JULY 15-21, 2022
Indiana lawmakers returning the the Statehouse for a special session this month will consider Gov. Eric Holcomb's plan to send $225 refunds to Hoosier taxpayers. But IBJ's Pete Blanchard reports that not all lawmakers—or political observers—think that's the best use of $1 billion from the state surplus. Also in this week's issue, John Russell explores why hospitals, insurers and health clinics are such tempting and vulnerable targets for hackers. And Dave Lindquist has the story of a group of high-profile filmmakers who have created a visual-effects firm in Indianapolis to meet a need they saw in the local market.
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Indiana has a $6.1 billion surplus. Will taxpayers get some of it back?
As the Legislature prepares to consider Gov. Eric Holcomb’s proposal to return $1 billion of the surplus to taxpayers, some legislators and business leaders question whether that’s the best use of the windfall.
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Hackers hit health companies, insurers with increasing regularity
Of all the industries in the country, health care might be the juiciest for cyberhackers. And around central Indiana, institutions large and small are paying the price.
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Filmmakers launch visual-effects company in Indianapolis
Directors Josh Boone and Josh Trank are two of 11 partners in new digital filmmaking company Helix Pictures Inc.
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Hoosier farmers struggle with high costs, low supplies, little rain
Farmers and agricultural experts say the continued effects of the pandemic, government policy decisions and far-reaching impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are also contributing factors.
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Q&A with Cebronica Luft, founder of 317 Events and co-founder/partner of The Pavilion at Pan Am Plaza
Cebronica Luft is founder of 317 Events and co-founder/partner of The Pavilion at Pan Am Plaza. She and her partners at The Pavilion have recently opened a coffee shop nearby, at 201 N. Capitol Ave., called Pulse Coffee and have taken over operations of the bar at the AMP at 16 Tech, renaming it “The […]
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Mike Lopresti: While Indiana will never host an All-Star game, it’s got plenty of connections to the tradition
he All-Star Game has never been played in Indiana and never will be, but that doesn’t mean it is without some memorable Hoosier cleat marks.
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Steak n Shake owner plans $3M rooftop tavern next to Fieldhouse
Sardar Biglari expects to spend at least $3 million to renovate the historic C.A. Schrader building’s top floor and construct an addition to the neighboring structure.
Read MoreElevate Ventures is opening its annual pitch event to the public
Elevate Ventures’ annual pitch competition takes place Aug. 5 in Fishers, and this year for the first time the event is free and open to the public.
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Six businesses in Fountain Square Theatre Building sold to wedding venue operator
Moller Enterprises, which owns The Sanctuary on Penn, bought the business operations from Linton Calvert, with plans to greatly increase event activity in the building.
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Lebanon City Council approves annexation of property for high-tech development
Nearly three dozen individuals and companies who own more than 1,400 acres over 56 parcels submitted petitions last month to have their properties added to the city of Lebanon.
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Indiana governor walks back comment on abortion bill
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday took back his previous statement that he expects to sign whatever abortion-restricting bill comes across his desk, but he struggled to articulate where specifically he stands on the incoming legislation.
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Interest in new business starts on the rise
Potential business owners of all ages are flocking to consultants and college-based business programs in hopes of learning how to successfully launch their own startup.
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Editorial: Tax refund plan is not only option for spending reserves
It’s certainly easy to see Holcomb’s motivation in proposing to send some of that money back to taxpayers. Higher prices at the pump, in the grocery store and, well, everywhere are squeezing Hoosier families.
Read MoreLesley Weidenbener: New additions to the newsroom
Bonnie will truly be missed at IBJ, not just for her work but for her wit and wisdom as well.
Read MoreSteve Obert: Immigration reform key to addressing farm labor shortage
Parents across the country are scrambling to find baby formula. They’re also seeing higher prices at the store for milk, cheese and ice cream. Congress can help address food shortages and inflation over the long term by passing common-sense immigration reforms. If dairy farmers could hire guest workers, we would have the skilled workers we […]
Read MoreRaquel Richardson: Consider skills, not just degrees, in hiring workers
If your company is in hiring mode, you’re likely aware of the buzz about skills-based hiring. As a TechPoint board member and an executive with a company in hiring mode, I’m supportive of the approach. The numbers are clear: We eliminate 75% of the Hoosiers who are qualified and experienced to do many open tech […]
Read MoreWhy technology is a critical leadership ‘lever’
Today, every business leader needs to have the same level of acumen and usability with “technology” levers as with “people” and “process” levers.
Read MoreMickey Kim: To make money in stocks, don’t get scared out of them
We are currently in a bear market (usually defined as declines greater than 20%). This is not something to be feared—just understood.
Read MoreCecil Bohanon and John Horowitz: Social Security changes needed before funds run out
Unless something is changed, it is also projected the trust fund will be depleted in 2035, when the system’s revenue will cover only about 80% of its promised benefits.
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Fast-growing chicken finger chain plans two Indy-area restaurants
Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is advertising for managers to oversee restaurants in Noblesville and Avon that will open late this year.
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Marian University lands $5M grant from Fairbanks Foundation for engineering
Marian University said the grant would help educate “a pipeline of diverse engineering talent” to meet the workforce needs of central Indiana.
Read MoreLabor Department awards $5M to Ivy Tech for apprenticeship expansion
The new funding specifically targets the growing electric vehicle industry, including EV manufacturing and infrastructure.
Read MoreCalifornia restricts state-paid travel to Indiana, other states due to transgender laws
Indiana was added to the list as a result of passing House Bill 1041 in March. The law bans transgender girls from playing on female school sports’ teams.
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Rima Shahid: Trust women to make decisions
I believe we have never faced a more consequential moment in the fight for women’s equity in the United States.
Read MoreMike Fichter: Indiana must act to protect babies
We have come a long way since 1973, in medical science, in our love and compassion for unborn babies, and in our work to care for and support pregnant mothers in crisis.
Read MoreSandy Eisenberg Sasso and Dennis C. Sasso: Reproductive rights in Indiana: An open letter
Please, do not take us back to a time when abortion laws jeopardized women’s health.
Read MoreAbdul-Hakim Shabazz: Republicans are struggling to figure out what to do
The pro-life wing of the Indiana Republican Party has finally caught the car. Now let’s see if its members know how to drive.
Read MoreEd DeLaney: Poverty and chastity: A guide to the special session
Women need no longer decide for themselves and their families. The supermajority has taken on that responsibility.
Read MoreBrian Schutt: Growing entrepreneurship requires growing support
Current and future lawmakers should consider tax reforms that create more simplicity and consistency during the critical infancy stage.
Read MoreWhitley Yates: Planting seeds to support small businesses
Data suggests that access to capital, specifically for Black entrepreneurs, is a key obstacle in growing and scaling our business.
Read MoreMarshawn Wolley: Whom do Americans trust? Small business
Small businesses create community—which might be harder for other institutions to mimic in the same way.
Read MoreShariq Siddiqui: Not-for-profit colleges should be scrutinized more
It is critical that we discuss the role expensive, private, not-for-profit colleges and universities play in making the student loan problem worse.
Read MoreClaire Fiddian-Green: Indiana needs to hyperfocus on education
We must … take decisive actions to remove the barriers that prevent too many people from achieving the American dream.
Read MoreDr. Richard Feldman: Proposed rules on cigarettes would improve health
The tobacco industry has aggressively marketed menthol cigarettes (like Newport and Kool) to minority groups.
Read MoreJim Shella: As pollster, Vargus left big impact on politics
Politicians questioned the sample sizes, the methodology and Brian’s integrity. But they couldn’t shop their numbers freely anymore.
Read MoreDeborah Daniels: America is still the land of hope, opportunity
I still believe we live in the best nation in the world, with the greatest opportunities for individual achievement.
Read MoreJennifer Wagner Chartier: Government can learn from the Disney way
Service is presented not as a moment in time but as a continuum.
Read MoreBrad Rateike: Should we extend gratuity to more professions?
Why are we not eager to reward those who perform jobs we are otherwise incapable of doing ourselves?
Read MoreCurt Smith: The court’s abortion decision is a civics lesson
As Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote … the Constitution is neutral on abortion—it neither favors nor opposes.
Read MoreDana Black: Dobbs decision sends us back in time
Unenumerated rights are legal rights that are inferred but not expressly written, or ‘enumerated,’ within the Constitution.
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