INDIANAPOLIS (WNDU) – Indiana tourism surged past pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to a new report released by Gov. Mike Braun.

The report shows 83 million visitors traveled to Indiana in 2024, a 1.9% increase from 2023. Visitor spending increased 4.7% from the previous year, totaling $16.9 billion and fully recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

Visitors spent an average of $203 each during their stays. For every dollar spent by visitors, 65 cents stayed in Indiana, according to the report.

“Our state’s record tourism year is great news for Hoosiers and proof of just how much there is to love about visiting Indiana,” Braun said. “Tourism means jobs, stronger Main Streets, and economic growth. These results show that our investments are yielding returns for our economy and showing what makes Indiana a great place to live, work, play and stay.”

To view the full Rockport Analytics report, click here.

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• The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the sexual abuse conviction of a West Des Moines doctor.
• The court ruled that allowing the child victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.
• This decision is one of several that has set Iowa apart from other states on the issue of remote testimony.

The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a West Des Moines doctor found guilty of sexually abusing a child, ruling that allowing the victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.

The court on Tuesday, Dec. 23, reversed the conviction of Lynn Melvin Lindaman, a longtime central Iowa surgeon who practiced at the Lindaman Orthopaedics clinic in West Des Moines before he was charged in 2023 with second-degree sexual abuse. The case was remanded for a new trial.

The decision is the latest in a string of rulings that have set Iowa apart as the only state in the country whose highest court has barred one-way video testimony in criminal trials, even in cases involving child victims. 

Those decisions already have begun reshaping prosecutions across the state and have prompted lawmakers to launch the process of amending the Iowa Constitution. The change would ultimately require voter approval.

Lindaman, now 75, was convicted after a jury trial in Polk County. Prosecutors alleged that on June 26, 2023, he committed a sex act in Ankeny against a child under the age of 10. A second count of sexual abuse was dismissed prior to trial. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 42½ years because of a prior sexual predatory offense in 1976. He also faced a separate and now-dismissed civil lawsuit from an Iowa woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her in 1975.

The Iowa Offender Search still lists Lindaman as in custody of the Iowa Medical & Classification Center.

On appeal, Lindaman argued that his constitutional rights were violated when the district court allowed the child to testify from another room via one-way closed-circuit television, rather than from the witness stand in the courtroom.

“Today’s decision from the Iowa Supreme Court is an important win for Lynn Lindaman and a major step toward a fair result,” said Lucas Taylor, the attorney representing Lindaman. “Although the court did not rule in our favor on every issue, this ruling recognizes serious errors in the prior proceedings and gives Mr. Lindaman the chance to present his defense to a new jury.”

In a 4-3 ruling issued earlier this year in State v. White, the Iowa Supreme Court agreed with that argument, holding that one-way video testimony violates the confrontation clause of the Iowa Constitution. Writing for the majority in that case, Justice David May said that “when the accused and the witness are prevented from seeing each other, there is no face-to-face confrontation, and the Iowa Constitution is not satisfied.”

The ruling came despite U.S. Supreme Court precedent allowing such testimony and laws in many other states permitting it. Under the Iowa statute the court overturned, judges had been allowed to authorize remote testimony by minors, or witnesses with mental illnesses or disabilities, if a judge found that “trauma caused by testifying in the physical presence of the defendant … would impair the minor’s ability to communicate.”

The White decision arose from an Osceola County case, but its effects have since spread and courts across Iowa have begun hearing challenges from defendants convicted in cases where one-way video testimony was used.

The Michigan Wolverines are still looking for a head coach after they fired Sherrone Moore. They were connected to Arizona State’s Keny Dillingham and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, but neither appears to be headed to Ann Arbor after Dillingham signed an extension and DeBoer publicly stated he was staying.

A new name has emerged in their search, with On3’s Pete Nakos saying that Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm “has emerged as a name of interest.” Brohm is from Louisville and played for the Cardinals before starting his coaching career. However, Nakos is also reporting that he has not yet signed a contract extension that Louisville has been working on since the fall.

“It’s unclear at this point how far along Brohm is in the process with Michigan, but he’s a clear name of interest,” Nakos added. “Other names that continue to come up in conversation with sources include Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and interim head coach Biff Poggi. Michigan would ideally like to make a hire for the long term, if it identifies the right target, sources said.”

Brohm has had success in the Big Ten, going 36-34 as Purdue’s head coach from 2017-22 before leaving to take over Louisville. He ended his time at Purdue on a high note, going 17-9 over and 12-6 over his final two seasons, winning the Big Ten West in 2022.