INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Rev. Jesse Jackson’s signature “I am somebody” call-and-response was a feature of many speeches by the civil rights icon, who died Tuesday morning at age 84. Jackson, surrounded by family, passed away following a long illness similar to Parkinson’s disease.

The Rev. Jackson was one of the top leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States in the decades following the assassination of his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Tuesday morning, U.S. Rep. André Carson, a Democrat who represents Indiana’s 7th District, joined Daybreak to reflect on Rev. Jackson’s life and legacy.

“Today, we mourn the civil rights icon. I also mourn a mentor and really an inspiration. Rev. Jackson had a vision for a ‘Rainbow Coalition,’ the idea that people from different backgrounds could be united in the fight for social justice. It was the idea that we could transform our country, and everyone had to be included. We’re in a time where some politicians use diversity as a dirty word or a bad word. But I think diversity is our strength. Diversity actually makes us better in every way. And Rev. Jackson really changed our nation’s landscape.”

Jackson was a close associate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was present when King was assassinated in 1968. He was widely recognized for his “Rainbow Coalition,” a concept focused on uniting people from different racial and social backgrounds to fight for equality. This vision laid the groundwork for future political movements and inspired a generation of leaders, Carson says.

“Before the great President Obama, there was Jesse Jackson and that imagery. He had an influence on me, as did Muhammad Ali with his rhyming style, which I still utilize today. I was very inspired by his movement as a kid. It inspired so many of us, even President Obama.”

Carson says the fight for equality is not over.

“You know, he often repeated the idea that everyone is somebody. He said, ‘I may be poor, but I am somebody. I may be young, but I am somebody. I may be on welfare, but I am somebody.’ He fought to recognize the common humanity in every person. And that’s how we’ll be honoring him this morning,” Carson said.

One of Jackson’s signature phrases was “keep hope alive.” He repeated it so often that some began to parody it, but it never seemed to lose meaning for him, Carson says. The reverend was a force for social justice in three eras: the Jim Crow period, the Civil Rights Era, and the post-Civil Rights era, culminating in the election of President Barack Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Congressman Carson’s Grandmother, the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, appeared alongside Rev. Jackson in 1984 in Indianapolis when he was running for president and she was in the State Senate. Carson reflected on the moment.

“It was a movement. I think it was a movement of, ‘Here is an African-American man who was attempting to run for the highest office in the land, some would argue, on the planet.’ And I think the imagery of a Black man running for president did a lot to the psychology of our country and, importantly, the psychology of young black men and women and men and women of color.”

Carson emphasized the importance of Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition.

“There were white brothers and sisters who helped him, Jewish brothers and sisters who helped him, South Asian, African, European, Arab, East Asian. It was truly a Rainbow Coalition, and it sowed the seeds for what we are really benefiting from today.”

Carson says he was 9 or 10 years old when he went with his grandmother to a Jesse Jackson campaign event. The event was held in the basement of the church of Indianapolis civil rights leader Dr. Andrew J. Brown and his son, Tommy Brown.

“Rev. Jackson was very lively in his language, and I was shocked. I sat in the corner…and I think he noticed–because I was the only kid in the room–how shocked I was at this exchange between these local leaders, and some words that were used, but I think he got a thrill out of it because he stared at me and his language was livelier.”

Carson also noted Jackson’s personal ties to the Midwest and his family connections. He stated that Jackson’s sons had recently mentioned their relation to the famous Jackson family of Gary, Indiana, noting that the late Michael Jackson was a cousin.

“That’s great Midwestern history that often gets overlooked. Rev. Jackson did so much; I hope history is kind to him because he deserves it. He sowed the seeds for what we’re benefiting from today. We wouldn’t have President Obama without Jesse Jackson, and many of us wouldn’t be here with this idea that we could serve in some kind of way, with the help of brothers and sisters from across the human family, without the seeds that were sown by Rev. Jackson,” Carson said.

Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their five children, Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, and Jacqueline. He is also survived by a sixth child, Ashley.

Indiana State Police say a suspect is in custody after a police officer was shot and killed near Indianapolis Monday.

According to authorities, Beech Grove Police Officer Brian Elliott was shot and killed while responding to reports of a disturbance in the community just after 6 p.m. Monday night.

“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that today we lost one of our very own, Officer Brian Elliott,” Police Chief Michael Maurice said in a statement.

Elliott was called to the 100 block of Diplomat Court in Beech Grove just after 6 p.m. for reports of a disturbance. During that incident, Elliott and another officer were both shot, and the suspect fled the scene.

Elliott later died from his injuries, and the other officer was transported to an area hospital, where their condition has stabilized.

“My heart goes out to Brian’s wife, Erin, his parents, and all of his family, friends, and loved ones.  At this time, I am asking that we lean on one another to get through this. We are grateful to the team at Eskenazi Hospital, and our law enforcement and community partners for their extraordinary response and support,” Maurice said.

The suspect in the case was reported to be 47-year-old Kenneth Johnson. He fled the scene and police issued a blue alert to apprehend him, and an Indiana State Police SWAT team took him into custody Monday night.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call Indiana State Police at 317-899-8577.

(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — Indiana lawmakers are crafting statewide penny-rounding policies as Hoosier retailers struggle through a nationwide shortage of the discontinued coin — but admit it needs more work. State revenues could also suffer.

Merchants large and small are rounding to the nearest nickel or down in favor of customers. Some are rounding the total transaction and others the change owed.

“It’s just kind of been all over the board right now,” said Melissa Coxey, leader of the Indiana Retail Council. Her members sell products and services directly to consumers.

“They have to take matters into their own hands, because absent any other direction, I mean, there’s nothing they can do. There just aren’t any pennies,” she said.

The U.S. Mint struck its final non-ceremonial penny in November, ending a 232-year run. President Donald Trump cited the penny’s high production cost in directing the stoppage.

The U.S. Treasury has estimated 114 billion of the coins remain in circulation, while the Mint has offered a 300 billion estimate — “far exceeding the amount needed for commerce.”

But Indiana retailers are reporting strain.

“Running out of pennies happened faster than anyone anticipated,” Coxey said. “… They’re just gone.”

Bipartisan rounding bills in the U.S. House and Senate have not moved.

Now, Indiana lawmakers are giving it a shot.

“We have been plagued with coming up with a solution to the penny phase-out and I’m not sure we got it right, just to be quite honest with this committee,” said Sen. Travis Holdman, the author of Senate Bill 243, this month. The wide-ranging tax bill also hosts penny talk.

Making cents

Holdman, R-Markle, amended three penny provisions into the 147-page bill during a Senate committee meeting in January. It later moved to the House on a 47-1 vote.

One, dealing with cash retail transactions, would require merchants to calculate sales tax on unrounded totals, then round the tax amounts down to the nickel. Taxes, fees and fines paid in cash to state and local units of government would also be rounded down.

But for cash payments to business entities — excluding retail transactions — the bill sets up “symmetrical” rounding rules. Totals, rather than taxes alone, would be rounded down when they end in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents, and up when they end in 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents.

“We round down on all taxes, fees and fines, and we round to the nearest nickel or dime (otherwise),” Holdman said at last month’s meeting.

But, Coxey said, “It does not solve the problem.”

If the tax alone is rounded down and added to an unrounded subtotal, the final result could still require pennies.

Coxey’s organization and others, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, are instead calling for the rounding to occur as the last step.

“When you’re at the grocery they’re typically not asking you if you’re paying with cash or credit card or a different form of payment prior to ringing up the transaction,” said Natalie Goodwin, the chamber’s vice president of government affairs. “So that’s why, again, it’s important to make sure that all of this rounding is happening on a final transaction.”

“If you were attempting to round at any point before that based on, you know, if someone’s paying part credit, part cash, part gift card … we just think it introduces a lot of uncertainty to handle it that way,” she said.

The Treasury, in December non-binding guidance, has also recommended last-step rounding — as has the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“Taxes should be added to the pre-rounded total and then the final amount should be rounded symmetrically,” a November policy brief reads. “This approach ensures that the exact tax owed is always paid and that, over time, consumers and retailers each ‘win’ roughly half the time. Such balance is critical to maintaining trust and avoiding perceptions of bias or manipulation.”

Indiana groups also seek flexibility on rounding to the nearest nickel or down, rounding the total versus the change returned, and even the option to give exact change when pennies are in stock instead of rounding.

“The language is, hopefully, it should be written in a permissive way, so that if you do not have access to the penny, these are the steps you can take,” Goodwin said. “But if you do have pennies, you can continue to use them.”

The penny is still legal tender — an acceptable form of payment.

The bill was heard in the House’s Ways and Means panel last week, and is scheduled for amendments and a committee vote today.

“We just keep getting more advice from other groups (about) what we’re going to do,” Holdman told the Capital Chronicle on Thursday. “Monday, we should have arrived at something.”

Other considerations

Further guidance may be needed.

The National Conference of State Legislatures, of which every state lawmaker and legislative staffer are part, additionally recommended giving directions for handling split-tender transactions, what should be reflected on receipts or records, and more.

The policy brief also emphasized the importance of training for government and retail employees, along with clear state communication to customers.

Utah, for instance, has published a rounding guide for businesses, complete with an illustrated flyer to print and post in stores.

“It’s a concern for everyone, you know, how to communicate this to customers why it’s happening,” Coxey said.

As written, the penny provisions would take effect in 2027.

Businesses say that’s too far out.

“The sooner we can provide this certainty to the retailers and the business community, and consumers, at large, the better,” Goodwin said.

That’s despite the work it will take to implement. Point-of-sale systems will require reprogramming to round to the nickel, when applicable.

State losses

The state’s round-down approach, meanwhile, carries a price tag.

Per-transaction losses of 1 cent to 4 cents will add up. Indiana could lose between $1.8 million and $3.5 million in sales tax revenue annually, according to the State Budget Agency.

“It’s the sheer number of transactions that you’re talking about, is what’s going to cause that loss,” Budget Director Chad Ranney said. “Sales tax, you’ve got to remember, is by far one of the largest tax bases we have … It could add up pretty quickly.”

But the amount is “not super material.”

Indiana earned more than $10 billion off the sales tax in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended last June, according to SBA revenue reporting. Collections are expected to top $11 billion in the 2026 fiscal year, according to an agency revenue forecast.

And any month’s forecast miss would be hard to pin on rounding alone, Ranney said.

SBA also estimates state agencies will lose out on between $60,000 to $120,000 by rounding down on their fees, fines and miscellaneous charges. Mostly dedicated funds would be hit.

Agencies told the Capital Chronicle they’ve got it covered.

Cash makes up more than 40% of transactions on state park properties: gate fees, firewood sales, boat rentals and so on. But prices are largely tax-inclusive whole-dollar amounts, Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Holly Lawson said.

At the White River State Park in Indianapolis, the visitor center and concert venue are cashless. The campus also hosts the Indiana State Museum, which accepts cash at the IMAX theater, said park spokeswoman Abigail Billing.

“We are in the process of converting pricing to be tax-inclusive to avoid issues caused by the discontinuation of the penny,” she said.

Museum spokeswoman Carla Knapp said visitors are encourages to use exact change, but if pennies are unavailable, “we will round up change amounts to the nearest nickel.” 

“While the policy is in effect, we have pennies available currently and no transactions have been impacted to this point,” Knapp said.

Most transactions at the Indiana State Fair are digital. Coin usage is even more “minimal” because of whole-dollar pricing, said Anna Whelchel, chief revenue and marketing officer.

Hoosier Lottery tickets are also generally sold in whole-dollar increments, except for two games that can be purchased in 50-cent increments, according to spokesman Jared Bond. None of the lottery’s products are subject to sales tax, so totals will never require rounding.