Author

Niki Kelly

Niki Kelly

Niki has covered the Indiana Statehouse since 1999 – including five governors. She has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and Hoosier State Press Association for stories on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, criminal justice issues and more. She also is a regular on Indiana Week in Review, a weekly public television rundown of news. She shifts her career to helm a staff of three and ensure Hoosiers know what’s really happening on the state level.

Jacob to run in caucus for Sandlin’s Senate seat

By: - September 26, 2023

John Jacob — who lost his Indiana House seat last year — confirmed to the Capital Chronicle late Monday that he will seek the Senate District 36 seat vacated in the sudden death of Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis. Sandlin was elected to the Indiana Senate in 2016 to represent southern Marion County and part of […]

COMMENTARY

Applause all around for new public health program

By: - September 15, 2023

Here’s a big round of applause to the 86 counties that have signed on for Indiana’s enhanced public health funding — and an even bigger congratulations to the Hoosiers that it will help. When Gov. Eric Holcomb pushed a public health commission following the COVID-19 pandemic, some people — Republicans especially — thought he was […]

Reflecting on democracy

By: - September 15, 2023

Democracy is at the core of the public sphere, and on this commemorative day, we reached out to Hoosiers of various stripes to ask what democracy means to them. From elected officials to students working to make Indiana better, here is what they had to say: “One of the best lessons we have in my […]

senate

Braun endorses Banks for Senate

By: - September 14, 2023

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun has endorsed Republican Third District Congressman Jim Banks to take over his Senate seat. Braun chose not to seek re-election, running for governor instead. “Jim Banks is a proven conservative leader who has a strong track record of fighting for Hoosier values as a former member of the Indiana Statehouse, a […]

COMMENTARY
lawsuits

Lawsuits over new laws used to be a rarity; now regular part of the process

By: - September 8, 2023

It might be a record this year: five lawsuits filed against newly-enacted legislation, all brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. When I first started covering the legislature in 1999, litigation challenging the constitutionality of a new law was a pretty big deal. In fact, if during the session there was even a […]

Chambers seeds campaign with $5 million personal loan; taps campaign team

By: - September 6, 2023

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Brad Chambers has brought three recently departed Indiana Republican Party staffers onboard and made a $5 million personal loan to his campaign. He announced his senior leadership team Wednesday and made the contribution Sept. 1, according to campaign finance records. Chambers also has filed several large contribution reports totaling $535,000 from various […]

COMMENTARY
taxes

Can you cut $8 billion from the state budget? I tried.

By: - September 1, 2023

It’s a catchy phrase, “axe the tax,” and the idea of eliminating the state income tax is a simple thing for voters to understand. But that annual $8 billion in tax revenue provides services that can’t be swept under the rug for cuts to be named later.  Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, a Republican gubernatorial candidate […]

Firefighting training targeted by Holcomb

By: - August 25, 2023

Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday announced the first phase of a large-scale plan to expand physical firefighting training for Hoosiers. “Indiana will always support its public safety personnel, who selflessly risk their lives to protect the communities in which they live,” he said. “This plan will ensure that Hoosier firefighters have the skills and the […]

COMMENTARY

Newspaper raid is ominous threat that can’t be swept away

By: - August 25, 2023

As a longtime reporter, I can only imagine the scene of police busting into a newspaper office — and a private home — confiscating computers and cell phones. It is a threat to the First Amendment that can’t be overstated. But that’s what happened in Marion, Kansas on Aug. 11 to the Marion County Record. […]

lottery

Lottery ends the fiscal year sending near-record amount to state

By: - August 21, 2023

Indiana’s lottery sent a near-record $370 million to state coffers in the 2023 fiscal year. The Indiana Lottery Commission closed out the books last week, also sending a $19.7 million incentive payment to IGT Indiana. IGT Indiana is the contract operator of the Hoosier Lottery, handling product development, marketing, sales and distribution services. The lottery […]

Families urge FSSA to halt proposed ABA therapy cuts

By: and - August 21, 2023

Indianapolis parents Breanna and Dakota Powell have two autistic children, ages 3 and 6, and spent years in early intervention services but saw little improvement — until they started Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy, or ABA therapy for short. “ABA has shown my children their voice,” Breanna Powell said, adding that her daughter recently said her […]

hupfer

Kyle Hupfer to step down as state GOP chair

By: and - August 18, 2023

Indiana Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer announced Friday that he’s stepping down from his role leading the state party but will not sit on the sidelines in 2024. “I’ve told folks for a long time that I was going to really care about what’s next for the future of Indiana. … I think the 2024 […]