Indiana

Chinese land purchases draw national security concerns

Published

2 years ago

February 26, 2024

Chinese land purchases draw national security concerns

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The author of a land ownership bill on Monday called Chinese purchases of Indiana farmland a national security issue.

The House, at the beginning of February, unanimously approved a bill to prohibit any citizen of, or entity connected with, a foreign adversary from buying any agricultural land in Indiana after July 1. A Senate panel unanimously approved the bill Monday morning after adding language that prohibits purchases of any land, other than residential leases, within 50 miles of a military base, such as NSA Crane or Grissom Air Reserve Base, or 10 miles of an armory or maintenance facility.

Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, said he filed the bill in response to increases in Chinese land purchases in particular. He said Congress is working on similar legislation, but it hasn’t gotten far yet.

“If we lose a fraction, even a fraction, of our food production, this quickly, would become a national security issue,” he said.

Chinese land purchases draw national security concerns

USDA records show foreign investors held more than 43 million acres in the United States as of December 2022. Less than two-thirds of that land belonged to investors from Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, or Germany, all NATO allies. Chinese investors own a little less than 1% of all foreign-held land in the United States, but their ownership has drawn scrutiny, particularly after a Chinese company tried unsuccessfully to build a wet corn milling plant 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.

Culp’s bill does not list specific countries prohibited from buying land in Indiana. Instead, it refers to any country listed as a foreign adversary by the U.S. Department of Commerce. That list currently consists of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba. Culp told News 8 he did that on purpose so lawmakers don’t have to change anything if countries are added to or removed from the list.

Of America’s foreign adversaries, only China currently owns land in Indiana. Three different individuals and firms own 618 acres outright in Greene, Marion, and Noble counties. In addition, the seed company Syngenta, owned by the Chinese firm Sinochem Holdings Corporation, leases about 170 acres. Those holdings would be grandfathered in.

The Senate Agriculture Committee took extensive testimony from Brian Cavanaugh, who served as a senior adviser on resiliency to the National Security Council during the Trump Administration. Cavanaugh said purchases of land near military bases, in particular, pose a threat because they might allow Chinese intelligence services to plant surveillance equipment. Asked by Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, about the potential for Chinese companies to work through another country to buy land, Cavanaugh replied that Chinese firms are most likely to work through other countries currently on the foreign adversaries list. The bill would require any foreign entity buying land to sign an affidavit stating they had no connections to a foreign adversary. The attorney general’s office would be required to investigate any potential violations.

Fears of unintended consequences

Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said although he supported the bill, he was concerned the bill might ensnare people who fled oppressive regimes and started a new life in Indiana. The bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, said she would work with Qaddoura to draft a floor amendment clarifying the bill would not apply to dual citizens, a change Culp said he would support.

The dual citizenship issue also drew opposition from ACLU of Indiana Executive Director Chris Daley. He said the bill’s language on military bases, in particular, would prevent foreign nationals from owning even a small business throughout large portions of the state.

“You are telling them they are no longer welcome here except as employees of someone else. They cannot participate as owners of businesses if that includes owning or renting a storefront,” he said. “What about renewing a lease? What about when a lease changes? Are those folks going to be caught up?”

The bill now heads to the full Senate for further consideration. If approved, it would have to go back to the House because of changes made by the Senate.

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Indiana

Highlights: Beech Grove at Whiteland; February 27, 2026

Published

6 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Beech Grove at Whiteland; February 27, 2026

WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Beech Grove at Whiteland above.

Final Score: Whiteland 89 Beech Grove 61

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Indiana

Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?

Published

18 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?

The Indiana Pacers are hoping to retain their 2026 first-round pick, which is protected 1-4 and 10-30. If the selection lands between 5 and 9, it conveys to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac–Bennedict Mathurin trade.

At the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class, three names are consistently labeled as generational talents: AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson.

Indiana would welcome any of the three. The bigger question is whether that feeling would be mutual.

On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons was joined by draft analysts Tate Frazier and J. Kyle Mann. During the discussion, Mann shared an interesting note about Peterson.

“I’ve gotten the impression from talking to people close to Darryn,” Mann said, “that Darryn is more likely to say, I’m interested in being the full on brain of this team. I don’t really want to play with another superstar, I want to be the center of the universe.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast
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If that perception holds weight, it creates an intriguing dynamic.

The Pacers were one game away from an NBA championship last season and already feature two established stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Indiana is not a franchise searching for a singular identity, it already has one.

To be clear, Mann’s comments reflect conversations and impressions, not a public statement from Peterson himself. Still, the fit is worth examining. Indiana’s backcourt rotation already includes Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell. If Peterson were the pick, the Pacers would find ways to get him on the floor. He is that talented. But Indiana could not offer him an immediate “face of the franchise” role the way a Brooklyn, Sacramento or Washington might.

Mann also offered insight into how Dybantsa may view a situation like Indiana’s.

“AJ, people that know them both have told me that AJ is probably more likely to fit in with an Indiana,” Mann said. “Which is interesting because AJ likes to have the ball. Is he willing to be quick off of the ball with Haliburton? I just think that’s an interesting wrinkle in this.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast

The contrast is fascinating.

Hearing that Dybantsa would fit in more than Peterson is intriguing. Play style wise, I would lean more towards Peterson’s fitting how Indiana likes to play, especially with how Dybantsa has been utilized at BYU.

Jan 24, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to pass against BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

If we’re talking locker room fit, I think Dybantsa would embody what a Pacer is all about. Comes from a small market. Wants to win and doesn’t need the big city to do it in. He’s confident but won’t let his ego interfere with the success of the team. Just a levelheaded kid with a desire to be great, and would have one of the best playmaking point guards alongside him to help maximize his talent.

These two are the most polarizing and often mentioned names amongst NBA draft circles when looking at the top two in the class. If the comments made by Mann come to be true, the Pacers would be better off drafting the uber talented 6-9 forward, Dybantsa, than drafting a 6-6 elite shooting guard who would rather be “the guy” than a guy.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Indiana

Mother demands justice after woman killed in wrong-way crash on I-65 in Northwest Indiana

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Mother demands justice after woman killed in wrong-way crash on I-65 in Northwest Indiana

HOBART, Ind. (WLS) — A wrong-way crash left one woman dead and two others seriously injured in Northwest Indiana earlier this week, police said.

The mother of the 20-year-old who was killed spoke exclusively with ABC7 Chicago as she is demanding justice.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Just before 2 a.m. Saturday, the Hobart Fire Department responded to the horrific crash on Interstate 65 involving two vehicles, north of 61st Avenue near Merrillville, Indiana.

Rylee Hanson, 20, was killed in what investigators says was a head-on collision with a wrong-way vehicle in the northbound lanes.

“I had Rylee when I was 20 and she made me who I am,” mother Karen Hanson said. “She made me want to be a better person and she made me strive, to reach goals, so I could set examples for kids… She was half of my life. I don’t know how to be me without her.”

Her family says Rylee was a ray of light who graduated from Kankakee Valley High School in Demotte, Indiana where she earned her EMT certification from Ivy Tech Community College. She was headed to criminology studies at Indiana University.

Her parents are appalled nobody has been charged in the crash.

“We want to see change with how drinking is handled,” Karen Hanson said. “There’s gotta be a better way for how people drink or get served or more punishment for impaired drivers out on the road where they’re not getting so many chances.”

Troopers said they believed that the driver of the car going the wrong way was impaired at the time.

“We are going to make her as proud as she made us,” Karen Hanson said. “Because she did… there are no words to tell you about the pain. It is indescribable.”

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with footage of the crash, or of the vehicles prior to the crash, has been asked to contact Indiana State Police.

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