By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
In June 1972, Lowell Elliott of Peru found $500,000 in cash on his farm. A skyjacker parachuting out of a plane had dropped his stolen profits over the property. Elliott returned the money to authorities.
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon came to the Hoosier State Tuesday with news of a new federal education waiver. See what it means for Indiana.
Former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has turned in almost enough signatures to run for secretary of state — if they are all verified.
The richest Americans hold nearly a third of the country’s total wealth.
Plus, today's commentary examines how local media handled a recent downtown Indianapolis homicide.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, left, joins Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and state Education Secretary Katie Jenner for a ceremonial signing of the state’s waiver from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at Plainfield High School. (Photo by Mackenzi Klemann/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
US Dept. of Ed OKs Indiana waiver to ‘streamline’ education spending
By Mackenzi Klemann
PLAINFIELD — Indiana K-12 educators will soon have less paperwork following the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of a waiver exempting the state from provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The state applied for the waiver in December to streamline education spending and align its new A-F accountability measures with federal law.
The waiver consolidates federal funding from portions of Titles I, II, III and IV — grants used to support things like low-income students, teacher training, English language learners and school safety — totaling $50 million over the next four years.
Greg Ballard meets with supporters gathering signatures on his behalf in Indianapolis on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Jack Forrest/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Ballard campaign says it’s closing in on secretary of state ballot signature mark
By Jack Forrest
Greg Ballard’s independent campaign for secretary of state said Tuesday it has submitted at least 35,167 signatures to county clerks in his effort to appear on the ballot under the “Lincoln Party” designation.
The former Republican Indianapolis mayor needs nearly 37,000 verified signatures from registered voters, meaning the campaign almost certainly needs more than that total to account for those who are unregistered or are duplicates. Ballard has until June 30 to submit petitions to counties.
COMMENTARY
Brett Scrogham died after he was shot in a parking garage near the Indiana Convention Center on May 28, 2026. (Screenshot courtesy of WTHR)
How Indy newsrooms covered a random and fatal shooting downtown
By Tracey Compton
A recent story about a shooting in Indianapolis so disturbed Craig Ladwig, editor of Indiana Policy Review, that he felt compelled to ask me to look into how local news media are covering it. Over the course of his life, Ladwig told me he’s had five friends who were murdered or traumatically injured while going about normal everyday activities. So even though he didn’t know the victim, the news felt personal to him.
“My reaction was that each case should have been the top story on Page 1 until it was solved,” Ladwig said.
NATIONAL NEWS
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk speaks last year at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Last week’s SpaceX IPO, which made Musk the world’s first trillionaire, is a vivid illustration of wealth concentration in the United States, which has been accelerating since 2022. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Surging stock market, Trump policies boost wealth for top 1%
By Tim Henderson
When SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and artificial intelligence company, began trading on the stock market last week, he became the world’s first trillionaire.
The SpaceX IPO made the world’s richest man even richer, grabbing headlines worldwide. But it is merely the most vivid illustration of a U.S. trend that has been accelerating since 2022.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Judicial commission dismisses Allen County Democrats' complaint against senior judge | Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
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