By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“A voter doesn’t have to answer a question if they don’t want to, and they will not be penalized in any way, shape or form for ignoring anyone they encounter on their way into or out of a vote center in Marion County.” — Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell
What exactly is a federal election monitor, and what can you expect from them at Marion County and Lake County polls? We dig into the move by the Trump administration.
The state’s clemency board recommended against commuting a death sentence.
A key funding change means Indiana will likely have to change its Medicaid expansion program in the future.
Plus, energy uncertainty and permanent daylight saving time.
Voters cast their ballots for the May 19, 2026, primary election at Fox Hollow Elementary School in Idaho Falls. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
Federal election monitors won't enter Indiana polling sites, officials say
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Two-dozen federal Department of Justice monitors will observe Election Day voting in two Indiana counties from outside the polling locations, election officials said Wednesday.
Up to 12 are expected to come to central Indiana's Marion County, with another dozen going to Lake County near Chicago — heavily blue areas that host the state's only Democratic representatives in Congress.
The five-member Indiana Parole Board listens to public testimony during death row inmate Jeffrey Weisheit’s clemency proceedings on Oct. 19, 2026, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana parole board urges governor to reject death row inmate’s bid to avoid execution
By Casey Smith
The Indiana Parole Board on Wednesday recommended that Gov. Mike Braun deny clemency to death row inmate Jeffrey Weisheit following competing appeals from the parents of the two children he killed in a 2010 house fire.
The unanimous recommendation came just eight days ahead of Weisheit’s scheduled Nov. 5 execution and followed hours of testimony about his mental health, claims of remorse and ability to safely serve a life sentence.
COMMENTARY
An electric lineman on July 28, 2026, in Hendricks County. (Photo by Jack Forrest/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana cannot afford uncertainty in its energy future
By Baron Hill
Indiana has spent much of this summer debating electricity rates, utility regulation, and the future of our energy system. That debate has now entered another chapter. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is reconsidering the recently approved AES Indiana rate increase.
Every Hoosier should care deeply about keeping electricity affordable for working families and local businesses. However, recent events also raise a larger question about whether large, long-term investors can rely on Indiana to maintain the stable investment environment necessary to finance our growing energy needs.
NATIONAL NEWS
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, on March 6, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
Time for change? Permanent daylight saving time bill awaiting US Senate action
By David Lightman
Most of the nation returns to standard time Sunday morning, and Congress could decide as early as next month whether it will be the last time people have to change their clocks.
President Donald Trump wants year-round daylight saving time. The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in July for the change. Lots of Democrats and Republicans are behind the idea.
Yet, any momentum has stalled. The legislation can’t get out of the U.S. Senate, and it looks unlikely there’ll be much progress anytime soon.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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