Indiana

‘You think this guy is God, almost’: Indiana’s oldest delegate on Trump, Jim Jordan and more

Published

1 year ago

July 18, 2024

‘You think this guy is God, almost’: Indiana’s oldest delegate on Trump, Jim Jordan and more

MILWAUKEE – Annie Eckrich of Fort Wayne has been to so many Republican National Conventions over the years that she’s not entirely sure if the 2024 convention in Milwaukee is her fifth or sixth.

She has business cards that say she’s a six-time Republican National Convention attendee, but Eckrich thinks it might be five. That’s what happens when you’re a die-hard Republican who will turn 89 this November, she said.

“This is five,” she said in the lobby of the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee on Tuesday dressed in a scarf and shoes with the American flag printed on them. “I think it’s five.”

Eckrich is one of 58 Hoosier delegates, and the oldest member of the Indiana delegation in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump is scheduled to formally accept the party’s nomination for president on Thursday.

She sat down with IndyStar ahead of the second day of the convention to talk more about the party’s big events she has attended over the years and what she hopes to see in Milwaukee this week.

This inteview has been edited for space and clarity.

Can you tell me about some of the conventions you have been to?

Eckrich: I went to Detroit because I grew up there. I wasn’t a delegate or anything like that, I was just a guest. In Minneapolis, I think I was an alternate. I have not been a delegate. When we went to Cleveland, I must have been an alternate or something. I’m not sure. But we got to sit on the floor and everything like that, so I remember that really well.

What’s special about attending Republican National Conventions especially given the number you have been to?

Eckrich: I just love to talk to everybody. I’m just a jabber mouth. I want to go and look at people that are familiar to me that I see. Last night, the guy from Ohio – (Jim) Jordan. He came by our area and I grabbed onto his hand. Somebody took a picture. And he said, “Who are you?” And I said, “I’m from Fort Wayne, Indiana.” He said, “Well, you’re just a neighbor. You could come over any time.” I just love to talk to people.

How do you feel about being part of Indiana’s delegation to nominate former President Donald Trump this week?

Eckrich: (Monday) was amazing. I mean, my heart was just full. I mean you wanted to cry, everything was so amazing. You think this guy is God, almost, because his life was saved.

You’ve seen conventions with Hoosiers on a major stage, like Dan Quayle, Mike Pence and this year Jim Banks. What has that been like?

Eckrich: I feel blessed because I’ve known of people through family. And sometimes you feel like you know them. I remember walking into Madison Square Garden one time and who was the guy that used to run that Sunday show? Ed Sullivan? And I saw him and I thought “Hi!” I thought he was somebody I knew because you see him every day on Sunday. That’s the same way with Jim Jordan yesterday. I said, “I know you.” I mean, you feel like you’re a buddy.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

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Indiana

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Published

3 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Former UConn forward, NBC Sports broadcaster Donny Marshall knows a thing or two about talented UConn guards.

The former Husky played for legendary coach Jim Calhoun and was teammates with the fifth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, 10-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen. Watching UConn play against Butler on Tuesday night, Marshall said he sees a lot of Allen in reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins.

Mullins made the second start of his career against the Bulldogs. The former Greenfield-Central star missed UConn’s first six games of the regular season with an injury, but the 6-foot-6 guard is quickly coming into his own and showing why he’s a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Against Butler, Mullins showed off his sweet jump shot, going 2 for 5 from 3-point range. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

“He’s a scorer,” Butler coach Thad Matta said of Mullins. “He’s got a scorer’s mentality. He gets his shot off quick. They move him around and create some angles for him. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player.”

Mullins did most of his damage in the first half, scoring eight of his 12 points before halftime. The former five-star recruit was the highest-ranked player in UConn’s 2025 class. Butler’s top-ranked recruit, Azavier “Stink” Robinson isn’t the NBA prospect Mullins is, but he held his own after a shaky start to the game.

Robinson has been thrust into the starting lineup with starter Jalen Jackson out for the season with an ankle injury. Robinson looked out of sorts at times in the first half, going scoreless with two assists and a turnover. In the second half, Matta moved him off the ball, giving him catch-and-shoot looks, and opportunities to drive to the basket without worrying about running the offense.

The former Lawrence North star responded with one of the better halves of his career, scoring 10 points on 3 for 6 shooting, including 2 for 5 from 3 to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover.

Facing a veteran team like UConn, nothing comes easy. UConn’s guards harass ball handlers and getting into an offensive set is not easy. This time last year, Robinson was still in high school and, on most nights, the most athletic player on the court. Playing a UConn team where the goal is a national championship, Robinson was forced to grow, and he did not back down from the challenge in the second half.

“He’s coming along,” Matta said of Robinson. “That’s the first Big East road game of his career against maybe the best team in the country. It tells you how tough he is. He’s resilient. He keeps going.”

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Indiana

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Published

15 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Curt Cignetti has been named The Associated Press coach of the year in college football for the second consecutive season. He is the first coach to win the award back-to-back since it was first presented in 1998. Cignetti has led Indiana to unprecedented success, with a 24-2 record over two seasons. The Hoosiers are 13-0 this year, Big Ten champions for the first time since 1967, and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti received 47 first-place votes. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea received two each, and Virginia’s Tony Elliott got one.

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Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS — Some schools in central Indiana are planning to close or delay the start of their classes on Tuesday.

The closures and delays come in the wake of a difficult weekend of severe winter weather in the Hoosier State. On Saturday, a wintry system dumped more than six inches of snow in some portions of the state.

Points north of Indianapolis like Lafayette received between three and four inches of snow. Towns south of the Circle City like Seymour saw similar snowfall totals. As for Indianapolis itself, more than five inches of snow were recorded in some portions of the city.

After Saturday’s snow, frigid temperatures took hold in the area. A Cold Weather Advisory was issued for much of the state as wind chill values dipped well below zero.

The cold and snow triggered a bevy of school closings and delays for Monday. Schools began to announce delays and closures for Tuesday late Monday night as snow removal crews across the state continued to try to keep roadways clear.

Though some schools plan to close or delay the start of classes on Tuesday, temperature improvements are forecasted. High temperatures are anticipated to exceed the 32-degree freezing threshold and hit 36 degrees. The warming trend is expected to continue on both Wednesday and Thursday, with high temperatures forecasted to reach 40 and 50 degrees, respectively.

Precipitation is forecasted for Thursday, though temperatures are expected to remain warm enough for Indiana to get rain instead of snow.

FOX59/CBS4 is tracking the closures and delays schools plan to implement on Tuesday. Check out the latest available list of closings below:

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