http://christopherhedges.com/life Stories about Northwest Indiana life. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:42:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I'm moving Region Life up from its /life subdirectory to just plain old ChristopherHedges.com to consolidate this blog with another issues blog I have and to make it easier for readers by keeping all of the posts in one place, rather than spread across multiple "channels." If you're using the feeds.feedburner.com/regionlife ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/22/region-life-is-moving/ We've come a long way toward realizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream for America, but must remember that we still have far to go to break the bonds of discrimination and distrust. We need to remember to embrace Dr. Martin Luther King's exhortation to let freedom ring in a nation ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/21/remembering-mlk-today/ You'd think that a "blue" state completely controlled by "blue" legislators and ruled by a "blue" governor would be a paradise for all "blue" leaders, but things aren't too great for Governor Rod Blagojevich -- more people like President Bush than they like Blago. The free bus rides for ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/18/blago-less-popular-than-bush-in-illinois/ Just when it seemed that the proposed Lake County income tax was dead and buried after angry villagers with torches and pitch forks vanquished it, the second act of the play begins. Like an evil creature from a Stephen King novel, the proposed Lake County income tax is slowing coming back ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/18/will-lake-co-income-tax-arise-from-death/ An IDEM official says that Chicago is polluting Northwest Indiana air. Writes the Post-Tribune's Gitte Laasby: When Lake and Porter counties have ozone problems on hot days, don't blame the region's heavy lakeshore industries. Indiana's top environmental official suggests you look toward Chicago instead. "The No. 1 contributor (to ozone problems in Lake ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/18/chicago-pollutes-nwi-air/ It's bad when the judge calls crimes "almost unforgivable" when sending away a politically-connected defendant to more than four years. Writes the Post-Tribune's Andy Grimm: Gary attorney Willie Harris received a prison sentence of more than four years, nearly the maximum under federal guidelines, for his role in a scheme to defraud ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/17/almost-unforgivable/ The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee will hear about a plan to use 12.5 percent of Lake and Porter County sales tax money to fund the proposed extension of the South Shore train line to Valparaiso and Lowell. The plan wouldn't require any tax increases, reports the Northwest Indiana Times. The ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/17/new-south-shore-lines-without-new-taxes/ I've noticed a trend on billboards popping up around the Region. Huge billboards displaying complicated messages directing people to visit websites using small font sizes that are impossible to read while driving by at the speed limit. The Come IN signs soliciting businesses and people to move to Indiana because of lower ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/16/huge-billboards-little-type-fonts/ I missed the Indiana State of the State speech last night -- I had to work late at the office for some things I had on the agenda today and also had my first radio interview around the time Mitch Daniels was speaking. By the time I got home, I was ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/16/local-legislators-embrace-bipartisanship/ Crown Point's Conservative Cafe's owner will be featured on Steve Walsh's Vocalo radio program this afternoon to talk about Indiana's tough voter ID law. We have David Beckham, owner of Conservative Cafe in Crown Point, who is proud Indiana has the toughest voter ID law in the US. BTW -- I'll also ... http://christopherhedges.com/life/2008/01/15/conservative-cafe-owner-to-be-on-vocalo/