Today's News

We are now halfway through the 2010 General Assembly Session and while the House of Representatives continues to labor, as constitutionally required, on a budget proposal, the Senate's work, while on a smaller scale, is no less important. Both House and Senate Appropriations and Revenue chairmen are in close consultation so that when the House budget proposal is finalized and moves to the Senate, we can hit the ground running.

A total of 110,000 pounds of peanut butter, rice, beans, canned goods, T-shirts, sheets and shoes were collected locally for the people of Haiti. Thursday, the first shipment of those donations was delivered to the poverty-stricken country that suffered a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12.

According to Brother Bud Owen, who has been leading the local relief effort, the next load of local donations will be sent to Haiti in approximately 28 days. Bro. Bud's parents, Larry and Diane Owen, have a mission called Waves of Mercy based in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. Bro.

I had considered calling this column "making sausage" because of something I heard years ago: that passing legislation is like making sausage since you don't really want to see how it's made.

Although to be fair, I've heard the same analogy applied to putting together a newspaper.

Whether its officials meant for it to become this way or not, topix.com has become the source of countless complaints from people all over the country, including here in Marion County.

From time to time, someone will call our office either demanding that we remove something from the discussion board or trying to find out how to do so.