https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-house-hopeful-co-authored-bills-provide-in-state-tuition-driving-cards-illegal-immigrants

INDIANA

GOP House hopeful co-authored bills to provide in-state tuition, driving 'cards' to illegal immigrants

State Sen. Mark Messmer is running to represent Indiana's 8th Congressional District

A Republican state legislator running for Congress in Indiana is stressing the need to tackle illegal immigration, but has supported legislation that would have provided driving "cards" and in-state tuition rates for those in the U.S. illegally.

"I am devoted to tackling pressing issues like illegal immigration, safeguarding our liberties, protecting the unborn, balancing the federal budget, stopping the woke agenda, and growing jobs in Southwest Indiana," state Sen. Mark Messmer, who is running to represent Indiana's 8th Congressional District, wrote on his campaign website.

However, Messmer co-sponsored SB200 in 2022, which would have provided for illegal immigrants in the state to "apply for a driving card learner's permit and driving card to obtain driving privileges."

2018 INDIANA

History matters.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A former Mike Pence aide who was fired from one government job and left another after being formally disciplined wants Indiana voters to send him to Congress, where he would take over for the boss who sacked him, according to a review of public records by The Associated Press.

State records show Diego Morales, a candidate in the GOP primary for the 4th Congressional District, was fired in 2009 by former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who is giving up his reliably Republican House seat to run for Senate.
The disciplinary actions against Morales are part of a resume that also includes embellishments, a spotty work history and murky business dealings.

His campaign didn’t respond to several questions from the AP but did insist Morales served as a “senior advisor” to Pence when he was Indiana’s governor. Some of Pence’s aides have defended Morales’ use of the noscript and endorsed his candidacy. However, the campaign acknowledges his work — including such tasks as event planning and venue preparation — didn’t rise to the level of many others who worked under the eventual vice president.

Diego Morales’ service to Indiana and his country are unimpeachable,” campaign manager Michael Sorenson said in an emailed statement, noting the 39-year-old Morales is also a veteran.
Morales often touts his role on Pence’s staff as he campaigns for the nomination against Steve Braun and state Rep. Jim Baird.
A spokeswoman for the vice president did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Rokita declined to comment on the work habits of his former employee.

Rokita’s office formally disciplined Morales after eight months due to “incomplete” work, “inefficient execution” and a “lack of focus,” according to records obtained under Indiana’s public records act. He refused to agree to a work improvement plan and had filed notice that he intended to quit when he was fired, according to a termination letter.
Two years later, Morales left a different state job after refusing to sign on to a work improvement plan under former Secretary of State Charlie White, who was himself removed from office in 2012 following a voter fraud conviction.

Morales worked just over a month in White’s office when he was disciplined for “poor execution,” failing to complete his work and leaving the office to attend a “personal function,” records show.
His letter of resignation states that he was seeking “new experiences” that would better serve his “future ambitions.”
He later landed a gig with Pence in 2013 and was among a large group of staffers awarded a Sagamore of the Wabash, one of the state’s highest honors, when Pence was leaving office for Washington.

Morales now enjoys support from a number of GOP powerbrokers and Pence allies, including former chief of staff Jim Atterholt, who encouraged him to use the noscript “senior advisor,” Morales’ campaign has acknowledged.
“I considered (Morales) to be a senior adviser to both myself and to Governor Pence,” Atterholt wrote in an emailed statement. “Diego represented the Governor at countless events around the state and was critical to being our eyes and ears on how we could be of help to any and all Hoosiers.”

At events and in campaign materials, Morales portrays himself as a “business owner,” an “adjunct professor” and high-level government worker.
But according to state records and interviews, Morales bounced around government jobs, sometimes lasting little more than a few months. His business, Aiming Higher Services, was administratively dissolved last November. And he was an adjunct instructor — not a professor — at Ivy Tech Community College, though the school system did briefly employ him as a “career resource assistant” for one month in 2010, records show.

https://www.jconline.com/story/news/local/indiana/2018/03/15/ex-pence-indiana-aide-running-congress-defends-resume/430019002/

The Republican chairwoman of the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee won’t say why she is stonewalling state efforts to complement President Donald Trump’s efforts to address illegal immigration after four years of open borders.
The Republican-led Indiana House passed HB 1531 that would, in part, stop illegal aliens from undercutting hard-working Hoosiers by creating penalties for employers who knowingly hire or employ illegal aliens. The legislation states an employer is not in violation of the law if he “engaged in reasonable diligence to confirm the work eligibility…”

If found engaging in illegal employment, the employer has 15 days to terminate the alien and provide proof to the state attorney general in the form of a signed affidavit. Otherwise, the consequence is the “suspension of all of the employer’s operating authorizations at the location or locations where the violation or violations occurred for a period of one hundred eighty days.”
The legislation would also make clear that all Indiana law enforcement must honor a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer request and hold a suspect in custody for 48 hours. It would also permit the state to gather data to determine how illegal immigration affects citizens and public resources, and to consider withholding state funds from localities that refuse to enforce immigration laws.
But Sen. Liz Brown has yet to bring the legislation the vast majority of her party supports for a committee vote, effectively freezing it. If the legislation passes a committee vote, it will move to the Senate floor and likely be passed into law given its support among the state Republican caucus. But if Brown does not allow a vote, it will die with the end of the legislative session in one month.
Brown did not respond to an inquiry from The Federalist about whether she plans to allow her colleagues to vote on the bill.

There are, however, two additional ways the legislation could make it out of committee. In one, Senate President Pro-Tem Rodric Bray could reassign the legislation to another committee. Bray did not return a request for comment. The other way is via rules stating “the author of such bill or any member of the Senate shall have the right to call the attention of the Senate to such fact.” Two-thirds of state senators can then vote to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
R.J. Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement and a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The Federalist it’s “unfathomable that states would ignore the overwhelming immigration enforcement mandate we won on in November, yet the Indiana Senate still won’t even set HB 1531 for a hearing.”
“Small, piecemeal measures like the handful of other immigration bills moving in Indiana are not enough and are no substitute for the meaningful reforms in HB 1531. As Congress works through reconciliation, states must step up,” he said.
Despite this roadblock, the majority of Indiana Republicans support the bill, state officials told The Federalist. The two top vote-getters in Indiana in 2024’s elections were Trump and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, both strong supporters of immigration enforcement. State Rep. J.D. Prescott, who introduced the legislation, said its main goal is “to protect American workers.”

“The main portion of this bill is to protect American workers. We’re going to make sure companies are following the law. It’s already illegal to hire illegal immigrants based off of federal law, so we just want to make sure that our state law has an enforcement provision for that,” Prescott said in a statement to The Federalist. “Right now I know that the current administration is doing a good job of trying to make sure we have the southern border closed, but previous administrations have failed to do the job, so we want to make sure we have resources here within our state to enforce federal policy from a state standpoint. This is a tried-and-true method that has been taken up in other states as well.”
Rokita called the legislation “critically important.

” Illegal immigration is a top concern of Hoosier voters.
“It would directly address the concerns about illegal immigration that legislators and I hear from constituents all the time. This issue isn’t going away, and both my office and the General Assembly have an obligation to Hoosiers to act decisively to help keep illegal aliens out of our communities,” Rokita said in a statement to The Federalist. “HB 1531 would be a big step toward fulfilling that obligation.”
Two months into Trump’s presidency, law enforcement actions targeting illegal migrants are nowhere near levels needed to address the record-breaking numbers the Biden administration invited, overwhelming public services, housing, and some towns. Biden illegally admitted at least an estimated 10 million foreign citizens to compete with American workers. At the current rate, just 528,000 will be returned to their countries by the end of Trump’s final term.

The vast majority of illegal migrants paid cartels to help them enter the United States either in cash or in debt. This means their employment subsidizes international terrorism and promotes a vast network of indentured servitude that also undercuts wages for American workers.
Indiana U.S. Sen. Jim Banks told The Federalist that “Hoosiers expect us all to work together at the state, local and federal levels to support ICE and deport illegal criminals from our streets. This bill helps do that in a big way.”

The bill is also supported by the Indiana Republican Party’s national representatives Sen. Todd Young, and U.S. Reps. Marlin Stutzman, Mark Messmer, Jim Baird, and Erin Houchin. U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym said H.B. 1531 “is the commonsense legislation needed to tackle the urgent challenges of illegal immigration head-on.”
“For too long, Indiana’s communities have shouldered the fallout of the failed Biden-Harris border policies,” Yakym said. “This bill is critical to strengthening our laws, protecting our communities, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars. I urge the Indiana General Assembly to get this done.”

Sheriff put DARE funds in his personal account for more than a decade — Tens of thousands of dollars unaccounted for

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has learned that Sheriff William Redman put tens of thousands of dollars in DARE funds into his private bank account(s) for more than a decade. From 1997 until 2012, Redman put all of the funds for the program into his private account(s) with no oversight and no records showing how the money was spent. According to figures obtained by RNM through a public records request, it appears nearly $100,000 could have simply disappeared.

REAL News Michiana’s Clifton French uncovered the data while working for ABC57 in 2018, while Redman was running for his first term as Sheriff of the St. Joseph County Police Department. However, the ABC57 News Director at the time, Kelley Dickens, shelved the story for unknown reasons. Redman ended up winning the primary election by less than 20 votes that year.
RNM obtained those records again by requesting the emails and documents sent to Clifton French in 2018.
Redman started with the DARE program for the St. Joseph County Police Department in 1997. He kept all of the funds in his private accounts until February of 2012. According to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department, Chief Robert Boits discovered Redman was using his personal account for the money in 2012 and demanded Redman start a county account.

How the discovery of the management of the money occured is hotly contested by several sources within the Sheriff’s Department. Some say the discovery was made through a standard audit. Others tell RNM that Boits made the discovery by hearing it from other deputies or staff, reprimanded Redman and forced him to create the county account to avoid bad publicity. Chief Boits cannot be questioned because he passed away in 2013.
According to DARE bank statements starting in February of 2012, the first deposits into the account were a $2,000 grant reimbursement plus 6 different donation deposits for approximately $2,600. By 2018, there was nearly $48,000 in the account. That means the program had an average surplus of approximately $8,000. Over a 13 year period, if extrapolated out with the same average surplus, Redman would have approximately $104,000 in DARE funds in his private bank account(s). All of it is unaccounted for. There is no account for how much money was taken in or how much money was spent and what that money was spent on.

Clifton French was told in 2018 there are no records from the time Redman was holding the money in his own account(s). RNM is still calling on Sheriff Redman to share his account information to show how and where the DARE money was spent as most banks retain records for longer than the 7-year retention period required by law.
Become a subscribing member to see all of the supporting evidence below. All of the documents, including bank statements and statements from the SJPD regarding the funds from 2018 are included in those documents for subscribers to see for themselves.

It’s very troublesome to me.” Kevin McGowan, Republican candidate for the St. Joseph County Sheriff, said. “If this is true, it’s a big disappointment to St. Joseph County as well as the Sheriff’s Department. Transparency and accountability are important when in comes to public safety and its leaders. I hope that promises of transparency from the current administration can play out and we will learn what exactly happened so anything that is amiss can be dealt with accordingly.”

A new property tax plan from Indiana House Republicans prevailed over qualms from Democrats on Monday, advancing to the House floor for further considerations after the 15-8 committee vote.
Senate Bill 1 would now let counties increase their local income taxes and — for the first time — allow cities to implement their own local income taxes. Under a massive amendment adopted Monday, counties would be able to levy an income tax up to 2.9%, up from the current 2.5% cap, while cities could go up to 1.2%. 
The legislation would also phase out, by 2030, the business personal property tax on anything purchased this year or later. 

Chief Justice John Roberts addressed ongoing speculation about his possible retirement during a public appearance in Buffalo, New York, this week.

The comments come four months into President Donald Trump’s second term, amid growing interest in whether Roberts would allow Trump to appoint another justice to the Supreme Court.

Roberts, appointed in 2005 by President George W. Bush, has served as Chief Justice for nearly two decades. His tenure has included pivotal decisions such as the legalization of gay marriage in 2015 and the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Speaking to a crowd of lawyers and legal observers, Roberts dismissed the idea that his departure was imminent. “I’m going out feet first,” he said, adding a touch of humor to his response, as reported by Trending Politics.
Roberts recounted a conversation he had with two individuals he trusts, in which he asked them to tell him when it might be time to retire. He said both responded, “‘It’s time to go.’ So I said, ‘Alright, never mind.’”

Though he joked about staying indefinitely, Roberts acknowledged that declining health could eventually factor into a decision to step down. He said if he became a burden to the court, that would signal the time to leave.
His comments were delivered during a celebration marking the 125th anniversary of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. However, his remarks on retirement quickly overshadowed the anniversary event.
Roberts addressed the broader topic of aging justices. When asked if those in their late 80s should still be deciding complex constitutional matters, he noted that such situations have occurred only “a handful of times.”
He said that while some justices may have stayed longer than advisable, such instances have typically resolved themselves without major disruption. Roberts did not mention specific names in this context.
At 70, Roberts is younger than Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Sonia Sotomayor. He stated that he still feels “pretty healthy” on most days, indicating no immediate reason to consider retirement.

The Chief Justice also mentioned that he visited his childhood home in Buffalo before attending the event, underscoring a personal connection to the location.

In response to a question about the rise in presidential impeachments, Roberts stated that impeachment should not be used to express disagreement with judicial decisions.
Calls for term limits for Supreme Court justices have increased in recent years. Despite this, Roberts and others on the bench have largely dismissed such proposals.
Justice Samuel Alito, who is part of the court’s conservative bloc, has also rejected the idea of stepping down during Trump’s term. Sources close to him insist that he does not view his role through a political lens.

A source quoted by the Wall Street Journaldenied rumors that Alito, age 74, is preparing to retire to allow Trump to appoint a younger conservative replacement.
Roberts’ public remarks reaffirmed his intention to remain on the court and emphasized a nonpartisan approach to judicial service.

INDIANA

SW INDIANA PODCAST 👇🏻👇🏻

Cheryl and Ken (RIBS) Republicans In Bad Standing discuss the upcoming “Solar farm “ scheduled for VANDERBURGH County and the property tax debacle.

They discuss the lack of a Hoosier Constitutional Sheriff and the scheduled Precinct Committeeman Training at the VANDERBURGH GOP.

The local VANDERBURGH GOP is permitting an anti-Trumper to be the guest speaker at the next Lincoln Day Dinner.

A large number of America 🇺🇸 First coalitions are forming throughout Indiana as a result of Indiana GOP Tyranny.

Video. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

https://rumble.com/v6tefjr-indiana-property-taxes-solar-farms-anti-trumper-scheduled-to-speak-at-gop-l.html?e9s=src_v1_upp

INDIANA

Indiana Governor Mike Braun has expressed intent to seek federal approval to establish tolls on Indiana's interstate highways, including I-80/94 and I-65, as a means to fund road maintenance and infrastructure improvements. This plan stems from House Bill 1461, signed into law on May 1, 2025, which allows the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to request a federal waiver from the Federal Highway Administration to implement tolls on interstate highways. The bill, authored by State Representative Jim Pressel, removes a previous restriction that prohibited tolling within 75 miles of existing toll roads, such as the Indiana Toll Road (I-90), thereby enabling tolls on major highways across the state, including those in Northwest Indiana.

Braun has justified the need for tolling by citing declining revenue from Indiana’s 35-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and the additional 7% sales tax on fuel, largely due to increased fuel efficiency in vehicles. According to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, tolling could generate approximately $4.2 billion in the first five years and up to $38.2 billion between 2029 and 2050, addressing an estimated $900 million annual shortfall in local transportation funding and a $2.4 billion annual need to improve roads and bridges rated as “poor” or “failed.”

The tolling plan has sparked controversy. Critics, including some lawmakers and residents, argue it imposes a financial burden on drivers, particularly in regions like Lake and Porter counties, where interstates are heavily used for daily commutes. Attempts to exempt these counties from tolling were defeated, and amendments to remove the tolling provision failed. Opponents, such as Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., have warned of political backlash, predicting it could lead to a Democratic governor in future elections. There is also uncertainty about federal approval, given recent resistance to tolling initiatives, such as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 2025 halt to New York’s congestion pricing program.

Braun has not detailed specific toll rates or implementation timelines, and his office has been reserved in public statements. However, he has indicated openness to tolling as a necessary measure to maintain Indiana’s “main arteries,” with potential reliance on electronic tolling systems to avoid traditional toll booths. The plan’s progression depends on federal authorization, which Braun suggested he would pursue under the administration of President Donald Trump.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/05/braun-signs-indiana-illinois-border-commission-gary-supplemental-pay-and-others-into-law/

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Supreme Court issues decision on Tennessee's gender-affirming care ban for minors
The decision comes amid a range of other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people.
Author: MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
Published: 10:31 AM EDT June 18, 2025
Updated: 10:31 AM EDT June 18, 2025
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a stunning setback to transgender rights.
The justices' 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump's Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to the one in Tennessee.

Indiana House Bill 1461 (HB 1461) passed in the 2025 legislative session and was signed into law by Governor Mike Braun on May 1, 2025, becoming Public Law 173. The bill, primarily focused on road funding, includes several key provisions:

- Road Funding Adjustments: It modifies the state's road funding formula, allocating additional funds to urban areas like Indianapolis based on lane mileage. Starting in fiscal year 2027, Indianapolis could receive $50 million annually for secondary streets if the city matches the funds with non-transportation revenue.

https://legiscan.com/IN/bill/HB1461/2025)

https://mirrorindy.org/indiana-road-funding-bill-indianapolis-community-crossings-wheel-excise-tax/

https://www.indianahousedemocrats.org/news/moed-supports-bill-to-provide-significant-road-funding-increase-to-indy)

- Vehicle Taxes: The bill requires municipalities to adopt a wheel tax and vehicle excise tax by June 30, 2027, to remain eligible for full Community Crossings matching grants. It also "unstacks" these taxes so residents in cities with both county and city taxes pay only one.

https://dailyjournal.net/2025/03/04/indiana-bill-would-require-cities-towns-to-levy-vehicle-taxes-to-receive-community-crossings-money/)

- Tax Credits: It introduces a state income tax credit for qualified railroad and new rail infrastructure expenditures, with a cap on total credits per fiscal year.

https://legiscan.com/IN/bill/HB1461/2025)

- Tolling Authority: HB 1461 allows the Indiana Department of Transportation to request a federal waiver to toll interstate highways, such as I-80/94 and I-65, without requiring further legislative approval if the waiver is granted. This provision has sparked controversy, with some X users expressing frustration over potential tolls.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/11/indiana-toll-road-bill-amended-in-committee-but-toll-road-language-remains/

(https://x.com/C_waddell1267/status/1935707038316712348)

- Bridge Maintenance:

The bill shifts responsibility for certain bridges back to counties from municipalities.

https://dailyjournal.net/2025/03/04/indiana-bill-would-require-cities-towns-to-levy-vehicle-taxes-to-receive-community-crossings-money/)

- Speed Limit Increase: It raises the speed limit on I-465 around Indianapolis from 55 mph to 65 mph, effective July 1, 2025.

(https://x.com/wrtv/status/1914427927271186719)

The bill passed the House on February 20, 2025 (72-21), the Senate on April 15, 2025 (38-10), and the House concurred with Senate amendments on April 17, 2025 (68-17).

It was supported by a bipartisan group, including Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) as the lead author, but faced opposition over tolling and tax mandates.

(https://legiscan.com/IN/bill/HB1461/2025)

(https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/in/2025/bills/INB00014253/)

For the full text or further details, visit the Indiana General Assembly website at iga.in.gov.

https://legiscan.com/IN/text/HB1461/id/3054941)

Mayor Joe Hogsett, the Indianapolis Foundation, and the Indianapolis City-County Council announced the sixth round of recipients for the Elevation Grant Program. In all, 51 grants totaling more than $9 million will be distributed to Indianapolis organizations. The funding supports local, grassroots nonprofits working to address root causes of violent crime and comes as part of Mayor Hogsett’s three-year, $150 million comprehensive violence reduction strategy.

“When we listen to our neighbors and empower them to make the changes they want to see in their own neighborhoods, our whole community moves forward,” said Mayor Hogsett. “The Elevation Grant Program allows organizations in our city to expand and enhance the good work that is making Indianapolis a better, safer place for all.”
The Elevation Grant Program is a partnership between the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Foundation. Through six rounds of funding granted over three years, the program is investing $45 million in Indianapolis neighborhoods to address the root causes of violent crime through a comprehensive approach, including neighborhood empowerment and community building.

“The Indianapolis Foundation is proud to administer the Elevation Grant Program, which has provided funding to organizations working day in and day out to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis,” said Lorenzo Esters, president, Indianapolis Foundation. “We believe community action is best when led by the people who live in the community. Through the Elevation Grant, we have supported the expansion, reach, and impact of community organizations working to reduce gun violence.”

Round six grants focused on organizations providing direct services to priority populations with immediate intentionality around violence reduction using evidence-based programming that elevates the assets, aspirations, and hopes of neighborhoods impacted by violence, and improves their overall safety. With round six being the final round to include federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in addition to City budget funds, additional consideration was given to organizations that had developed sustainability plans, demonstrated strong past performance, and displayed effective program design as well as collaborative approaches to providing services.

Evansville is following the same path of utilizing “grants” to squander valuable taxpayer funds for self enrichment of the organizers; it’s their source of income. The next local money laundering scheme is “affordable housing”. A series of future posts will expose those responsible.

https://www.cicf.org/2024/10/07/mayor-joe-hogsett-and-the-indianapolis-foundation-announce-round-six-elevation-grant-recipients/

Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations will be eliminating its entire statewide team of reporters and editors at the end of the year after the Indiana General Assembly defunded the organization.

“This is an incredibly difficult decision, but with the loss of state funding, individual stations have to make some very difficult decisions to address funding shortfalls and are focused on sustaining services to their local communities,” said Mark Newman, the executive director of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc.

IPBS is a non-profit consortium of 17 public radio and television stations established in 1979. IPBS and its member stations are partners on education initiatives, civic affairs programming and public safety projects.

Indiana lawmakers in April cut the program’s $3.675 million annual funding after a lower-than-expected revenue forecast. Other programs were trimmed, but IPBS lost its entire line item.

Shortly after, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that cut all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding to the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and member stations, alleging “bias” in the organizations’ reporting.
Outside of public dollars, stations largely rely on donations and grants.

IPBS posted a statement Tuesdaywith few details.
“Amid the loss of state funding and the threat of potential federal funding cuts, the Indiana’s public broadcasting stations have proposed strategic changes and reductions for the IPB News statewide reporting collaboration,” the post said.
According to IPBS, its 17 member stations serve 95% of Hoosiers, delivering critical public safety information at no charge to Indiana residents. Such local broadcasting was crucial during flooding in North Carolina when residents didn’t have access to power, with hosts using their stations to connect residents to resources.

“The state funding cuts are being felt for real. This is the impact on public services that Hoosiers depend on and care about. It’s a quality of life matter and a necessity of life matter. That’s the hand we’ve been dealt,” Newman told the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
He said the organization’s focus will be to maintain their “core services,” or local content in Indiana communities.

“This is a transformative time. This is an opportunity to figure out a way to do this better, more effectively and with more impact. Focusing on how our stations operate and what we do. We intend to be here the next fifty years,” Newman said.

“Individual stations will continue to collaborate on statewide reporting relying on the deep community knowledge and on-the-ground work of local reporters who live in, listen to, and report for their own communities. This proposed approach and reorganization to the IPB News statewide reporting collaboration is an immediate consequence of state funding cuts. Specifics of the plan will be released in the near future,” the post concluded.

Indiana Public Broadcasting has an eight-person statewide team that includes education, labor, health, Statehouse and energy and environment editors and reporters.
Some recent stories include: a feature on the Indiana Court of Appeals’ program taking arguments on the road; Gov. Mike Braun celebrating improved coordination to enforce anti-abortion laws; reaction to Indiana University degree cuts; detailing a Medicaid beneficiary panel; sharing results from a youth tobacco study; and highlighting a citizenship ceremony.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for more than a decade and co-hosts Indiana Week in Review on WFYI. Other impacted reporters include: health reporter Abigail Ruhman; energy and environmental reporter Rebecca Thiele; digital editor Lauren Chapman; and labor and employment reporter Timoria Cunningham.