
OUR VIEW: Don't disappoint Dolly by ending Imagination Library funding
When announcing in 2023 that the state would allocate $6 million over the next two years for The Imagination Library, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb aptly stated that reading is 'the key to further education and opportunity.'
His successor, Gov. Mike Braun, must feel differently. His budget proposal nixes appropriations for the reading program which provides free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5. According to The Dollywood Foundation, some 125,000 Hoosier children in all 92 counties receive books each month. Like Jimmy Carter's volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, Dolly Parton will be remembered for her efforts to ensure children have access to books, regardless of their family's income level.
While The Imagination Library has largely been supported by charitable giving, removing public dollars from the program is a bad decision. It signals that reading isn't a priority for Braun and legislators who support his budget proposal. It's also strange timing considering recent improvements in Indiana reading scores.
Over the past two years, Indiana has enjoyed a significant jump in reading scores amongst students. In the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, Indiana improved from 19th to sixth in the nation in fourth grade reading over a two-year period. Eighth grade reading results placed Indiana at sixth in the nation, up from 17th.
'This new data is just one more piece of evidence that the time and resources invested in this effort are paying off for students,' said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner when the results were released. 'This should provide continued motivation for everyone to keep our foot on the gas pedal, whether that's classroom teachers or parents reading to their child at home.'
Ending public funding for The Imagination Library would be tapping the brakes, not keeping the foot on the gas pedal. As Jenner correctly states, reading at home is critical for young Hoosiers. Access to books, which The Imagination Library provides, is part of that progress. Why would Braun want to slow that progress?
After catching heat from around the globe for the perplexing decision, Braun announced that his wife, First Lady Maureen Braun, would lead an initiative to raise money for The Imagination Library. That's commendable, but it should be done in concert with state funding.
Instead of working '9 to 5' to axe funding for a successful reading program, Hoosier lawmakers should embrace Dolly's Imagination Library 'From Here to the Moon and Back.'
Reading is a gateway. We should support swinging that gate wide open, not closing the door even an inch to comprehension, education and advancement.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
'It doesn't help Hoosiers': People gather outside of Indy airport to protest new travel ban
More than 100 people gathered outside the Indianapolis International Airport terminal on June 9 to protest President Donald Trump's new travel ban, which bars citizens from 12 countries. The ban went into effect on June 9 and bars nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the United States. The administration also placed partial restrictions on foreign nationals traveling from seven additional countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Many of those who spoke at the protest on the green space outdoors near the baggage claim area argued that immigrants who have relocated to Indiana have been a positive addition to the state, adding that this ban punishes them while serving no additional purpose. "This ban does not make us safer," said Maliha Zafar, director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, speaking at the protest. "It doesn't help Hoosiers. It keeps families apart, reinforces, dangerous message that immigrants, refugees, Muslims, black and brown people do not belong. But we do belong." The event was organized by Exodus Refugee, ACLU of Indiana and the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network. Dozens of people gathered on the airport's lawn holding "no unjust travel bans" signs, affirming that migrants were welcome in Indiana. "I'm deeply concerned with all of the many actions that have been aimed against immigrants in this country," said one protester Mary Anne Rugger. "If this were happening over a hundred years ago, it would have been my great-grandparents who were being attacked. This country is great because we welcome immigrants." Organizers of the protest said that whether or not these bans ultimately affect immigrants living in Indiana, these types of policies inadvertently create a feeling of fear amongst those who have moved here from other countries. Speakers argued that people ought to be able to live in this country regardless of their legal status without fearing that they may be deported for getting a driving citation or overstaying a visa. "It's been roughly five months since Trump took office and in that time, he's brought about a theater campaign of disappearance, deportations, dehumanization, unlike anything most of us have seen in America," said Cole Varga, CEO of Exodus Refugee. Many of the refugees in Indiana have come here to escape dangerous situations in their home countries, Varga said. But beyond the travel ban, Chris Daley, Executive Director of the ACLU of Indiana, emphasized the need for leaders and Hossiers to move away from anti-immigrant rhetoric and stop vilifying those from other countries. "Every year in our Indiana State House, we see a flurry of bills that try to limit people's ability to own land, to run businesses, to have state contracts simply based on their nation of origin," Daley said. "We have to stand up and say enough, this is not who we are and this is not who we're going to be going forward." Supporters of the travel bans say these policies are not aimed at those who have entered the country legal and will serve to keep U.S. citizens safe. 'President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,' White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X on June 4. Ultimately, organizers believed that this "president's immigration polices are moral catastrophes." Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Protestors gather outside of Indy airport in disapproval of travel ban


Indianapolis Star
6 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'It doesn't help Hoosiers': People gather outside of Indy airport to protest new travel ban
More than 100 people gathered outside the Indianapolis International Airport terminal on June 9 to protest President Donald Trump's new travel ban, which bars citizens from 12 countries. The ban went into effect on June 9 and bars nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the United States. The administration also placed partial restrictions on foreign nationals traveling from seven additional countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Many of those who spoke at the protest on the green space outdoors near the baggage claim area argued that immigrants who have relocated to Indiana have been a positive addition to the state, adding that this ban punishes them while serving no additional purpose. "This ban does not make us safer," said Maliha Zafar, director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, speaking at the protest. "It doesn't help Hoosiers. It keeps families apart, reinforces, dangerous message that immigrants, refugees, Muslims, black and brown people do not belong. But we do belong." The event was organized by Exodus Refugee, ACLU of Indiana and the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network. Dozens of people gathered on the airport's lawn holding "no unjust travel bans" signs, affirming that migrants were welcome in Indiana. "I'm deeply concerned with all of the many actions that have been aimed against immigrants in this country," said one protester Mary Anne Rugger. "If this were happening over a hundred years ago, it would have been my great-grandparents who were being attacked. This country is great because we welcome immigrants." Organizers of the protest said that whether or not these bans ultimately affect immigrants living in Indiana, these types of policies inadvertently create a feeling of fear amongst those who have moved here from other countries. Speakers argued that people ought to be able to live in this country regardless of their legal status without fearing that they may be deported for getting a driving citation or overstaying a visa. "It's been roughly five months since Trump took office and in that time, he's brought about a theater campaign of disappearance, deportations, dehumanization, unlike anything most of us have seen in America," said Cole Varga, CEO of Exodus Refugee. Many of the refugees in Indiana have come here to escape dangerous situations in their home countries, Varga said. But beyond the travel ban, Chris Daley, Executive Director of the ACLU of Indiana, emphasized the need for leaders and Hossiers to move away from anti-immigrant rhetoric and stop vilifying those from other countries. "Every year in our Indiana State House, we see a flurry of bills that try to limit people's ability to own land, to run businesses, to have state contracts simply based on their nation of origin," Daley said. "We have to stand up and say enough, this is not who we are and this is not who we're going to be going forward." Supporters of the travel bans say these policies are not aimed at those who have entered the country legal and will serve to keep U.S. citizens safe. 'President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,' White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X on June 4. Ultimately, organizers believed that this "president's immigration polices are moral catastrophes."

Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
I-65 fiery truck crashes ignite conversation about tolling, expanding highway
Recent fiery truck accidents on Interstate 65 in southern Lake and Jasper counties in the spring resulted in long traffic delays and asphalt repairs, which have resurfaced questions about tolling and expanding I-65. House Enrolled Act 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including Interstate 80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the law allows the Indiana Department of Transportation to submit a request to the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll lanes on interstate highways. If the waiver is granted, the legislature would not have to enact a statute for the Indiana finance authority to take action on tolling. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said at an event in Munster last month, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Indiana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek said Monday that the department hasn't received information from the governor's office or the legislature about beginning to toll roads in Indiana. 'That question is still being answered. We're still waiting to hear what their intent was with that one,' Bajek said. Expanding I-65 to three lanes, for both northbound and southbound traffic, 'is always a topic of conversation' at INDOT, 'however we do not currently have a project in place to do so' in Northwest Indiana, Bajek said. A truck fire in April led to paint cans exploding from the vehicle and halting traffic on I-65 southbound. A truck driver pulled over near mile-marker 231 on I-65 southbound around 1 p.m. April 21. The driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The driver ran to get a fire extinguisher from the cab, but when she returned the fire had spread to the trailer, which was filled with paint cans, according to the release. The paint cans 'ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire,' according to the release. As crews worked to put out the fire, there was a moment when north and southbound lanes were closed because of the smoke. When the scene was cleared, a large section of asphalt had to be replaced, according to the release. The highway was closed for approximately 16 hours, Bajek said. A semi-truck crash in May led to a fire, closed I-65 near Lowell for hours and needed asphalt repair. A UPS truck crashed while headed northbound on I-65 near mile-marker 238.8 May 17 after exiting a construction zone lane restriction. The truck 'experienced a sudden tire failure on one of the steer tires' which resulted in the driver losing control of the truck, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The truck and trailer overturned, which blocked the entire roadway, and caught fire. The driver was able to get out of the truck but was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The asphalt was damaged and deemed unsafe for traffic, according to the release, so it had to be replaced and refilled. The road was closed for approximately 10 hours, Bajek said. As a result, beginning in June, the Lake County Sheriff's Department Traffic Unit began enforcing operations targeting overweight vehicles that are damaging roadways and impacting driver safety along the state line in southwest Lake County, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Department news release. The department will send out more than 60 warning notices to companies and drivers of vehicles in violation of weight limits. Drivers will receive tickets if they continue to ignore weight restrictions on county roadways, according to the sheriff's release. In Lake County, there is a 15-ton limit on 197th, 185th and 151st from U.S. 41 west to State Line Road, according to the sheriff's release. 'We are taking this proactive approach to help reduce the kind of heavy traffic on weight restricted roads that causes significant wear and tear on the roads,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in the release. 'The accelerated degradation of the roads leads to increased maintenance costs for taxpayers.' akukulka@