Indy Chamber to push for higher state cigarette tax, expanded pre-K
The business-advocacy organization also said it re-elected board Chairman Dennis Murphy of IU Health and the rest of the board’s executive committee.
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COVID puts Legislature in fiscal vise in upcoming budget session
Leaders promise K-12 education will be the top priority, but they also acknowledge that every line item in the spending plan is at risk of cuts.
Dinner at Governor’s Residence, $25M land purchase helped snag Elanco HQ
The state’s pitch to keep Elanco Animal Health Inc. in Indiana for the long term began with a dinner at the Governor’s Residence two years ago.
Top Indiana GOP lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston has been experiencing mild symptoms and is quarantining at home, his office announced Thursday morning.
UPDATE: Holcomb directs state’s hospitals to delay non-emergency procedures
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday said he was directing hospitals across the state “to postpone or reschedule non-emergent procedures done in the in-patient hospital setting” from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3 to ensure they are not overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
INDOT awards $101M in local road funding grants
The funding is part of the Community Crossings grant program, which provides matching state dollars for local road and bridge construction projects. Interstate or state highway projects are not eligible for funding.
Attorney General Hill ordered to pay $19K in disciplinary costs
The amount is about one-third of the roughly $57,000 the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission had asked the court in September to order Curtis Hill pay toward expenses in the case.
Restaurants: Tighter rules would cause devastation
A surge in coronavirus cases has local restaurateurs fretting that public officials are on the cusp of imposing severe restrictions that they say will force hundreds of local eateries to close.
Holcomb names Notre Dame director as state’s first chief equity officer
Karrah Herring has worked at the University of Notre Dame since 2011 and has been the director of public affairs since 2018. She also served on the university’s human resource’s senior leadership team as director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX coordinator.
Groups say energy recommendations could slow Indiana’s transition away from coal
A state energy task force is considering a sweeping array of measures that seem to favor existing large-scale utilities, many of which still burn coal, over providers of renewable energy.
Governor in quarantine after some in security team test positive
Gov. Eric Holcomb and his wife are “considered close contacts” and will be tested later this week, his office said.
North Split construction, traffic closures to begin in December
The North Split project, which was first announced in 2017, will reconfigure the Interstate 65/Interstate 70 interchange on the northeast side of downtown.
Top GOP lawmakers signal support for coronavirus legal protections for businesses
During the chamber’s annual legislative preview event—which was held virtually this year as a safety precaution—the organization announced its top five priorities for the session that starts in January.
Republicans select former Marion County GOP chair to replace Merritt at Statehouse
Former state Sen. Jim Merritt, who had been in office since 1990, resigned from the position earlier this month. He still had two years left in his term.
To shut down or not to shut down? Officials must contend with backlash.
Cities and states are trying to avoid full-blown lockdowns by enacting almost every other kind of restriction: nighttime curfews, bar closures, stricter mask mandates, and 10-person gathering limits, for example.
Holcomb orders businesses to post mask-requirement signage
The latest executive order, which Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Friday, requires all businesses to place “clearly visible signage at their public and employee entrances notifying that face coverings are required for all individuals entering the business.”
Indiana legislators not required to wear masks in Statehouse
Members of the Indiana General Assembly will not be required to wear masks while at the Statehouse next week for the ceremonial start to the legislative session and possibly not for the upcoming four-month session scheduled to start in January.
Holcomb says state to adopt new COVID-19 restrictions this weekend
Gov. Eric Holcomb also indicated that the five-stage system charting the state’s recovery would be retired. The state has been in the final stage—Stage 5—since September, which marked the beginning of a second wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
Sports betting keeps hitting record highs in Indiana
Sports betting analysts say interest in football, particularly the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana University and Notre Dame, is fueling wagers.
Zody to retire as state Democratic Party chair after GOP rout
John Zody, who has been the party chair since 2013, told reporters on Friday morning that he will finish his term through March and then help the party reorganize its leadership.