My "Breaking News" Rant

There are three earth-shattering news stories going on in Indiana this morning:

          Jim Irsay (owner of the Indianapolis Colts) has been arrested for DUI and possession of a controlled substance;
          Governor Pence has signed a bill making it legal for alcohol to be sold at the Indiana State Fair;
          Gary Bettenhausen, veteran race car driver and starter in 21 Indy 500 races has died.

The first two stories are big headlines all over the media and the Internet.  The last one I had to search for.  I'm biased, perhaps, but that just seems wrong to me.

First of all, Jim Irsay, while a public figure, is nothing more than a business man.  He's a rich business man, for sure....but he is not in a position of setting an example for anyone.  No kid looks up to him saying, "I want to be just like Jim Irsay when I grow up."  Irsay has, in the past, admitted to substance abuse and has been in rehab.  These things are subject to relapse.  It isn't at all surprising that he should be caught with his hand in the cookie jar again.  When he gets out of jail today, he will have a high-powered lawyer by his side.  Reporters will shove microphones in his direction, and he'll either dodge them or will admit that he's "sick", made a "mistake", and will get "help".  Again.  I suppose it's even possible that the NFL could slap him with a fine or two, but I'm not certain if franchise owners get that kind of treatment.  Even if he does jail time for this, it won't amount to much.  And all will be over until the next time.

As for the bill to sell alcohol at the Indiana State Fair, welcome to the 21st Century, Indiana!  In the whole USA, only Indiana and one of the Carolinas banned alcohol from state fair sales.  Reading reader commentaries at the end of the online news stories about it, Hoosiers are convinced that selling booze will ruin the "family friendly" atmosphere of the fair.  I think not!  First of all, it will be priced so high that only a person with a lot of cash could afford enough to get roaring drunk.  The law only makes it legal to sell there; it's up to the State Fair Board to decide whether they actually will or not.  Much ado about nothing!  In Illinois, there are beer tents at the state fair, with live entertainment.  Drinkers are carded at the entrance to the tent and given a wristband in order to buy alcohol, and I don't think carry-outs are permitted.  Thus, drinking is contained in certain areas. Guess what, Indiana?  You can do the same!

But here's what really unnerves me about the "breaking news" of the day.  Why did I have to search to find the news about Gary Bettenhausen??  Gary was part of a well-respected racing family dynasty.  I went to every Indy 500 race for probably 20 years, with Gary B. racing in them. I have a T-shirt with his autograph on it because I gave it to his wife to have him sign.  How did I do that??

His wife was a secretary at my school in Monrovia, IN, for many years.  Wavelyn Bettenhausen had a reputation for having a rough/gruff demeanor, but she was a real softy in the middle.  I have several Wave Bettenhausen stories.   Here is my favorite one:

I was recently divorced and a relatively new teacher at Hall Elementary School in the boonies outside of Monrovia, IN, where Wavelyn was secretary.  (I also lived in a new community and didn't have many friends yet.)  I had students who would BEG not to have to take anything to the office because they were scared of Mrs. B.  She was always curt with the kids.  I would tell them that her bark was worse than her bite, but they weren't always convinced.

Just a couple of blocks from school on my way in one morning, something went wrong with my car's alternator, and a belt started slipping and melted, emitting smoke and a smell of burnt rubber.  I limped to the parking lot and reported in, terrified of how I was going to afford to have it all fixed and how I was going to figure it all out from inside a classroom in time for me to get home that afternoon.  Free time for teachers at the elementary level is very limited, so I had virtually no opportunities to use a phone, and didn't know where to start, anyway!  Not too long into the morning, Wave called me to the office when I was down at that end of the building.  She had been on the phone for me, unasked.  She said she found a local shop that would tow my car, fix the problems, and have the car back by the end of the day--for $200.  I left the keys with her and went back to my classroom, grateful that my buggy would get fixed but still not knowing how I was going to pay for it.  I never said a word to Wave about that.  It was too embarrassing to admit that I didn't have $200 until payday.

After the students left at day's end, here came Wave down the hall, calling me out of my classroom. Understand that Wavelyn was rarely ever seen outside of the office, so I didn't know what was going on.  She handed me an envelope, saying "You don't have to say a thing.  Just pay me back when you can."  Then she turned and walked back up the hall toward the office.  Inside the envelope were two $100-bills.  I was floored!  This woman hardly knew me, but she had really, really gone out of her way to help me out that day!  I went to the parking lot and got in my waiting (fixed) car, drove to the auto shop to pay the bill, and went home as if nothing at all had happened.  You'd better bet that I had $200 in a thank-you card for Mrs. B. the very next payday, with an undying soft spot in my heart for that woman!

I retired from teaching almost five years ago.  Wave just retired at the end of last school year (although I hear she is still helping out at school.)  And now, her husband has died...and I don't know what personal hell she has had to go through in his illness (whatever it was).  I never met Gary Bettenhausen, but I sure know his wife...and somehow, it just doesn't seem fair that his passing should be buried in the news somewhere when State Fair alcohol and Jim Irsay's latest misadventures are front page news.  Makes me sick, actually...