NEW FOCUS ON DEI: Indiana AG Rokita investigates University of Notre Dame and its hiring and admissions practices
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen May 16, 2025 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has launched an investigation into the University of Notre Dame and is threatening the school’s nonprofit status, asserting the institution is violating state and federal civil rights laws “...”
‘SHE LOVED SERVING PEOPLE’: The late Sen. Jean Breaux celebrated at Indiana Statehouse memorial service
Family, friends and legislators gathered at the Indiana Statehouse rotunda on Friday to remember to life and legacy of the late Sen. Jean Breaux. (Photo/Marilyn Odendahl) By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen April 8, 2024 Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, recalled a trip to “...”
REDACTION DISPUTE: Indiana public access counselor advises AG Rokita to use ‘lighter touch’ on legal invoices
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen March 28, 2024 Despite finding an “unusually high” amount of redactions on invoices from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office do not violate the state’s open records law, the Indiana public access counselor noted the sectio “...”
‘SHERO IN OUR MIDST’: Indiana Sen. Jean Breaux, who championed women’s and children’s causes, dies
Indiana Sen. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, is pictured in December 2023 filing her 2024 legislation to make Juneteenth a state holiday. (Photo/Breaux’s X, formerly Twitter, account) By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen March 21, 2024 Indiana Sen. Jean Brea “...”
HOUSING GAP: New report shows affordable housing crisis getting worse in Indiana
By Marilyn OdendahlWorking as a waitress, Tirish Jacobs of Indianapolis was able to stretch her paycheck enough to rent a three-bedroom duplex, where she and her two children lived. But when the ceiling in her daughter’s bedroom collapsed in 2009, life began to spiral downward. Her childre “...”
LIMITED ROLE: Amendments restricting public access counselor passed as bill advances in Indiana Senate
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen March 4, 2024 A bill allowing local government officials to remove disruptive individuals from public meetings has been expanded to include new limits on the Indiana public access counselor’s ability to offer guidance about the state’s “...”
VOTING CONCERNS: GOP’s HB 1264 passes Indiana Senate, but 4 Republicans join Democrats in opposing the measure
(Photo/Pexels.com) By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen March 1, 2024 Although the Indiana Senate’s passage on Thursday of the contentious election legislation, House Bill 1264, may not have been in doubt, Democratic senators continued questioning the purpose and potential a “...”
GOP CHALLENGER: Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings explores run for AG amid Todd Rokita’s troubles
By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen February 23, 2024 Saying he is tired of the controversies and uncertainty surrounding Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings is considering launching a primary challenge against the state’s top law “...”
TENANT SETBACKS: Failures in legislation at Statehouse lead to calls for a housing commission
(Photo/Pexels.com) By Marilyn Odendahl The Indiana Citizen February 21, 2024 At least 10 bills, aimed at tackling various aspects of Indiana’s housing crisis, including negligent landlords, foreclosures induced by medical debt and biased appraisals, were introduced at the start “...”
HYDE COMMENTARY: What’s civics got to do with Future Presidents?
“Citizenship has its duties as well as its privileges” –President Benjamin Harrison History and civics have everything to do with Presidents Day, and—more broadly—should be central to the way in which we prepare and educate students to be good fellow communit “...”