By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“I'm always working. I understand the hustle, and I think people of Indiana respect that because I don't think they have somebody (in the race) besides me that truly represents the working class of Indiana.” — Libertarian Lauri Shillings
Our final secretary of state profile introduces you to Libertarian Lauri Shillings, who has risen from a volunteer to a party leader.
Meanwhile, GOP candidate Max Engling held his first press conference to talk about fraudulent trucking companies. Oh, and he’s going to sue another one of his opponents.
Affordable homes are lacking nationally but local regulations are holding back manufactured housing.
Plus, a commentary on media use of mugshots.
Libertarian candidate Lauri Shillings responds to a question during the Indiana Secretary of State Debate hosted by the Indiana Debate Commission, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at WFYI Public Television Studios in Indianapolis. (Photo by Doug McSchooler for Indiana Debate Commission)
Shillings brings homegrown biz experience to electoral bid
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Lauri Shillings presents herself as a homegrown everywoman aspiring to statewide office.
"I'm very much a working-class person. I've never held less than two jobs," said Shillings, who works as a creative director for the University of Indianapolis when she's not campaigning. She gave up a third gig as an adjunct professor at Ivy Tech Community College to run for office, and has put her design firm and video-game streaming channel on hold.
"I'm always working. I understand the hustle, and I think people of Indiana respect that because I don't think they have somebody (in the race) besides me that truly represents the working class of Indiana," she added.
COMMENTARY
Mugshots can be problematic because they infer guilt whether or not there’s a conviction. Newsrooms must decide the conditions under which they use them in newscasts. (Illustration courtesy of Poynter)
Do we really need to see mugshots in television newscasts?
By Tracey Compton
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, some local newsrooms across the country started to make changes in how they cover people of color. Many promised to use fewer mugshots in their reporting. Journalists acknowledged that they were part of the problem. By publishing mugshots, which were disproportionately of Black and brown people, local news reports were amplifying harmful and inaccurate stereotypes.
In 2026, newsroom practices vary across the industry.
NATIONAL NEWS
Burkhart Ridge in Howell Township, Mich., is the kind of manufactured home community that some experts say can be expanded with a new federal law that allows such homes to be built without a chassis. (Photo by Jon King/Michigan Advance)
Cheaper manufactured homes could be having a moment, if only states can catch up
By Robbie Sequeria
For decades, manufactured home builders have been working to shed the old image of boxy trailer homes reserved for the outskirts of cities and suburbia. Now, a small change in federal regulations could open the door for architecture welcomed in more neighborhoods.
But first, experts say, states have to examine outdated regulations that are blocking the manufactured home industry’s potential. The Pew Charitable Trusts’ housing initiative estimates that 30 states might need to change their regulations to align with the new federal law.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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