By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“The statute does not permit an IURC Commissioner to be removed at the Governor’s pleasure, based upon political disagreement, or simply because the Governor disagrees with the Commissioner’s exercise of independent judgment.” — Andy Zay’s lawsuit against Gov. Mike Braun
It’s not often you see an election result flipped in a recount. But that’s what happened Monday in the Senate District 23 race. Next up: a court challenge.
And speaking of a court challenge, Andy Zay sued Gov. Mike Braun over his recent firing.
State officials filed a federal waiver request for Indiana’s Healthy Indiana Plan that would return a key cost-sharing element.
ICE arrests are up.
Plus, we have a commentary on how to weigh data center developments.
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Chair Andy Zay answers reporter questions during a break in a daylong utility affordability hearing on March 24, 2026, at the IURC's downtown Indianapolis headquarters. (Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Fired Indiana utility regulator sues governor over his removal
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Fired state regulator Andy Zay filed a lawsuit Monday to regain his seat on the powerful Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission before his former colleagues — and a replacement — vote on whether to reconsider a contentious $71 million rate hike for AES Indiana customers.
Zay also described a pattern of the governor’s office infringing on the commission’s statutory duty as an “impartial fact-finding body.”
Republican state Senate candidate Paula Copenhaver speaks to reporters after an Indiana Recount Commission meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Trump-backed challenger jumps ahead of Republican senator in Indiana recount
By Tom Davies
The Indiana Recount Commission on Monday flipped a Republican primary race in favor of a President Donald Trump-endorsed challenger over a state senator who opposed Indiana congressional redistricting.
The commission’s decisions on challenged ballots turned what had been a three-vote lead for Sen. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette into a three-vote margin for challenger Paula Copenhaver.
The new certified totals from the May primary now give Copenhaver 6,332 votes to Deery’s 6,329.
About 472,000 Hoosiers are currently enrolled in the Healthy Indiana Plan. (Logo from state of Indiana.)
FSSA to seek federal waiver to reinstate HIP cost-sharing for able-bodied adults on Medicaid
By Mackenzi Klemann
Able-bodied adults insured through the Healthy Indiana Plan may soon be required to make copayments.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration intends to seek a five-year waiver through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to revive a modified version of the agency’s cost-sharing model under a new iteration of HIP, known as HIP 3.0.
COMMENTARY
Coolant hoses and infrastructure for data servers. (Getty Images)
Community benefits, not moratoriums, should guide Indiana’s debate on data centers
By Rob Henderson
As more Hoosier communities debate data centers, a growing number of local governments are reaching for moratoriums. Nearly a third of Indiana counties have adopted data center restrictions, with Indianapolis now considering a temporary halt of its own. Concerns about water, power, taxes, infrastructure and transparency deserve serious answers.
But moratoriums can have unintended, far-reaching effects on a community. It is a public signal to employers, investors and site selectors that a community may be closed for business.
NATIONAL NEWS
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer watches a crowd of protesters at Delaney Hall, a detention center, in Newark, New Jersey, on May 25, 2026. (Photo by Ben Ackman/New Jersey Monitor)
With new tactics, ICE reaches new high in monthly arrests
By Tim Henderson
Federal immigration agents are employing new tactics — from arresting academics at airports to setting up a checkpoint at a popular creek in a National Forest — to boost their arrest numbers, leading to more arrests in July than in any previous month of the Trump administration.
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