911 tax hike means Hamilton County has cash to spend
An income tax hike going into effect next year will generate millions of dollars more than needed—a windfall government officials are eyeing to help pay for other public safety initiatives.
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Complexity of Indiana school funding complicates teacher pay debate
Top Republicans touted “record investment” in school spending in defending themselves as thousands of teachers turned out for a Statehouse rally this past week calling for a bigger boost in education funding. But it’s not that simple.
Timeline: Ambrose and the GM stamping plant site
Hopes were high nearly 2-1/2 years ago, when Ambrose was selected to redevelop the GM stamping plant site. But the deal has since fallen apart. Here’s the play by play.
Ambrose, city likely to spend years in court over GM site development
Negotiations could be difficult, given that both sides have strong arguments, legal experts say.
Democrats’ historic council grip likely to last, political observers say
Republicans will be forced to work with Democrats to see any GOP proposals take flight. And new, young Republican councilors say they’re eager to work across the aisle.
Legislator for Greenwood area retiring from Statehouse after more than 30 years
Rep. Woody Burton has helped push for property tax relief, bullying prevention programs and increased accountability in the child welfare system.
Lawsuit filed by Ambrose alleges city tried to take stamping plant land for Infosys campus
The company said in its 28-page complaint that Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration had threatened to take the site through eminent domain in 2017—two years before it’s latest threat to use the legal maneuver to buy the land. That led Ambrose to add a clause to its project agreement with the city meant to prohibit the Hogsett administration from pursuing eminent domain in the future.
Indiana unemployment rate holds steady at 3.2%
The state saw job losses last month in the manufacturing sector, but the overall unemployment rate is still lower than in Indiana’s four neighboring states and across the U.S. as a whole.
FBI arrests Muncie mayor amid city corruption investigation
Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler was arrested at his home Monday morning and was in custody. Tyler is a Democrat who’s been mayor for eight years after serving in the Indiana House.
State CIO Dewand Neely will tackle new challenge with Eleven Fifty Academy
After 15 years working in the information technology department for the state of Indiana—the last four as chief information officer, Dewand Neely is departing to take a job as chief operating officer for Eleven Fifty Academy, the not-for-profit coding academy with facilities in downtown Indianapolis and Fishers.
Embattled Attorney General Curtis Hill says he will seek re-election
Hill’s decision comes as he awaits the outcome of an Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission hearing over allegations he drunkenly groped a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers at a party in March 2018.
Hogsett to aim for bipartisanship even after Democrats’ big wins
Elected to a second term on Tuesday, Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett said he’ll continue to look for common ground between parties on the City-County Council, although Democrats will outnumber Republicans about 4-to-1.
Longtime Democratic Rep. Pete Visclosky retiring from Congress
The 70-year-old Visclosky issued a statement Wednesday thanking his district’s residents for “the incredible life privilege” of serving in Congress since first winning election in 1984.
Democrats expand majority on City-County Council
Democrats picked up at least five seats—and possibly six, depending on the outcome of a race with a razor-thin margin. Republican leader Mike McQuillen was among the GOP casualties.
Source: White House finds Pelosi drug plan ‘unworkable’
President Trump is instead backing a bipartisan bill that would for the first time limit what seniors have to pay out of their own pockets for medications.
Indiana GOP aiming to take some mayoral offices from Democrats
The outcome of Tuesday’s local elections will also decide whether a new casino can be built in Terre Haute and the fate of several school district construction and security improvement proposals.
Hogsett & Merritt talk neighborhoods, poverty, crime and more
IBJ talked with incumbent Democrat Joe Hogsett and his Republican challenger, Jim Merritt, about why they’re running for mayor, what they’ve learned about themselves in the process and how they’ll tackle crime, neighborhood development, crime and more.
Program to spur growth is not limited to poor communities
The area that includes the Fletcher Place neighborhood and the southeast corner of downtown is one of the hottest parts of Indianapolis, yet it’s included in a federal program designed to spur investments in poor neighborhoods.
Hogsett wants to build on administration’s ‘inclusive growth’ efforts in second term
Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett says if he’s elected to serve a second term, he hopes “that prosperity can be shared by more people in Marion County than has been the case in the past.”
Merritt says collaboration will be key to solving the city’s biggest problems
Republican state Sen. Jim Merritt says his campaign for mayor has taken him to places and introduced him to people in the city he never knew before—an experience he wants to continue if he’s elected.
Talking with people, he said, is key to finding solutions to difficult problems.