana Writers Group column for June 1 and thereafter 770 words By Andrea Neal     FORT WAYNE, Ind. –…

By Jim McClure and Norman Van Cott Do immigrants slice themselves a piece of the U.S. economic pie at the expense of Hoosiers and other Americans? Judging from the xenophobic backlash against immigrants, many Americans apparently accept this assessment. As a result, immigration now connotes U.S. international charity. Public debate focuses on whether the United States can "afford" immigrants. Casting immigration as a test of American compassion obscures a rational appraisal of its costs and…

Editors: This column on Indiana agricultural subsidies can be further localized by inserting as marked the data for your county, region or congressional district. Indiana Writers Group column for May 17 and thereafter 840 words by Eric Schansberg In developed countries over the last century, relatively free markets and massive technological advances have resulted in staggering increases in productivity. However, hundred-fold increases in productivity have not been matched by hundred-fold increases in consumption — and…

Indiana Writers Group column for May 10 and thereafter 750 words By Andrea NealLawmakers with long tenure in the Indiana General Assembly should make note of a refreshing trend. Voters are imposing term limits. It happened twice in the May 2 primary: to Senate President Bob Garton of Columbus, a 36-year veteran, and to Rep. Mary Kay Budak of LaPorte, a 26-year member of the Indiana House. Two years ago, it happened to Larry Borst…