Journalist Steven Higgs to speak at Indiana AfD annual meeting

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, the Indiana Alliance for Democracy will welcome Steven Higgs, Bloomington-based publisher of The Bloomington Alternative and author of the recently released book Twenty Years of Crimes Against Democracy--A Grassroots History of the I-69/NAFTA Highway. The book, available through The Bloomington Alternative, is a collection of Higgs' stories, columns, and pictures pertaining to this $5 billion boondoggle, opposed by trade activists, environmentalists, and urban planners.

Higgs is an Adjunct Lecturer at the IU School of Journalism in Bloomington. He is also the author of Eternal Vigilance: Nine Tales of Environmental Heroism in Indiana, which was published by Indiana University Press in 1995. He is currently researching and writing an investigative book with the working title “Autism and the Ohio Valley Environment,” which will explore the connections between the region’s high rates of pollution and children with developmental disabilities. It is tentatively scheduled for release in the Fall of 2012.

Higgs began writing about children’s environmental health while working as the senior environmental writer at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management between 1996 and 2000.

Mr. Higg’s presentation will begin at 1:00 to be followed by brief annual meetings of the two affiliated Alliance for Democracy organizations, Indiana Alliance for Democracy and Indiana Alliance for Democracy and Equality. Both are grassroots-based groups. Candidates for election as directors are being sought. To inquire, please contact the nominating chair, Clarke Kahlo at ckahlo@toast.net or 317-283-6283.

The event will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis, located just south of Butler University at 615 West 43rd Street. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Start time is 12:30, and business should wrap up by 3 p.m. We hope to see you on the 20th!