A new consumer satisfaction survey, conducted by Consumer Reports magazine, puts Indianapolis-based ATA Airlines near the bottom of the list. The survey says ATA provides "below-average" satisfaction to passengers. Smaller airlines topped the list, including JetBlue and Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, which bakes chocolate chip cookies for its passengers during the flight.

Deadline to file for tax deductions looms

Indiana homeowners have one more week to file for property tax deductions with their county auditors. The June 11 deadline applies for taxpayers who owned their homes as of March 1. The deductions will apply to 2008 tax bills. Changes in the tax laws may mean that people who have previously been denied deductions could now be eligible.

Ivy Tech president discusses his vision

Ivy Tech President-Elect Tom Snyder wants more people to be aware of Ivy Tech, the state's second largest higher learning institution. He says he wants them to associate the word "campus" with the college. Snyder says the next step is to increase the school's outreach to get more rural students thinking of going to college. He says that Ivy Tech will concentrate on networking to grow as a system.

Huntington Bancshares gets OK in bank merger

The Federal Reserve Board has approved Huntington Bancshares Inc.'s (NASDAQ:HBAN) merger with Sky Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYF). This is the final banking regulatory approval necessary for the merger. The deal is expected to close early in the third quarter.

National military history center being planned

The World War II Victory Museum in Auburn soon will be expanded into a new facility, the National Military History Center. The Dean V. Kruse Foundation says it will announce the plan during a press conference June 14. The center will pay tribute to U.S. military history from the Revolutionary War to the present.The American Veterans Hall of Honor will be located within the center and will induct vets who have distinguished themselves.

Group to study forces affecting ethanol industry

The Hale Group, Ltd., a Massachusetts company, is partnering with a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Michigan State University on a study to define the forces that will impact the U.S. ethanol industry over the next five years. The Ethanol 2012 study will talk with experts from the agricultural, petroleum, public policy and technology sectors with a focus only on the U.S. ethanol market. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture says Indiana currently has four ethanol plants in production in South Bend, Washington, Clymers and Rensselaer.

Ball State students produce music video

A group of Ball State University students is making a music video for a band represented by Red Light Management, which also manages the Dave Matthews Band. The animated video for the group, Ki:Theory, is for the song "Holiday Heart" on their new album. Red Light learned of Ball State's Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education and contacted the school in an effort to give students real-world experience in the music video industry.

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