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Q&A from 'All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate'

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Q&A from 'All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate'


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The three candidates in November’s election for governor debated in a live broadcast Thursday night at WISH-TV studios.

“All Indiana Politics Special: The Governor’s Debate” featured Republican Mike Braun, Democrat Jennifer McCormick, and Libertarian Donald Rainwater.

Here are the questions they were asked followed with their answers. Answers are paraphrased until in quotation marks. This story will be updated as new questions are added.

Raise your hand if you support cutting or reducing Indiana’s property taxes as governor?

All three raised their hands.

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What specifically would you cut, and how would you replace funding for schools and local police and fire services?

BRAUN: People are complaining about property taxes. Circuit breakers put in place by Gov. Mitch Daniels are no longer working. He would reset property taxes to where they were before they went out of control. He wants to assure local governments and school districts have enough to keep going.

McCORMICK: She knows property taxes are weighing on everyone. She put out a property tax plan to give savings to all Hoosiers in a bipartisan way. It’ll be ready on Day 1 and particular help elderly Hoosiers and veterans. The plan would save $660 million; it’s been well-received. She says Braun keeps revising his plan.

RAINWATER: In 2020, he suggested property taxes should be capped at 1% of the value of the property over seven years. He’s done planning — looking at tax-increment finance districts and 10-year tax abatements — on how to fund local government amid a tax cap.

In the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a crisis, and what should be the role of Indiana government in addressing it?

McCORMICK: Braun, while in Congress as a U.S. senator, has opposed legislation that would have helped. Braun voted against the legislation for political reasons alone. Indiana needs to consider legal immigration’s positive role in helping Indiana’s economy.

RAINWATER: The governor should enforce the rule of law. The federal government has failed to enforce its mandate to manage immigration. Why Braun hasn’t solved the immigration problem while a U.S. senator? Would he do better as Indiana governor?

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BRAUN: Former President Donald Trump protected the borders; President Joe Biden has not. He declined to list the crimes that come to Indiana. “I don’t think any Hoosier would be for making it legal that you could have 5,000 illegal immigrants coming across the border daily.”

Do you believe Indiana should add additional restrictions on abortion, repeal the law, or keep things as they are now?

RAINWATER: If changes need to be made to the current law, then the judiciary needs to determine that. Legislators can listen to constituents and make changes. Additional things: Many lifelong Hoosiers are pro-choice; I’ve never seen in the state constitution where Indiana is declared a pro-life state, as Braun has said; many women, lifelong Hoosiers, are pro-live.

BRAUN: Indiana’s abortion has held up through the courts, and Hoosiers have supported it because Indiana as a pro-life state. He says Indiana’s legislature vetted its law carefully, and that held up in the courts, and “it reflects the majority of Hoosiers in the state.”

McCORMICK: I trust women and health care providers. Let’s put the question to the voters in a ballot initiative. Sixty percent of Hoosiers believe in allowing women control the decisions for their health care. Braun says he thinks he got it right, but we need to go back to standards of Roe v. Wade and trust our women. “Hoosiers, I have your back on this.”

Do you believe the school voucher system is helping or hurting the education of Indiana’s children?

BRAUN: Indiana has a leading edge on choice and competition, and also puts the parents as the main stakeholders in their children’s education. “When you have one size fits all, it’s a monopoly.” If you’re not for choice, competition, and vouchers to make it doable, it’s not a zero-sum game. Indiana’s money follows the kids, as was established years ago.

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He says Pike County once had mismanagement within a school district, and had to shut down one with the best performance. “If it had not been for the availability of a charter school, you would’ve had to bus those kids 20 to 30 minutes additionally. They are thriving now because they had the option, and the parents went for it.”

Braun says McCormick was in charge for four years as a state schools superintendent and that “results never got any better. I think you’ve got to be held accountable when that’s the one thing you did in state government.”

McCORMICK: I believe in fiscal responsibility. Indiana puts $1.6 billion into private education, and the results haven’t been good. “Make no mistake, this isn’t about parents choosing, this is about a school choosing. The admission policies need to be looked at. If I should up with a child and the school doesn’t like the academy performance, or the color of their skin, or how they identify LGBTQ, or their religious belief, they do not have to take them. … Public dollars need to go to public schools. That whole program needs to be reviewed.” The threshold of eligibility is $220,000 family of four, and how many Hoosier families make that much?

Indiana schools have been under continuously changing standards and test before the exam results are in. Those changes, every time, cost $40 million. We don’t have good data to know what is and isn’t working.

McCormick, when she was a former state schools superintendent, didn’t have control over changing the test.

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RAINWATER: I believe in universal school choice. Our public school system is failing; only 63% of children taking statewide tests in math and English. “We are spending almost 60% of our state budget on education.” The state constitution allows for the funding of public and private schools.

McCormick, when she was a former state schools superintendent, changed the test and wasted money.

Do you support Indiana legalizing marijuana use, either medicinal, recreational, or both?

McCORMICK: I’m aware 80% of Hoosiers support it. My cannabis plan calls for a conversation on medical use before a conversation on adult use.

On adult use, Indiana is losing out on $177 million in tax revenue and hundreds of thousands of jobs because surrounding states have legalized marijuana.

Indiana needs a commission on cannabis use.

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RAINWATER: “We don’t need to expand government. We don’t need a new commission. We don’t need new regulations. We can make cannabis in all forms — medicinal and recreational — legal right now.”

“If legislators are not prepared, that is their fault, and we should probably replace them. We should make this legal now, and, as governor, I would make sure that all nonviolent criminal cannabis-related offenses are expunged.”

BRAUN: Marijuana use medicinally and recreationally is cascading across the county, and Indiana needs to address it seriously. He’d have to think about whether to allow adult use. On medical use, “We’re probably ready for it.” On both counts, he’s going to listen to law enforcement because they will have to enforce it and put up with any issues.



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Indiana

Murder investigation puts eyes on small Indiana town after bones found in search for kids

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9 hours ago

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October 3, 2024

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Murder investigation puts eyes on small Indiana town after bones found in search for kids


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Outside of a house in Wheatfield, Indiana, officers from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office discovered several partial bone fragments on Sept. 30, after being alerted that two children may have been killed on the property.

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On Sept. 20, officers received a tip that a parent had allegedly confessed to an acquaintance that they had killed two of their children and burned their bodies in a backyard fire pit, the sheriff’s office announced in a social media post one day after the bones were found.

After receiving this tip, detectives launched an investigation and located the children’s parent at a hotel in Newton County later that day.

Detectives interviewed the parent, who denied any involvement. Before detectives left, they seized the parent’s cellphone as evidence, which gave detectives evidence in the case. They have not said what that evidence includes.

With this new evidence, detectives confronted the parent, but the parent continued to deny any involvement or knowledge about the case. The sheriff’s office has not said which parent they were interviewing.

The Indiana Department of Child Services was called to take custody of a third child who was in the care of the parent.

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The children were born at home and never received birth certificates or attending school, law enforcement said.

On Sept. 30, the Jasper County Sheriff’s detectives, alongside personnel from the Jasper County Coroner’s Office, Indiana State Police, Wheatfield Police Department, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security searched the property with the assistance of two cadaver dogs.

The dogs alerted officers to three separate locations where the partial bone fragments were found.

On Oct. 1, officials transported the bone fragments to a specialist in Indianapolis to determine if they were from an infant or an animal.

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Wheatfield is a town of fewer than 1,000 people located in northern Indiana, roughly 130 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

If anyone has information relevant to this investigation, officials recommend contacting the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 219-866-7334 and ask to speak with one of their detectives.



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Pacers Legend Reggie Miller Reacts To Caitlin Clark’s Viral Instagram Post

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20 hours ago

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October 3, 2024

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Pacers Legend Reggie Miller Reacts To Caitlin Clark’s Viral Instagram Post


Caitlin Clark is coming off a sensational rookie year for the Indiana Fever.

The All-Star guard finished her season with averages of 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from the three-point range in 40 games.

On Wednesday evening, Clark sent out a post to Instagram that had over 300,000 likes and 5,000 comments in two hours.

Clark captioned her post: “Year one ✅ — thank you to the many people who have supported me as I’ve been able to live my childhood dream. I’m filled with gratitude as I reflect on this past year of my life.

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See you all in year two 🖤💫”

One person who left a comment was Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller.

Miller’s comment had over 400 likes in two hours.

He wrote: “BALLER”

Reggie Miller's comment

Reggie Miller’s comment / October 2

For Indiana sports fans, they will likely enjoy seeing the interaction.

Miller spent his entire 18-year career with the Pacers, and he led them to the 2000 NBA Finals.

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The Basketball Hall of Famer had career averages of 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 47.1% from the field and 39.5% from the three-point range.

As for Clark, she won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of The Year and was able to lead the Fever to the playoffs just one season after they were the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

Via The Indiana Fever: “Caitlin Clark…

🏆 AP All-WNBA First Team

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🏆 AP Rookie of the Year (unanimous)

🏆 AP All-Rookie Team

is her.”





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This Spirit Halloween costume spoofing ‘SNL’ can’t be found in Indiana, but it’s hilarious

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1 day ago

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October 2, 2024

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This Spirit Halloween costume spoofing ‘SNL’ can’t be found in Indiana, but it’s hilarious


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The writers of “Saturday Night Live” may have picked a fight with the wrong Halloween-themed retail store.

Last weekend, SNL opened its 50th season featuring Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris while introducing new cast members — including Emil Wakim, whose comedy career began in Bloomington. Other skits poked fun at the popularity of viral hippo Moo Deng.

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But when SNL spoofed Spirit Halloween for its propensity to appear in place of recently closed businesses, the Halloween retailer clapped back soon after the clip was shared online.

The skit comes just in time for this year’s spooky season, which Spirit Halloween is widely known for, opening more than 20 stores around Indiana this year.

Spirit Halloween on ‘SNL’

The NBC show uploaded the clip to social media on Sunday.

“Communities are struggling. Closed stores. Shuttered businesses. Empty parking lots. When hard times hit, it’s easy to feel like no one cares. But help is on the way. Because when others leave, we show up,” says a voiceover opening the skit. “We don’t see a dead-end town, we don’t see an abandoned Kmart, we see a Spirit. A Spirit Halloween.”

“We’re here providing vulnerable communities with the things they need most — wigs that give you a rash, single-use fog machines and costumes of famous characters tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit,” jokes the spoof, which goes on to say Spirit stores invest not only in empty buildings, but also people, by creating “six-week jobs for some of America’s hardest-hit perverts.”

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Ouch. Maybe SNL shouldn’t have picked a fight with a retailer who knows how to punch back?

Spirit Halloween responds to ‘SNL’ skit

How Spirit Halloween responded to ‘SNL’ commercial

“We’re great at raising things back from the dead @nbcsnl,” Spirit posted on X in response to “SNL.” Attached to the post is a doctored image of a Spirit Halloween costume package titled “Irrelevant 50-year-old TV show” and sporting an image of the “SNL 50 The Anniversary Season” logo.

Below the title is a list of the “costume” components, which include “dated references,” “unknown cast members” and “shrinking ratings.” Oh, and one size fits most adults.

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The following is a list of currently announced Spirit Halloween stores in Indiana for 2024. It was retrieved from the retailer’s website on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

  • Former Rainbow Fashion.
  • 1820 Applewood Center Drive
  • Anderson, IN 46013

Open now. Visit website for more details.

  • Value City Furniture
  • 1230 U.S. Highway 31 North, Suite A
  • Greenwood, IN 46142

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Former USA Party Supplies
  • 7257 US Highway 31, Suite A
  • Indianapolis, IN 46227

Open now, visit website for store hours.

  • Former DSW
  • 4635 East 82nd Street
  • Indianapolis, IN 46250

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Next to Dicks Sporting Goods
  • 6010 West 86th Street, 100
  • Indianapolis, IN 46278

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Next to Majestic Foot Spa
  • 2240 East Markland Avenue
  • Kokomo, IN 46901

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Former Carsons
  • 3501 North Granville Avenue
  • Muncie, IN 47303

Open now, visit website for store hours.

  • Next to Goodwill
  • 16680 Mercantile Boulevard
  • Noblesville, IN 46060

Open now, visit website for store hours.

  • Former The Room Place
  • 2575 East Main Street
  • Plainfield, IN 46168

Open now, visit website for store hours.

  • Former Macys
  • 3401 South US Highway 41, A
  • Terre Haute, IN 47802

Open now. View website for store hours.

Spirit Halloween stores in Southern Indiana

  • Former CVS
  • 510 South College Mall Road
  • Bloomington, IN 47401

Open now. View website for store hours.

  • Former Gordmans
  • 945 E. Lewis and Clark Parkway
  • Clarksville, IN 47129

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Former Tuesday Morning
  • 217 N. Green River Road
  • Evansville, IN 47715

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

Spirit Halloween Stores in Northern Indiana

  • Former Pier One
  • 4224 Coldwater Road
  • Fort Wayne, IN 46805

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Across from Burlington
  • 4220 West Jefferson Boulevard
  • Fort Wayne, IN 46804

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Next to Citi Trends
  • 2577 Maple Point Drive
  • Lafayette, IN 47905

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Former Sears
  • 2300 Southlake Mall
  • Merrillville, IN 46410

Open now. Visit website for store hours.

  • Former Sears
  • 3901 Franklin Street
  • Michigan City, IN 46360

Open now, visit their website for store hours.

  • Former Sears
  • 6501 Grape Road
  • Mishawaka, IN 46545

Open now, visit their website for store hours.

  • Former Salvage Furniture
  • 815 Willowbrook Drive
  • Schererville, IN 46375

Open now, view website for store hours.

  • Next to Old Navy
  • 1290 E. Ireland Road, C
  • South Bend, IN 46614

Open now. View website for store hours.

  • Former Justice
  • 510 Porters Vale Boulevard, 140 and 160
  • Valparaiso, IN 46383

Open now. View website for store hours.

Find more Spirit Halloween locations and hours

Visit stores.spirithalloween.com to find more locations and check their hours.





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