Indiana
Judge kicks dispute over same-last-name candidate back to Indiana Election Commission
(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — A judge is sending back to the Indiana Election Commission a dispute over whether one of two women with the last name Wilson can remain on the Republican primary ballot for a state Senate seat.
The legal fight has political significance because of its possible impact on the campaign prospects of Brenda Wilson, a Vigo County Council member who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement against current Sen. Greg Goode of Terre Haute following the senator’s December vote against the Indiana congressional redistricting plan.
Supporters of Brenda Wilson are trying to have Alexandra Wilson removed from the primary ballot, arguing that she’s ineligible because of a 2010 criminal conviction.
The four-member Election Commission split 2-2 during a February hearing on the challenge to Alexandra Wilson’s candidacy, with the tie vote leaving her name on the ballot.
Alexandra Wilson has since had her conviction for resisting law enforcement at the age of 19 expunged by a Vermillion County court.
Putnam County Superior Court Judge Charles Bridges cited that action in an order this week following a court hearing on an appeal of the Election Commission’s action.
“Remand to the Indiana Election Commission is appropriate because circumstances of the case have changed,” the order said. “The Indiana Election Commission has not had an opportunity to consider Wilson’s notice of expungement and whether her candidacy is disqualified in light thereof.”
Prominent conservative attorney Jim Bopp, who is a top political ally of Gov. Mike Braun and is supporting Brenda Wilson, said Friday he had asked the Election Commission to quickly set a new meeting to reconsider the challenge for Alexandra Wilson’s candidacy.
Bopp maintains that Alexandra Wilson’s eligibility should be determined by her status when she filed her candidate paperwork in February.
“At that time, she had been convicted of a felony and was disqualified from being a candidate,” Bopp told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “The expungement of her felony conviction more than six weeks later is not retroactive and is thus irrelevant.”
Alexandra Wilson’s attorney has argued that she remained eligible since her 2010 guilty plea to a low-level Class D felony charge was accepted by a judge as a Class A misdemeanor.
Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office has argued the same in defending the commission.
An Election Commission meeting had not been announced as of Friday afternoon.
Indiana
Indiana to Host Evansville & Illinois to Close Regular Season – Indiana University Athletics
The Hoosiers go into the week at 37-13 and 14-7 in the Big Ten. Evansville is 21-24 while Illinois comes into the week at 14-36 overall and 3-17 in the conference.
QUICK HITTERS:
- IU’s offense ranks top-15 nationally in many statistical categories: No. 14 Batting Average (.352), No. 4 On Base Percentage (.459), No. 6 RBI (374), No. 8 Scoring (8.18), No. 1 Hit By Pitch (68), No. 6 Total Runs (409), No. 8 Stolen Bases (112), No. 2 Triples (25).
- Avery Parker earned Big Ten Player of the Week after hitting .500 with five home runs and a double while not striking out once in Indiana’s 3-1 week. The Hoosiers defeated Valparaiso and won the series at Michigan.
- Avery Parker became the program’s career home run leader last weekend when she hit home run No. 46 at Iowa on April 19.
- Of Indiana’s 37 wins this year, 20 of them have been by run rule.
- Against Portland State in the Littlewood Invitational (Feb. 12), VanBrandt hit for the cycle as part of a 5-for-5 day where she also totaled two home runs.
LAST TIME OUT:
- Indiana took care of business against Valparaiso (April 22) in a 14-1 win in five innings before winning a road series at Michigan, 2-1.
- The Hoosiers took the Friday and Sunday games of the series, including an 11-2 win in five innings on Sunday. The Hoosiers blasted 13 home runs across the four-game stretch.
- After the game on Sunday, Indiana broke its single-season program record of 409 runs and tied their single-season record for RBIs with 374.
- Indiana has won 10 of their last 12 games dating back to April 8 in the win versus Butler.
- Parker’s two home runs against Michigan (April 26) put her at 50 and 51 career home runs.
- In that Sunday win, Taylor Hess pitched a complete game and struck out three batters.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
- Evansville is 21-24 on the season and has a 12-12 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Purple Aces lost their most recent series at UIC after winning three games in a row (Bradley 2x and Northern Kentucky).
- Niki Bode leads the way at the plate for the Purple Aces, posting a .team-high 407 batting average. Taylor Howe (.314) and Jess Willsey (.306) also have had strong seasons hitting for them.
- Illinois comes into the week at 14-36 overall and 3-17 in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini got swept versus Penn State in their last Big Ten series.
- The Fighting Illini’s Skylar Brennan (.324) and Adisyn Caryl (.318) are Illinois’ two best hitters. Each of them have eight doubles on the season.
- Abby Sabalaskey and Karley Yergler are the Illini’s two-most consistent arms, each having at least 27 appearances and 50 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY NOTES:
- Indiana leads the all-time series versus Evansville, 27-8. The Hoosiers have won five in a row against them and Wednesday’s matchup will be the first meeting since 2023. Illinois leads the all-time series versus Indiana, 21-11. Indiana and Illinois have not faced one another since 2022.
A Coldwater man was arrested after a vehicle pursuit that went into Indiana Monday night.
Just after 9:45 p.m., deputies from the Branch County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle for a license plate violation on Fiske Road near Newton Road.
The driver did not stop, and a vehicle pursuit was engaged. The vehicle fled south on Fremont Road, west on Copeland Road, then south on I-69.
The chase continued into Indiana, where the Indiana State Police (ISP) assisted. The vehicle came to a stop after a successful deployment of stop sticks.
The driver, a 39-year-old Coldwater man, attempted to flee on foot. He was quickly apprehended by BCSO deputies and ISP troopers.
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The driver was arrested and lodged by the Indiana State Police. Charges are being sought by the Branch County Sheriff’s Office.
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — A tornado-warned storm late Monday night that moved through Greenwood has damaged a school auditorium.
Superintendent Terry Terhune of Greenwood Community Schools tells News 8 that at least one tree was downed and the auditorium received some damage at Greenwood Community High School. Strong winds lifted some siding from the back of the auditorium.
Terhune said the storm put some small holes in the school’s roof where water was leaking, and the damage assessment was continuing shortly before midnight Monday.
A tornado warning was issued for the area around 10:50 p.m. Monday.
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