Indianapolis, IN

The battle of epic proportions is nearing its end. The teams are bloodied, tired, but nonetheless trying to move on with the next move. Shots have been fired left and right, but the war is possibly reaching its climactic finish…..Is this an excerpt from the War in Iraq? Nope. A play-by-play of a Colts game? Strike 2…So what is it?

The Indiana Supreme court ruled that Carmel, the booming mecca suburb north of Indianapolis, can annex the Southwest Clay Township, as well as Home Place. What’s the big deal? Well, consider this–Carmel already has a worth of over 6 billion dollars–and by annexing the 8 square miles that Southwest Clay represents, they increase that worth 25%–to almost 8 billion.

Now that’s a lot of zeros.

This has gone on for quite some time, as Carmel has repeatedly worked with community groups to work in the two areas’ best interests, but the main concerns of the wealthy neighborhood of SW Clay is that the property taxes will “skyrocket”. But what isn’t being really noted by many of these individuals is that why they have had to pay for their taxes (somewhat) into the school and park system, they have been able to take advantage of the excellence of these two major items while Carmel residents have gotten the same things at a higher cost. So, my feeling on the matter is–it’s about time.

You want to whine about your property taxes going up? That the services you pay for aren’t really your “bag” or what you even use? Pucker up, buttercup. If it means you take one less vacation to Europe or decide to go with the H3 instead of the luxury Lexus SUV, so be it. If you can afford the multi-million dollar homes in the first place, the property tax hike (which really is an increase of 1.74 to 2.09 per 100) overall is not something to go into foreclosure for.

However, critics have warned that this is history repeating itself, and that the wealthy will seek refuge at another place where the taxes and what not are lower. I’m not really following that concept, because realistically here in this town, you can’t beat the things that Carmel offers. This is a city that has grown by leaps and bounds in services and things to do, and it’s reached a level of national prominence. No longer is Carmel competing for business with other Indy suburbs, but they are actually volleying against other midwestern large-scale cities. You can’t ask much more of a “burb”.

Clay residents can take solace in the fact that they won’t have to pay the full municipal tax for another 5 years. I’m sure during this time that sound you will hear from that area will be the moaning of groaning of what’s to come, and not what they’ve already gotten for it or will get. Talk about looking at the glass half-empty.

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Ahh, the state fair. Can’t you just hear the midway music? Feel the searing hot, balmy humidity floating up from the blacktop? Just see all of the thousands of people walking through the different displays? Smell the guilty pleasures of all that the traveling caravans offer as “fair food”?

Well, all of those things will be present yet again this year–with a twist. Indiana State Fair officials, taking a cue from the pressure that the nation has placed on business to be more “health-conscious”, has banned anything with trans fat in it to be served at the Fair from here on out. While at first you may go “What? No Fried oreos? No Fried snickers? No fried chocolate strawberries?”, don’t get too excited. These items will still be served, but the makers have found a reasonable substitute for them in place of those ingredients that offer trans fat. The only exception is popcorn, and the only reason it is being allowed is because makers could not find a substitute with the time constraint of the decision, so officials are allowing it as an exception.

What does this mean? Well, I kind of understand that this is the “lesser of two evils” approach, where it’s kind of the same philosophy of offering “ultra light” cigarettes, which are not good for you but not quite as bad as the, say Marlboro Red variety, but this is a definite step in the right direction. I myself have struggled with weight, and while I understand it’s my responsibility to control my intake, whatever producers can do to make things easier on the consumers through processed food is welcomed in all ways possible. It also follows in the steps of Governor Mitch Daniels’ approach to “Get Fit, Indiana!”, so from a city and state standpoint, I am very glad to see something like this come about–again, it may be just a drop in the bucket, but it’s certainly a sign of things to come.

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When someone attends an Indianapolis Indians game at Victory Field, they get a little more than your average experience; for one, the design of the stadium is one of the best minor-league attractions in the country, and the feel of everything is major league. The promotions and fun are almost always centered around the family, and you also get to watch some pretty darn good baseball, as the Indians are the AAA level of the farm system for baseball, just one step from “the show”!

And now, this weekend, you can also help make others happy–dogs and cats! For Saturday night’s upcoming game versus the Richmond Braves, fans are asked to bring all kinds of helpful things for three local area animal shelters. These items include dog and cat food, rabbit and rodent foods, dog and cat toys, nail clippers, pet carriers, cleaning supplies, cat litter, basically anything you can think of that would help in the care of these animals!

If, in fact, you are wanting to donate something other than what I have listed above, you can visit http://www.indyvet.com for more details. This is a great promotion and you will be helping a worthy cause while enjoying the fun atmosphere of Victory field and cheer the Indians on to victory! Yeah!

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