Melanie Hayes, in the Indy Star, has an article about a 5 year old boy who shot and killed his 4 year old sister.

Makayla died Sunday morning after her 5-year-old brother shot her while playing with a handgun, police said.

Vensko wants her daughter to be dressed in her favorite color when she is buried.

“That’s my snuggle bunny,” she said.
. . .
According to police, the brother had pulled a chair up to a bookcase in the downstairs living room and taken his father’s handgun from the top shelf. There was no magazine in the pistol, but a round was in the chamber.

“The 5-year-old took the gun upstairs to play, and there pointed the gun at his sister and pulled the trigger,” the statement said.
. . .
Vensko wasn’t allowed to see Makayla at the scene, but she was able to see the other two children before they were placed in the care of Child Protective Services.

“He seems like he’s doing OK,” Vensko said of Makayla’s brother. “He told me what happened, what he did. But I know he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know Makayla is gone.”

One thing I wasn’t fully prepared for when I became a parent was how you start to internalize stories like this. At some visceral level, the boy and the girl in that story become my kids. It’s hard to keep a sense of perspective about all of the various dangers that could (but probably won’t) snatch your kids away from you at any time.

The Indianapolis Mini-Marathon was today. Amy ran in it. I cheered. Great weather. Good event.

Ryan Clark, writing for the Richmond Palladium-Item, has a good article on the planned departure of Marvel Industries from Richmond. The plant closing will cost the community about 140 jobs. The article does an excellent job of laying out Richmond’s extensive, but ultimately unsuccessful, efforts in trying to convince the company to stay in town.

I am currently serving as the board president for Tippecanoe County’s Legal Aid corporation. It is the mission of Legal Aid to provide legal services for people who cannot afford it themselves in civil, non-fee generating cases — for example, CHINS cases (children in need of services; could involve termination of parental rights). The theory is that our legal system only works if people believe, by and large, that they are getting a fair shake. That belief erodes when they do not have a lawyer and simply get steam-rolled by the system or perceive that is what is happening to them.

Obviously, lawyers cost money (damn us lawyers). Actually, the legal aid attorneys for the Tippecanoe County Legal Aid corporation are damn near saints and don’t get paid a lot in comparison to the work they do. Still, money is necessary, and for a good chunk of that money, we rely on fund raisers; one of which is the upcoming golf outing. Here are the particulars:

Date: August 26, 2008
Time: Noon lunch, 1:00 p.m. shotgun start
Location: Battle Ground Golf Club (North of Lafayette)
Format: Scramble
Cost: $80 per golfer, $400 for a foursome + hole sponsorship, ($100 for a hole sponsorship with no golf.)

Checks should be made payable to Legal Aid Corporation of Tippecanoe County which you can send to “Tippecanoe County Legal Aid, Attn: Legal Aid Golf, 212 North Fifth Street, Lafayette, IN 47901.” If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.

Benjamin Lanka has a story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette about the beginning of improvements to US 24 from Fort Wayne to Toledo. This is a project that really needs to happen. Currently, there isn’t a very good, direct route from Fort Wayne to Toledo which is ridiculous considering how close the cities are and how big they are.

From Fort Wayne, US 24 is in good shape all the way to Logansport. Construction is underway to improve SR 25 from Logansport to Lafayette so that eventually there will be four lane highway from Lafayette to Toledo. I’m wondering if, eventually, there ought to be a four lane improvement on the other side of Lafayette, at least extending south to Crawfordsville and I-74 which heads to points west or possibly west to I-57 somewhere in Illinois. Though, given the rate of increase in gas prices, by the time such a construction project was completed, we might not be using cars for regular travel anymore.

According to Karl Kurtz of The Thicket at State Legislatures, a new ethics law in Oregon appears to have caused 150 local government officials to leave their jobs.

The provision that has drawn the most ire is a requirement that all government officials, even volunteer members of certain boards or commissions, disclose not only their sources of income and those of their spouses and adult household member but also the names and addresses of all children and siblings who are not members of their household.

It’s the First of May. According to Jonathan Coulton, a certain activity begins today:

This has some improper language and animated sex acts simulated to the limited extent possible for World of Warcraft animated figures. But, it’s a catchy tune about the First of May that always leaves me humming.

John Cole on Wright & Obama. I can’t add much other than to say, “Yup.”

Here is a blog for folks to check out: “A Political Season: Musings on politics, race, conservatism and being a reluctant republican.” It’s written by a couple from Indianapolis, Aaron and Alaine.

Think of us as the alternate universe doppelgangers of George Carville & Mary Maitlin in reverse, but better looking.