Beilman: "We didn't miss this story, you missed our coverage of it."

Hey, fair's fair.

I wrote:

Utica: "Caught in the path of an approaching juggernaut being driven by everyone else's development goals."

It's surprising that N and T's platoon of Clark County reporters missed this story. Perhaps they were at Eastside, rolling out the folding chairs for Cooking School.

One of the members of the Clark County newspaper's platoon, Elizabeth Beilman, left a new comment on the post, and I reprint it here verbatim.

Roger,

We didn't miss this story, you missed our coverage of it.

Enjoy:

http://www.newsandtribune.com/news/developer-s-plans-near-east-end-bridge-thwarted/article_7600a7c0-a37d-11e5-8ff5-cfe995e6cc19.html

http://www.newsandtribune.com/news/utica-protests-location-of-indot-maintenance-facility/article_004a2db6-ae78-11e5-8259-67d9e5f3d61c.html

http://www.newsandtribune.com/news/utica-seeks-help-from-state-on-road-damage-from-bridge/article_19dab3fa-d055-11e5-bd3a-af2f3f08c569.html

Kindly,

Elizabeth Beilman

Utica: "Caught in the path of an approaching juggernaut being driven by everyone else's development goals."

Perhaps "told ya so" isn't the most diplomatic utterance.

It's surprising that N and T's platoon of Clark County reporters missed this story. Perhaps they were at Eastside, rolling out the folding chairs for Cooking School.

Utica leader on bridge: 'Our town's destroyed', by Lexy Gross (Courier-Journal)

When the East End bridge project began in 2012, the top elected official of Utica, Ind., was "thrilled to death" for the span that would connect his town of 800 to Prospect, Ky.

Those dreams of economic development and growth now seem far-fetched, said Utica Council President Steve Long as he sat in the town's community center, his truck parked out back with fresh bread in the backseat awaiting delivery.

"Our town's destroyed," he said. "... I know construction takes time and makes a mess, but you reap the benefits. Utica is not reaping the benefits."

Judge says bats won't be harmed by ORBP boondoggle, but jury's still out on tolls.

Curtis Morrison pointed this way, noting a misleading headline given the "yet to be determined" language of the final paragraph. I'm still waiting for Indiana's triumphant, penurious Republicans to explain the monstrous price tag, but the Clere Channel is far too busy lamenting Tony Bennett's ouster to pay very much attention.

Ohio River Bridges Project can proceed after judge's ruling (Business First)

Attempts to halt the Ohio River Bridges Project by the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation were knocked down Thursday following a federal judge's ruling.

The Courier Journal reports CART in September sought a preliminary injunction with issues that included possible harm to an endangered bat species from loss of tree habitations along the eastern bridge route between Prospect, Ky., and Utica, Ind.

But U.S. District Judge John B. Heyburn II said Thursday the tree removal doesn't show any harm to the Indiana and gray bats, according to the report. He added the court will consider other CART arguments including water and air quality harm, discrimination against minorities and that the project's tolls are illegal.

Kerry Stemler to Utica town council: “You’re fired.”

The Utica Town Council’s recent anti-tolling resolution has proven to be the last straw for Kerry Stemler, the dyspeptic business mogul anointed by First Secretary Mitch Daniels as Permanent Political Commissar to the Selfless Plenum of the Bi-State Bridges Authority.

“Enough’s enough,” said Stemler during an impromptu press conference held at the hospitality suite of his River Ridge bunker.

“It sends absolutely the wrong message to the Selfless Plenum, which already must work tirelessly to implement a grandiose boondoggle against the wishes of the general populace. And what about me? Stonewalling alone takes hours away each day, with barely enough tme for an expense account meal!

“I’m firing the Utica town council. Not a one of them will ever work in this town again.”

Fondling a rare Prussian cavalry saber, the leather-clad Stemler continued, “Granted, I can easily maintain ideological purity with this putrid rubber stamp of an unelected Authority, but I simply cannot tolerate any hints of anti-Danielsist counter-revolution amongst merely elected officials.”

“Don’t they know who I am?”

Stemler then revealed his detailed plan to privatize the town of Utica, plow its fields with salt, and auction all remaining inhabitants to One Southern Indiana member realtors for use in filling unoccupied rental units elsewhere in the region.

“Spain’s going to want a piece of this,” said Stemler, “and if they don’t jump on it, I have connections in Macao.”

Stemler's Utica-B-Gone plan specifies that inmates of Indiana’s penal system be used to hand erase the name “Utica” from all Indiana state highway maps, one at a time, as well as all references to Utica in books from prison libraries.

“We’ll outsource the erasures for the public libraries,” said Stemler. “It’ll put lazy people to work, and after all, low-paying jobs are Job One for those of us doctoring the timesheets.

“For now, we’ll call the liberated area East End Bridge Ramp #1, but after the bridges project is complete, roughly from 2057 on, the town formerly known as Utica will be renamed for whichever dead Republican donor who we also name the bridge after.”

He smiled.

“Stemler City … it’s just easier that way, don't you think?”

On Saturday, Bob's and Rog's Excellent Beer Gardening Adventure, at Hidden Hill Nursery in Utica.

If you're out and about on Saturday, and not going to Forecastle (no generational asides here), be aware that we're doing an event that should be mellow and whimsical, with beer and plants: Saturday, July 10: Bob's and Rog's Excellent Beer Gardening Adventure, at Hidden Hill Nursery in Utica.