16 Tech launches international design competition for $14.5 million bridge
The bridge will be funded by the city of Indianapolis and Lilly Endowment Inc., which two years ago awarded 16 Tech a $38 million grant.
Government & Economic Development
Articles
Trump’s story about veteran’s comeback, Opportunity Zone program misleading
Tony Rankins was singled out at President Trump’s State of the Union address as an example of the power of so-called “opportunity zones,” but he doesn’t work at a site taking advantage of the program’s tax breaks and never has done so.
City, Indy Chamber launch financing program for minority-owned businesses
Funding for the program will help smaller businesses pay initial expenditures associated with bidding on contracts—supplies and payroll, for example—without having to put themselves at financial risk through high-interest borrowing.
Lilly Endowment to fund study of reconstruction options for inner loop
The $475,000 grant will fund a study of reconstruction options for the inner loop except for the north split, the first phase of the project, which has already begun. The Indy Chamber Foundation said the study will “inform implementation efforts” in the year 2030 and beyond.
Holcomb signs bill delaying penalties from ILEARN
Indiana schools and teachers won’t face any penalties from lower scores on the 2019 and 2020 versions of the state’s new standardized exam.
U.S. on track for first $1 trillion budget deficit since 2012
The U.S. budget deficit through the first four months of this budget year is up 19% from the same period a year ago.
Sanders edges Buttigieg in N.H., giving Dems contrasting front-runners
The primary gives new clarity to a Democratic contest shaping as a battle between two men separated by four decades in age and clashing political ideologies. Meanwhile, Amy Klobuchar scored a strong third-place finish that gives her campaign needed juice.
U.S. regulators probing acquisitions by five giant tech firms
The FTC, the Justice Department and a House committee have been investigating the conduct of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple, and whether they aggressively bought smaller potential rivals to suppress competition and hurt consumers.
Holcomb says he’ll continue to push for workplace accommodations for pregnant women
Republican senators stripped from a bill the requirement that businesses modify jobs for pregnant women who need longer breaks, transfers to less physical work and unpaid time off after childbirth.
Trump’s $4.8 trillion budget proposal revisits rejected cuts
The president unveiled an election year budget plan on Monday that recycles previously rejected cuts to domestic programs like food stamps and Medicaid to promise a balanced budget in 15 years—while leaving Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched.
Merritt shifts focus to poverty after mayoral run
Sen. Jim Merritt says his run last year for Indianapolis mayor has made him a better senator—one who’s more in touch with his constituents and who has seen the city’s poverty and crime problems firsthand.
Medicaid changes could have big state impact
The Trump administration has announced it would allow states to add eligibility requirements, benefit changes and drug-coverage limits, which could limit what the government will spend for certain enrollees.
New pro football league targeting states with sports wagering
The XFL is baking sports betting into its operations as a crucial part of the recipe. Indiana is one of at least nine state where gambling regulators have approved wagering on XFL games.
By avoiding primary, Myers can focus on November gubernatorial election
Dr. Woody Myers’ newly cleared path to the Democratic nomination is a bonus for the Indiana Democratic Party, which will face an uphill battle if it’s going to seriously challenge Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.
U.S. economy added 225,000 jobs in January as more people entered market
But revisions to reported job growth in 2018 and 2019 show that the government overcounted by about half a million jobs.
Buttigieg gains backing from Indianapolis mayor
Mayor Joe Hogsett told a few dozen Pete Buttigieg supporters that the presidential candidate has shown an ability to work across party lines and “represents the best of what makes America work.”
DNC chair calls for ‘recanvass’ of Iowa results after delays
Following the Iowa Democratic Party’s release of new results late Thursday night, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by a margin of 0.09 percentage points.
U.S. House passes bill easing bids by workers to form unions
Democrats said the bill would help reverse a decades-long trend of declining union membership. Republicans dismissed the bill as a “political gift to union bosses” that would diminish the rights of workers and employers alike while harming the economy.
Former prosecutor Brizzi to seek GOP nomination in 5th District race
Brizzi, who served as Marion County Prosecutor from 2002 to 2010, is one of 15 Republicans to toss his hat in the ring in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District.
Council Democrats turn down proposal to form special study commission on crime
The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday night voted along party lines to reject the Republican proposal, hours before a shooting on the far-east side left four people dead.