Blue 812 News Issue 90 - October 18

follow blue812news: facebook | instagram | bluesky | blue812.news

have you reviewed the candidates on vote411?

Trump’s new Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, was fired after five days on the job, beating Anthony Scaramucci’s record by six days. Women can do anything. Zacharia was doomed from the beginning: a former Trump Media adviser with minimal public speaking experience, Zacharia appeared visibly rattled during her first (and only) press conference on Tuesday morning. She took only three questions, prioritizing conservative outlets, and ended the briefing within minutes.

Then there was the whole “lawyer” thing. Zacharia spent years claiming to be a lawyer, only to admit sheepishly this week that she never passed the bar exam. On her first day, she claimed to have done legal work in China, and went on to insist, bizarrely, that while she couldn’t call herself an “attorney,” she had been advised that “lawyer” was accurate. (Note: This is not a thing!)

She only made matters worse in a Fox & Friends interview: when a Fox host asked if she wished she’d disclosed the failed exam to Trump before being hired, Zacharia responded: “Those questions weren’t asked. I’m being hired as White House press secretary, and not White House counsel.” It shows just how much the White House is sweating the midterms. This administration has endured a lot of mediocrity, but with less than three weeks to go, and control of Congress on the line, Trumpworld can’t afford to let this press secretary debacle dominate the headlines any longer than it has to.

Avocados are a fruit; they’re technically considered a single-seeded berry. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

It’s been six days since federal agents raided Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)’s Washington, D.C. home, and here’s what we know about what they’re doing: the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the ultimate goal of the administration’s investigation is to build a case to strip her of her US citizenship and to deport her. Investigators are focusing on how Omar obtained her citizenship after her now-deceased father, Nur Omar Mohamed, brought his daughter and other family members to the US from a refugee camp in Kenya in 1995, when she was a child. Omar became a citizen in 2000 when she was 17. There’s apparently an effort to prove that Omar was actually 18 and that her father lied about her age on the forms – something there seems to be absolutely no evidence of. Homeland Security officers seized Omar’s phone and her passport, and authorities have also issued over a dozen subpoenas, including to some of Omar’s relatives, and are seeking testimony before a Minnesota grand jury. Omar just happens to be the first African refugee elected to Congress, and one of the first Muslim women.

Trump officials reportedly investigated Rep. Omar for fraud during his first term, but didn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing. “I think her citizenship is solid and there wasn’t any fraud there,” a former official familiar with Trump’s first investigation told the Washington Post. Even former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who built her political career bashing Omar and her progressive allies, came to the congresswoman’s defense. “Me and Ilhan Omar [sic] are far apart policy wise,” Greene tweeted last night. “But can someone tell me how pretending to get ready to deport Ilhan Omar is going to bring gas down under $2, make health insurance freaking affordable, make a family’s weekly grocery bill make sense, and stop sending our beloved military off to fight for another fucking foreign war???” MTG added: “People are so sick and tired of the bullshit.”

One of my favorite podcasts, Opening Arguments, did an episode all about this situation, with commentary from a practicing immigration lawyer. Listen here.

Governor Mike Braun said he expects Indiana to follow through on plans to execute a death row prisoner next month despite concerns over the lethal injection drug. Indiana uses the same drug Tennessee administered last month in a botched execution attempt that grabbed national headlines. Braun says he’s aware of what happened in Tennessee when two doses of pentobarbital failed to kill death row inmate Christa Pike. “It does give you pause,” Braun said, “That does make you kinda think about the process in general. And of course, there have been a lot (of people who) bring that up as a broader discussion on capital punishment in general.” The governor still expects Indiana’s planned execution of Jeffrey Weisheit, sentenced for the murders of two children in 2010 in Evansville, to move forward as long as state officials can obtain a supply of the lethal injection drug, pentobarbital. “At this point, it’s scheduled,” he said. “Unless something pops up out of the ordinary in terms of access to it and all of that, I think it’ll probably be in motion to go forward.”

Some of the largest data centers under construction in Indiana have avoided more extensive environmental scrutiny, public input and costs associated with restoring wetlands. The projects were not required to get a federal water permit after a US Supreme Court decision in 2023 narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act, removing federal oversight of around half of all the nation’s surface waters.

Five data center developments in Indiana contain wetlands, streams or ponds that, before the court ruling, would have fallen under the jurisdiction of the law and required a federal permit, according to a POLITICO analysis. Without a federal permit, the data centers avoid the process that requires extensive public input — including public comments, a hearing and federal comment review — and scrutiny from the Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the federal program. Now, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management is the only agency overseeing the surface water impacts at those sites. Indiana law for decades had required reviews, permits and mitigation efforts that, in some ways, closely mirror federal regulations, but those state standards were significantly reduced in 2024 by House Enrolled Act 1383, which completely removed some wetlands from state oversight and reduced regulations on other protected wetlands.

Two massive data centers currently under construction in Indiana highlight how the process changes when a federal permit is required:

The School Funding Committee of the Vigo County Council has changed the time of its Oct. 26 meeting to 1:30 p.m. Initially, the committee was supposed to meet at 1 p.m., immediately after a 10 a.m. meeting previously announced as the continuation of a recessed resumed County Council meeting by the auditor — now a joint budget workshop of the Board of Commissioners and the County Council. Everyone works best when they in meetings all day! Both meetings will be in the commissioner’s conference room at the Vigo County Annex. Due to the size of the conference room, seating for those meetings will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis subject to room capacity. No public comment will be taken during the meetings.

The 10 a.m. workshop will have both elected bodies reviewing the county’s 2026 budget together and evaluate proposed expenditures for 2027. The purpose of the 1:30 p.m. meeting is to discuss the recommendation of the Vigo County Oversight Board regarding whether and to what degree Vigo County should participate financially in the Vigo County School Corp.’s coming facilities consolidation as recommended by the Vigo County Oversight Board.

Also in October, the full County Council will have a meeting on the 29th at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Courtroom for a likely vote on the county’s proposed 2027 budget. Public comment will be allowed at that meeting.

In Indiana, only lawmakers can put a question up for a vote on the ballot; voters don’t have that right. This is why we don’t see questions about abortion access or cannabis legalization on our ballots, like in other states. Because Public Question 1 proposes to amend the Indiana state constitution, it must be voted on by voters.

According to ProtectHoosiers.com, PQ1 asks whether or not voters would support expanding the government’s ability to deny bail, which would keep more people behind bars before they’ve ever been convicted of a crime. PQ1 would allow the state to lock Hoosiers up before they have had their day in court or been convicted—infringing on our individual liberties and giving too much power to judges and politicians. This shifts our legal standard away from “innocent until proven guilty” toward a system of presumed guilt.

If PQ1 passes, judges would be able to deny bail before trial for lower-level offenses if they determine that someone might pose a future risk and the state presents clear and convincing evidence. When Hoosiers are held without bail, they risk losing their jobs, their housing, and their ability to parent their children. Expanding pretrial detention tears families apart and overcrowds local jails (like the Vigo County jail), all before a trial has even taken place.

Public Question 2 deals with city and town judges. Voting yes on this question would let judges live anywhere in the county where their court is—or in the closest bordering county—instead of requiring them to live in the community they serve. Supporters say it could help small towns recruit attorneys. Opponents say judges should live in the community they serve, so they understand local issues and remain directly accountable to local residents. If you are looking for more info, I recommend this page by BallotExplained.com.

What about the judge retention? I will direct you to this Indiana Judicial Branch info page.

New poll results commissioned by the Free Press Indiana news organization show Democrat Beau Bayh with advantages in name identification and voter support over Republican Max Engling going into the final weeks of the race for Indiana secretary of state. The poll found 43% were likely to vote for Bayh and 35% likely to cast their ballot for Engling. Libertarian Lauri Shillings had 6% support, with Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard at 5% and 11% undecided. The poll results showed Bayh with a favorability mark of 35% to 18% unfavorable. Engling had 12% with a favorable opinion and 17% unfavorable. But the biggest factor could be that 48% of those polled said they had never heard of Engling, with 27% saying they didn’t know of Bayh. The poll found 85% of Democrats saying they supported Bayh, and independent voters were giving Bayh 39% support — more than double any other candidate. Engling had more tepid backing among Republican voters at 68% support.

The poll also found that voters have soured on President Trump and Gov. Braun. Oh, and if you didn’t already know, almost no one likes data centers.

If you’re still unsure who you’re going to vote for, for what those ballot questions are all about, there are several voter guides out for Indiana:

The Vigo County Public Library has a tool library at the 12 Points branch - patrons can check out air compressors, mechanic’s tool sets, lug wrenches, and more!

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, October 20st at 6pm: Indivisible CommUnity meeting. Every big change starts with a local conversation. Whether you want to share a new concept, listen in, or find ways to get involved locally, there is a place at the table for you! Vigo County Public Library (Rooms AB&C) 6-7:30PM

Thursday, October 29th at 6pm: Nasty Women of Vigo County meeting in Room A of the Vigo County Public Library from 6-7:30pm.

Looking for an opportunity to help Vigo County candidates get out he vote? Volunteers are staffing VigoDems HQ (817 Wabash Ave) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 5-7pm, plus Saturdays 10am-1pm (come early for free breakfast!) ready to set you up with door-knocking or phone banking.

The Pentagon won’t livestream the firing squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Trump announced Thursday. Maybe he saw the news that 80 percent of Americans opposed the idea.

Wow! More than one million public comments were submitted in opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, demonstrating overwhelming public support for protecting some of the nation’s most treasured national forests.

Hungary will impose a wealth tax next year, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said, fulfilling a election pledge to make the rich shoulder a larger share of public obligations.

Cornell University has banned parties at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and will add experienced sexual assault investigators to work with its police force in response to a student’s allegations of gang rape in October 2024.

In a major ruling, a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s nationwide voter roll campaign, delivering a damaging blow to the DOJ’s effort to obtain states’ unredacted voter rolls.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction in the CNN, Politico and MS NOW lawsuit against the White House, extending the status quo that it can’t deny reporters from those outlets hard passes while the case proceeds.

Kristi Noem is no longer serving as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, the State Department announced this week. In other words, yes, she’s been fired again.

Mapquest has added a feature that shows users all the Flock and other ALPR cameras on their route.

One of the largest solar farms in the country just came online in Northwest Indiana.

When we take a warm shower, we experience an increased dopamine flow that makes us more creative. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.