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Indiana governor candidate Q&A: Jamie Reitenour on the issues

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Indiana governor candidate Q&A: Jamie Reitenour on the issues


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Jamie Reitenour admits that for most of her life, she was a conservative voter who felt like she was merely checking boxes.

But the 2016 election piqued her interest in politics. Not long after, the Indianapolis mother of five said, she felt a calling from God to become governor of Indiana. Last year, she said, she felt the calling resurge and decided to act on it.

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She has significant ground to cover in terms of name recognition compared to her opponents in the Republican primary, which include Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Attorney General Curtis Hill and former Commerce Secretary Brad Chambers. Donald Rainwater is running as a Libertarian and former schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormick as a Democrat.

IndyStar asked Reitenour, as well as the seven other candidates, a set of questions about issues relevant to the 2024 race, some of which were submitted by readers. This interview is edited for length and clarity.

Q: What do you think sets you apart from your competition in the Republican primary?

A: I haven’t been in politics. That’s why people should want me in politics. Because America needs normal people. Not perfect people ― true people. Because the country is in need. And the people are hurting. It’s real. So that’s the biggest difference.

Q: What would be your first priority as governor?

A: I’ve traveled over 13,000 miles in the last two years ― I got started January 2022. And so as I went around, I looked for, where is the most vulnerable place in our state? And what I saw was that education is the area where it is most vulnerable. Our children are vulnerable. Our scores are low. Kids are losing their identity. They’re losing their desire. That’s a big deal ― their vision for life. When you leave, and you have no reason to continue to get a job, when you’ve got half a society that’s just dropping off and saying, who cares? That’s a big deal.

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So my head of education, her name is Paige Miller. And she’s a Mom for Liberty. I love that group; they are a wonderful group of people. We bring to the table, desiring that every senior would graduate having completed an apprenticeship. Senior year is a year where they’re not doing a whole lot anyway. We want Indiana to be the training capital of the United States. So we start there, and we very rapidly go around the state. We’ve got great plans for our small towns. We’ve got our eyes on Gary, Indiana.

Q: In many ways today’s Republican Party has factions defined by one’s posture toward Donald Trump. What’s yours?

A: Whether it’s President Trump or Tim Scott or Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis ― if any of those people were in the position that President Trump has been put in, I’d have a problem with it. I don’t believe that what’s happening in our country is fair justice. I think it’s easy to not like a person or blame something on a person’s personality, but I love the law. And there’s a lot to be wanting, in the situation that he finds himself in. In the Bible, in Micah, it says, “What is required of you but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly before thy God.” I would just say to anyone in that position, I would want everyone to do justly. And I think that is wanting, so I would direct my comment less to the person and more to the situation.

Q: Do you believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump?

A: I believe the 2020 election had an incredible amount of irregularity, and it should have been questioned.

Q: Where do you stand on Indiana’s new abortion law, and what changes to it would you support?

A: I definitely am a person that believes in life at conception, and I’m not an exception person. I’m just, life at conception. I know a lot of babies that people would have said “no” to that are just so beautiful. And our society needs their beauty.

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Q: Gun violence is an epidemic in today’s American society. How should Indiana respond?

A: Fatherless homes is an epidemic in our society, and that’s what we need to be addressing. Kids model their examples. They want to be wanted. They want leadership. They want to belong.

The issue is not the item they’re picking up to do violence; the issue is their homes and the brokenness of their homes. There needs to be a wake-up call for the families that have been constantly going to the same well, but the water has run dry, and the solutions are not working. So they need to be looking for something different. My solution to gun violence is education. It’s walking in those streets, looking at those children, going to those high schools.

I’m willing to consider very outside-of-the-box things for schools that are struggling in education. If you’ve got a 10% graduation rate, everything is on the table. We will talk apprenticeships, we will talk early training in freshman year. We will talk all solutions so that kids can get out of this cycle of poverty and violence and broken family and really experience what they were made for.

Q: The 2023 legislative session dealt with culture war topics such as LGBTQ issues and school library books. Where do you stand on those issues?

A: Some of the books they’ve read, the way that they speak in these books are things that I would never let my children hear. So, there was a need for discretion. So I’m happy with the laws that have promoted that discretion and given the boundaries. But it was done for just up to third or fourth grade. It’ll be interesting to see if they stop at third grade or if they continue it for all the grades. I think if it’s good for a third grader, I don’t understand how it cuts off at fourth grade. I think it’ll be an interesting conversation.

Q: Should citizens have a right to collect signatures to put questions on the ballot without legislative approval?

A: Yeah, I think Hoosiers should.

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Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.





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Indiana sues GM, OnStar over data-selling practices

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Indiana sues GM, OnStar over data-selling practices


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana’s attorney general has sued General Motors and OnStar, accusing them of collecting and selling personal data to third parties with consent, just a couple of months after the Federal Trade Commission settled its complaint with the automaker and its subsidiary.

The lawsuit, announced Thursday from the office of Todd Rokita, follows similar ones that the attorney generals of Arkansas and Texas have filed. The Arkansas lawsuit says GM and OnStar sold data that included the geolocation data, the GM app usage data, and the driving behavior data of more than 100,000 residents of the Southern state.

Amid the states’ actions, multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against GM and OnStar over the same issues, arguing data was sold to LexisNexis without consent, potentially leading to increased insurance premiums.

OnStar sells a subscription-based communications system in GM vehicles that offers, among its services, a link to emergency services and roadside assistance when needed, Wi-Fi connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics.

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As lawsuit began piling up, GM ended its business with LexisNexis and Verisk. In an agreement reached with the Federal Trade Commission announced Jan. 16, GM also eliminated the Smart Driver program in all of its vehicles, and started a review of its privacy processes and policies. It also created a process to allow consumers to submit a privacy request to last for 20 years.

Indiana filed its 69-page lawsuit March 19 in Marion Superior Court 6, according to its time stamp. It alleged GM and OnStar violated the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act in selling telematics information — such as vehicle speed, hard braking events, and geolocation — from its Smart Driver system without consent. Then, third-party brokers used the data to create risk profiles and driving scores, which were sold to insurance companies. These companies, in turn, used the information to increase premiums or deny insurance coverage to consumers.

“Defendants profited from its data mining and data sharing activities to the detriment of the very customers to whom their telematics technology and associated programs were advertised to help,” the Indiana lawsuit says.

Indiana’s lawsuit also accused GM and OnStar of using deceptive “dark patterns” during the onboarding process to maximize consumer enrollment in their programs without fully disclosing privacy policies.

The state wants a jury trial and, if successful, seeks civil penalties of up to $5,500 for each violation of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Act.

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The lawsuit cites anonymous complaints from social media, reports from The New York Times, and other news sources. Indiana’s lawsuit does not say, though, how many complaints the state has received. However, in a news release issued Thursday, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General asks Hoosiers who believe they have been affected to file complaints online or by calling 800-382-5516.

Rokita, a Republican, said in a statement in a news release issued Thursday, “Everyone deserves transparency and honesty from the companies they do business with, especially when it comes to having their data protected. General Motors and OnStar turned a supposed safety feature into a way to make money, profiting off Indiana drivers without their knowledge.”



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2024-25 Indiana High School Sports Awards: See all winter nominees and spring watch lists

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2024-25 Indiana High School Sports Awards: See all winter nominees and spring watch lists


The Indiana High School Sports Awards, Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, is proud to announce the nominees for players of the year for all winter sports and the watch list athletes for the spring athletes. The winter winners will be announced during the live show on Sunday, April 27 at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University. Doors open at 4 p.m. with the show starting at 5 p.m.

During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with player of the year nominees and winners from the  fall. Those fall athletes were announced earlier in the school year and can be found here.

The show will also announce the winners of premier awards such as overall male athlete of the year, overall female athlete of the year, Courage Award, Team of the Year and Coach of the Year. Nominated athletes and watch list athletes who RSVP for the event can receive a free ticket here thanks to sponsors. Additional tickets are also free, thanks to the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, but must be obtained here.

Additionally, the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award, Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, will be announced live during the show. The finalists for that award will be announced on indystar.com soon.

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The guest speaker at the event will be Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White.

The Indiana High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program.

Here are all the winter nominees and the spring watch list athletes …

IndyStar Miss Basketball – Presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever

  • Addi Baxter, Columbia City High School — SR
  • Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central High School — SR
  • Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern High School — SR
  • Meredith Tippner, Noblesville High School — SR

Girls Wrestling

  • Aleksandra Bastaic, Highland High School — JR
  • Heather Crull, Northeastern High School — SR
  • Monica McMahon, Columbus East High School — SR
  • Kendall Moe, Hamilton Heights High School — JR
  • Julianna Ocampo, New Haven High School — SR
  • Ysabelle Ocampo, New Haven High School — SO

Girls Swimming & Diving

  • Lynsey Bowen, Carmel High School — SR
  • Ellie Clarke, Carmel High School — FR
  • Lucy Enoch, Carmel High School — JR
  • Kate Fetters, Carroll High School — SO
  • Adelyn Flessner, North Central High School — JR
  • Jordyn Glassley, Carroll High School — SO
  • Faith Gorey, Carmel High School — SO
  • Reagan Graves, Franklin Community High School — SR
  • Simone Hall, Park Tudor High School — JR
  • Ava Metzger, Zionsville Community High School — JR
  • Julie Mishler, Wawasee High School — SR
  • Madeline Moreth, Valparaiso High School — JR
  • Liliana Ratzlaff, Franklin Community High School — SR
  • Alex Shackell, Carmel High School — SR
  • Molly Sweeney, Carmel High School — JR
  • Lylah Theriac, Mooresville High School — JR
  • Alexandra Ward, Carmel High School — SR
  • Emily Wolf, Fishers High School — SO

Girls gymnastics

  • Samantha Boster, Chesterton High School — SO
  • Jillian Creager, Homestead High School — JR
  • Megan Garibay, Valparaiso High School — SR
  • Avery Gleave, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — JR
  • Kobi Johnson, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — SO
  • Maria Szczepanski, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger — SO

Boys wrestling

  • Jayden Bartoszek, Hanover Central High School — SR
  • Case Bell Brownsburg, High School — FR
  • Waylon Cressell, Warren Central High School — JR
  • Revin Dickman, Brownsburg High School — JR
  • Traevon Ducking, Brownsburg High School — FR
  • Tommy Gibbs, Brownsburg High School — JR
  • Mason Goelz, Avon High School — JR
  • Eddie Goss, Center Grove High School — SR
  • Kameron Hazelett, Lowell High School — FR
  • Gunner Henry, Brownsburg High School — SR
  • Peyton Hornsby, Center Grove High School — SO
  • Gavin Jendreas, Crown Point High School — SR
  • Michael Major, Carmel High School — SR
  • Michael Ortega, Portage High School — SR
  • Adrian Pellot, Merrillville High School — SR
  • Parker Reynolds, Brownsburg High School — JR
  • Nathan Rioux, Avon High School — JR
  • Isaiah Schaefer, Evansville Mater Dei High School — SR
  • Peyton Schoettle, Roncalli High School — JR
  • Matthew Staples, New Prairie High School — FR
  • Lucas Szymborski, Crown Point High School — SR
  • Noah Weaver, Rossville High School — SR
  • Julian Weems, Center Grove High School — SR
  • Michael White, Lawrence North High School — JR

Boys Swimming & Diving

  • Lucas Ackermann, Franklin Community High School — JR
  • Trent Allen, Carmel High School — SO
  • Grant Cates, Oak Hill High School — SR
  • Michael Gorey, Carmel High School — SR
  • Carter Hadley, Carmel High School — JR
  • Jonny Hines, Fishers High School — SR
  • Anderson Kopp, Carmel High School — SR
  • David Kovacs, Bloomington South High School — SR
  • Mason Lawson, Fishers High School — JR
  • Jonah Lee, Valparaiso High School — SR
  • Henry Lyness, Center Grove High School — JR
  • Lukas Paegle, Bloomington South High School — SR
  • George Patterson, Valparaiso High School — SR
  • Andrew Shackell, Carmel High School — SR
  • James Stewart, Bloomington North High School — SR
  • Jake Tarara, Brebeuf Jesuit Prepatory School — SR
  • Ethan Zhang, Carmel High School — SR
  • Yi Zheng, Carmel High School — SO

Softball Watch List

  • Maddie Engle, New Palestine High School
  • Ana Geyer, New Prairie High School
  • Carley Keller, Roncalli High School
  • Anna Moore, Cathedral High School
  • Izzy Neal, Brownsburg High School
  • Ava Ratliff, Bedford North Lawrence High School
  • Lizzy Sinders, Clay City High School
  • Grace Swedarsky, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Addy Ware, Floyd Central High School
  • Sadie Winsett, Castle High School
  • Ava Zachary, Penn High School
  • Berkley Zache, South Bend St. Joseph High School

Girls Track and Field Watchlist

  • Omema Anyanwu, Zionsville Community High School
  • Ellie Barada, Bloomington South High School
  • Ahniyah Bennett, Connersville High School
  • Elizabeth Butler, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Kya Crooke, Heritage Christian School
  • Libby Dowty, Indian Creek High School
  • Gwen Howard, Whitko High School
  • Ava Jarrell, Pendleton Heights High School
  • De’Janay Layne, Evansville North High School
  • Emily Norris, Carmel High School
  • Jane Paddock, Lawrence North High School
  • Isabella Sotelo, Eastern Hancock High School

Girls Tennis Watchlist

  • Anni Amalnathan, South Bend St. Joseph High School
  • Mischa Briggs, Fishers High School
  • Shaeli Castaneda, Marion High School
  • Lacy Hancock, Washington High School
  • Ava Harris, Angola High School
  • Maya Harris, Angola High School
  • Sophia Heaton, Kouts High School
  • Izzy Ireland, Fishers High School
  • Anna Kolb, Guerin Catholic High School
  • Katie Kolb, Guerin Catholic High School
  • Addison Lind, Warsaw High School
  • Emerson Lindsey, Waldron High School

Boys Track & Field Watchlist

  • Ian Baker Brownsburg High School
  • Kieran Barnewall Chesterton High School
  • Noah Bontrager Westview High School
  • Landon Dobbs Henryville High School
  • JonAnthony Hall Fishers High School
  • Jay Hmurovich Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
  • Denhm Holt North Central High School
  • Weston Ott Churubusco High School
  • Will Riley Greenwood Community High School
  • Mason Schmitz Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Marcus Townsend Avon High School
  • Caleb Winders Bloomington North High School

Girls Lacrosse Watch List

  • Alexa DeHart, Zionsville Community High School
  • Avery Goehl, Carmel High School
  • Breckin Hare, Carmel High School
  • Sophie Mock, Carmel High School
  • Lauren Richer, Park Tudor School
  • Lyla Weir, Center Grove High School

Boys Lacrosse Watch List

  • David Gould, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Max Kemp, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Trigg Lee, Cathedral High School
  • Dillon O’Rourke, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Caden Snapp, Center Grove High School
  • Collin Stevens, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

Boys Golf Watch List

  • Peyton Blackard, Gibson Southern High School
  • Jake Cesare, Westfield High School
  • Silas Haarer, Westview High School
  • Will Harvey, Westfield High School
  • Brody Holubar, Center Grove High School
  • Luke Johnston, Evansville North High School
  • Brayden Lamborne, Castle High School
  • Brayden Miller, Fairfield High School
  • Ryan Parker, Homestead High School
  • Brycen Tisch, Zionsville Community High School
  • Mattingly Upchurch, Hamilton Southeastern High School
  • Eli Wessel, Guerin Catholic High School

Baseball Watchlist

  • Alex Barr, Kankakee Valley High School
  • Mason Braun, Penn High School
  • Caden Crowell, Valparaiso High School
  • Rob Czarniecki, Chesterton High School
  • Matthew Fisher, Evansville Memorial High School
  • Gannon Grant, Center Grove High School
  • Brandon Logan, Fort Wayne Snider High School
  • Austin McNabb, Perry Meridian High School
  • Aiden Reynolds, Noblesville High School
  • Parker Rhodes, Greenfield-Central High School
  • Aiden Smith, Shelbyville High School
  • JD Stein, Carmel High School



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Should Gonzaga target Indiana transfer Myles Rice?

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Should Gonzaga target Indiana transfer Myles Rice?


One by one, members of the Indiana Hoosiers’ men’s basketball team entered their names into the transfer portal Wednesday, as the program shifts in a new direction under head coach Darian DeVries.

DeVries, previously with the West Virginia Mountaineers, did not get a chance to meet with his team immediately when he was hired March 18, though with Indiana’s spring break wrapped up, it appears the process of moving beyond the Mike Woodson era is in full effect.

Seven scholarship players from the 2024-25 Hoosiers roster have entered the portal so far, including three of the team’s top four scorers in Malik Reneau (13.3 points per game), Mackenzie Mgbako (12.2 points) and Myles Rice (10.1 points). That leaves DeVries with just one scholarship player from last season: 6-foot-6 forward Bryson Tucker. Luke Goode could return if his injury waiver from the 2022-23 season is approved; nonetheless, DeVries is essentially starting year one in Bloomington, Indiana, from scratch.

Building from the ground up isn’t anything new to DeVries. Despite bringing back just 5.3% of the minutes played from the 2023-24 Mountaineers team, he brought in a handful of transfers — including a South Bend, Indiana, native in Javon Small — and assembled a team that many felt was deserving of an at-large bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Yet, despite boasting wins over the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Arizona Wildcats from nonconference play, West Virginia was snubbed, and DeVries decided to move on after one season at the helm.

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Following that overtime game in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener, the Zags bounced back with an 89-73 win over the Hoosiers on the second day. Oumar Ballo led the way with 25 points against his former team, while Mgbako was the only other Indiana player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds.

Rice, the former Pac-12 Rookie of the Year with the Washington State Cougars, only had six points and committed five personal fouls in 20 minutes against Gonzaga. The 6-foot-3 guard was capable of filling up the scoring column on any given night with his ability to get downhill and attack the basket. Other nights, however, Rice was much less effective as a scorer. He had 23- and 20-point performances during his first four games, but then followed with 11 points combined over his next three games.

As a freshman with the Cougars, Rice started all 35 games and averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals while guiding WSU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. He transferred after his head coach, Kyle Smith, left to coach the Stanford Cardinal and remained in a power conference structure.

Following another coaching change, could Rice make his return to the Inland Northwest — this time to play for the team in Spokane?

The Zags are likely in the market for another guard this offseason, knowing that Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle exhausted their final years of eligibility. Those three combined to knock down 173 of the team’s 263 made 3-pointers, or about 65.8%, along with the many contributions they made this season on the playmaking and defensive fronts. Rice hasn’t been known for his outside touch in college, though he did improve from 27.5% as a freshman to 32.5% his sophomore season.

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Braeden Smith is set to take the reins at the point guard spot, while Emmanuel Innocenti could return for his junior year to bolster the backcourt as well. With Dusty Stromer in the portal, the Bulldogs don’t have much in the way of guard depth for next season outside of Smith and Innocenti. Mark Few will run 3-guard lineups when he and the coaching staff see fit, and with Innocenti’s versatility at 6-foot-5 and Smith’s ability to set the table at the point, Rice would in theory have a spot in an off-ball role that allows him to share touches with Smith.

Gonzaga’s offenses have historically operated at a high level when it’s being run by experienced guards who can both handle the rock and create for themselves. Rice’s one season with Indiana was somewhat of a letdown compared to his freshman year with WSU, but with the right coaching staff, he could get back on course.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS



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