Indiana
Indiana Supreme Court, Election Commission rule Rust can't seek US Senate bid
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Election Commission on Tuesday afternoon removed U.S. Senate candidate John Rust from Republican ballots for the May 7 primary.
Just minutes later, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled against him in a lawsuit over his ballot eligibility.
The developments deal a double blow to Rust’s candidacy. At this point, he says, he’s pinning his hopes on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Rust, the former chair of the board of egg supplier Rose Acre Farms Inc., faced challenges from six different Republicans. All cited a state law that says candidates must have voted in their party’s two most recent primaries.
Longtime state committee member Kyle Babcock says Rust had plenty of chances. “He failed to vote in the 2018 primary, one of the most hotly contested Republican primaries in history: Mike Braun, Todd Rokita, Luke Messer. If he can’t even vote in that primary, that’s a problem to me.”
Rust had been the only Republican other than U.S. Rep. Jim Banks to get on Indiana GOP ballots for a U.S. Senate bid. Rust and his team say the two-primary rule is unconstitutional.
Michelle Harter, the attorney for Rust, said, “We have a situation where John Rust has tendered over 11,000 petitions and has a lot of support in Indiana. We are going to disenfranchise all of those voters if he can’t be on the ballot, and we’re going to have a U.S. Senate race with one candidate.”
That didn’t convince the Indiana Election Commission during its livestreamed meeting from the Indiana Government Center South.
Commission member Suzannah Wilson Overholt said, “I mean, those are just the rules and the political parties have … the courts have recognized that they have a constitutional right to control who, to a certain extent, who gets to be affiliated with them in terms of being a nominee for the primary, and I mean, that’s, I mean, none of these arguments overcome that.”
The commission voted unanimously to remove Rust from the ballot.
Then the Indiana Supreme Court announced it had overturned a trial judge’s order that would have allowed Rust to appear on the ballot.
Those two actions would leave Banks unopposed on the Republican ballot if they stand.
Rust says he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. “They’re trying to keep me off the ballot because I’m not under their control. They’re looking for a stooge. They’re looking for someone that Mitch McConnell controls.”
Rust wasn’t the only candidate struck from the ballot over the two-primary rule on Tuesday. Three republican U.S. House candidates — Jonathan Brown, Scott King and Sid Mahant — were kicked off the ballot for the same reason.
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KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
Braden Smith spent four seasons with Purdue basketball proving all the power conference programs who overlooked him missed out.
Now the former Boilermaker point guard has a chance to do the same in the NBA.
Smith, a Westfield native, is headed to the Pacers after Indiana traded for him when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 38th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to IndyStar.
Smith is Purdue’s third draft pick in five years, joining lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey among a group of now 11 NBA draft selections to play at Purdue under Matt Painter.
Here’s a look at Smith’s Purdue career and what he brings to the Pacers.
Before capping a career that includes two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament championships, along with helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought, Smith broke former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record.
Along the way, Smith took home the 2025 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard in a season where he also was the Big Ten Player of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Smith finished his Purdue career eighth in career points (1,932), third in steals (249) and has the top three assist seasons in school history that helped add to his NCAA record total of 1,103.
Smith’s knock is his 5-foot-10 1/2 height measurement, but that didn’t deter him from being one of college basketball’s top players.
What Smith lacked in height, he made up for in basketball IQ. He’s lethal with a midrange jump shot and showcased an unblockable fadeaway that allowed him to shoot over lengthier defenders. He mastered manipulating defenses while playing with marquee big men the last four seasons.
His role in the NBA likely will be not require him to be the team’s primary playmaker immediately. Smith’s awareness of that fact pushed a more defensive-minded approach in preparation for the next level. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, Smith showed he’s capable of defending elite guards.
Smith is an elite competitor who never showed to shy away from the dirty work, which is something that can help him earn NBA minutes as a rookie while trying to find his footing in an unfamiliar backup role.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
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