Indiana

New Gov. Braun outlines his agenda and his vision for Indiana

Published

11 months ago

January 13, 2025

New Gov. Braun outlines his agenda and his vision for Indiana

Braun has officially started his term, and reiterated his priorities and vision for the state.

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s a new era for Indiana as the state’s 52nd governor, Mike Braun, was sworn into office. Surrounded by his family, supporters and other leaders in state government, Braun took the oath of office Monday morning downtown at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.

In his inauguration speech, Braun called on Hoosiers to use an entrepreneurial drive within themselves to face the challenges of today.

“I am committed to be a governor of not just words, but action as we create a prosperous future for all Hoosiers,” Braun told those gathered, saying part of that action will be addressing the cost of property taxes, an issue already at the top of the new governor’s agenda this legislative session.

“We can accept rising property taxes as an unfortunate fact of life, or explore every avenue to reduce the burden on hard-working Hoosier families and businesses,” Braun said in his speech.

Republican lawmakers have already said a complete overhaul of the state’s property tax system could take several sessions beyond the current one.

But Senate Republicans say they’ll treat property tax reform this session like they will the budget, making it a priority, using Braun’s ideas for reform in the first version of their main property tax bill.

“I guarantee you that we’re going to give it one good shot at getting that back in place where it needs to be,” Braun said. He also spoke about tackling the cost of healthcare.

“We can accept high healthcare costs as inevitable or take on the opaque system to lower costs and increase transparency for all Hoosier families, like I did in my own business 16 years ago,” Braun said.

The 13News political team recaps the first week of the 2025 Indiana legislative session.

In his recently released agenda, Indiana’s new governor said he wants to reform the prior authorization process patients need from their insurance companies before they can get care.

The governor also wants to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who negotiate drug prices and prescription coverage. Braun said Indiana is at a crossroads and the leaders of the state can be risk takers and trailblazers or maintain the status quo.

“We can let government inefficiencies impede our success or reshape government to sincerely serve the people. How about that?” Braun asked.

Building on an oft-referenced theme of an entrepreneurial drive, Braun also said he intends to make Indiana the standard bearer for small business growth, something he knows about personally through his own business.

In a 13News Exclusive, 13News anchor Dustin Grove sat down with Mike and Maureen Braun at their home in Jasper to discuss their life, politics and legacy.

Braun also told those gathered he was committed to being a governor of not just words, but action and that it was time to get to work.

Braun also addressed education. In his recently released agenda, Indiana’s new governor said he wants to implement universal school choice for all Indiana families regardless of their income. He’s also called for a new Office of School Safety as part of his cabinet structure and increasing the starting pay for teachers, along with performance-based compensation.

“We can settle for complacency in our education system or empower parents and prepare our students for the jobs that will power the future,” Braun said.

Republican lawmakers have also voiced support for universal school choice. Democrats have said state money should be used to expand pre-K and help families who need help with childcare, not give more state money to vouchers. As he settles into his new job and office, Braun will be returning to a place he’s certainly knows well.

A decade ago, he served as a state representative before becoming a U.S. senator. Now he returns to a different office, a much bigger one, as Indiana’s 52nd governor.

Source link

Indiana

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Published

9 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Former UConn forward, NBC Sports broadcaster Donny Marshall knows a thing or two about talented UConn guards.

The former Husky played for legendary coach Jim Calhoun and was teammates with the fifth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, 10-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen. Watching UConn play against Butler on Tuesday night, Marshall said he sees a lot of Allen in reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins.

Mullins made the second start of his career against the Bulldogs. The former Greenfield-Central star missed UConn’s first six games of the regular season with an injury, but the 6-foot-6 guard is quickly coming into his own and showing why he’s a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Against Butler, Mullins showed off his sweet jump shot, going 2 for 5 from 3-point range. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

“He’s a scorer,” Butler coach Thad Matta said of Mullins. “He’s got a scorer’s mentality. He gets his shot off quick. They move him around and create some angles for him. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player.”

Mullins did most of his damage in the first half, scoring eight of his 12 points before halftime. The former five-star recruit was the highest-ranked player in UConn’s 2025 class. Butler’s top-ranked recruit, Azavier “Stink” Robinson isn’t the NBA prospect Mullins is, but he held his own after a shaky start to the game.

Robinson has been thrust into the starting lineup with starter Jalen Jackson out for the season with an ankle injury. Robinson looked out of sorts at times in the first half, going scoreless with two assists and a turnover. In the second half, Matta moved him off the ball, giving him catch-and-shoot looks, and opportunities to drive to the basket without worrying about running the offense.

The former Lawrence North star responded with one of the better halves of his career, scoring 10 points on 3 for 6 shooting, including 2 for 5 from 3 to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover.

Facing a veteran team like UConn, nothing comes easy. UConn’s guards harass ball handlers and getting into an offensive set is not easy. This time last year, Robinson was still in high school and, on most nights, the most athletic player on the court. Playing a UConn team where the goal is a national championship, Robinson was forced to grow, and he did not back down from the challenge in the second half.

“He’s coming along,” Matta said of Robinson. “That’s the first Big East road game of his career against maybe the best team in the country. It tells you how tough he is. He’s resilient. He keeps going.”

Source link

Indiana

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Curt Cignetti has been named The Associated Press coach of the year in college football for the second consecutive season. He is the first coach to win the award back-to-back since it was first presented in 1998. Cignetti has led Indiana to unprecedented success, with a 24-2 record over two seasons. The Hoosiers are 13-0 this year, Big Ten champions for the first time since 1967, and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti received 47 first-place votes. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea received two each, and Virginia’s Tony Elliott got one.

Source link

Indiana

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS — Some schools in central Indiana are planning to close or delay the start of their classes on Tuesday.

The closures and delays come in the wake of a difficult weekend of severe winter weather in the Hoosier State. On Saturday, a wintry system dumped more than six inches of snow in some portions of the state.

Points north of Indianapolis like Lafayette received between three and four inches of snow. Towns south of the Circle City like Seymour saw similar snowfall totals. As for Indianapolis itself, more than five inches of snow were recorded in some portions of the city.

After Saturday’s snow, frigid temperatures took hold in the area. A Cold Weather Advisory was issued for much of the state as wind chill values dipped well below zero.

The cold and snow triggered a bevy of school closings and delays for Monday. Schools began to announce delays and closures for Tuesday late Monday night as snow removal crews across the state continued to try to keep roadways clear.

Though some schools plan to close or delay the start of classes on Tuesday, temperature improvements are forecasted. High temperatures are anticipated to exceed the 32-degree freezing threshold and hit 36 degrees. The warming trend is expected to continue on both Wednesday and Thursday, with high temperatures forecasted to reach 40 and 50 degrees, respectively.

Precipitation is forecasted for Thursday, though temperatures are expected to remain warm enough for Indiana to get rain instead of snow.

FOX59/CBS4 is tracking the closures and delays schools plan to implement on Tuesday. Check out the latest available list of closings below:

Jump To: A–Z