Economy
White House: More than 850K Hoosiers eligible for student loan debt forgiveness
More than 850,000 Hoosiers could see at least some of their federal student loan debt forgiven through President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. Roughly 856,400 Hoosiers are eligible to have at least $10,000 in student loan debt canceled, the White House announced Tuesday. Most of those recipients – about 555,500 – could have up […]
Driving cards for unauthorized immigrants back on legislative agenda
The concept earned bipartisan interest and support from lawmakers on an interim study committee, as well as an eclectic array of speakers.
Unemployment rate ticks up
Indiana’s unemployment rate inched up last month, from 2.6% in July to 2.8% in August. Earlier this year it hit an historic low of 2.2%. “The best news in this report is that both the number of Hoosiers employed and the Indiana labor force as a whole continue to grow. This means more Hoosiers are […]
Holcomb joins Midwest hydrogen coalition
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday joined the governors of six other Midwestern states in a coalition aimed at boosting hydrogen energy. “Strong partnerships and collaborations with our neighbors will foster a robust hydrogen ecosystem that will spur future growth in Indiana,” Holcomb said in a news release. “The Regional Hydrogen Coalition represents an opportunity […]
GM announces $491 million investment to support EV production at Marion plant
General Motors plans to spend $491 million to expand and upgrade operations at its Marion Metal Center, the company announced Thursday. The investment is meant to help increase production of GM’s “future vehicles,” including electric cars, company officials said. The automaker said it will purchase and install two new press lines, complete press and die […]
Biden officials visit Purdue as part of national push to bolster semiconductor production
State and federal officials on Tuesday descended upon Purdue University’s campus as part of a national campaign to bolster the domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips. Gov. Eric Holcomb joined two Biden administration Cabinet secretaries — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo — in West Lafayette to tour the microelectronic training facility […]
Indiana Grown names new director
Caroline Patrick will serve as the new director of Indiana Grown, promoting locally produced food from Hoosier farmers to consumers under the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). Though Indiana has over 57,500 farms and spends $16 billion annually on food, less than 10% of that food comes from within the state. Patrick will connect […]
It’s quality of life, not cost of living
Simple economic ideas aren’t really very hard to understand. So, I’m often puzzled to hear folks make the claim that Indiana’s low cost of living is an attractive feature. It is not. A low cost of living is actually evidence of chronic economic problems, and is maybe the last thing anyone should want to claim […]
Indiana’s casinos brought in $700 million in taxes last fiscal year
Indiana’s 12 casinos raked in $2.5 billion from July 2021 through June 2022 and sent $700 million of that haul to the state in taxes, according to an Indiana Gaming Commission annual report released this month. Higher-than-expected gambling collections previously bolstered the state’s rosy July revenue report. “It was … a privilege to lead an […]
Rokita: No “woke” ESG criteria allowed in pension investments
Indiana and its investment managers can’t make government employee pension system investments based on environmental, social or governance criteria, Attorney General Todd Rokita wrote in an advisory opinion released Thursday. Under state law, Rokita said, those decisions can only take Indiana employees and retirees’ financial interests into account. “Woke big businesses are collaborating with their […]
IndyStar journalists march for new contract
Indianapolis Star journalists on Thursday marched out of the newsroom over lunch to demand a fair contract, on the two-year anniversary of its collective bargaining agreement expiring. “Gannett’s strategy of cutting from its local newsrooms hurts our journalists and community. Indianapolis needs a strong and steady newspaper – not one suffering from constant turnover and […]
Inflation pushes minimum wages higher in some states
DENVER — Low-wage workers in more than a dozen states — and many more cities — could get unexpectedly large raises next year, thanks to minimum wage increases that will reflect soaring consumer prices. Denver’s minimum wage, which is indexed to consumer prices in the metro area, will increase from $15.87 to $17.29 an hour […]