https://661aee.p3cdn2.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sex-crime-statute-limitations-future.mp3 A bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for some sex crimes died in the General Assembly this past session. But it may still have a future in the legislature. Prosecuting most sex crimes in Indiana generally has to happen within five years of the crime being committed. If it’s a crime against a child, the statute of limitations runs until the victim turns 31. A 2024 bill, SB 151, originally eliminated that time constraint for all sex crimes, but was narrowed in the Senate ..read more

Fourteen people were arrested during a protest over the Israel-Hamas war Thursday morning outside Gov. Eric Holcomb’s residence in Indianapolis. A few dozen people joined the protest that set up in the middle of Meridian Street and blocked traffic during the morning commute. Chants of “Indiana you will see, Palestine will be free” were shouted from the group that held signs and banners just north of 46th Street. Protestors want an end to Israel’s military efforts in Gaza. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers warned protestors they would be arrested if they did not stop obstruct ..read more

https://661aee.p3cdn2.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mail-in-ballot-app-deadline-24-primary.mp3 Today is the deadline for Hoosiers who want to vote by mail in the May primary to apply for that ballot — you have until 11:59 p.m. to submit an application to your local election administrator’s office. You can submit the application in person or via email, fax, or go online to IndianaVoters.com. The application requires name, address and date of birth. It also requires the applicant to include the last four digits of their Social Security number, their driver’s license or state I ..read more

https://661aee.p3cdn2.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/teachers-union-endorses-mccormick.mp3 The political arm of Indiana’s largest teachers union is putting its resources behind Democrat Jennifer McCormick in the race for governor. Keith Gambill heads the Indiana State Teachers Association and its political action committee. He said teachers, parents and students want a governor with a forward-thinking and inclusive message built by personal experience in schools. Gambill said McCormick will provide that in the “bully pulpit” of the governor’s office. “That message will g ..read more

Five of Indiana’s six Republican gubernatorial candidates showed up to the primary’s final debate Tuesday, as U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) opted to stay in Washington, D.C. for a foreign aid vote. And with Braun absent, many of the attacks were aimed at Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. Of particular focus in those attacks was her campaign’s tentpole issue, a pledge to eliminate Indiana’s income tax. Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said the state needs a comprehensive approach to tax reform. “The income tax ‘axe the tax’ proposal is a gimmick,” Hill said. “It ..read more

https://661aee.p3cdn2.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ncaa-trans-athletes-letter-web.mp3 Hundreds of current and former athletes sent an open letter to the NCAA’s board of governors, calling on the board to protect transgender athletes’ ability to participate in NCAA sports. It follows a move from a smaller collegiate athletic association to ban nearly all transgender athletes from competing. The open letter said failure to protect transgender athletes “goes against the very principles of the NCAA’s Constitution.” It was signed by more than 400 current and former NCAA, profess ..read more

TJ Schneider applied for his first teacher’s license in 2001. Back then, educating high school students with disabilities was his chosen path. About a decade later, a supportive principal told him to consider teaching mathematics. Schneider earned a math license and has taught at Lakeland High School in LaGrange ever since. When he received an email recently about a requirement to become qualified in a new way of teaching literacy he ignored it. “I just didn’t even read it because it didn’t pertain to me,” Schneider said. Then he did a little digging and was surprised to find out – and even as ..read more

Sixth District Fort Wayne City Councilwoman Sharon Tucker will be Fort Wayne’s next mayor. The Allen County Democrats caucused her into the position on Saturday morning after two rounds of voting. She will succeed the late Mayor Tom Henry after his death from late-stage stomach cancer. Tucker, along with At Large City Councilwoman Michelle Chambers, Wayne Township Trustee Austin Knox, Indiana House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta and Fort Wayne Intergovernmental Affairs Director Stephanie Crandall earned enough votes to stay in the race after the first round of voting. Fellow candidates Palermo ..read more

Gov. Eric Holcomb said his latest economic development trip underscores the importance of such trade missions — even as his time as governor winds down. Holcomb’s first official visits to Brazil and Mexico were focused on agriculture and “agbiosciences.” He called Indiana’s partnerships with each of those countries “agricultural powerhouses” and said he discussed issues like supply chain resilience. “The world’s depending on us for food and fuel,” Holcomb said. With less than nine months left in his term, Holcomb said other countries’ officials want to be assured Indiana’s “trajectory” will co ..read more

https://661aee.p3cdn2.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0418ecvending-web.mp3 Several organizations in Indiana launched a vending machine that provides free emergency contraception in response to growing concerns about access to reproductive care. The organizations plan to expand the project throughout the state. Indiana Task FORCE, All-Options and Midwest Access Coalition partnered with Dear Mom – a local business in Indianapolis – to stock the vending machine with emergency contraception. The machine will also have other resources such as harm reduction tools and political educatio ..read more