Judge David Hamilton Confirmed To Seventh Circuit

U.S. District Court Judge David Hamilton has just been confirmed for a seat on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals by the U.S. Senate on a vote of 59-39 vote per the Indiana Law Blog. Here's the roll call vote. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) was the only Republican who voted in favor of Hamilton's confirmation. Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Robert Byrd (D-WV) did not vote.

Public Safety Director Candidate Resigns Job In White Plains New York

One of the four candidates rumored to be under consideration for Public Safety Director in Indianapolis, White Plains New York Public Safety Commissioner Frank Straub, resigned his job there late last week. The White Plains city council had planned to fire him at a special meeting scheduled for Monday according to The Journal News. Straub had been feuding with the council over work schedules for police and firefighters that the city negotiated with the unions, and that Straub claimed had saved the city over $400,000 in overtime pay and 2,600 hours of sick time. Other candidates for the vacant Indianapolis Public Safety position include interim Public Safety Director Mark Renner, IMPD Chief Michael Spears and Darryl Pierce.

Lugar's Wife Busted For DUI

Charlene "Char" Lugar, wife of Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar (R), has been charged with driving under the influence following an automobile collision in which she struck a parked car in McLean, Virginia last night near the couple's suburban D.C. home. Nobody was injured in the accident. Initial reports didn't suggest a hit and run, but that's now what Fox59 News is reporting. She's been charged with that as well. A police officer stopped her after noticing extensive front-end damage to her car. Lugar's office released this statement to Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, which makes no mention of the specifics of the charges against her:

"At about 6:30 p.m. last evening, November 18, Mrs. Lugar had a traffic accident in our McLean, Virginia neighborhood. A charge has been filed and a court appearance is scheduled for January. No other persons were in her car or the unattended car she hit. Thankfully, no one was injured. We are deeply sorry and embarrassed that this accident has occurred.”

Charlene Lugar has been released from the county’s detention facility, according to his office.

The Star has a brief story online here. While we're on the subject of DUIs, Sen. John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra, was busted on a DUI charge in Hollywood early this morning.

Cultural Trail $13 Million Short

The costs of Indianapolis' downtown cultural trail have skyrocketed, now approaching $55 million. Over $28 million of the costs have been absorbed by private donations, including a $15 million donation from Gene and Marilyn Glick. A federal transportation grant has provided another $14.4 million of the funding to date. Another $13 million, however, is needed to complete the project as envisioned in time for the Super Bowl in 2012 according to a WRTV report. As a downtown resident, I enjoy the benefits that the cultural trail brings to my neighborhood, but it does seem a bit extravagant. I know some businesses along Mass Avenue are extremely upset at the disruption of traffic the drawn-out project has caused and the resulting loss of business. It will be a great boon to them when it's completed, if they can survive that long. The amenities it offers are very nice, but the cost of maintaining it once it is completed could prove problematic in future years.

Obama Administration Touts Federal Stimulus Spending For Non-Existing Indiana Districts

State GOP Chairman Murray Clark has a little fun with the discovery that Indiana has been awarded $5 million in stimulus spending for congressional districts that don't even exist. Clark quips in a press release:

Earlier this year, Democrats promised America that the unprecedented level of spending in the federal stimulus bill would be administered with the highest level of accountability and transparency. Despite their promises, errors and dubious account abound. This week we have learned that over $5 million of stimulus funds were reported as having been spent in Indiana Congressional Districts 00, 10, 11, 14 and 18, districts that do not exist."

"Reps. Joe Donnelly and Baron Hill voted for the so-called stimulus and its massive spending increases. What's troubling is that it continues to fall short of what the Democrats in Washington told the country. The reporting errors are an underlying symptom of the larger problem. As such, Reps. Donnelly and Hill owe an explanation to Hoosiers."

I'm not sure why the GOP always omits U.S. Rep. Andre Carson's votes whenever criticizing U.S Reps. Donnelly or Hill. He also voted for the stimulus plan. Clark's press release quotes from a Kokomo Perspective online story quoting U.S. Rep. Dan Burton's press release. Burton had this to say:

Back when President Obama first addressed the Congress after his inauguration, he said that Vice President Joe Biden would oversee the Stimulus spending because, 'Nobody messes with Joe.'

"Well, I think President Obama should know that somebody has messed with Joe. The imaginary 00, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 18th Congressional Districts of Indiana have, according to recovery.gov, made a tax dollar windfall of about $5.3 million, and 'created or saved' 9 jobs - all of which obviously can't exist in these fake districts.

"From the beginning, I said this program would be exposed to rampant waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, as we see these magical numbers from the Obama Administration, how can we ever be convinced that this money will be accounted for and given proper oversight? The answer is simply this: we can't.

"It's time to pack up this program, save the President from further embarrassments, use the remaining funds to pay down the debt and deficits, and cut taxes on capital gains, small businesses, and individuals so we can be 100% sure the money is used to create real jobs in real Congressional Districts.

Grant Rejection Leaves City Budget $1.7 Million Short

Here's a perfect example of why truth in budgeting is so important. The City of Indianapolis' 2010 budget includes $1.7 million to cover the cost of purchasing police cars for 50 new police officers, who are being funded by a federal grant, along with their uniforms, hand-held radios, training and pagers. The budget approved by the City-County Council anticipated that those extra costs associated with hiring new police officers would be covered by a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. That grant has been rejected, and according to a FOX 59 News report, the City should have known that if it had conducted any due diligence before applying for the grant. FOX 59 News reports on the $1.7 million hole in the City's budget:

Fox59 News has learned IMPD has been rejected for a $1.7 million dollar grant to buy 50 new police cars. And, it appears more advance discussion with Indiana Criminal Justice Institute officials about restrictions for equipment would have let city leaders learn months ago they never had a chance to get grant money for cars.

"The equipment grants we give out are typically for $10,000 or less," said Neil Moore, executive director of the Justice Institute. "If you look at what we funded in the past you will see we don't fund cars for large police agencies."

IMPD was requesting $1.3 million for cars. The total request was $1.7 million dollars. The money is needed to match Federal money the city's taking to cover salaries for 50 new police officers in 2010. By taking the federal money the city has to guarantee it can buy equipment for the new police and cover their salaries after three years.

"We were a little surprised, we were counting on it," said Valerie Washington, CFO for public safety.

Grant papers obtained by Fox59 News say the city is in a current "tax crisis" and is 18 months behind in collecting taxes.

The city also asked for line items including $70,000 for 50 new police uniforms, $179,000 for 50 handheld radios, $140,00 for firearm training, $10,000 for training material, and $3,950 for 50 pagers for recruits. The entire grant was rejected about three weeks ago.

"Since then we've been working with the controller's office, the grant unit to find alternative funding sources," said Washington.

She also said the grant writers had consulted with someone at the ICJI about the requests for equipment. City officials say the federal grant description did cover allotments for cars. But Moore says local police agencies like IMPD know the Institute's history and rejection of funding for police cars.

"We only provide one or two cars for very small police departments in need," said Moore.

Discoveries like this will tell us whether the City-County Council actually approved a balanced budget for 2010 as advertised. The City claims it expects to have a $15 million surplus next year. I would point out that the 2007 65%, $90 million a year increase in the local income tax was supposed to include funding for 100 new police officers that had never been funded as promised earlier in his administration of then-Mayor Bart Peterson. Mayor Greg Ballard, simiilarly, didn't used those additional income tax revenues to fill 100 new positions. Instead, he is filling half of those positions using one-time federal grant money. How will we pay for those positions when the federal grant money is exhausted? We obviously don't even have the funding to purchase their police cars, uniforms, etc. This is why City-County Councilors should do a more thorough job scrutinizing the budgets presented to them and not simply rubber stamp what has been put in front of them by the Controller's Office.

Mother Of Wandering Toddler Works For FSSA

As if the Family & Social Services Administration didn't need another public relations nightmare, it turns out the mother of a one-year-old toddler who was found wandering a neighborhood alone over the weekend and unclaimed for nearly a day works as a clerk for FSSA. Tuesday House apparently had more important things to do Saturday night than look after her one-year-old daughter, including going out drinking with her friends and doing crack cocaine. WTHR reports:

The mother of a nearly one-year-old child found wandering a busy street now faces criminal charges.

Neighbors found the toddler walking on a sidewalk at 21st and Harding Saturday night. It took police over 24 hours to find her mother, 38-year-old Tuesday House.

A busy Indianapolis street after dark is where a little girl ended up after police say she was left alone.

"Mom left to go out, believed a friend of the family was there to watch the baby who was sleeping," said Sgt. Matt Mount, IMPD.

It was neighbors who noticed the toddler walking and crawling on a sidewalk along Harding street near 21st at about 8:00 pm Saturday night. They took her to a nearby store and called for help.

"We was knocking on every door trying to see whose baby it was," said Jimmie Cushingberry, witness.

But it wasn't until news reports showed the girl's picture that family members came forward. Uncle Eric Cosby, who said the little girl often stays at his home, was surprised to find she was missing.

He chalks it up to a big misunderstanding . . .

Early Monday afternoon, an interview with the girl's mother led to charges against her when she admitted to drinking and using cocaine the night her daughter wandered off.

Tuesday House told detectives when she left the house, a family friend was outside and the baby was asleep inside. But detectives say no arrangements were made to take care of the young girl . . .

House works for the Indiana Family and Social Services Agency as a clerk, although she is employed through a temp agency.

According to the WTHR report, House had been hired by a private contractor to work at FSSA. House was hired by Alpha Rae, a temporary employment agency used by FSSA to fill clerical positions.

May Calls Carson's Priorities On Fort Hood Attack Wrong

Seventh District Republican congressional candidate Carlos May criticized U.S. Rep. Andre Carson's recent suggestion in an Associated Press interview following the Ft. Hood attack by Maj. Nidal Hasan that left 12 Army soldiers and one civilian dead that the focus should be on Hasan's "mental health issues." "This is no way a reflection of Islam any more than Timothy McVeigh's actions are a reflection of Christianity," Carson told the AP. May called Carson's linkage of McVeigh and Hasan "misleading and irresponsible." While May rejected "any linkage between murder and Islam", he said he was troubled that Carson dismissed any connection between Hasan's actions and his religion. "However, for Carson to dismiss the facts pointing to Hasan’s associations with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric who knew three of the 9/11 hijackers, and Hasan’s association with him going back to 2001 as mere mental illness is troubling," May said. "Carson is representing the twelfth largest city in the U.S., and is a former employee of IDHS who should be leading the effort for a thorough Congressional investigation."

It's refreshing to see a politician speak candidly on this issue. Virtually all of Indiana's congressional delegation and congressional candidates have remained silent on the Ft. Hood terrorist attack, seemingly afraid to speak their mind for fear of being labeled as "anti Muslim." The silence from our two Indiana senators, Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, has been deafening.

Efforts within our government to deflect attention away from their own national security failures in failing to recognize Hasan as a threat to his fellow soldiers is reaching new lows. The National Enquirer is quoting a government source as suggesting Hasan is a closet homosexual who recently got dumped by his lover. Adding to the titilating tale is a suggestion in the story that Hasan is HIV-positive, claiming a cache of HIV meds was found in his apartment. The Enquirer writes:

The deranged Fort Hood gunman - accused of killing 13 people and wounding 29 others - snapped after being dumped by a lover, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.

Authorities say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan - an American-born Muslim of Palestinian descent - became deeply disturbed over his imminent deployment to Afghanistan. But his final decline into madness was triggered by his miserable failure at romance.

While the investigation is being kept under tight wraps, a top government source, close to the case, told The ENQUIRER: "There's evidence he was dumped by a lover."

The ENQUIRER has also learned the 39-year-old Army psychiatrist had a deep-seated inability to deal with women that stemmed all the way back to high school - and he may have had homosexual relationships.

"Hasan had someone he was seeing - a woman or even a man - or may have imagined the love affair," disclosed the government source. "It's quite possible the object of his affection had no idea they were Hasan's love interest.

"What's clear is that Hasan felt he was dumped by this person, giving him another reason for unleashing his mass assault. In his sick mind, Hasan may have believed that one of these innocent men he gunned down stole away his lover." . . .

Imam Mohamed Abdullahi, who runs the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, Md., where the psychiatrist attended prayer services, told The ENQUIRER Hasan may have been confused about his sexuality.

"Maybe he is a homosexual. He was clearly very troubled. In the Koran, there was a messenger who was a homosexual, and God destroyed him."

Among Hasan's belongings, confiscated by police at his apartment, was a cache of HIV prescription drugs.

Oh, the irony that people within government would now be attempting to portray Hasan as a mentally unstable gay men who is a HIV-positive. If Hasan had simply told his Army superiors he was gay, he would have been discharged in a heartbeat under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Earlier this year, the Army discharged 11 gay soldiers because of the policy. A West Point graduate, Dan Choi, received notice in May of this year that he would be discharged from the Army National Guard for speaking out about his homosexuality in a television interview. Choi spoke Arabic fluently and had recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq. More than 12,000 soldiers have been dismissed since President Clinton signed into law the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law in 1993. It's pretty sad that our military would view a soldier like Choi as a risk to the morale and well-being of his fellow soldiers, while turning a blind eye to Hasan's outrageous anti-American statements and praise of Islamic suicide bombers.

Rash Of Suicides Hits Chicago Politicos

There is a pattern developing. A big shot political insider draws the scrutiny of federal prosecutors combating the corrupt Chicago political system. This is followed by the big shot political insider choosing to end his life. Today, long-time Chicago School Board President Michael Scott's body was found floating in the Chicago River. Hours later, an efficient medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The Sun-Times writes:

The death of Chicago School Board President Michael Scott was ruled a suicide this afternoon by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.

When police found his body early this morning, Scott was face down in a foot of water along the Chicago River downtown, a .380-caliber handgun under his body, a source said.

The 60-year-old Scott, Mayor Daley’s go-to-guy for years, had a gunshot wound to his left temple.

He left behind his cell phone on a ledge overlooking the river on the west side of the Apparel Center, 350 N. Orleans.

But he left no note, a source said . . .

An ashen [Mayor Richard] Daley said he saw no indication that his close friend was troubled, saying Scott’s death “is a shock for everyone.”

“No, no. None whatsoever,” Daley said when asked if he sensed Scott was struggling with personal issues. “Mike was always helping people with troubles" . . .

Scott was Daley’s long-time go-to guy but raised eyebrows earlier this year when he disclosed to the Sun-Times that he had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating how students were selected for the system’s elite selective-enrollment high schools . . .

Scott, a West Side resident, also had served on the Mayor's 2016 Olympic committee and as former head of the Chicago Park District.

In August, he was forced to answer questions about his involvement in a development proposal near the the proposed Douglas Park Olympic site.

He insisted he would not profit from the deal.

“I would not profit . . . not at all,” Scott told reporters at a Chicago Board of Education press conference.

He was responding to a published report contending he was “potentially positioning himself to cash in” if the Olympics come to Chicago because he was helping a group of ministers try to turn some city-owned lots across from what could have been an Olympic site into affordable housing.

Chicago eventually lost out to Rio de Janiero, which will host the 2016 Summer Games . . .

Scott owns Michael Scott and Associates, a real estate development firm.

West Side Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) praised Scott on Monday, saying “he was a great individual who added value to every position he served” in city government.

Carothers — who was indicted in May for allegedly accepting $40,000 in home improvements, meals and sports tickets from a West Side developer in exchange for zoning changes that netted the developer millions — spent a year secretly recording public officials and real estate developers for the feds, the Sun-Times disclosed earlier this year.

On Monday, Carothers cut off a conversation with a reporter when asked whether he had recorded any conversations with Scott.

In October, a top adviser to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich with close ties to Mayor Daley died after ingesting a deadly combination of pain medications and rat poisoning. Reporting on the death of Christopher Kelly following his indictment by federal prosecutors and guilty plea, the Chicago Tribune reported:

Officials in Country Club Hills said toxicology tests show that Christopher Kelly, once a top adviser and political fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, ingested pain-relief medication and rat poison in an apparent suicide in the suburb last month.

Mayor Dwight Welch said the test results had been returned to investigators. Police in the town have called Kelly's Sept. 12 death an apparent suicide, saying he ingested pills and the poison in a trailer at his roofing company.

Kelly was facing personal turmoil and mounting federal pressure to cooperate in the sweeping corruption case against Blagojevich after pleading guilty in two separate fraud cases.

And then there was the suicide death of Orlando Jones a couple of years ago shortly after he was contacted by federal investigators. The Sun-Times writes:

One of Cook County's top political insiders was found dead on a southwestern Michigan beach this week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound -- two days after
the Chicago FBI attempted to interview him about an undisclosed matter,
authorities said Thursday.

Orlando Jones -- a 52-year-old godson of ex-County Board President John Stroger, former top Stroger aide and married father of two sons -- had lunched with a lawyer Tuesday before disappearing that evening. His body was found about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the bottom of a set of steps leading to Gowdy Shores beach, a short drive from a New Buffalo, Mich., casino Jones had frequented.

Berrien County law enforcement officials said a handgun was found with Jones, who had a single gunshot wound in his head.

Undersheriff Chuck Heit said there was nothing that would lead him to believe "it was anything other than suicide."

Authorities recovered notes from Jones' South Loop home, including one referencing how unforgiving the news media tend to be, a law-enforcement source said . . .

The discovery of Jones' body came just two days after FBI agents approached Jones, FBI spokesman Frank Bochte said. Jones "cordially declined" to speak with Chicago agents. The FBI wouldn't discuss details of the potential interview, citing an ongoing probe . . .

Besides the Las Vegas matter, Jones had been interviewed by federal authorities some time ago about a separate, government-related deal highlighted in a Sun-Times story in Thursday's editions. That deal -- which involved an annual fee paid to Jones by an investment firm that does business with a state government pension fund -- had allowed Jones to be paid six-figure sums annually for a job he did in 2004.

Authorities, Stephenson said, wanted to know if now-indicted Highland Park businessman Stuart Levine played any role in helping Jones land the deal. Levine has been indicted along with Wilmette businessman Tony Rezko in a kickback scheme to defraud Illinois taxpayers using fees like the one Jones got.

Jones told the feds Levine played no role in Jones landing the fee, Stephenson said. He added that Jones was not asked about Rezko.

Like Jones, Rezko is close to the Stroger family, and Rezko and Jones have been business partners, records show.

Jones was in County Board President Todd H. Stroger's office as recently as last week. Todd Stroger was elected to the post held by his father, John, last year after the elder Stroger suffered a debilitating stroke.

Oh, yes, the Obama-Rezko-Blagojevich-Daley ties run deep in Chicago. The Chicago Way is becoming a pretty deadly business these days. Who will be the next victim? Will U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ever get to the bottom of this deep cesspool? That can't happen without removing President Obama from office, along with his top Chicago political advisers, including Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod and ending the career of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and his corrupt city administration.