Lafayette Online

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — CityBus announces service and route modifications in effect during Purdue University’s Spring Break, beginning at 6:00p on Friday, March 13.

Specifically, Campus Loops will not operate beginning at 6:00pm on Friday March 13th, including no evening Gold Loop, Black Loop, Tower Acres, or NightRider service. Campus Loop service resumes on Monday, March 23.

Also, during Spring Break, the following service reductions will be in effect:

• Trolleys will follow the Black Line route during this time.
• 8 Klondike Express will not operate.
• 4B Purdue West/Klondike will detour through Purdue Village when inbound, bypassing stops on State St. between Airport Rd. and S. Martin Jischke.
• 5 Happy Hollow will operate with mid-day reductions, see schedule.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A new report commissioned by the Indiana Township Association raises doubts about expected savings from government consolidation and dispels many of the claims made by the Commission on Local Government Reform (the Kernan-Shepard Commission) and its supporters.

The ITA study, prepared by Wendell Cox of Demographia, states that a primary flaw in the Kernan-Shepard Commission’s report was the focus on the means of consolidating government rather than on the objective of improving government efficiency.

The Commission’s report began with presumed solutions, such as government consolidation, rather than appropriately beginning with an examination of the true measure of efficiency — government spending. According to the Department of Local Government Finance, township government spending only amounts to 3% of statewide property tax bills.

Cox’s report shows that the “bigger-is-better” theory of government efficiency is not supported by the data.

Overall, the international and national evidence does not indicate a relationship between local government consolidation and greater efficiency.

There are a number of reasons why local government consolidations fail to save money, according to Cox. “Some barriers are operational, such as the necessity to harmonize labor costs and service levels, which typically rise to that of the highest consolidating jurisdiction, throughout the entire new jurisdiction.”

The report continues, “One of the most important barriers is the reduced accountability that occurs as governments become more remote from voters and more accessible to spending interests, which naturally tends to increase expenditures in the longer run.”

Another myth uncovered is that, contrary to popular understanding, Indiana does not have a substantially higher number of governments than other states. Indiana has fewer elected officials per 10,000 residents than the national average. As with the number of local governments, the report’s data show there is no relationship between the number of local elected officials and capita taxation.

Furthermore, a review indicates that there is no relationship between the number of governments and per capita state and local taxation at the state level.

The Kernan-Shepard Commission also criticized the alleged duplication of services that results from having “too many” layers of local government. However, township services are not duplicative. In geographical areas where townships arrange for fire service, no other local government provides fire services. Townships provide all township assistance, a public service not provided by any other level of government.

Finally, the report concludes that it is likely that the Commission’s recommendation to consolidate township governments into county governments will cost taxpayers more and make local government in Indiana less efficient.

The report can be found at www.indianatownshipassoc.org

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Blending the classical dance forms of India with contemporary dance concepts, the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble will perform at Purdue Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse at 8 p.m. March 27.

The performance is presented by Purdue Convocations as part of its World Stage series.

Regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India, Nrityagram (NRIT-yuh-grahm) is based in a Bangalore gurukul – an artist colony where dancers devote themselves to a holistic, self-sufficient lifestyle.

A talk titled “Why Indian dance is new and old,” by Joan Erdman, professor of anthropology and cultural studies at Columbia College in Chicago, will precede the performance. Erdman will discuss innovation and creativity in India’s dance traditions. The talk will begin at 7 p.m. March 27 in Purdue Stewart Center, Room 311.

Regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India, Nrityagram (NRIT-yuh-grahm) is based in a Bangalore gurukul – an artist colony where dancers devote themselves to a holistic, self-sufficient lifestyle that incorporates dance training and interdisciplinary courses in literature, philosophy and the arts as well as yoga, mime and meditation. These workshops inspire an understanding of the inter-relatedness of all arts and physical traditions, not only of India, but also of other countries, said Abby Eddy, director of marketing for Purdue Convocations.

The ensemble pursues many dance forms of India. Perhaps best known is the classical form Odissi, which is based upon the elaborate human forms carved on the walls of ancient temples and gives the illusion of sculpture coming to life, Eddy said.

Tickets are $26 for adults and $19 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at (765) 496-1977.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — On Monday, May 4, 2009, in celebration of the 5th Anniversary of achieving zero
landfill status, Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) will host the inaugural SIA Environmental Stewardship Awards Ceremony, honoring the local individual and non-profit organization or school that best exemplify the meaning of environmental stewardship.

Beginning March 16, 2009, SIA will accept nominations for the SIA Excellence in Environmental
Stewardship Awards. Nomination forms can be submitted on the SIA website at www.subaru-sia.com or call (765) 449-6269 to request a form. The deadline to submit nominations is 5:00pm on April 17, 2009.

On May 4, 2004, SIA became the first US Auto Assembly Plant to achieve zero landfill status.

The awards will be presented at 3:00 PM on Monday, May 4, 2009 at SIA’s Training and Reception Center.

As the industry leader in environmental stewardship, SIA strives to expand its efforts through education, mentoring and community outreach. To further encourage and promote environmental initiatives in our community, SIA will present awards to the individual, non-profit organization and school that have developed and executed the best environmental stewardship program throughout the year.

“Being good stewards of the environment goes beyond our backyard”, said Tom Easterday, SIA’s Senior Vice President, “the more we can encourage others to engage in positive and innovative environmental practices, the less impact we will all have on our environment. That’s the basic concept behind the Subaru Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award.”

“It all starts with one idea or one initiative and it just explodes from there ”, states Jennifer McGarvey, SIA’s Group Leader of Corporate Communications, “If we can be the catalyst for other individuals and organizations to make that first step, then we’ve accomplished the goal of these awards”.

On May 4, 2004, SIA became the first US Auto Assembly Plant to achieve zero landfill status. Through plant-wide efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, SIA is able to eliminate the need to send waste to a landfill. In addition, since 2000 SIA has reduced its waste generated by nearly 50%, resulting in millions of dollars in cost savings through its environmental programs. SIA’s entire 832-acre site has also been designated a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A green energy program that will focus on alternative energy technologies and their impact on rural communities will be held March 17 in Covington, Ind.

“This program, designed specifically for farmers, rural landowners and businesses, will help producers understand how they can benefit from renewable energy,” said Chad Martin, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service renewable energy specialist. “These developments are going to have profound impacts on the community and it’s all about opportunity and taking advantage of it.”

According to Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service renewable energy specialist, this program is designed specifically for farmers, rural landowners and businesses to help producers understand how they can benefit from renewable energy.

Martin, one of the program speakers, will discuss the importance of improving energy efficiency. He also will highlight a Purdue program designed to help farmers with grain drying and how those systems can be audited on their energy consumption.

“We want participants to walk away knowing the areas of their operation that consume the most energy and how those areas can be improved,” Martin said.

Going Green: Alternative & Renewable Resources for Farm, Business and Home will be 5 p.m.-8 p.m., with registration beginning at 4:30 p.m., at the Beef House Restaurant. Registration is $20 per person, which includes dinner and program materials, and is due by March 12. To register, contact Kelly Pearson at 765-762-3231, kppearson@purdue.edu or visit https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=2527.

Topics and speakers include:

• An overview of what’s happening with wind energy and implications for farms and rural landowners, Martin.
• Current solar energy technology and implications for farms and rural landowners, Ted Funk, University of Illinois Extension specialist of bioenvironmental engineering.
• Dinner discussion highlighting what farmers, rural landowners and businesses need to know about energy.
• Nuts and bolts of farm energy audits and renewable energy grants for farm improvements and upgrades, Martin.

For more information, contact Pearson at 765-762-3231, kppearson@purdue.edu, or Mark Spelbring at 765-569-3176, spelbrin@purdue.edu. The Beef House Restaurant is located at 16501 N. State Road 63 in Covington.

Purdue Extension and the University of Illinois Extension sponsor the green energy program.

WASHINGTON, DC — Taxpayers are filing earlier and receiving larger refunds so far this year, according to early filing season statistics released today by the Internal Revenue Service.

As of Feb. 27, 2009, the IRS had received 56 million individual tax returns, a slight increase over the previous year. And, the average individual refund was $2,869, a 9 percent increase or $232 more than the same time last year.

As of Feb. 27, 2009, the IRS had received 56 million individual tax returns, a slight increase over the previous year.

The IRS notes that possible reasons for the larger refunds may include taxpayers benefiting from the recovery rebate credit and other tax breaks such as the first-time homebuyer credit and the additional standard deduction for real estate taxes. The average refund amount generally will decrease slightly as the filing season progresses.

More taxpayers choose to receive their refunds through direct deposit each year. As of Feb. 27, more than 84 percent of all refunds were issued through direct deposit, up from 81 percent for the same period last year.

While the IRS has issued almost 3 percent more refunds this year compared to the same time last year, the number of taxpayers who choose to receive their refunds quickly and safely through direct deposit is up almost 7 percent compared to the same time last year. On Feb. 27, the average direct deposit refund totaled $3,063.

The IRS cautioned that year-to-year analysis of total returns filed will be an anomaly this year because last year’s results include those returns filed for the economic stimulus payment. As the year progresses, the IRS expects to receive and process more individual income tax returns during 2009 than in 2007 but fewer than in 2008.