Articles
Governor Daniels' Weekly Wrap-up: 2/20/08
A look at news and events in the Daniels Administration
Volume 2, Issue 69
February 11-17, 2008
Governor visits
Feb. 13, 2008- Governor Daniels stopped in
"It's not about the week, it's about the men," Daniels said. "I try not to miss an opportunity to visit anyone who's ever served. If you don't go away from here thankful, then you haven't reflected on the experience," said Daniels.
More than 98,000 veterans are cared for in VA medical centers across the country.
Earlier in the day, the governor paid a quick visit to the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) call center located in
Feb. 13, 2008- A standing-room-only crowd of 300
After highlighting the governor's service in the White House administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Anderson University President James Edwards introduced the Governor, saying, "We are so glad he came back to lead the state of Indiana in our resurgence."
Daniels spent the majority of time fielding questions about his property tax plan. Other questions ranged from education to health care.
The governor holds an honorary doctorate from
Governor takes property tax relief plan on the road
Feb. 14, 2008- Governor Daniels traveled across the state this week to discuss his property tax plan with Hoosiers across the state. The governor's plan would permanently cap property tax bills with a one percent circuit breaker on homes, two percent on rental property and three percent on businesses.
At a Whitley County Lincoln Day Dinner on Wednesday, the governor voiced his optimism that the reform plan would soon be completed.
"There will be changes, I am sure of that," he said. "But I believe that we have a really good chance that we will still accomplish our goals."
The governor stayed overnight in Churubusco and joined Noble County residents for breakfast the following morning at a town hall style meeting at St.
"We're aiming at the biggest tax cut in the state's history," Daniels said. "This is about putting money back in taxpayer pockets."
Daniels appoints
Court of Appeals
Feb., 15, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels announced that he has selected the Honorable Elaine Brown, Dubois Superior Court, to the Indiana Court of Appeals for the Fifth District.
The vacancy was created by the upcoming May 3 retirement of Judge John Sharpnack, who was appointed to the court in 1991. Brown's appointment is effective May 5.
"The committee provided me with another superb group of nominees. The decisive factor, for a court that principally hears criminal cases, is that Elaine is a proven law and order judge with a long record of firmness in sentencing and sensitivity to victims' rights," said Daniels.
Brown, 54, of Jasper, has served three terms as Dubois Superior Court judge. She was elected in 2004 and began her current term January 1, 2005; Brown had served in the same capacity from 1987 to 1998, but did not seek re-election at the time to live and work in
Superior Court Alcohol and Drug Program last year, which assesses and refers for treatment many defendants convicted of crimes involving substance abuse. Brown also is the president of the Dubois County Substance Abuse Council and is on the Dubois County Community Corrections Advisory Board.
Brown earned her undergraduate and law degrees from
Governor's schedule for February 20-21
Wednesday, February 20
-Governor Mitch Daniels will be joined by environmental and industrial representatives and state officials to sign Senate Enrolled Act 45, the Great Lakes Compact.
2:30 p.m.
Governor's Office
Thursday, February 21
-Governor Daniels will be joined by Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Commissioner Ron Stiver to announce that BMV is opening its 100th auto dealership offering BMV services and to discuss improved customer service for
9 a.m.
Napleton Auto Werks
Schererville
-The governor will join executives from a
10 a.m.
Radisson Hotel (Palace Room)
-The governor will join executives from 3D Machine for a tour of their downtown Goodland facility. Last year, the company announced it will expand its operations here, creating 27 new jobs and bringing more than $3 million in capital investment.
12:45 p.m.
3D Machine
323 South
Goodland
-Governor Daniels and
3:45 p.m.
-The governor will give the keynote address at the Tippecanoe County Lincoln Day Dinner.
6:45 p.m.
5526 State Road 26 East
IN THE NEWS
Governor: Next leg of Hoosier Heartland to break ground in fall
By: Dorothy Schneider
2/14/2008
Construction on the region's portion of the
Gov. Mitch Daniels this morning announced his plans to start the road's final section this fall and finish in 2013.
He made the announcement during a phone call to a quarterly meeting of the Hoosier Heartland Corridor Community Action Coalition.
"That's a good bit quicker than what the previous plan was," said Mark Davis, a local lobbyist for the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor Inc. He was attending this morning's meeting.
Earlier state plans called for construction of the final stretch - a 35-mile segment costing between $400 million and $500 million - to begin in 2010.
"It's good news that we're going to get those to purchase. It will help people to relocate and get on with their lives," he said.
The purpose behind the new route is to give drivers a safer route than
The new road will replace
For more on this story, read Friday's Journal & Courier.
By: Adam Jacskon
2/15/2008
His response? In so many words -- suck it up and tighten that belt.
Daniels received a warm welcome Thursday from area residents who gathered in
More than 50 people packed into the back dining room at Christo's Family Dining to listen to the governor, who expressed confidence that House Bill 1001, which calls for caps on property taxes, would survive the legislative process relatively unscathed.
"It is the places where people are complaining the most about this bill that are the places where they have been spending the most in recent years," he said. "This is about putting money back in taxpayer pockets."
At the heart of the bill is Daniels' plan to place a circuit breaker cap on property taxes for both home and business owners. If the bill is passed as authored, homeowners will eventually pay a maximum property tax of one percent of their home's assessed value, with taxes on rental units and businesses capped at 2 and 3 percent, respectively.
Opponents of the measure claim it will take sorely-needed funding away from local governments and schools. However, Daniels said that other measures, including adding a penny to state sales tax and empowering local governments to make slight increases in income taxes, would help offset the lost revenues.
Besides, he said, the plan would not cut funding to local governments, it would simply reduce the rate at which that funding would increase.
"When people say that they are going to lose this money, that is not correct," Daniels said. "For local governments, there will be more money as they move forward, just not as much as they expected."
Daniels said he hopes that the plan will encourage local governments to curb excessive spending.
"I do believe it is way past time for these (governments) to examine why they have so many units ... so much of everything," Daniels said. "This is about putting taxpayers first."
And taxpayers like Sharone Smith, vice president of the Real Estate Investors Association of North Central Indiana, are all for it. As the owner of multiple rental properties, Smith said she was hit hard by a reassessment that saw her property taxes increase exponentially.
"Our community is suffering because of property taxes," she said. "I am trying to give my tenants a quality home at a price they can afford, but my costs keep rising.
"These are people who can't afford to buy a home. This is like taxing the poor," Smith said.
James Foster of
"Our tenants who are on disability or welfare or with low income, when I raise their rent, they have to do without something," he wrote. "It is a lose-lose situation for everyone."
Smith also said she was in favor of making up for the decrease in property tax revenue by increasing the sales tax and possibly, increasing income taxes slightly. That way, she said, the burden does not rest solely on the shoulders of property owners.
"What could be more fair than spreading this out among all taxpayers," Smith said.
Will House Bill 1001 make it though the Senate without crumbling? Daniels said he has confidence that the core issues he hopes to address will be retained, even if the bill is changed during the legislative process.
"There will be changes, I am sure of that," he said. "But I believe that we have a really good chance that we will still accomplish our goals."
Silver set from ill-fated USS Indy a gold mine for display
The
By Robert King
2/12/08
At $1.5 million, this is not your typical family silver set.
The hors d'oeuvre tray, which bears an inscription of the Soldiers and
The 28 1/2-inch-wide oval centerpiece, a deep-dish thing probably used for serving meat, is inscribed with the words "From the School Children of Indiana." It was appraised for $36,000.
Pricey as the collection is, the 39-piece presentation silver set has a value far beyond appraisals. Recently acquired by the Indiana World War Memorial Museum, the collection of gravy boats, water pitchers, teapots and other items will be formally unveiled today at a private ceremony.
The silver represents one of those rarest of Hoosier history artifacts - tangible remains of the USS Indianapolis, a ship that's been resting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean since it was sunk in 1945, a disaster that would claim the lives of 880 sailors. Officials with the museum have worked more than a year to win custody of the silver.
The set was unloaded from the ill-fated
That a warship would carry silver ice cream servers and bon-bon platters is a quirk of naval history few without sea legs know about, museum director Ethan Wright said.
Traditionally, new ships have been put to sea with sets of presentation silver - more for display but occasionally for fancy dining. This silver set may have been used to serve President Franklin Roosevelt, who occasionally used the USS Indianapolis as his personal transport vessel.
But its history goes back much farther than World War II.
The silver set was presented in 1896 to the USS Indiana, a battleship that served in the Spanish-American War, as a gift from the people of
Originally costing about $8,000, the silver was bought with the nickels of schoolchildren from around
The now-defunct Indianapolis News started the drive with an editorial calling for contributions. Tiffany & Co. won the bid to craft a set that was to be adorned with emblems of all things
The silver set might have been at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, along with the ship itself, had the USS Indianapolis not been ordered to leave
Of a crew of 1,197, only 317 survived. Many who survived the torpedo explosions ied in the following days from shark attacks.
After the war, the silver was eventually passed along to three other ships - most recently the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. Some of the pieces remained in
The rest of the silver was delivered to the museum in the past month, after a year and a half of efforts to reunite the entire set, including a request made to the Navy by Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Museum collections manager Donna Schmink was among the first to pull the newly returned pieces from their boxes. She likened the experience to what it must have been like for Egyptologists to find King Tut's face mask.
"It was just thrilling," she said. "It is absolutely beautiful. It is breathtaking."
The pieces will be on display at the museum and the governor's mansion.
