Latest news with #MirrorIndy
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
IndyStar wins Indiana journalism awards: Check out some of our best work of 2024
IndyStar's coverage of sexual harassment in Indiana politics was recognized as one of the top investigative stories of 2024 at an annual competition honoring the state's best journalism. Last year, IndyStar reporters reported on sexual misconduct allegations on three different elected or appointed officials in state and local government: state Rep. David Niezgodski, state Sen. Greg Taylor and Thomas Cook, former chief of staff to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. Taylor was removed from his position as the Senate Minority Leader, and in December, the Indiana Democratic Party created an ethics committee and adopted a new code of conduct. Hayleigh Colombo, James Briggs, Tony Cook and Kayla Dwyer took home second place for A-Mark Investigative Story of the Year at the state's Society of Professional Journalists ceremony on May 2. IndyStar also took home nine first-place awards in categories including sports reporting, environmental reporting and news photography: Coverage of government or politics, for statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer's work, including stories about cuts to a family caregiver program and the gubernatorial race. Coverage of children's issues, for reporting on failures in child welfare by Tony Cook and Caroline Beck. Sports reporting, for Dana Hunsinger Benbow's coverage including stories about a dying 22-year-old's experience of watching the Final Four from the hospital and an FBI investigation at a racing facility. Multiple picture group, for Mykal McEldowney's gallery of Avon High School's mascot. Environmental reporting, for Karl Schneider's coverage of the beat, including stories about a new fish and wildlife area and the history of Indiana's buffalo. News photography, for Christine Tannous' pictures showing the aftermath of a car crash that injured six children and two adults. Newsletter, for the politics team's Checks and Balances. Non-deadline story or series, for a story by politics editor Kaitlin Lange and Mirror Indy deputy managing editor Ryan Martin on a gubernatorial candidate's failure to repay $69 million of a development loan from the city of Indianapolis. First Amendment award, for 20 media outlets including IndyStar that worked together to cover the trial of Richard Allen despite strict restrictions from the court. Other top awards included: Story of the year: Mirror Indy's Out of Options, by Mary Claire Malloy and Jenna Watson, which described firsthand accounts of widespread abuse and neglect at a mental health facility in Lawrence. Journalist of the year: Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith, whose coverage of state politics and courts in 2024 included stories about Indiana's first execution in years and the felony arrest of congressional candidate Gabe Whitley. Student Journalist of the Year Award: Wil Courtney of the Purdue University Exponent, who reported that Purdue students would be unable to vote on campus in the 2024 election. Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar wins 2024 journalism awards: Check out some of our best work
Indianapolis Star
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
IndyStar wins Indiana journalism awards: Check out some of our best work of 2024
IndyStar's coverage of sexual harassment in Indiana politics was recognized as one of the top investigative stories of 2024 at an annual competition honoring the state's best journalism. Last year, IndyStar reporters reported on sexual misconduct allegations on three different elected or appointed officials in state and local government: state Rep. David Niezgodski, state Sen. Greg Taylor and Thomas Cook, former chief of staff to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. Taylor was removed from his position as the Senate Minority Leader, and in December, the Indiana Democratic Party created an ethics committee and adopted a new code of conduct. Hayleigh Colombo, James Briggs, Tony Cook and Kayla Dwyer took home second place for A-Mark Investigative Story of the Year at the state's Society of Professional Journalists ceremony on May 2. IndyStar also took home nine first-place awards in categories including sports reporting, environmental reporting and news photography: Coverage of government or politics, for statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer's work, including stories about cuts to a family caregiver program and the gubernatorial race. Coverage of children's issues, for reporting on failures in child welfare by Tony Cook and Caroline Beck. Sports reporting, for Dana Hunsinger Benbow's coverage including stories about a dying 22-year-old's experience of watching the Final Four from the hospital and an FBI investigation at a racing facility. Multiple picture group, for Mykal McEldowney's gallery of Avon High School's mascot. Environmental reporting, for Karl Schneider's coverage of the beat, including stories about a new fish and wildlife area and the history of Indiana's buffalo. News photography, for Christine Tannous' pictures showing the aftermath of a car crash that injured six children and two adults. Newsletter, for the politics team's Checks and Balances. Non-deadline story or series, for a story by politics editor Kaitlin Lange and Mirror Indy deputy managing editor Ryan Martin on a gubernatorial candidate's failure to repay $69 million of a development loan from the city of Indianapolis. First Amendment award, for 20 media outlets including IndyStar that worked together to cover the trial of Richard Allen despite strict restrictions from the court. Other top awards included: Story of the year: Mirror Indy's Out of Options, by Mary Claire Malloy and Jenna Watson, which described firsthand accounts of widespread abuse and neglect at a mental health facility in Lawrence. Journalist of the year: Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith, whose coverage of state politics and courts in 2024 included stories about Indiana's first execution in years and the felony arrest of congressional candidate Gabe Whitley.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hogsett could win a fourth term as Indy mayor. He shouldn't try.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said he wouldn't run for a third term. Then he did. So, he doesn't have much room to be annoyed that some people are asking whether he might run for a fourth term despite saying he wouldn't. Mirror Indy last month asked Hogsett why he's still holding fundraisers during a Tarkington Park groundbreaking. "I don't want to answer a political question at a city event," he said, even though he spent much of 2023 holding city press conferences for the benefit of his reelection campaign. Briggs: Vop Osili is raising money like he's running for Indy mayor Hogsett might not want to talk about it. But people in and around city government are increasingly getting the sense that he is considering running again in 2027. It's his right to do that if he wants — and he'd probably win again. But it'd be a really bad idea. Nine years into Hogsett's tenure, I maintain my view that he's been an above average big-city mayor. You can break Hogsett's tenure so far into three parts: the early years, when he sought financial stability above all else; the middle years, defined by a once-in-100-years pandemic, riots and crime spikes; and, more recently, a chase for legacy. Hogsett's early obsession with fiscal discipline put Indianapolis in position to weather an unforeseeable pandemic and come out the other side better positioned than many other big cities. Downtown is returning to normal and the crime that skyrocketed during 2020 and beyond is trending downward. The mayor has since pivoted to a more aggressive approach. He's building a city-owned hotel, overseeing the long-anticipated redevelopment of Circle Centre and chasing a Major League Soccer dream that many, if not most, people thought was insane almost a year ago. Briggs: Warm up the Mayflower trucks. MLS is coming to Indy. These efforts mark a departure from Hogsett's early, cautious years and return us, at least to some extent, to the Greg Ballard era, when the former Republican mayor was using creative financing schemes to build projects, including 360 Market Square and CityWay. Hogsett's MLS pursuit also bears obvious resemblance to former Mayor Bill Hudnut's deals to build a stadium and land the Colts. Hogsett is closing in on landing an MLS club and that could very well be what he is remembered for above all else. Hogsett has been through three elections now in which his critics have failed to articulate a strong case against him and, more importantly, failed to persuade voters to reject him. I remain convinced that Hogsett has governed more or less like a moderate big-city Republican and that, if you put an R next to his name, Republicans would be generally happy with the job he's done — as are most Indianapolis residents. Amid ongoing successes, though, there are constant signs that the Hogsett administration is fraying. Hogsett's record is stained, at the very least, by last year's revelations that the mayor failed to protect women on staff from men who were abusing their power. An ongoing investigation could reveal even worse information, further altering how we view Hogsett. A third term would be harrowing even under the best of circumstances. But the sexual harassment scandal has cast a pall over the City-County Building, exhausting staff and making the Hogsett administration an even less desirable place to work. Staffing issues are showing up at the highest levels within the administration. The Democratic-controlled City-County Council last month pushed back on Hogsett appointees to lead Indianapolis Animal Care Services and serve as deputy mayor of public health and safety. Both cases are complicated, with blame to spread around, but Hogsett at the very least mishandled the politics surrounding those appointments. It is stunning for a Democratic-controlled council to reject two routine appointments by a Democratic mayor. Filling leadership and staff positions is part of the nuts-and-bolts job of being mayor. Hogsett's effectiveness is waning. Hogsett likely will achieve his goal of serving long enough to reshape Indianapolis in ways that will be visible for generations to come. He's also served long enough to bring about scandal and test the patience of those around him. He might get to go out on top. That seems much less likely if he runs for mayor again. Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or Follow him on X and Threads at @JamesEBriggs. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Joe Hogsett shouldn't run for Indianapolis mayor again | Opinion
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Briggs' mailbag: Indy's alleys are hopeless, but at least we have sports
In today's mailbag, I urge people who oppose President Donald Trump to find common ground with others. I'm going to start by taking my own advice. Briggs: The Braun-Beckwith plan to abolish Carmel Trump is absolutely right to get rid of the penny. It's a useless coin that, as Trump notes, is worth less than the cost to produce it. Great call. If you want my thoughts on other aspects of our currency or anything else for future mailbags, you can use the form at the bottom of the online article page or email me at the address below. Let's mailbag! Derek: I know there's plenty of discussion about snow plowing, potholes and infrastructure, but I rarely see any mention of alleys. I have a theory: If a mayoral candidate ran on the platform, "A vote for me is a vote to fix the alleys," they'd win the election. I get the usual "we have no money" excuse, but somehow, we always find funding for major infrastructure projects — new bridges, two-way street conversions, etc. Curious to hear your thoughts! Indianapolis hasn't fixed alleys for decades, aside from some meager appropriations in recent years. For many residents, the path between home and the nearest street feels like driving the Oregon Trail. Unfortunately, the "we have no money" excuse is a valid justification. Indianapolis has a hopelessly long list of disintegrating streets, so there's no legitimate case for repaving low-use alleys on a large scale. The issue is also really complicated. As Mirror Indy reported, it's often unclear where private property ends and public right-of-way begins. Many of the projects you reference, such as two-way street conversions, rely heavily on federal money. Fixing alleys isn't a sexy project for the federal government. To your point, though, Indianapolis has successfully targeted difficult projects before. I often cite Mayor Joe Hogsett ending a 35-year streetlight moratorium as an example of a big quality-of-life improvement. One key difference in that case, though, is the city had a major utility as a partner. The only potential partners the city has on alleys are people who live on them. Still, there probably is at least some space for a mayor to find better solutions on alleys than what the city has done in recent decades — which is almost nothing. What is the value of sports tourism to quality of life for all Indianapolis residents? It's a major piece of the Indianapolis economy, for one. The city and state saw sports as a market opportunity in the 1980s and captured it. It's still paying off. The sports strategy, along with the broader tourism and convention business, kept downtown Indianapolis alive through the pandemic and has enabled a faster rebound than many other cities have seen. It generates enormous revenue, which supports jobs and businesses. Indianapolis is very clearly a much better city now than it would be without sports. I say that as an occasional critic of the city's sports strategy. I don't love the new Indiana Fever practice facility plan, for example, and I'm a little wary of just how much downtown land is being devoted to buildings that are only active on select dates. On the other hand, I hope Indianapolis locks down a Major League Soccer team, because that would be great for the city. Not everyone likes sports, and that's fine, but everyone should be thankful that Indianapolis has cultivated and sustained a niche industry that keeps the city vibrant year after year. The Trump administration seems hellbent on destroying our form of government. Aside from sending a continuing stream of emails to our senators and congressmen, is there something I can do? First of all, I think it's important to be even-keeled. Don't get lost in a depressing news spiral. Don't adopt moral panic as a personality type. Look for opportunities to find common ground with other people (this isn't possible in all cases, of course, because some people are unrepentant jerks). As we saw with President Trump's on-and-off tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Trump is subject to political pressure when he's taking actions that are likely to hurt regular Americans. One thing you can do to increase that pressure is try to persuade open-minded people who are inclined to support Trump. We live in Indiana, a state with a lot of Obama-to-Trump voters. Many of those voters flipped because they came to view progressive goals as greater threats to their lives than Trump's chaos. You're not going to get very far by trying to shame Trump voters or convince them that democracy is falling. Instead, as you follow news, pay particular attention to the ways in which Trump's actions are likely to harm conservative-minded people in Indiana. If you find yourself in conversations on immigration, for example, you can note that mass deportation is likely to leave America with a severe shortage of agricultural workers, hurting farmers and raising prices on food. You should keep contacting politicians with similar messages, of course, but these types of conversations can also have upstream effects on members of Congress. For example, when the Trump administration moved to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, spoke out about how this was eliminating a market for American-made food. The strongest opposition to Trump will have to come from the right. If you consider yourself a Democrat, you can also engage in protests and other forms of activism. You can donate money to out-of-state Democrats in upcoming special elections. Whether you're on the left or the right, you can get behind pragmatic, reality-based candidates who reflect Hoosier values rather than MAGA values. Whatever you decide to do, though, I strongly urge you to do it with a spirit of generosity toward friends, neighbors and family members who might be inclined to disagree with you. That's the best way to make progress. Thank you for reading! If you want to send questions for future mailbags, fill out the Google form on the online article page or email This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How do we fix Indy's alleys? We probably can't. | Opinion
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indy VA employees upset by Trump's transgender policies on hospital bathrooms, LGBTQ+ care
This article was originally published by Mirror Indy and is republished through our partnership with Free Press Indiana. The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis is removing gender-neutral bathrooms and requiring employees to erase pronouns from their email signatures and documentation, Mirror Indy has learned. Now, some employees believe the VA health system in Indiana will soon end all LGBTQ+ health programs for veterans, including an Indianapolis clinic that provides gender-affirming care. 'I just filled my testosterone and picked it up before they say I can't have it,' said one employee, who is transgender and has been receiving hormones at the clinic for years. 'I do not want to go back. I would rather die than go back.' The employee is one of two who shared concerns about the Indiana VA's abrupt changes with Mirror Indy, which is not naming them because they are not authorized to speak and fear retaliation from their employer. The changes in Indianapolis stem from an executive order from President Donald Trump, who directed the federal government on his first day in office to only recognize 'two biological sexes' and to end federal programs that 'promote gender ideology.' They come as part of a larger wave of policy changes and legislation by politicians, who are mostly Republican, targeting people who are transgender. Indiana lawmakers, for example, banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023. Thomas Hossfeld, the assistant director for VA Indiana health care, informed employees about the new policies during a Jan. 30 staff meeting. Mirror Indy obtained an audio recording of the meeting. The employees confirmed its authenticity. 'We have to review all agency programs, contracts, grants and terminate any that promote gender ideology,' Hossfeld said at the meeting. Staff expressed confusion, and at times, anger, about the changes coming to their workplace. 'I know it's part of the effort of this whole thing of getting us to resign and be so confused and flustered that we can't take it anymore,' said one employee who said they work with transgender veterans. 'It ain't going to work on me, I'm here till the end but I do need guidance.' Another staff member asked about bathrooms. 'What we know is there will be a restroom for men and for women,' Hossfeld said. 'That's how we have to identify them.' Hossfeld said he did not know how care for transgender veterans would be affected. At one point during the call, he reminded staff that the orders came directly from the president. 'Whether we like (executive orders), don't like them, it's not up for debate,' Hossfeld said. 'Once they come out, it's up for execution.' Hossfeld has not responded through a spokesperson to a Mirror Indy request for an interview. Mark Turney, a spokesperson for Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, said he did not know if gender-affirming care would be affected by Trump's executive order. Turney noted that staff has 120 days to implement the order, and they are waiting for more information from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. 'We haven't gotten any guidance,' Turney said. 'We don't know what this will look like.' A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs did not answer Mirror Indy's questions about gender-affirming care, but said the department will 'fully, faithfully and thoughtfully execute' Trump's order. Changes to veterans services won't come until a formal order from the VA's Office of the Secretary, the spokesperson said. It's unclear if VA health systems in other states are on a similar timeline, but the changes already appear to be happening in Indianapolis. An employee told Mirror Indy that staffers were no longer using gender-neutral bathrooms or displaying their pronouns. 'Employees are stressed to the max and worried about their safety here now,' the person said, referring to concerns such as potentially losing their jobs, experiencing harassment or being required to use a bathroom that does not match their gender identity. The Indiana VA policy changes would align with a U.S. Office of Personnel Management memo that instructs federal agencies to place employees whose positions promote 'gender ideology' on administrative leave, update agency forms to only list 'male and female' as identity options and eliminate gender neutral bathrooms. So far, Indiana Republicans in Washington have not weighed in on how the executive order will affect veterans in their home state. U.S. Sen. Todd Young, a Marine Corps veteran, declined to comment Jan. 31 through a spokesperson. U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, who served in the Navy Reserve, did not respond to requests for comment — though he has previously pushed to ban transgender people from military service. Separately, Trump also recently signed an executive order banning transgender people from the military. Six transgender service members are suing to block the order and be re-enlisted under equal protection. The VA health care system has been providing gender-affirming care since 2011. Ten years later, the agency allowed service members who were discharged based on their sexual orientation or gender identity to receive veteran benefits, including health care. Gender-affirming care, which can include surgery and hormone therapy, helps people transition when their sex assigned at birth does not match their gender identity. It is supported by virtually every major health care organization, including the American Medical Association. Cutting off access to health care would hurt transgender veterans, said Dr. Hannah Locke, an OB-GYN who has provided gender-affirming care in Indianapolis. 'As physicians, we are being asked to go against best practices,' she said. 'Gender-affirming care reduces suicide, anxiety and depression. Taking that away is going to increase all of those things.' One of the employees interviewed by Mirror Indy said their diagnosis and treatment for gender dysmorphia happened at the VA. The employee is devastated by what's happening. 'I am everything the VA made me and now it's a problem for me to exist,' the employee said. 'And that's all I'm literally asking to do.' Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email Follow her on X @mcmolloy7. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy VA hospital ends gender-neutral bathrooms, transgender care
