Carmel hires New York consultant to promote city, Brainard
In all, the city has paid Rob DeRocker $809,900 in base contract fees, plus nearly $40,000 for travel expenses since 2010, for a total near $850,000.
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State considers adding fourth port to strengthen economic development
Already, ports in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon move goods to and from Indiana along the Ohio, downstream to the Mississippi River and out to the Gulf of Mexico.
Indianapolis tries to halt Carmel’s 96th Street roundabout plan
In a lawsuit filed this month in Marion Superior Court, Indianapolis claims its northern neighbor is encroaching on the city’s corporate boundary. The seven-page complaint is seeking a preliminary injunction preventing Carmel from continuing with plans to build four roundabouts.
Indiana to pay law firm $100K to handle Pence email requests
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's administration entered a one-year contract last month with Shelbyville firm McNeely Stephenson to handle the "unusually high" number of requests.
Deal gives INDOT direct control of delayed I-69 section
Work to improve State Road 37 between Bloomington and Martinsville to interstate standards began in 2014 and was originally slated for completion by the end of 2016. But multiple delays and financing problems have raised concerns about the private developer.
City mulls taxi rule changes in era of Uber, Lyft
When the ride-connecting companies came to town, Indianapolis had 917 licensed taxi drivers. That number has fallen every year since then, dropping to 632 in 2016.
Worry rises over future of HIP 2.0 insurance program
Indiana hospitals are bracing for congressional action that could mean deep cuts in Medicaid, which funds the state’s popular health insurance program for low-income adults.
Indy looks to data to find ‘smart’ answers to big problems
The city is using data to try to predict crime before it happens and solve problems with food deserts and prevent water main breaks.
Democrats already targeting 9th congressional district in 2018 election
Democrats thought Indiana’s 9th district would be competitive in 2016, but Rep. Trey Hollingsworth won the election by 14 percentage points. Progressives think they’ll have a much better shot in 2018, especially if President Donald Trump stumbles.
How long can Purdue’s tuition freeze last?
President Mitch Daniels said he didn’t think the school could keep tuition costs down as long as it has and he’s disappointed other colleges haven’t followed suit.
Fishers pays congressman’s wife $20K per month for consulting
Jennifer Messer, the wife of Rep. Luke Messer, makes drastically more as a contracted legal consultant than either of the city’s two staff attorneys are paid.
Proposal aims to boost minimum city employee pay to $13 per hour
Indianapolis leaders want to encourage businesses to pay livable wages. The City-County Council’s president says that’s a tough sell when the city hasn’t done that for all of its own employees.
IU professor leads local DataRefuge effort
The national effort involves downloading decades of federal data, including records from the the EPA and NASA, that observers think are at risk of becoming inaccessible.
Indiana governor signs budget, bills affecting vaping, roads, schools chief, more
Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law Indiana’s two-year budget, an infrastructure funding plan, a vaping-overhaul measure, a school-chiefs bill and legislation affirming the religious liberties of students.
Lawmakers approve new Marion County judicial selection process
The previous system had been thrown out by a federal appeals court in 2015 as unconstitutional, and Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long said it was the Legislature’s responsibility to replace it.
Indiana Supreme Court set to be all-white, all-GOP appointed
Gov. Eric Holcomb will have 60 days to choose one of three names forwarded by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission.
Bill to close cold beer loophole approved
The bill sets such a high bar that Jay Ricker, who started selling carryout cold beer at two of his Ricker’s convenience stores, says he will have to stop sales by April 2018.
Council panel OKs plan to reimburse city agencies for justice center planning
The measure would allow the city to be reimbursed with future bond proceeds for expenses related to the planned community justice campus.
Indiana Senate to once again vote on schools superintendent bill
The Indiana Senate is set to consider a bill that makes the state superintendent of public instruction an official appointed by the governor instead of elected by voters—despite voting against a similar bill earlier this session.
GOP Rep. Messer takes step toward possible Senate race
Messer is in his third term representing central Indiana’s 6th District and is a potential challenger to Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly.