By Tom Davies | Deputy Editor
“The goal was to make sure qualified businesses had an opportunity to compete.” — Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago
The state is making a big payment to settle a lawsuit over Gov. Mike Braun’s firing of a state utility regulator, although neither side admits doing anything wrong.
We also have a story on the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus warning of a lawsuit to fight the governor’s dismantling of a minority contracting program.
Plus, a commentary about Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith preaching on “how to hate properly” — and check out stories about new state Senate leadership and a state program aimed at preserving local business ownership.
Then-Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Chair Andy Zay speaks during a hearing on March 24, 2026, at the agency’s headquarters. (Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
State paying $625K to settle lawsuit over Braun firing utility commission member
By Tom Davies
The state is paying $625,000 to settle a lawsuit in which a former member of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission claimed he was illegally fired by Gov. Mike Braun.
The governor’s office announced the deal Saturday with former utility commission member Andy Zay, calling it a “mutually agreeable settlement.”
Zay argued in his suit filed Aug. 10 that Braun lacked sufficient reason to replace him on the commission and described a pattern of the governor’s office infringing on the commission’s statutory duty as an “impartial fact-finding body.”
Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, speaks during an Indiana Black Legislative Caucus press conference on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Photo by Mackenzi Klemann/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Black Legislative Caucus warns of potential lawsuit from governor's executive order
By Mackenzi Klemann
Members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus say Gov. Mike Braun overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order last month targeting a state diversity program.
The IBLC hosted a press conference to renew attention to the order eliminating race- and sex-based preferences in the Minority and Women's Business Enterprises Program without legislative approval — calling on affected businesses to come forward as the caucus investigates the economic and legal ramifications of the order.
COMMENTARY
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith preaches at Faith Baptist Church in Elkhart on July 26, 2026. (Photo from public livestream)
Beckwith sermon, once again, draws the wrong kind of attention
By Niki Kelly
A friend reached out the other day, disappointed and sad that Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith gave a sermon entitled “How to Hate Properly” in the church she grew up in. He was wearing Indiana's torch and stars on his chest.
Here we are again, with Beckwith bringing negative attention to the great state of Indiana.
The question is whether Gov. Mike Braun and Republicans will do anything about it.
NATIONAL NEWS
A mother and her son hold hands on a swing set. This year, more state and local leaders are pushing to hold parents accountable for their children’s behavior, particularly when it involves serious criminal offenses. (Photo by Troy Bennett/Maine Morning Star)
Parents are being held responsible for their kids' crimes under new laws
By Amanda Watford
When young children and teenagers get into trouble, the question often comes quickly: Where were their parents?
That question is again shaping public policy in communities across the country, as state and local lawmakers and prosecutors increasingly look for ways to respond to concerns about youth crime and public disorder.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Indiana working to preserve local businesses across ownership changes | Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Planned Parenthood can refer Indiana abortion patients out-of-state, federal appeals court rules | Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
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