News from around the state and nation

I take my role seriously as a member of the information age to keep readers informed of events in the state and nation. These items are presented in an effort to inform.

Renovations are being completed at Monument Circle in Indy. When the Lady Liberty statue is restored it will be repositioned with her looking north as all the soldiers have come home from the war.

The Indy mayor and city council have decided to close Monument Circle to automobile traffic. It will be changed into a music and restaurant venue with the city market moving to the site. Profits will go to the Pacers and Colts.

State Fair Commissioners are pursuing a new location. The current site is too crowded with no room to expand. The area of the former Central State Hospital and the current GM Stamping Plant site are being considered

The CIB (Capital Improvements Board) is considering a proposal by the members to weld the roof of Lucas Oil Stadium shut and seal it against the elements. They now admit that the retractable roof was a mistake.

A major change has been given the fast track by the FFA Board of Directors. The change is to divide FFA into male and female divisions to enhance the opportunities of female members.

The enrollment in the 4-H organization has been spiraling downward at an alarming rate over the past decade. In an effort to entice new members and revive the iconic organization a fifth "H" will be instituted next year. The new "H" will stand for "Harvest" and the new name will be 5-H.

The IHSAA in a bold attempt to revive state interest in the basketball tournament has announced several changes beginning in 2011-12. The tournament will revert to a single class system. Each county will determine a winner followed by sectional, regional, semi-state and state. The tournament will institute a triple elimination format at each level to insure that all teams have an opportunity to win. It is projected that the tournament will extend from March 1 through June 30.

The Fannie May Candy Corporation, in conjunction with the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, has agreed to purchase and operate the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Mortgage companies.

In order to make himself look more presidential, Gov. Mitch Daniels has embarked on a self-improvement regimen to look more like Charlton Heston. He ordered a pair of shoes from the Rik Smits Shoe Factory with four inch lifts that make him tower to the lofty height of 5 feet, 8 inches. He is using a cane as he acclimates to the new height. Further, he has purchased Hair Pieces are Us formerly owned by Pat Bauer to address his follicular challenged head. Now he can rightly say he is not only the owner he is a customer. Currently Mitch is wearing the new Rip Taylor toupee until he completes the hair transplant procedure sometime in 2012 just in time for the election. The technicians ran out of hair from his chest so they are now working from his arm pits.

April Fool's. Got you.

Larry grew up north of Calvertville on a farm and graduated from Worthington High School and Indiana State University. He can be reached at Goosecrick@aol.com or 317-839-7656. Write him at 6860 Sunrise Drive, Plainfield, Ind., 46168. He has written five books.