The Daily Fix

Offering perspective on today's issues

Cal Township won nearly $3M in federal refunds over last decade

Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin doesn't get any slack from her critics even when the office tries to be frugal.

Poverty can hamper learning, but it isn't a barrier

No matter what financial situation you are in, you should never blame poverty for your failure to achieve something great such as doing well in school. Sure, poverty might make it hard for you to achieve what you want, but not trying at all certainly isn't the answer.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Education helps propel people out of poverty

Addressing poverty issues is a complex task. There is no easy answer for how to bring people out of poverty and, more important, how to keep them from dropping back in.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Help lift people out of poverty

As one who majored in history, I have traced the lives of men and women who have come out of poverty to be productive and responsible citizens. Their stories are remarkable.

YOUNG VOICES: For the homeless, hunger is no game

I'm not too proud to beg! Actually, I realized I am, which is why I spent most of last Friday hungry. I got to have the unique experience of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes as a participant in a homelessness awareness sleepout.

Homelessness 'serious issue in Porter County'

VALPARAISO | More than 360 people are homeless in Porter County, and 148 of them are children.

The Daily Fix

Offering perspective on today's issues

State could implement Affordable Care Act without spending new money

INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana could fully implement the Affordable Care Act and provide Medicaid health coverage to a half million uninsured Hoosiers for at least four years without requiring any new revenue.

DOUG ROSS: Thoughts on life from the branch office

Tuesday morning, as I began writing this column, I felt powerless. In a technical sense, I was — sitting in my living room, looking out at the damage from the thunderstorm that cut off my electricity.

BRIAN HOWEY: By any measure, our leaders are failing us

We live in in perhaps the wealthiest and most influential country in the history of civilization.

Mourdock, Rokita plotting post-Obamacare reforms to Medicaid, Medicare

INDIANAPOLIS | As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on the constitutionality of Obamacare, two Hoosier Republicans are standing by with plans to reshape the nation's health system.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Build resiliency to ease financial hardship

Every day, my office phone, cellphone and email are filled with distress messages from people reaching out for resources to ease their desperate situations.

Recognize poverty's effects on children't test scores

Poverty, not bad teachers, is the main reason for poor test scores in schools.

Impoverished NWI residents advise state panel

GARY | The woman said she had lost her job as a teacher at a charter school and hadn't been able to get a new one yet.

Gary forum Thursday to address barriers to escaping poverty

GARY | The Indiana Commission on Childhood Poverty will host a public forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday to discuss how the state can reduce childhood poverty.

Suburbs have fast-growing poor population

Landscaped yards are being cluttered with for sale signs as homeowners face tough economic times in the suburbs.

Suburbs have fast-growing poor population

The white picket fences and minivans that once characterized many suburbs have slowly been replaced by boarded up windows and public transit buses.

Researcher: Ind. education reforms not likely to improve achievement

A top education researcher at Indiana University says when the results of these reforms are analyzed in years to come, don't be surprised if student achievement is about the same as it was before the politicians shook up the system.