First time offenders in our community often get arrested for misdemeanors, and many of them have no connections within the criminal justice system or the money to pay for a lawyer. In Terre Haute, our local public defenders office (PDO) gets reimbursed by the state for each felony case their attorneys handle, as long as … Continue reading Something Stinks: Hidden Costs of Crime and Poverty
Category: Politics
Something Stinks: Money in Local Politics
Why is money in local politics such a bad thing? People work hard to grow a successful business, so shouldn't they be allowed to invest some of that money into the campaign of a candidate they support. The problem is that money will always have strings attached. For example, Paul Thrift has made over $200,000 … Continue reading Something Stinks: Money in Local Politics
Something Stinks: The Hamilton Center
I can still remember how outraged people were when they found out Danny Tanoos made over $260,000, and even more recently when they found out that Bill Riley received a $40,000 pay raise. For years I've wondered, "why is no one outraged that Mel Burks received a $130,000 pay raise in 2019, and currently makes … Continue reading Something Stinks: The Hamilton Center
Justice for Richard Patterson
Recently a local law enforcement officer was given a ten day suspension for violently kicking a dog. The suspension may have been the result of public outcry created by the owner of the dog releasing doorbell camera footage of the incident on social media. The christian scriptures say, "remember all those in prison as if … Continue reading Justice for Richard Patterson
Something Stinks: Bidding Construction Projects
For those of you that might be new to my "Something Stinks" series, I have been trying to cover different areas that highlight Terre Haute's ongoing issues with corruption. The name stems from the terrible smell that plagued Terre Haute during my entire adolescence. Like many local issues, you might not see explicit corruption in … Continue reading Something Stinks: Bidding Construction Projects