Indiana

Solar belongs on rooftops, not Indiana farmland | Opinion

Published

6 months ago

June 18, 2025

Press Room

Solar belongs on rooftops, not Indiana farmland | Opinion

Solar farms depend on subsidies. It is hard to justify this corporate welfare while the state and federal governments take away similar benefits from homeowners.

While solar farms might not cross your mind as an issue that can decide elections, their development fills town halls in rural Indiana with angry locals. Tippecanoe and Clark counties passed new restrictions on solar farms this month, while more than 70 other counties have temporary bans, for good reason.

“The locations that solar companies want are in the best agricultural grounds in my district,” state Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, told me over the phone. Leising is the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture. “[Some people are] worried about the valuation of their property. Then you have people that are saying, plus, I just don’t want to look at it in my backyard.”

Leising successfully pushed the state to study the loss of prime farmland last year. Indiana has lost 345,000 acres of farmland and over 3,050 farms since 2010. However, the farmland still in use has become more efficient and the state is producing more crops than ever before.

A bigger concern is that commercial-scale solar farms depend on government subsidies and tax abatements. It is hard to justify this corporate welfare while the state and federal governments take away similar benefits from individuals looking to make their homes more self-sufficient. If the state and federal governments are going to invest in solar somewhere, it should be on rooftops, not on Indiana farmland.

The state recently created the ultimate tax abatement for solar farms. Businesses won’t pay any personal property taxes if they have less than $2 million worth of equipment in 2026, and the personal property taxes paid for new equipment can lower to zero as the equipment fully depreciates in value. Some estimates show Indiana solar farms averaged about $50,000 in personal property per acre, meaning they will likely save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In the same bill, Indiana eliminated a property tax deduction for homeowners whose home values increase after installing solar panels. A study from Zillow showed that homes that installed solar panels increased in value by 4.1%, and the deduction was originally put in place to make sure they weren’t unfairly punished for making their homes more energy efficient.

Not to mention, the state recently eliminated net metering on behalf of energy companies. Rather than receiving full retail rates for excess electricity sent back to the grid, homeowners are now paid at a much lower rate. Meanwhile, new limits on tax credits for solar energy in the federal budget reconciliation bill are predicted to favor large companies that can pass on development costs and make it much harder for homeowners to invest in solar.

Not only do large solar corporations receive unfair advantages at the expense of homeowners, but also they’re getting these benefits despite being less efficient at producing energy.

“Some people say sun is free and wind is free, but they’re not … because there’s a huge transmission cost,” Leising said. “When you site a solar field in the middle of nowhere … then how are you going to get that power to where it needs to go? Right now, we don’t have enough battery storage to store the energy produced when the sun is shining.”

Solar panels on homes, on the other hand, are right next to where most of the energy produced is used.

If there is any benefit to solar energy, it is the possibility of seeing more self-sufficient homes and a more decentralized energy grid, where people aren’t dependent on government-granted monopolies to live their daily lives.

The benefit is almost entirely lost when it becomes another tool in the belts of those monopolies, because there are more efficient, reliable and cleaner forms of energy out there.

Any issue that involves personal property rights is going to be complicated, but when a community’s tax dollars are being stewarded poorly, it should surprise no one to see them mobilize like they have in rural Indiana.

Contact Jacob Stewart at 317-444-4683 or jacob.stewart@indystar.com. Follow him on X and Instagram.

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Indiana

Indiana Pacers have a few trade candidates

Published

5 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Indiana Pacers have a few trade candidates

The Indiana Pacers are a team to watch as a seller in the upcoming trade deadline.

Before Feb. 5, the Pacers should be expected to move at least one player and possibly more. Some members of the Indiana Pacers On SI staff pondered which player would be the likeliest to be traded.

Ethan J. Skolnick

Indiana has only two players earning more than $20 million, and one won’t be moved under any circumstances (Tyrese Haliburton) and another (Pascal Siakam) is likely staying unless Indiana is blown away. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith seem to be parts of the future.

So the most likely candidates would seem to be Obi Tobbin (a pending free agent making $14 million) and TJ McConnell (on an extension paying him $11 million). As valuable as McConnell has been for the Pacers, he still could have value to one of this season’s contenders, so we will go with him as an option to land a future pick and younger option.

Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Jeremy Brener

The Pacers are in a unique position in their gap year with Tyrese Haliburton out with a torn Achilles. The team is absolutely plummeted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, making them a seller at this year’s trade deadline. However, there’s no clear cut answer as to who they could part ways with because they are trying to contend next season.

Most of the roster is either injured or too valuable to trade at this moment in time. If there’s anyone that doesn’t fit either bill, it could be third-year forward Jarace Walker. If the team is not pleased with Walker’s progress before February, the Pacers may look to move him if there is a decent trade offer between now and then.

Tony Mejia

Indiana’s largest financial commitments are tied to injured point guard Tyrese Haliburton and versatile forward Pascal Siakam, so I wouldn’t expect too big a splash.

If the Pacers are looking to trim salary or change things up on the heels of their first Finals appearance in a quarter-century with Haliburton sidelined, the two most likely players they can move are wing Bennedict Mathurin and backup guard T.J. McConnell.

Mathurin’s rookie deal is coming to an end, while McConnell’s savvy and playoff experience could make him attractive to contenders looking to add a proven commodity who can add a spark off the bench.

What to know about Indiana, Alabama football’s next CFP opponent

Published

17 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

What to know about Indiana, Alabama football’s next CFP opponent

Alabama football completed Step 1. The Crimson Tide beat Oklahoma 34-24 on Friday, earning its first College Football Playoff victory.

With the first round completed, UA has a tougher test ahead. No. 1 Indiana awaits in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. As Alabama celebrates its victory and begins to prepare, here’s what to know about the 13-0 Hoosiers.

The coach

To say that Curt Cignetti has done a good job at Indiana is perhaps college football’s largest understatement. Cignetti, who took over last season, has turned the Big Ten’s ultimate doormat into the nation’s top team.

Cignetti joined up from James Madison before the 2024 season. He immediately took a program that had grown stale under Tom Allen to the CFP, then turned around and did even better this year.

“I just know that winning lifts all boats,” Cignetti said after the playoff field was announced. “In terms of fan support in the stadium, donations, all parts of the university, downtown when you pack the stadium, bring a lot of people to Bloomington, it helps their sales. A lot of pride in Hoosier Nation. The largest alumni base in America, over 800,000 people. I’d say right now the arrow is pointing up. We probably got a lot of momentum going in those kind of areas.”

Cignetti has a connection to Alabama as well. He worked as the Crimson Tide’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Nick Saban from 2007 through 2011, helping set the groundwork for Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa.

In addition to Indiana in James Madison, he was a head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Elon after leaving the Tide.

The quarterback

For the first time in program history, Indiana has a Heisman Trophy winner. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza beat out a group of finalists that included Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.

Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards this season, with 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has completed 226 of his 316 passes so far.

“Our focus right now is winning the College Football Playoff,” Mendoza told reporters Monday in Bloomington. “That’s what would make this trophy so much sweeter. I believe this trophy is a little bit of a push of confidence on us, on the team, that we’re making history for the IU team in history to be 13-0 and also to bring home a Heisman Trophy to Bloomington.”

The junior, who hails from Florida, transferred into Indiana from Cal this year. He spent two seasons in Berkeley before joining the Hoosiers.

The season

Indiana was the losingest program in the Football Bowl Subdivision entering this season. Some predicted it would be a step back for the Hoosiers, who lost several key players from last season’s playoff team.

Instead, IU won its first Big Ten title since 1967. It enters the CFP undefeated.

“I think that if we hooked everybody up in this room on a lie detector test and told them, hey, do you think Fernando Mendoza is going to win the Heisman this year and we’re going to be 13-0, Big Ten champs, the team has a lot of self-belief and unwavering belief, but I think it’s tough to make those predictions,” Mendoza said Monday.

To cap off the season, Indiana, which had faced criticism for its strength of schedule throughout the year, pulled off a huge upset in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers beat then No. 1 Ohio State, earning the top seed in the CFP and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

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Indiana

Indiana Horse of the Year of 2024 Demolisher Dies at 4

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Indiana Horse of the Year of 2024 Demolisher Dies at 4

Months after being named the 2024 Indiana Thoroughbred Owner’s and Breeder’s Association’s Horse of the Year for 2024, multiple stakes winner Demolisher was euthanized after a bout with laminitis.

“We went from the highest highs as Indiana Horse of the Year to the lowest low ever when we had to say goodbye,” said Resia Ayres, who bred and raced Demolisher with husband Ken.

Unraced at 2, Demolisher proved worth the wait as he won the first five starts of his career in 2024, topped by stakes wins in the Governor’s Handicap and the To Much Coffee Handicap. All five of those wins came at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He closed out the season with an unplaced start in the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.

In March the son of Dominus was honored as ITOBA’s top Indiana-bred 3-year-old male and its Horse of the Year.

“It’s about as high as we ever expected to have any of our horses,” Ken Ayres said at the time. “It’s hard to put words to it. Obviously, we’re super excited about it.”