It doesn't matter if you just look at the numbers or look at the lives changed for the good, Knox County's Life After Meth program works for all of us. Started in 2005 in Freelandville, Life After Meth or LAM, has expanded to an in and out of jail program designed to help get men and women off drugs and keep them clean. There are a million such programs, but this one seems to work for a number of reasons:
It's Faith Based - enough said.
It's focus starts with one group of drug addicts - incarcerated people in the Knox County Jail.
It has a strong professional leadership - Peter Haskins from the beginning and for the last year Tania Willis.
It has a local board that includes every area of Knox County individuals, groups, and agencies lead by Jane Melvin.
The participants want badkly to get out of the drug life.
It's Faith Based. Said that, but it should be said more than once.
Haskin reports that Knox County has saved almost $730,000.00 in just the cost of offenders returning to jail if they were not in the LAM program and his math works. Now LAM wants to expand the services to a half-way house program for women (first) and men (second). We need to support the program AND the participants.
Need information? contact Peter Haskins at phaskins@Yahoo.com or go online to knoxcountylifeaftermeth.com.
I listened to the pros and cons of the Trash Sticker Cheater problem Monday at City Hall and came away with the only fair plan - at least to me and we all know that's what elected officials have to deal with every day. Me. In this case somewhere south of 20,000 Me's. Here's my plan: go to the Water Department and order either a small tote or a large tote approved for pickup by the "one armed bandit" trash truck and have whatever the monthly fee is for the tote selected tacked on to the water and sewer bill. If the bill is not paid, turn off the water and have Water Utilities do whatever they do when a bill is not paid.
Landlords will also be required to order the totes they need for their properties or hire private haulers and list that choice on their required renters permit. They will certainly pass on the expense to renters, but they should.
In addition, any entity inside the city limits and in the water utilities billing system could opt in for a small or large tote as required to get their trash collected. Businesses pay the highest taxes and don't get all the services the city has to offer. Just make sure all the trash is in the tote(s) selected.
But if trash is outside the tote or out without a tote the occupants would be cited and fined like they should be now.
If a citizen wants to take trash to the waste company on 2nd street, share a tote with her neighbor, or just doesn't have any trash, then don't get a tote (and a bill) from the water utilities and the city doesn't pick up their trash.
Done. Now lets move on to getting more jobs, curbs, crime, storm water, fire department over spending, and those other small pesky problems.
If you are "not from these parts" the basketball game this week between Vincennes Lincoln and South Knox at Adams Coliseum might have been a bit out of place. A game between two local schools that would bring a large crowd together in probably the oldest gym in the county. But if you went to the game, figured out where to park, got across the crowded dark streets to the building, found the correct doors to go in, and wound your way in front of half the crowd already in the place to find a seat you started getting it. Many of the ones "from these parts" were there very early so they could get "their" seats and they might have even asked politely if you might swap where you were sitting if they had to come late. Sure there was a basketball game or two. Sure there were multiple fund raisers, and even Bobe B Q found its way to the really tiny concession stand. Sure the dance team and pep band was the same and the student bodies came from their respective schools, but that's where the comparison to a regular game ended.
As Lincoln's coach said on WZDM this was a "play in game". It had little to do with the season for each school. It had nothing to do with the coming state basketball tourney. It was a game held in a building that many of the fans played in as students. There is nothing quite as sweet as good memories and for many crammed in those little seats it was a site where good memories are stored to be pulled out once a year. The fund raisers made more money. The pep band was more in tune and dance team was a bit sharper. The Bobe B Q was a bit smokier. And the crowd had a better time than usual and around "these parts" we still love our basketball - no matter which gym it is in.
The Alumni Tourney sponsored by the Knox County Community Foundation this spring will also be there so we won't have to wait until next year to have those good ghosts come out of the rafters at Adams.
The City of Vincennes is starting to fill pot holes already - partly because they need it and partly because it shows a good faith effort from the new administration to serve the citizens. The ones filled this week will need to be filled again in another week or so and we'll need to get street repairs every week to be satisfied.
The City of Vincennes is sweeping the streets already - partly because they need it and partly because it shows a good fair effort from the new adminstration to serve the citizens. The streets will need to be swept in another week or so and we'll need to have the street sweeper out every week to be satisfied.
The City of Vincennes is cracking down on folks cheating the Trash Sticker Ordinance - partly because the city needs the money and partly because it shows a good faith effort from the new administration to serve the citizens. The ordinance will have to be enforced in again in a month or so and we'll need to also enforce the weed ordinance, the abandoned buildings ordinance, the loose dog ordinance, and the sign ordinance and all of the other ordinances every week to satisfy the community.
The Old Northwest Running Club has their long distance George Rogers Trace Run at the end of February. The city administration should plan their efforts like a runner plans for that race. It happens rain or shine and remember it's not how fast you start - it's where you finish.
Bring It On by Mark Lange, posted Jan 12 2012 4:37AM
For the last couple of days the gas stations, grocery and drug stores all had a more focused customer base as we have waited for what should be by all accounts - including ours - the first real Winter storm of the 2011-2012 season. With all the effort to create a "shop local" mentality I wonder if one extra snow storm - or the threat of one per month each season would go a lot further to get us to consider what services and products we have right here in town... I also wonder why it seems that all our curbs are broken, missing, or paved right up to the last half inch, but that's for another day. Right now I've got to run out to Jay-C for one more thing. There aren't any Ding Dongs in the house and what if we're snowed in...
