Blue 812 News Issue 83 - August 30

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have you checked your voter registration?

I’m sure you have heard the big legal news this week: in a shadow docket ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court decided a case about President Trump’s Executive Order in which Trump (essentially) tells the USPS to use DHS-created lists of people allowed to vote and to transmit only their ballots. On Monday, what the Court decided was that it’s too early for them to block Trump’s EO because states hadn’t been harmed yet. Justice Jackson disagreed, writing “This ruling violates well-established precedents … and needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections. It also lets another shoe drop in the Kafkaesque nightmare …”

On Wednesday, Judge Indira Talwani dissolved the old injunction. By Thursday night, after voting rights groups challenged the now-final rule, she blocked the new rule for 14 days, noting that the administration had not offered “any evidence regarding fraudulent absentee or mail-in voting.” The Trump administration appealed Friday, and this will likely end up again before the Supremes. These last few days have done a pretty good job proving Justice Jackson’s point about chaos and uncertainty! Another hearing is set for September 3. but North Carolina starts sending ballots to military and overseas voters on September 4. Nearly one-third of Americans vote by mail and election officials contend there isn't enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives. At this rate, the only thing moving faster than the litigation is the timeline to election itself.

A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found that mail voting fraud occurred in only about four cases out of every 10 million mail ballots cast. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Gov. Mike Braun’s administration has asked lawmakers to tap into state cash reserves to cover losses from Indiana’s gas tax suspension, but top legislative leaders aren’t ready to commit to the plan just yet. The Indiana Department of Transportation reported projected losses to local governments and the State Highway Fund will reach a combined $1.1 billion should the gas tax suspension continue through Dec. 4. The suspension comes at a time when INDOT is already contending with inflation and a loss of purchasing power: the average cost per interstate lane mile went from $8.4 million in 2015 to $46 million in 2026, INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist said. The rising costs suggest lawmakers may need to revisit the state’s gas tax structure in the near future.

“If this gas tax delay or slow down had never occurred, it appears we are already on a path where our current funding mechanisms are inadequate,” said state Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, adding, “which means we were going to face some kind of request for an increase even if there had been no gas tax pause.” Lawmakers will begin writing the state’s next two-year budget when they return in January.

In a story that has recently become relevant again: budget constraints were also the primary motivation for Indiana’s elimination of its half of the 50/50 funding scheme in 2025, although Gov. Braun said the state would seek funding from private philanthropies to cover the shortfall. Indiana first lady Maureen Braun led a drive to get that funding, and in March announced that the effort had reached 90 percent of its two-year fundraising goal. Hooray for private philanthropy and free enterprise; we don’t need government at all, do we? You can donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gets books in the hands of kids that need them here.

There's a County Council meeting on Tuesday, but the biggest thing going on in the county won’t be a topic of discussion. At least, if Council President Steve Ellis has anything to say about it. The county commissioners plan to give a presentation about the oversight board recommendation related to funding for school facilities, but Ellis says the schools plan won't take over the sunshine meeting, and there will no council vote in the month of September. In a text to the TribStar, Ellis said, “I have been transparent about this from the beginning. Yes, the commissioners can speak during the portion for elected officials and I truly am looking forward to the presentation as we have questions… A week is simply not enough time for the council to research and vote on a project of this magnitude. The oversight committee took over eight months and had to postpone their recommendation several times.” I’m sorry, where has the County Council been for these eight months? The videos are on YouTube and you can watch them at 2x speed.

This dustup within county government all began Friday afternoon after Tuesday’s county council meeting agenda was dispersed. The resolution regarding the oversight panel’s recommendation had been struck through. When questioned on item struck from the agenda, County Auditor Larry Hutchings said, “Council President Steve Ellis has removed this so he can take the request to ‘committee.’ He said that he would announce who is on this committee this coming Tuesday evening.” An unknown committee, whose members are already decided in the secrecy of some County Annex backroom? How can we hold Vigo County accountable?! Where is the transparency?! Ellis still advocates a referendum and said he is researching whether there is a way to conduct one, explaining he is working with attorneys to determine if it can legally be done, without disclosing any further details.

Asked his outlook on whether the council might ultimately approve the oversight board recommendation for county funding, Ellis said, “It’s hard to say. It depends on who is on the council in the upcoming year. If it doesn’t pass now, that doesn’t mean they won’t try again after the first of the year.” That plan leaves a lot of money on the table for the county: while the Terre Haute Casino Foundation, a standalone nonprofit, says it is willing to give roughly $95 million toward the schools plan over roughly 20 years, the county must make a significant contribution of its own, and the commitment has to come by Dec. 31.

The Oversight Board was founded to research and advise, but the decision on the county’s financial participation must come from the council. While the Board of Commissioners is the county’s three-member executive arm and endorses that board’s suggestion, it is the seven-member council that has control over county spending. The final decision on which students go to how many schools and where remains with the Vigo County School Corp. Board of Trustees. Right now, we are all at the mercy of Steve Ellis.

Become a paid subscriber for notes from Tuesday’s meeting!

Republican Max Engling found himself the odd man out against three opponents during the first debate between the four hopefuls for Indiana Secretary of State Wednesday night, while Democrat Beau Bayh, Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard and Libertarian Lauri Shillings often agreed. While those three emphasized getting information to voters and reducing voter apathy, Engling offered enhanced election integrity as a way to soothe voter concerns. A significant part of the evening was spent discussing Ballard’s proposal to create and send a paper voter guide to every registered voter to help increase turnout. A software app would also be part of the program costing upwards of $2.5 million each election cycle. Both Engling and Bayh believe the cost is too high and there are better ways to combat apathy and low voter turnout. Ballard countered afterward it’s clear the major political parties don’t want voters to be informed. He also said if the Republicans and Democrats pay the cost to run primaries rather than the state there would be money to cover that cost.

The biggest divergence was on the Indiana Recount Commission’s decision to reject otherwise legitimate ballots over administrative errors, flipping a tight state Senate race in favor of a Trump-endorsed primary challenger. All but Engling said the ballots shouldn’t have been rejected, and that the commission should have put more weight on voter intent. One area where they all found common ground? No one likes the current officeholder, Diego Morales. Even fellow Republican Max Engling quipped that he promised all of his seven brothers-in-law that he wouldn’t hire them to work in the office if he was elected, continuing that he was committed to moving the office “forward in a different direction.” Meanwhile, Bayh, Ballard and Shillings said they’d prioritize an audit of the office to identify waste, fraud and abuse, with Bayh stating such an audit would be his first priority if elected. Engling was the only candidate to not pledge an audit of the office.

Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the Food and Drug Administration, whose responsibilities include regulating the safety of food, drugs, medical devices, and yes, vaccines. Dr. Overton helped engineer the regime’s rollback of the childhood vaccine schedule while serving on the Domestic Policy Council. She’s also spent years lying that medication abortion is dangerous and lacks the qualifications to lead this large and important agency at a moment when its failures are getting Americans sick.

Activists are rallying the Senate to do its job for a change and vote no on Heidi Overton. Let’s tell our senators to listen to them. We can find call scripts via 5Calls here and an email tool here.

The Trump administration has been aggressively expanding the immigration detention system in new and horrific ways for nearly two years. Now they intend to open a brand new facility located on a toxic waste site in Louisiana, where ICE plans to detain children and families. Right now, communities in Louisiana are fighting back to stop the La Salle Alexandria Airport Family and Child Detention facility from opening, and they need your help! Please use this easy tool to send a letter to your representatives demanding that they stop this center. We need to eliminate family detention—not expand it.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, September 1st at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street. Become a paid subscriber for meeting notes!

Wednesday, September 2nd at 6pm: Mile with the Mayor at Vorhees Park. A 1-mile walk with the mayor.

Thursday, September 3rd at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Monday, September 7th at 11 am: Terre Haute Labor Day parade. Come walk with one of our amazing candidates! Lineup starts at 10am, parade begins at 11.

Tuesday, September 8th at 3pm: Mingle with the Mayor at Grand Traverse Pie Co. At this informal and relaxed gathering, various topics will be covered each month with opportunities to ask questions and voice concerns. Free pie and coffee will be served courtesy of Clinton Gardens.

Tuesday, September 8th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street. Become a paid subscriber for meeting notes!

Thursday, September 10th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Let’s all get the shingles vaccine and have fewer heart attacks and strokes!

The FDA approved a new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer. The pill, taken twice a day, has helped extend patients’ lives by several months.

New legislation would boost overtime pay to doubletime from time-and-a-half and benefit 13.4 million workers

Australia’s music industry banned wholly AI-generated music from its pop charts. Way to stand up for the humans, Australia!

The U.S. homicide rate dropped to its lowest rate in 75 years in 2025. The rate has been declining since 2022, after a post-Covid rise. Overall violent crime also dropped 9.3% last year.

Secure Justice, an Oakland-based advocacy group, has recorded 214 cities and counties that have dropped Flock since 2021. Of those, 90 ended their relationship with Flock in August 2026 alone, a fourfold increase compared to the previous month. Flock CEO is now begging the public for compromise.

A judge struck down Texas’s ban on drag shows, telling people offended by them “just don’t go.” Bravo!

A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘miscarriage of justice’ claims and her bid for prison release.

Mapquest has joined the resistance.

Chainsaws were invented as a tool for childbirth. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.