November 1 – November 7The Week in Indiana History |
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Indiana Quick Quiz   Can you name these official symbols of Indiana? 1. The state bird   2. The state flower     3. The state insect    4. The state song Answers Below
“There are two kinds of statistics: the kind you look up and the kind you make up.” – – – Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) Born in Noblesville, Indiana, he became a very popular mystery writer. His most famous character was detective Nero Wolfe, who appeared in 33 novels and 40 novellas.
Did You Know?   When Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in as the newest member of the United States Supreme Court, she became the fourth Associate Justice in history with strong Indiana connections. Willis VanDevanter, who grew up in Marion, was appointed by President William Howard Taft in 1911. He served on the bench for 26 years. Sherman Minton, from Georgetown, Indiana, was appointed by President Harry Truman and served from 1949 to 1956. The current Chief Justice, John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005, was born in New York but grew up in Long Beach, Indiana. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by President Donald Trump, was born in Louisiana but has resided in South Bend for many years.
ANSWERS:                  1. Cardinal 2. Peony 3. Say’s Firefly 4. On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away
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HOOSIER HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS: A New State Constitution
1917   James Bethel Gresham, from Evansville, was killed in action in a battle near Artois, France. The 23-year-old Army Corporal was the first Hoosier, and one of the first three Americans, to die in combat during World War I. He and his comrades were buried on the battlefield where they fell, but Gresham’s remains were later returned to Evansville and interred at Locust Hill Cemetery.
1935   Amelia Earhart was the special guest of the Hammond Junior Women’s Club at the Lyndora Hotel. Introduced by Mayor Frank R. Martin, the famous flyer fascinated the audience as she spoke of her solo flights over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A dinner was followed by ice cream desserts topped with airplane motifs. She later spoke to 900 people at Hammond High School. As she described her adventures, she said she loved flying “for the beauty of the view over land and sea.”
1942   Arcada Stark Balz became the first woman elected to the Indiana State Senate. Born on a farm near Bloomington, she had grown up in Indianapolis and attended Manual High School. A teacher of history, literature, and art, she had also served as president of the Indiana Federation of Women’s Clubs. In the Senate, she represented Johnson and Marion Counties.
“Left Jab†And “Middle Jab†And “Right Jab†November 1,, 2020
“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jabâ€Â was created because we have a couple of commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE†or “Readers Forumâ€Â columns concerning National or International issues.
The majority of our “IS IT TRUE†columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give our more opinionated readers exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and Middle Jab and RIGHT JAB† column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB†AND “MIDDLE JAB†AND “RIGHT JABâ€Â several times a week.  Oh, “LEFT JAB†is a liberal view, “MIDDLE JAB†is the libertarian view and the “RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments in this column is free to do so.
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HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS
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DeVos Will Let Religious Groups Apply For Charter Grants, Opening Up New Legal Battlefront
DeVos Will Let Religious Groups Apply For Charter Grants, Opening Up New Legal Battlefront
The law is clear: In order to be eligible for federal charter grants, charter schools must not be “affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution.â€
But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said earlier this week that she will no longer enforce this prohibition. Religious organizations should feel free to apply for federal money to open charter schools, she said, and a recent Supreme Court ruling is on her side.
“Prohibiting religiously affiliated public charter schools is unconstitutional,†DeVos said at a forum in Kentucky. “The Department of Education in the Charter School Program will not discriminate and will allow for and welcome religiously affiliated applicants.â€
It’s not clear that DeVos’s move will prompt immediate changes in who tries to start charter schools, and it could be reversed by a Biden administration if President Trump loses reelection next week. But it amounts to the first shot fired in what’s likely to be a lengthy legal battle over charter schools and religion in the wake of two recent Supreme Court decisions.
Those decisions focus on how private schools can access public money. Neither explicitly addresses charter schools. But an analysis by the U.S. Department of Justiceafter the first ruling — dated February of this year but released by the education department this week — concluded that barring religiously affiliated charter schools from receiving federal money is unconstitutional.
“Forbidding charter schools under the program from affiliating with religious organizations discriminates on the basis of religious status,†reads the document, signed by deputy assistant attorney general Henry Whitaker.
Preston Green, a education law professor at the University of Connecticut who has written extensively about the legal status of charter schools, agrees with the department’s analysis. “I think that legally they’re on strong ground,†he said.
The nation’s over 7,000 charter schools are typically publicly funded and approved, operated by nonprofit boards, and defined in state and federal law as “public.â€
It’s unclear whether any charter schools nationwide are currently affiliated with religious institutions, and if so, how many. Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said the organization does not know of any and does not track the issue.
Some charter schools have toed the church-state line, though. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education said it was fine for a Tennessee charter school that had promised to avoid teaching topics considered by the Catholic church to be “gravely immoral†to receive federal money. Hillsdale College — a Christian school where DeVos recently spoke — runs an initiative that helps create charter schools and then provides them with curriculum and teacher training.
A number of states bar religious organizations from directly running charter schools over concerns about the separation of church and state.
But the two recent cases have indicated that the Supreme Court is skeptical of restrictions that keep religiously affiliated schools from receiving benefits, including public funding, available to other schools.
In 2017, the court ruled that Missouri could not bar religious private schools from receiving public money for playground resurfacing simply because they were religious. In June, the Court struck down a Montana rule that barred religious private schools from participating in a tax-credit funded voucher program. (In his dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer noted that the logic would seem to apply to charter schools, though the majority opinion doesn’t mention them.)
DeVos’ announcement won’t directly affect state prohibitions on charter schools affiliated with a religious organization, but signals they could be subject to legal challenge.
It also doesn’t mean that any charters would be allowed to be truly religious schools. The Justice Department’s analysis does not indicate that a charter school could provide religious education, only that they could be run by a religious organization.
Rees says it should stay that way. “Of course charter schools are always fully public schools and must observe the separation of church and state guidelines that all public schools observe,†she said in a statement.
Others want charter schools to be able to go a step further.
“I would prefer religious schools to be religious,†Nicole Garnett, a law professor at Notre Dame, said during a recent event discussing the possibility of religious charter schools.
She argues that since charter schools are generally run by private boards, rather than by governments, they aren’t “the state†at all — and thus can’t violate the separation of church and state. “If they’re private actors and they are schools of choice, then I think they can be authentically religious,†she said.
Charter schools may be an appealing vehicle for creating a religious school because, unlike most private schools, they are supported with substantial public funding. But they also come with more regulations, like state testing mandates and rules barring selective admissions or discrimination based on sexual orientation.
This highlights a further complication: what happens if charter school regulations clash with religious practices?
“There are going to be enormous challenges,†Karega Rausch, the president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said at the same event. “Who’s allowed to come to school? Who gets preferential or not access? Who’s allowed to teach? Who’s allowed to get hired and fired, and importantly, for what reasons?â€
All of these issues could take time to wind their way through the courts. “I expect this would be tied up in litigation for a long time,†said Garnett.
Political Platform of Weinzapfel for Indiana Attorney General
 Jonathan Weinzapfel was elected mayor of Evansville in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. After his two terms as mayor, Weinzapfel served as chancellor of the Ivy Tech Evansville campus from 2014-2019.
He also served in the Indiana General Assembly as a state representative from 1999-2003.
He currently works as a partner at the law firm of Jones Wallace in Evansville.
Jonathan and his wife Patricia reside in Evansville and have three children.
For more information on Jonathan or his campaign for Indiana Attorney General, please visit www.WeinzapfelforAG.com. To schedule an interview, email media@weinzapfelforAG.com.
POLITICAL PLATFORM OF JONATHAN WEINZAPFEL FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
Protecting Hoosiers’ Health CareÂ
At a time when Indiana and the world face an unprecedented public health crisis, Indiana’s incumbent Attorney General is using our tax dollars in a lawsuit, that if successful, would strip away the health care of thousands of working for Hoosier families and threaten those with pre-existing conditions. Now, more than ever, Hoosiers understand the need for every citizen to have access to high-quality, affordable health care — and the need for elected leaders who will fight to protect it, not take it away.
Reforming Our Criminal Justice System to Be More Fair for Everyone:Â
As Attorney General, Weinzapfel will protect our communities from crime, reform our criminal justice system to make it fairer and just for everyone, and expand drug treatment for nonviolent drug offenders to prevent crime and reduce spending on prisons. Weinzapfel will work to improve our police departments and rebuild community trust. As Attorney General, he will promote the use of body cameras and expand police training to de-escalate violent situations.
Keeping Our Loved One’s Safe in the Pandemic and BeyondÂ
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonathan Weinzapfel will stand up for seniors and protect families’ right to know about COVID cases in nursing homes. He will get doctors and nurses the protective equipment they need, and defend health coverage for all Hoosiers, even in the event of job loss.
Standing Up for Hoosiers’ Right to Vote Safely by MailÂ
With a public health crisis during an election year, no Hoosier should have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote. Indiana is one of only a few states that restrict the right to vote by mail to those who are ill, traveling or at least 65 years old. Jonathan Weinzapfel will stand up for the right of every Hoosier to vote from home in a fair and secure election.
Letting Women Make Their Own Private Health Care DecisionsÂ
Jonathan believes that Roe v.  Wade is settled constitutional law and that women’s reproductive decisions should be private. Ultimately, Jonathan believes we should trust women to make the right decisions with regard to their reproductive choices.
Improving Public Education for Every Student
As Mayor, Jonathan Weinzapfel created the Evansville Education Roundtable to help rally the community to improve public education. As Ivy Tech Chancellor, Weinzapfel developed numerous initiatives to help students earn a degree and prepare for the workforce. As Attorney General, Jonathan Weinzapfel will continue to serve as an advocate for education and creating opportunities for Hoosiers.
Reducing Taxes to Keep More Money in Your Pocket
In the state legislature, Jonathan Weinzapfel voted for 600 million dollars in tax cuts to keep money in the pockets of Hoosier families, not the government. As Attorney General, Jonathan Weinzapfel will fight waste and fraud in government spending.
Decriminalizing Marijuana Possession and Allowing Medicinal UseÂ
Jonathan Weinzapfel believes Indiana should eliminate criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana and allow its use for documented medicinal purposes.
Standing Up for Consumers
The Do Not Call List is broken. Jonathan Weinzapfel will fight the telemarketers to restore your privacy and crackdown on phone scams that prey especially on seniors.
CenterPoint Energy seeks recovery following completion of 7-year natural gas pipeline modernization plan
Utility files first base rate review in 14 years
Current natural gas commodity prices forecasted to remain stable
Significant methane emission reductions from Energy Efficiency savings and pipeline replacement
CenterPoint Energy’s Indiana-based electric and gas utility, Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Co. (SIGECO), has filed a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) for recovery of investments made within its southwestern Indiana natural gas service territory.
The filing comes at the completion of the company’s 7-year, $240 million gas modernization plan, which was filed in 2013 to comply with federal pipeline safety rules and ensures the continued safe, reliable delivery of natural gas service to its more than 113,000 southwestern Indiana customers. The gas system improvements resulted in upgrades to portions of CenterPoint Energy’s 3,200-mile network of distribution mains and transmission pipelines which serve nine counties in southwestern Indiana. The work primarily consisted of replacing bare steel and cast-iron distribution mains with new industry-grade plastic mains, as well as inspecting and upgrading natural gas transmission pipelines. This pipeline work has led to a 36% reduction in methane emissions since 2013. Since 2008, more than 300 miles of gas mains have been replaced in the company’s southwestern Indiana territory.
Using 2013 state laws focused on federal mandates and natural gas infrastructure needs, Indiana utilities submit forward-looking capital investment plans to the IURC for review and cost recovery. The statutes provide utilities the ability for gradual investment recovery as modernization progress is made; otherwise defined as 80% of total capital expenditures and lessening the effect of a larger rate increase through traditional rate recovery. The balance of recovery must be sought through a traditional rate request at the end of the 7-year plan and is a requirement of the law. With the 2013 filing and the IURC’s approval and regular review of that plan, the company is now seeking recovery of the remaining 20% of those investments.
“These infrastructure investments are vital to meeting federal mandates and ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to our customers,†said Richard Leger, Vice President of Natural Gas Distribution, Indiana and Ohio. “While our natural gas customers will experience a base rate increase to their bills, it will be the first time in nearly 14 years we have pursued such recovery. We remain focused on maintaining affordability for our customers, as demonstrated by our commitment to expense management and continuing to offer natural gas as a cost-effective, reliable energy option due to low, stable natural gas commodity prices.â€
If the IURC approves the request, the average residential southwestern Indiana gas customer could see an approximate increase of about $15 per month. This represents the balance of costs not already recovered through the duration of the previous seven years and recovery of additional investments before and outside of the company’s modernization plan related to public and system improvements required since 2006.
Also requested within this filing is the continuation of natural gas energy efficiency programs through 2025 and the income-eligible universal service program, which provides additional gas bill reductions during the months of December through May for eligible Indiana South customers.
“Since inception of the programs, Indiana South customers have saved approximately 37 million therms of natural gas, or enough energy to heat 46,000 homes for a year, which also contributed to more than 195,000 metric tons of CO2e emissions saved,†continued Leger. “Energy efficiency programs are another way we strive to give customers the opportunity to reduce their energy usage and therefore lower their bill, while also lowering emissions.â€
While taking into consideration the expected bill impact for these gas infrastructure investments, bills should remain substantially lower than they were subsequent to the company’s last rate case filing due to considerably lower natural gas commodity costs. Should the current recovery request be approved, total annual bills will be about $100 lower than they were in 2007-2008 when current rates were approved. As is the case with other gas utilities, Indiana South does not profit from the cost of natural gas. The utility’s portfolio approach to gas purchases on behalf of customers is simply passed through dollar for dollar.
The filing now begins a comprehensive review by the IURC which will take several months to complete and will include a public hearing as part of the regulatory process. Should the plan be approved, new rates would go into effect during the third quarter of 2021. This filing has no impact on electric rates.
CenterPoint Energy’s Indiana South gas territory delivers natural gas to more than 113,000 customers in Daviess, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
 Forward Looking Statement:
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “projection,” “should,” “target,” “will” or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as future regulatory filings, actions and decisions, including the timing and impact of such actions and decisions, the expected impact of the proposed rate adjustments on customer bills, forecasted natural gas commodity prices and any associated fluctuations, emissions reductions and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of COVID-19; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; and (8) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, CenterPoint Energy’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Commentary: Voting Has Never Been More Satisfying
By Michael Leppert
MichaelLeppert.com
I was tapping my toes on Thursday afternoon near the corner of Alabama and Washington Streets, right on the edge of the new Richard G. Lugar Plaza outside of the City-County Building in Indianapolis. My wife was supposed to meet me there to vote. She was late, and the line looked long. But then a funny thing happened; the beautiful and talented Valerie Phelps and her band started playing their blend of jazz and Motown on a small stage in the middle of the plaza.
Her Aretha Franklin-style cover of “A Natural Woman†was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. She nailed it.
That’s right, America. I don’t know how everyone else is doing it, but Indy has live musical performances on a beautifully designed plaza while we wait to vote in the latest, most important election of our lives. There was a tent giving away bottled water, hand sanitizer and snacks for free. It took us 90 minutes to vote, and honestly, it was fun. Truly fun, like, I wish I could do it again tomorrow kind of fun.
Then I got home and made the mistake of watching the soon-to-be notorious interview President Donald Trump gave to Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes. It doesn’t air on CBS until Sunday night, but the bootlegged video that White House staff shot of it was put out on social media to display how unfair Stahl’s questioning was. That mission was absolutely not accomplished. It was as predictable and run of the mill as an interview could have been, though releasing the recording violated an agreement between the network and the White House.
Trump opened the conversation with complaints about how much better the media treats his challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden. No strategic communication approach ever materialized later. He ended the interview without being joined by Vice President Mike Pence as was planned, by simply proclaiming that Stahl and her team had been given enough. The entire 30 minutes played like a presidential spasm, a series of unhinged complaints, void of any coherence or dignity.
And that was the warmup material I consumed before the second and last presidential debate.
Kristen Welker’s first question was the obvious one, how will you lead the nation through the coronavirus? Aside from the revisionist history, it was clear the president was doing his best to behave this time. The Presidential Debate Commission and Welker both created the right environment and ran a good debate. The problem is that debates cannot have any meaningful role in the electoral process when so many of the tools of the debate are lies.
Zingers and pithiness make for good TV, but just like Trump’s beloved “ratings,†they don’t have presidential value. There won’t be another occasion in any president’s term where being a skilled, modern, stage-worthy “debater†equates to effective governing.
There are no Biden scandals. No matter how many times Trump and his campaign try to build them, they just aren’t there.
There is no Trump healthcare plan. There never has been one and there never will be one. Even though the “replace†part of his “repeal and replace†mantra in 2016 should be the plan, four years later, there really isn’t one. Even a global pandemic, one that is currently on the rise, has not inspired disclosure of a hint of an idea of what American healthcare will look like in a second Trump term.
Trump proclaimed he doesn’t know much about Black Lives Matters Thursday night, sharing a ridiculous story about a protest chant as his understanding of the non-violent group. The majority of Americans support the organization’s mission, but our current “least racist person in the room†of a president doesn’t know much about it.
What matters the most to me about Biden’s performance more briefly: he told the truth and displayed real empathy for all of America.
That contrast helped make voting on Thursday fun. It makes the choice an easy one. The country knows how they are going to vote. More than 40 million of us already have and Election Day is still 11 days away.
Voting was more fun on Thursday than I expect it will be on Nov. 3. For starters, 20,000 Hoosiers will become infected with COVID-19 between now and then. Some won’t vote at all because of it.
And those who do won’t have Valerie Phelps killing an Aretha Franklin inspired version of a Carole King song while they wait. We should all be so lucky.
FOOTNOTE: Michael Leppert is a public and governmental affairs consultant in Indianapolis and writes his thoughts about politics, government, and anything else that strikes him at MichaelLeppert.com.
THE CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER POSTED THIS ARTICLE WITHOUT BIAS, OPINION, OR EDITING.