Editorials

Let’s begin agreeing to disagree again. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s assume the best intentions of those around us.

The jail was over capacity by 48 people on Tuesday, with 33 Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detainees.

We appreciate the positive attention on Indiana and its leaders. It’s worth noting that many Hoosiers see the issues the two editorial boards heralded as more complicated than those looking from the outside might assume. So do we.

We were excited last week when state officials announced a public–private investment of nearly $75 million to accelerate literacy, expand high-quality summer learning, strengthen STEM programs, modernize and expand career advising, and maintain digital learning tools for Hoosier students.

The Indiana Department of Health also reported that enrollment in its smoking cessation program jumped nearly 40% over the same period.

We have another way to help nonprofits. IBJ’s annual Holiday Wish List gives businesses and individuals a way to contribute goods and services to nonprofits rather than giving money.

The reduced SNAP benefits delay and delay in providing them—not to mention the 24,000 federal workers in Indiana who are going without paychecks—mean there will be families who need help.

We said in August that redistricting mid-cycle would set a terrible precedent (one that could come back to bite Republicans in the future), and we still believe that to be the case. There’s just no reason for it.

What seems evident is that Hogsett didn’t take the steps needed to ensure that his team was acting with integrity—and that’s the biggest problem of all.

The HQ decision has likely been made, but we hope to learn that the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana did as much as they could to keep those jobs local.•

And then there’s the undefeated Hoosiers to cheer for.

In 2023, state data shows that just 45% of Indiana’s male high school graduates went directly into a college program, compared with 58% of females.

IBJ is not opposed to the two-party system. We don’t think we’d go so far as to say that “politics in Indiana is broken.” But we’re interested in watching Independent Indiana’s progress.

These ratings matter when the state borrows money for public projects. A AAA rating gives the state readier access to capital at lower interest rates, meaning that projects are constructed for less.

Government doesn’t always move as quickly as the business community—and Elanco and Purdue have a vision for the kind of campus they want to develop.