Indiana Writers Group column for May 30 and thereafter 700 words By Andrea Neal     In 1998, right after tests revealed what one expert called “gross deficiencies” in civic knowledge of students, political leaders and educators called for immediate reform of K-12 civic education.     The latest test results are in, and nobody’s cheering. “Civics scores have remained essentially unchanged since 1998 for eighth and twelfth graders,” the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported May 16.     Modest…

A Tale of Two Indiana Election DaysIndiana Writers Group column for May 16 and thereafter 745 words By Andrea Neal     A pilot project in Wayne County that replaced 31 precinct polling places with just four centralized voting centers is getting good reviews. Considering the disaster that occurred in Marion County on primary day, Indiana might want to adopt the Vote Center idea statewide in time for the 2008 presidential election.     The concept would reduce…

Indiana Writers Group column for May 9 and thereafter 686 words By Andy Horning Tornadoes kill about 50 people nationwide every year, around 40 percent of them in mobile homes. So legislation known as “CJ’s Law” and other “making a statement” laws are passed with noble intent. But let’s think beyond good intentions for a moment. The law doesn’t offer assistance of any kind. It simply makes it illegal to live in a new or…

Indiana Writers Group column for May 2 and thereafter 746 words By Andrea Neal     Scratch privatization from the list of causes of the inmate disturbance at New Castle Correctional Facility. If you put the same Arizona offenders in a state-run prison, they’d have done the exact same thing.     You can’t move convicts miles from home, take away their cigarettes and their private reading material, and expect everyone to just get along. While any injuries to…

Indiana Writers Group column for release April 25 and thereafter Digital mug shot available on request 556 words By Matthew Carr If Indiana’s charter-school program is to survive, it will have to grow. Critics are right that the proficiency rates of charter schools here are, on average, lower than the statewide rates. Indiana charter schools, however, are located in only a few areas of the state, primarily Indianapolis and Gary, targeting children with some of…

Indiana Writers Group column for April 18 and thereafter 730 words By Andrea Neal     INDIANAPOLIS — As Indiana lawmakers enter 11th hour negotiations over tax and spending plans, a joke by author/humorist Peg Bracken comes to mind: “Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200 and a substantial tax cut save you 30 cents?”     No matter how earnest the calls for property tax relief, history tells us that modest cuts in one tax are…

Will This Be a Silent Spring? The Death of Two RobinsIndiana Writers Group column for release April 11 and thereafter By German Cruz Two male robins were found dead in my back yard. A tragic and rare event that begs some sort of explanation to comfort our grieving hearts. Was it global warming that caused them to abandon their winter home in Texas to return among us only to be beaten by the snow and…

Indiana Writers Group column for April 4 and thereafter 730 words By Andrea Neal     When it comes to corn-based ethanol, what’s good for Indiana corn farmers may not be so good for the rest of the world.     Demand for ethanol – the alternative fuel made by fermenting and distilling crops and their residues – is being blamed for everything from higher feed prices facing livestock farmers in the Midwest to higher tortilla prices fueling protests…

For release March 28 and thereafter A digital mug shot is available on request 607 words   By Dr. Jeff Abbott It is often difficult for patrons of an Indiana public school district to determine from media reports or even from the districts’ web sites whether their local school board has enough information to consider in sufficient depth the economic impact of a bond issue on its community.   For example, in my hometown the…