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IRAQ TO ADOPT TIMETABLE FOR U.S. COMBAT FORCES TO LEAVE: Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told the Associated Press on Thursday. .jpg)
U.S. officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed. The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad’s Green Zone - where the U.S. Embassy is located - to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations. The officials, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing, said all U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010, with the remaining support personnel gone "around 2013." The schedule could be amended if both sides agree - a face-saving escape clause that would extend the presence of U.S. forces if security conditions warrant it. U.S. acceptance - even tentatively - of a specific timeline would represent a dramatic reversal of American policy in place since the war began in March 2003.
DEM JITTERS ON OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Barack Obama released a television advertisement yesterday that questions John McCain’s claims to be a "maverick," and he charged in a campaign appearance that the Republican displays independence only when it suits him politically (Washington Post). Obama aides said Democratic hand-wringing about polls showing that the presidential race remains tight had nothing to do with the volleys. "We are not going to base our campaign on the concerns of so-called campaign strategists on cable TV," spokesman Bill Burton said. But the ad and the Democrat’s rhetoric in Indiana appeared to up the ante in a campaign that took a distinct turn toward the negative last week. "The price [McCain] paid for his party’s nomination has been to reverse himself on position after position," Obama told a crowd of more than 1,000 at a high school gym in Elkhart. "That doesn’t meet my definition of a maverick. You can’t be a maverick when politically it’s important for you but not a maverick when it doesn’t work for you." The parries come more than a week after his Republican opponent launched a string of increasingly personal attacks on Obama. McCain has said that his rival would lose a war in order to win a campaign, accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops, and, while aides asserted that he had "played the race card," hinted that Obama has a messiah complex and portrayed him as a celebrity comparable to Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. That final line of assault continued yesterday with a new McCain ad, again mocking Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world." Such attacks have raised worries among Democratic strategists — haunted by John F. Kerry’s 2004 run and Al Gore’s razor-thin loss in 2000 — that Obama has not responded in kind with a parallel assault on McCain’s character. Interviews with nearly a dozen Democratic strategists found those concerns to be widespread, although few wished to be quoted by name while Obama’s campaign is demanding unity. "Democrats are worried," said Tad Devine, a top strategist for Kerry who thinks Obama must stay on the high road. "We’ve been through two very tough elections at the national level, and it’s very easy to lose confidence."
OBAMA CAMPAIGN OFFICE MYTH: A visual survey of a majority of the Obama offices around the state reveals that they are nothing more than an assortment of vacant spaces, offices for other candidates, and county party headquarters (Frugal Hoosiers). In other words, the Obama presence in Indiana is a myth, a campaign of smoke and mirrors designed to give the impression that Indiana is up for grabs and Obama is investing millions to win here. In Lake County, for example, the Obama campaign has taken up residence in Congressman Visclosky’s headquarters. In South Bend, Obama is housed in the St. Joe County Democrat headquarters. In New Albany, he’s shacking up with Baron Hill. In Evansville, he’s sharing space with Congressman Ellsworth and Jill Long Thompson. Frugal Hoosiers has posted a photo of an abandoned store front in Muncie. "There have even been rumblings that the Obama campaign had grand openings for these offices but only had them on 10 day leases. It’s a complete sham," Frugal Hoosiers observed. "If you drive past the office here in Muncie , it is a vacant store front. No signs. No staff. No one home."
Indiana Governor
3 GUBERNATORIAL DEBATES ACCEPTED: The gubernatorial candidates will face off in three debates this September and October, spanning from Jasper in southern Indiana all the way to Merrillville in northwest Indiana (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). Both Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Democratic challenger Jill Long Thompson officially accepted the dates and sites the Indiana Debate Commission announced Thursday. The first debate will be Sept. 16 in Merrillville at the Star Plaza Theatre, the second will be Sept. 23 in Jasper at the Jasper Arts Center, and the third will be Oct. 14 in Bloomington at the Indiana University Auditorium. Under the arrangement, the Bloomington event functions as the central Indiana site. The Indiana Debate Commission is a non-partisan, statewide group of affiliate organizations formed this year to promote debates at the state level. Daniels’ campaign manager accepted the debates immediately. “The Indiana Debate Commission has worked diligently to organize debates,” Eric Holcomb said in a written statement. “Governor Daniels has agreed to participate in all three debates. Governor Daniels believes the debates will be an excellent opportunity for him to discuss with Hoosiers the great progress Indiana has experienced in the last four years and further share his positive vision for the future.” A few hours later, the Long Thompson campaign was officially on board as well. Kyle Niederpruem, spokeswoman for the commission, said details about the format must still be worked out. “We are fairly open to the format,” she said. “I think it’s the candidates who get sticky about it.”
INDIANA AFL-CIO OFFICIALLY ENDORSES LONG THOMPSON: Citing her record of standing up for working people and her vision for rebuilding Indiana’s struggling economy, the Indiana AFL-CIO officially endorsed Jill Long Thompson for Governor. A federation of 800 local unions and International Unions, the Indiana State AFL-CIO represents more than 300,000 working Hoosiers from around the state (Howey Politics Indiana). "The working men and women of the AFL-CIO are united in our commitment to make Jill Long Thompson our next Governor," said Indiana AFL-CIO President Ken Zeller. "Along with Dennie Oxley, she will work to bring real economic opportunity and good-paying jobs to every community of this state - and, after four years of Mitch Daniels’ failed policies - that will be a welcomed change." David Warrick, Executive Director of AFSCME Council 62, an affiliate of AFL-CIO added: "Jill Long Thompson has always stood with working people, and we are proud to stand with her now. She has the experience to lead our state forward, to grow the economy and to restore the promise Indiana once held for our citizens. We proudly endorse her candidacy and look forward to working alongside her over the next four years to put Indiana back on track." Other major unions that have previously endorsed the Long Thompson-Oxley team include: the United Steelworkers; the Service Employee International Union; Communication Workers of America; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; the American Federation of Government Employees; the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; the United Transportation Union; five local Teamster locals; the United Food and Commercial Workers Union; Indiana International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; and Local #446 of Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees. "Dennie and I are honored to have the support of the members of the AFL-CIO and its affiliates in this campaign," said Long Thompson. "We are in this race to rebuild our economy and give working Hoosiers across the state more economic opportunities." "As Indiana’s next Governor and Lieutenant Governor, we pledge to work with the men and women of the Indiana AFL-CIO to revamp our tax code, invest in education, attract new good-paying jobs and protect the jobs we have here in Indiana."
WHERE DOES IT LEAVE SEIU? AFSCME Council 62 – American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees – was one of two groups that primarily represented state workers before Daniels repealed collective-bargaining rights (Kelly, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). The other was the Unity Team – UAW/AFT Local 9212. Long Thompson has long pledged to restore collective bargaining rights for state employees, but the AFL-CIO and UAW wanted her to go further and promise to recognize the two unions that were elected previously to bargain for state employees. If not, a new organizing effort would have to be undertaken, and other unions could win the right to represent the 20,000 state employees. Those might include the Service Employees International Union, which so far has given $925,000 to Long Thompson’s campaign.
DANIELS ANNOUNCES JOBS IN JEFFERSONVILLE: A manufacturer of air filters will move 120 jobs from its New Albany plant and about 200 from Louisville sites to Jeffersonville’s River Ridge Commerce Center, company and Indiana officials announced yesterday (Louisville Courier-Journal). Clarcor Air Filtration Products, which has been known locally as Airguard Industries, will invest about $8.5 million in leasing and equipping a 600,000-square-foot building under construction at the former site of the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. "Thank you for the business," Gov. Mitch Daniels told company officials and a crowd of more than 200 local government and business leaders gathered under a tent yesterday near the new building off Ind. 62. "Indiana is proud to have you." State government is offering the company up to $200,000 in training grants and up to $3.6 million in tax credits if it brings in 425 new Indiana jobs — including those from Louisville but not the New Albany transfers — by 2012, said Mitch Frazier, director of media relations for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
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Economy
KEYSTONE LAYS OFF 290: Add another 290 people to the list of those looking for work because of the downturn of the recreational vehicle business (South Bend Tribune). Keystone RV Co. laid off 290 people Thursday, Ron Fenech, president and CEO at Keystone, confirmed. The layoffs were effective immediately and workers will not be receiving any severance, Fenech said. "These are not easy decisions we have to deal with," said Fenech in a phone interview. "We recognize when we lay off a person, it’s somebody who needs the income, and we don’t make the decisions lightly."
Congress
PENCE RETURNS TO DC FOR FLOOR PROTEST: After hosting two days of energy town hall meetings in Indiana, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence returned to Washington today to continue the floor protest he helped begin one week ago to urge Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call a special session of Congress to vote on an energy bill that allows more drilling. Pence’s statement follows: "One week ago, 50 House Republicans took this Hill on behalf of the right of every American to enjoy energy independence. Thanks to the leadership of John Boehner and Roy Blunt and thanks to the sacrifice being made by dozens of members of Congress and their families, we have held this Hill for one week. But still, there is no sign of Speaker Nancy Pelosi or any House Democrats in the People’s House. Republicans in Congress have taken this stand on Capitol Hill and across the nation in town halls and coffee shops to protest the fact that Congress took a five-week paid vacation without ever taking a vote on giving the American people more access to American oil. From the floor of Congress, to the farm fields of Indiana , I have heard from everyday Americans and they are with us … they think this Congress should go back to work immediately and pass energy legislation that allows more drilling into our domestic resources." (Howey Politics Indiana)
$10M IN DISASTER AID COMING: Indiana will receive $10 million is disaster assistance funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Columbus Republic). Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in a press release that the money would help Indiana communities’ efforts to rebuild homes and businesses. The money is part of a $2.65 billion disaster assistance package for Indiana and other Midwestern states approved by Congress in June.
Indiana General Assembly
JOHNSON FILES FOR HD19: A Crown Point man who lost his bid last spring to be the Republican candidate for the Indiana House District 19 seat by only 25 votes is giving it a second try (Times of Northwest Indiana). Bill Johnson announced Thursday he has filed to be a candidate in the Aug. 11 caucus of Republican precinct committeemen who will pick a new GOP opponent for state Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point. Johnson lost May 6 to fellow Crown Point Republican Andrew Webster, but Webster withdrew from the general election recently, citing undisclosed personal reasons. Jim Cuffia, a Crown Point civil engineer who made an unsuccessful independent bid for the District 19 seat in 2004, announced his candidacy for the job last month. Republicans have until noon today to file their candidacy. The caucus is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Lake County Republican headquarters in Crown Point.
Political Parties
WISMAN TO HEAD FLOYD DEMOCRATS: Marcey Wisman was unanimously chosen Tuesday to complete Randy Stumler’s term, which ends in March as party chair. And by all accounts, she was the only choice for local democrats (News & Tribune). “She will do a hell of a lot better than me in certain areas. She is better organized and does a great job of bringing people together,” said Stumler, who leaves this weekend for a teaching job in the Azores Islands. “She has a real good managing style and always thinks of other people.” Wisman’s first big test as party chairwoman will be to select a candidate for the Floyd County Council to place on the party’s ballot for the Nov. 4 election. Besides being party chairman, Stumler also was a candidate for one of the three at-large seats.
State
BERRY SAYS ASSESSING WILL BE STREAMLINED: The elimination of most township assessors should streamline the assessment process and make it easier for taxpayers to find someone in charge of the process, according to state Auditor Tim Berry (South Bend Tribune). Berry stopped by the office of St. Joseph County Auditor Peter Mullen on Thursday for a visit. He has been trying to visit all 92 Indiana counties to meet with local auditors to see if there are ways for the state and the counties to work together more efficiently. He talked about the hundreds of township assessors throughout the state who had their jobs eliminated July 1 by House Enrolled Act 1001. About 40 township assessors remain in office, including two in St. Joseph County, because the new law allows voters in larger townships to decide whether they should retain their offices. Voters in Penn and Portage townships will decide the issue in a November referendum. Berry expects some township assessors to survive the referendum and remain in office. But fewer assessors will lead to greater efficiency, Berry said. HEA 1001 does more than change the assessors’ jobs. It is a lengthy law with many elements, Berry said. Among its features is that it extends Circuit Breaker cap limits on property taxes to rental and business properties. A previous law had placed the caps only on owner-occupied homes.
WINE WHOLESALERS PRAISE RULING: The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Indiana (WSWI) praised today’s decision by the United States 7th Circuit Court of Appeals which recognizes Indiana’s vital interest in and efforts to keep alcohol out of minors’ hands (Howey Politics Indiana). In Baude v. Heath, the appeals court overturned a district court’s decision to eliminate the requirement for initial face-to-face transactions in alcohol purchases. This appeals court decision reinstates the need for proper age verification in instances where wineries, and other alcohol manufacturers, may ship products directly to consumers. Jim Purucker, executive director for WSWI, said, "Since the 21st Amendment passed 75 years ago, Indiana, like many other states, has relied on an effective alcohol distribution system with safeguards in place to keep minors from purchasing alcohol. Without the face-to-face transaction requirement, a minor could easily order alcohol from a winery online or over the phone, and have the alcohol delivered to his or her doorstep - all without legitimate age verification and with no accountability for the persons selling or delivering the alcohol. We are pleased the appeals court ruled strongly in favor of maintaining the face-to-face transaction requirement." Indiana employs a transparent and accountable three-tier alcohol distribution system requiring alcoholic beverages to be distributed from a manufacturer to a state-licensed wholesaler and then to a state-licensed retailer. In addition to successfully limiting underage access, this system is designed to protect tax collection and product integrity, as well as broaden consumer choice.
NEWSPAPER LAYOFFS: Some employees at the Vincennes, Ind., and Owensboro, Ky., newspapers have lost their jobs in recent days (Evansville Courier & Press). Kevin Kilmer, a former photographer, said he and others at the Vincennes Sun-Commercial were laid off Monday. The following day, it was the turn of employees at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, according to Karen Owen, a former reporter there. Both newspapers are owned by the Paxton Media Group, which has its headquarters in Paducah, Ky. Company executives had not returned several calls for comment by Thursday evening. Kilmer said the layoff came as a shock. Besides him, some employees in the newspaper’s newsroom and accounting department lost their jobs, he said, while others in the newspaper’s pressroom, mailroom and graphic-arts department were told they would be out of work by Aug. 24. The Vincennes newspaper soon will be printed somewhere in Kentucky, he said, although he wasn’t certain where. "They simply told me that due to economic conditions they were eliminating my position," said Kilmer, who said he had worked at the newspaper for 12 years and was the only full-time photographer on staff. Reporters will take photographs in the future, he said. Newspaper companies have been struggling to maintain revenue as advertisers have switched to using the Internet. Revenue from print advertising dropped 9.4 percent in 2007, according to the Newspaper Association of America. Few newspapers have escaped untouched. In July, the E.W. Scripps Co., based in Cincinnati, announced it would cut 13 jobs at both the Evansville Courier & Press and The Gleaner.
REGIONAL GRANT FOR CANOES: A few enthusiastic "paddlers" are already canoeing the Kankakee River, but more people should be venturing down creeks in Dyer, Lowell, Michigan City and Crown Point, if you ask Mitch Barloga. "We know the Kankakee can be canoed, but we don’t have any materials to market that," said Barloga, who is in charge of nonmotorized transportation at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (Post-Tribune). "It’s ready for implementation. It’s just a matter of getting some of the communities on board with landing places," Barloga said. NIRPC recently published its "Greenways & Blueways" plan, which maps current and potential outdoor recreational opportunities in Lake and Porter counties. Among the "blueways" in the plan are Lake Michigan, the Kankakee River, Salt Creek in Valparaiso, Coffee Creek in Chesterton, Turkey Creek in Merrillville, Cady Marsh Ditch in Highland, Plum Creek in Dyer, Cedar Creek in Lowell, Trail Creek in Michigan City, Turkey Creek in Crown Point, Deep River in Hobart, and the Grand Calumet River in Gary and East Chicago. All of those could potentially be used for canoeing and boating, but a few factors are missing to implement the plan. With a $75,000 grant from ArcelorMittal on hand, NIRPC is working on maps that can steer people to camps, emergency landings and places of interest along the way.
FEMA TO DISCUSS HOME BUYOUTS: Flood victims in unincorporated portions of Bartholomew County can learn about Federal Emergency Management Agency’s floodplain buy-out program at a public meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (Columbus Republic). The meeting is specifically intended for county property owners outside the city and town limits of Columbus, Edinburgh, Hope, Jonesville and Elizabethtown. The meeting will repeat a presentation previously provided for Columbus residents in July and will not include new information about a potential City of Columbus buy-out application.
Counties
WARRICK DENIES TRANSFER: For a second time, the Warrick County Council has denied the transfer of nearly $100,000 from the county’s Storm Water Management Department’s project fund to consulting fees (Evansville Courier & Press). The council vote was 4-3 against the transfer of $86,500. At a previous meeting, officials asked for a transfer of $96,500. The opposing votes were from councilmen Gary Meyer, David Hachmeister, Robert Addington and Tim Mosbey. They said they don’t think they need to be spending the money with an outside company to determine where the problem areas are in the county. "Let’s do two or three subdivisions and get something done," Mosbey said after the meeting. "I think our county engineer knows where our problem areas are in the county, in my opinion.
LAKE BREAKS HIRING FREEZE: The Lake County Council voted Thursday for a brief thaw in the two-week-old hiring freeze (Times of Northwest Indiana). Council members voted unanimously to permit Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter to hire three deputy prosecutors — each at an annual salary of $41,200 — to serve in the Lake Superior Court, county division, where thousands of minor crimes are adjudicated. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Barb McConnell and Peter Villareal, a high ranking deputy prosecutor, asked for permission to hire the three because two deputy prosecutors are leaving the office and a third is being promoted from the county division to the felony division within a few days. Carter told council members last week he has trouble with staff turnover because attorneys can earn more money in private practice. He said Lake County deputy prosecutors are among the lowest paid in the state. Lake County Council President Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, talked the prosecutor’s office into paying those salaries from nontax money.
Cities
TERRE HAUTE COUNCIL TO ADOPT HATE CRIME RESOLUTION: The Terre Haute City Council is widely expected next week to pass a resolution urging the State of Indiana to adopt hate crimes legislation (Terre Haute Tribune-Star). At its Thursday night “sunshine” meeting, councilmen and members of the public discussed the proposed hate crimes resolution, which calls on the state to “prohibit crimes that are committed against individuals or groups on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, and to prosecute those who are engaged in or encourage such harmful activity …” The resolution, which is sponsored by all nine city councilmen, is set to be voted on at next Thursday night’s regular council meeting. “This has been a hard battle,” said Muriel Ryan, political action chairwoman of the Greater Terre Haute branch of the NAACP. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she told the councilmen.
STORM WIPES OUT GRIFFITH OVERTIME BUDGET: The storm that cut through Northwest Indiana this week destroying homes and uprooting trees now is wreaking havoc on municipal budgets (Post-Tribune). In Griffith, town Public Works crews still were working shifts lasting 10 hours or more, even with help from work-release crews from the Lake County Jail, the state Department of Transportation, the County Surveyor’s Office, and from Schererville and St. John, said Town Council President Rick Ryfa. "Our overtime budget, this wipes it out," said Ryfa, who said the town also would be getting large bills from contractors hired to help clear downed trees and other debris from city streets.
$800K IN OUTSTANDING PARKING TICKETS: As Lafayette prepares to collect proposals from companies to handle future public parking management, city officials will have to decide which parking management firm they want to hire (Lafayette Journal & Courier). The city’s contract with Denison Parking expires on Dec. 31. Late last month the city sent 11 companies, including Denison, requests for proposals for parking management services in 2009 and beyond. So what kind of track record has Denison compiled since taking over the city’s parking enforcement program in 2002? That depends, in part, on what statistics you look at and who you compare them to. A Journal & Courier analysis of 31/2 years’ worth of parking ticket data found: The number of tickets written has decreased each of the past three years. More than $800,000 in issued tickets and late penalties remain to be paid.
SOUTH BEND BUS SERVICE MAY GO TO GOSHEN: Both South Bend and Elkhart have bus service designed to help residents move freely around the cities and reach popular destinations (South Bend Tribune). But those services never reached far out of their respective regions — until now. By late this year or early next year, Elkhart and South Bend residents might be able to travel all the way from South Bend to Goshen on a bus, if a plan drafted by the Michiana Area Council of Governments comes to fruition. Mary Beth McAdams, the transit manager for MACOG, said the agency is working closely with Transpo of South Bend to create the new interurban bus service, which would link MACOG’s Interurban Trolley service serving Elkhart and Goshen with Transpo’s service to South Bend and Mishawaka. "We are looking at a meeting point somewhere in the middle," said McAdams, noting that the project still was in the planning stages.
Midwest
ILLINOIS PONDERS INTERSTATE CAMERAS: To make good on his offer to help Chicago combat violence, Gov. Blagojevich envisions putting speed cameras on interstates across Illinois — and using the revenue to form an "elite tactical team" that would operate in Chicago and other cities (Chicago Sun-Times). The idea is in its infancy, with no budget and no timetable. Currently, camera-equipped vans nab speeders in construction zones, but state law does not allow speed cameras on interstates, Trent said. In Arizona, 50 speed cameras will be deployed on highways by September with another 50 by January at a cost of about $20 million. The state hopes to raise $90 million a year by imposing $165 fines on vehicles going 10 mph over the speed limit or faster. Asked what speeds Illinois motorists would have to hit before they would get nailed with a camera violation, Guerrero said, "It would have to be egregious — 80 or 85 mph. We don’t know yet."
International
RUSSIAN TANKS INVADE GEORGIA: Georgia’s president said Friday that his country is under attack from Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilian populations as tensions over the breakway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict (CNN). "All day today they’ve been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead among (the) civilian population all around the country," Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN in an exclusive interview.
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