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Indiana Capital Chronicle
McCormick releases proposal to address property taxes
Indiana’s Democratic nominee for governor unveiled her $600 million plan Thursday for addressing rising property taxes, including fiscal impact and estimated savings for taxpayers. Jennifer McCormick’s campaign team published a fact sheet Thursday morning, touting the plan as a way to provide “targeted relief to those who need it most without cutting essential police, fire, […]
Four Indiana governors talk leadership, advice for future Hoosier generations
Indiana’s four current and former governors made a rare appearance together Wednesday evening, cracking jokes and sharing leadership advice at the Indiana State Fair. Gov. Eric Holcomb and former governors Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh headlined the annual Harvest Dinner in an hour-long event moderated by Cindy Hoye, the executive director of the […]
Latest IREAD scores show slight improvements, but more than 14K Indiana third graders still behind
Foundational reading competency among Indiana’s third graders improved slightly from last year, according to new standardized test results released Wednesday. But overall IREAD performance is still low, with roughly one in five test takers struggling to read. Data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) shows 82.5% out of the roughly 82,000 third graders at […]
Indiana officials make major updates to new high school diploma plan — earning higher ed support
The Indiana Department of Education made significant changes to a proposed high school diploma overhaul on Wednesday, including offering just one baseline diploma for all graduates. The announcement follows waves of criticism from Hoosier teachers, parents and students over earlier diploma proposals that would broadly exclude certain course requirements, like those in history, foreign language […]
Judge hears oral arguments in attendant care lawsuit
Attorneys trying to preserve attendant care services for two Hoosier families appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt on Tuesday, urging her to order an injunction that would halt their transition to structured family care. An injunction would apply only to the two families named in the suit, though it’s possible the injunction […]
USDA to take ‘additional step’ in testing beef from former dairy cattle for bird flu
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to embark on a year-long study beginning next month that will test samples for evidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza from former dairy cattle moved into meat production. Emilio Esteban, the under secretary for food safety at the USDA, told reporters on a call Tuesday the new […]
Lieutenant governor candidates debate water policy, property tax
A trio of Indiana lieutenant governor nominees promised to champion farmers and rural residents — albeit through different means — during a Tuesday agriculture-themed debate. Republican pastor Micah Beckwith, Democrat and former rural development officer Terry Goodin and Libertarian real estate broker Tonya Hudson took on water policy, property tax relief and more before a […]
Indiana looks to Swiss experts to create thousands of student apprenticeships
Indiana officials have turned to experts at the Swiss version of MIT for help becoming a national career training leader by making apprenticeships available to thousands of high school students across the state. Indiana is the latest state to work with ETH Zurich — where Albert Einstein once studied — to develop ways to break […]
Politics is power; sexual harassment is the abuse of it
Indianapolis has had a bright spotlight on it in 2024. The Olympic swimming time trials in Lucas Oil Stadium, the NBA All-Star game, and the arrival of the biggest name in sports, Caitlin Clark. Now the city is ground zero for something shameful. Mayor Joe Hogsett is under fire for his mishandling of numerous sexual […]
Potential threats to IVF push political novices into election-year advocacy
Marilyn Gomez was sitting at her kitchen table in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Feb. 16 when news alerts and friends’ texts began pinging her phone: The all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court had ruled that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization were children under state law. That meant providers could be held liable for discarding them, […]
Thacker steps down from Indiana Department of Homeland Security
The state’s executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Joel Thacker, will be stepping down to accept a role as the new fire chief for Carmel. According to the Carmel release, Thacker will start on Sept. 3. Gov. Eric Holcomb said that the city “and Mayor (Sue) Finkham are fortunate to have him.” […]
Political polarization and diverging economies are related
It is election year, so political partisans will make claims about their candidate’s prowess in managing the economy, while claiming their opponent is a destructive force. But, at the national level, there’s no real difference between Republican or Democratic economies. However, at the state level, there are stark and growing differences. One way to judge […]
‘A fast-growing industry,’ with more potential: 10 years in, Indiana’s craft distillers look ahead
Now a decade since Indiana’s craft spirit licenses came online, Hoosier distillers say business is continuing to climb — and there’s more alcohol tourism still untapped. Although Prohibition ended in 1933, it wasn’t until 2013 that Indiana lawmakers afforded distillers the right to launch craft spirit businesses and sell directly to consumers. That’s opened doors […]
Rokita drops IU Health privacy case
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has dropped a case against IU Health after a judge’s ruling found the case lacking. “The Court will not stretch the facts to fit the theory advanced by the State. Here, there are no factual allegations from which the Court can reasonably infer that IUH’s policies, or lack thereof, have […]
Senators urge better access to disability payments for Long COVID patients
Several U.S. senators have called on the Social Security Administration to take steps to make it easier for people with long COVID to access disability benefits, actions that disability rights advocates and patients say are desperately needed. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Angus […]
The past and future of the Healthy Indiana Plan
When Indiana first created the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) it was a conservative approach to expanding Medicaid to working poor Hoosiers who couldn’t afford health care. Now the next governor and lawmakers may soon have a big decision to make about the program’s future. If court challenges continue to succeed in vacating portions of the […]
Banks unresponsive to debate invitation for U.S. Senate seat
Sitting Congressman Jim Banks hasn’t yet accepted an invitation to debate from the Indiana Debate Commission, though both Democrat Valerie McCray and Libertarian Andrew Horning have indicated their willingness. “Congressman Banks is focused on representing northeast Indiana in Congress, spending time with his family, and running a statewide campaign to be the next conservative U.S. […]
‘The data space is growing’: why the Management Performance Hub encourages agencies to embrace data
The Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH) is encouraging state agencies to embrace data in their work through a new artificial intelligence (AI) policy and data proficiency course. Jeff Mullins, communications director for the MPH, said the agency helped the state’s chief data officer create and release a policy on using AI in state government. The […]
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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. More importantly, we will show how actions at the state level impact your everyday lives. Over the years the number of journalists covering state news has dwindled and The Capital Chronicle will bring more eyes to the process. In addition to daily coverage, we will keep digging for more in-depth scrutiny on important topics. Our staff has decades of experience covering the Indiana Statehouse and we are not afraid to take decision-makers to task. While the state capitol is in Indianapolis, we will also include perspective from outside central Indiana. The Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. It is free of advertising and free to readers.
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