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Latest Stories
INPRS reports state pension funds move closer to fully funded status
Indiana Public Retirement System officials on Wednesday reported preliminary, unaudited data that shows the plan is sitting on $46.6 billion in assets, up from $42.4 billion a year ago, and the funded status of the state’s collective pension funds during FY 2023 increased to 82.2% from 74.8%. INPRS Executive Director Steve Russo said he expects …
Statehouse memorial service set for Sen. Jack Sandlin
A Statehouse memorial service is being planned for Sen. Jack Sandlin, who died this week at the age of 72. The memorial service will be held at noon Sept. 29 following public visitation at the Statehouse that begins at 9 a.m. Additional visitation hours are 3-7 p.m. at G.H. Herrmann Funeral Home, 5141 Madison Ave., …
Water study indicates ‘abundant water availability’ in greater Lafayette region
Initial findings from a water study shows “abundant water availability” in the greater Lafayette region, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The update comes as the state hopes to use a pipeline to funnel water from an aquifer connected to the Wabash River to central Indiana to support the burgeoning LEAP Lebanon Research and …
Indiana’s untold story needs telling
INDIANAPOLIS — Ashley, Indiana, is astride the border separating DeKalb and Steuben counties, north of Fort Wayne. In 2022, Ashley had 1,032 residents, just eight people short of its 1900 peak. Today, Ashley has joined so many other Indiana towns where a major employer is closing down. Just before Labor Day, Tram Inc. announced 155 employees …
Beyond the politics, a message to notice from No Labels
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As the political press continues to gear up for next year’s presidential election, I’ve been struck by how little attention many national reporters have paid to a potential third-party bid by the group known as No Labels. The organization, which says it’s committed to bipartisanship and political centrism, has secured ballot access …
Columns
View MoreBraun links self to Trump during a tight Indiana GOP gubernatorial primary
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In case there was doubt, and there wasn’t much, Sen. Mike Braun is running as the Trumpiest of the five candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Indiana. Braun has officially endorsed a return of Trump to the White House, linking himself solidly with the former president. “We installed constitutional …
Romney and the Constitution
INDIANAPOLIS — Mitt Romney — son of a governor, a governor himself, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and now a U.S. senator — announced last week that he won’t be seeking a second term. But the real news came with this jarring observation:“A very large portion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.”This …
Thoughts on Trump’s tax plan
MUNCIE, Ind. — This week, the Trump campaign sketched out a tax plan for what they hope to be a second administration. To be clear, Trump failed to achieve any of the policy goals of his first administration and conducted a second campaign without a policy platform. So, it is hard to take seriously any …
Elon Musk + X = A recipe for disaster
GARY, Ind. — Excerpts from a new Elon Musk biography published this month reveal that Musk thought providing Ukraine with Starlink communication satellites gave him the power to dictate military strategies. In September 2022, we have learned, Musk refused to activate the satellites over Sevastopol, Crimea, just prior to a crucial planned attack against the …
For effective congressional oversight, ask the right questions
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One of the hardest things to watch as Congress has evolved over the past decade or more is the extent to which its oversight muscles have atrophied. Sure, committees on Capitol Hill still haul members of the administration in front of them to ask uncomfortable questions. But while there has always been …
News & Analysis
View MoreScaffolding of Indiana Statehouse dome planned for repair work
The copper dome atop the Indiana Statehouse will likely be surrounded by scaffolding sometime in the coming year as exterior repairs continue on the 135-year-old building. A separate project is planned for updating security systems for the state government complex in downtown Indianapolis, including adding mass-communication alerts to those on the campus. Statehouse dome and …
Indiana gasoline tax ticking up 0.4 cents a gallon for October
Indiana’s gasoline tax will continue at its highest rate for this year as it goes up a fraction of a cent next month. The sales tax rate on gasoline will rise 0.4 cents a gallon to 21.5 cents starting Oct. 1 under rate changes released this week by the state Department of Revenue. The increase …
Critics bemoan FSSA’s new ABA therapy reimbursement rates despite increases
After pushback from legislators and providers, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration on Wednesday increased its proposed Medicaid reimbursement rates for applied behavioral analysis therapy, commonly known as ABA therapy. ABA therapy is a treatment, based on behavior and learning skills, considered medically necessary for people with autism. Coverage of the services was added …
Chambers talks GOP listening tour
WARSAW, Ind. — The rumor mill surrounding Commerce Secretary Brad Chamber’s Republican run for governor had been churning for months, until early August when he resigned his $1-a-year post after 24 months. He loaned his campaign $5 million, hired the state party’s political pros and made a $1 million TV ad buy. The biographical TV …
A mayoral divorce and an ‘October surprise’
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s called the “October surprise” in politics, though any negative anomaly after Labor Day that threatens a candidate’s fate on Election Day suffices. Last Friday, it was announced that the wife of Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett had filed for divorce in Johnson County. The timing of the filing, less than eight weeks before …