By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
The final 13.5-mile stretch of I-74 opened near Waynestown and Veedersburg on this day in 1967, marking the completion of Indiana's first toll-free cross-state superhighway.
Good morning, Hoosiers!
More sales continue in the Jamey Noel saga, but millions are still owed to taxpayers.
Indiana’s fourth execution since 2024 has now been set.
Plus, rural hospital closures and a commentary taking parents to task on enforcing cellphone limits at home.
Jamey Noel reads a prepared statement on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at a Clark County Circuit Court hearing in Jeffersonville, Indiana. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Nearly two years into prison term, Jamey Noel still owes nearly $2 million in restitution
By Casey Smith
Nearly two years after former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel was sentenced to prison for stealing millions in public funds, he and two family members still owe nearly $2.7 million in court-ordered restitution.
Washington County court records show more than $1.26 million from three accounts holding proceeds from the Noel family’s liquidated assets was distributed in January. Nearly $978,000 went to the nonprofit organization that operated New Chapel EMS, while roughly $286,000 went toward restitution owed to state and local government agencies.
COMMENTARY
Students in Indiana school this year have a new bell-to-bell cellphone ban. (Getty Images)
Indiana said no to phones in school. Now parents have to say it at home.
By Raja Ramaswamy
As the new school year starts Indiana students will spend their school day without the constant pull of smartphones. Gov. Mike Braun and the Indiana General Assembly deserve credit for recognizing what teachers have known for years: children cannot learn when every lesson competes with a notification. In an era when nearly every issue becomes political, this one should not.
NATIONAL NEWS
A baby crawls on the carpet at the Alabama Birth Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In 14 states, the closure of the closest rural hospital or its obstetric unit would force Medicaid patients to drive an hour or more to get to another hospital that provides inpatient maternity care, a new study says. (Photo by Eric Schultz for the Alabama Reflector)
More rural hospital closures would mean long drives for pregnant women seeking obstetric care
By Shalina Chatlani
In 14 states, the closure of the closest rural hospital or its obstetric unit would force many Medicaid patients to drive an hour or more to get to another hospital that provides inpatient maternity care, according to an analysis released this week.
Nationwide, the median drive time between hospitals providing inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees and the closest in-state alternative is 43 minutes for rural hospitals compared with 13 minutes for urban hospitals, the analysis found.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Indiana asked about a new SNAP rule. Here’s what people said. | Free Press Indiana News
Indianapolis Public Schools reverses no-zero grading policy | Chalkbeat Indiana
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