Opinion & Columns

As I write this, my wife and I are expecting our first grandchild, Madeline. The level of excitement, as you can imagine, is high.

But the food industry is more than just sales—it’s people. Employment in Indiana’s dining sector is expected to add 23,000-or-so jobs over the next decade. And after a somewhat depressing lull in new restaurants in the latter half of 2012, it does seem that the pace of openings is finally, thank goodness, picking up.

When I married my wife 28 years ago, I thought the best part of married life would be the physical part. I conduct a lot of weddings, and every groom-to-be is thinking the same thing—I can tell by the drool. We don’t know what our wives are thinking, and would likely be disappointed if we did. I once read that the male’s desire for sex declines as we age. Fortunately, by the time that happens, we’ve discovered other benefits to marriage, one of which is not having to shop for clothes any longer. 

Buyouts and layoffs at The Indianapolis Star beg questions about what the city would look like without it.

He went from Indiana University of Pennsylvania to Elon University, then to James Madison before landing at IU as head coach—and never posted a losing record. The trend of success Cignetti has had for the last 14 years is virtually unmatched. We caught up with him just as his latest stunning season wrapped.

It is difficult to be objective about someone you’ve known all your life, but allow me to relate, in as dispassionate a manner as possible, my well-founded suspicions of Santa Claus. From the photographic evidence available, it appears we first met when I was 5 years old. The encounter took place on the square of my hometown, in front of the Danville State Bank, in early December of 1966. Though he introduced himself as Santa Claus from the North Pole, I would later learn his real name was Vernon McClure, and that when he was not engaged in identity theft, he operated the town’s dime store. Deception is not the basis for a positive relationship, so Santa and I were off on the wrong foot from the get-go. I would soon discover  that Mr. McClure falsified his identity in order to generate business for his dime store, a violation of the public trust from which I have still not recovered.

I enjoy my annual review so much, I’m thinking of giving one to everyone in my family.

In her later years, my mother hung two dog portraits on her wall, of a Scottie and a Westie. Looking at these one-dimensional creatures...

I have a few things I want to do before I die. When, exactly, that happens is a dispute between my financial planner and the Internet.

ISU's superstar player took over social media this season; after getting one of the funniest nicknames from social media, he's finally telling his story.