Hoosier Local News Brief – Scraped March 25, 2026 * * * **TSA workers at the food bank** Indiana airport security officers are working without full paychecks as the federal funding lapse enters its second month, and at least one Indianapolis-area TSA agent says her last full check came on February 14th — the day the shutdown began. Gleaners Food Bank has begun organizing special distributions specifically for TSA personnel, a response that reframes what is officially a federal budget impasse as a local hunger crisis. South Bend's Cultivate Food Rescue made direct meal deliveries to officers at the airport. The Senate is reportedly closing in on a deal to fund the bulk of the Department of Homeland Security, but no resolution has been announced. What is not named in any of this coverage: how many Indiana TSA workers are affected, and what happens to those who have already taken on debt or missed rent. _The gap: no outlet has reported total Indiana TSA headcount, household financial damage, or whether any workers have quit._ * * * **Utility bills, regulators, no relief** The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission spent a full day Tuesday questioning the state's five largest energy providers — Duke, CenterPoint, NIPSCO, AEP/I&M, Vectren — on rates, customer service, and affordability, and came away with little that constitutes accountability. Utility representatives testified that customer usage — not rate structures — is the primary driver of high bills. The IURC chair has said publicly that the affordability plans presented so far are not “tangible enough to make a difference.” The commission has initiated a process for public comment, but no enforcement action or rate relief mechanism has been announced, and the inquiry's legal teeth remain unclear. More than half of all state utility complaints this year have come from NIPSCO customers alone. Marion County eviction filings exceeded 116,000 between 2021 and 2025, driven in part by rising household costs — a figure that sits directly adjacent to this story in this week's news, unremarked upon by any outlet covering either issue. _Cross-reference: the IURC inquiry, the eviction surge, the TSA food bank story, and the gas price stress reporting are one story wearing five masks._ * * * **The Iran war lands in Indiana** A new AP-NORC poll finds most Americans believe U.S. military action against Iran has gone further than it should, now in its fourth week, and many cite gasoline affordability as a direct personal concern. The Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan; Iran has rejected the premise of negotiating with Washington. The Pentagon is deploying approximately 6,000 additional troops and Marines to the region. The European Central Bank's chair warned this week that businesses — having lived through post-Ukraine inflation — may move faster to raise prices in response to an oil shock than they would have previously, a dynamic that would hit Midwest consumers disproportionately. Locally, WRTV reported that gas prices are already affecting both household budgets and stress levels, though specifics on Indiana pump prices were not provided. What connects these items in the Indiana context: the war is not distant geopolitics. It is already inside the state's economic pressure system. * * * **Marion County evictions: a structural number** A new report from the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana documents more than 116,000 eviction filings in Marion County between 2021 and 2025, driven by rent increases and a sustained shortage of affordable housing stock. This figure — an average of roughly 23,000 filings per year in a single county — is not a spike. It is a baseline. The report does not appear to have produced a legislative response, a budget commitment, or a mayoral initiative in this week's coverage. The IURC utility inquiry, also this week, addresses an adjacent cost pressure on the same households. No outlet connected the two. _What this reveals: Marion County's eviction rate has become structural, not exceptional, and the political response remains commensurate with the latter._ * * * **Election infrastructure: temp fix, real deadline** Indiana's electronic poll book system — used for voter check-in at precincts statewide — is running on a temporary patch with early voting six to eight weeks away, according to records reported by IndyPolitics. The issue was first flagged by the same outlet. No state election official has publicly explained what the underlying system failure is, what “temporary fix” means in technical terms, or what the contingency plan is if it fails during early voting or on primary day. This is not a story about election integrity in the contested political sense; it is a story about whether Indiana's basic voting infrastructure is ready. The gap between those two framings has allowed a serious operational question to receive minimal attention. * * * **DNR sidelines its own oversight body** The chair of Indiana's Natural Resources Commission said this week that a procedural change implemented by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has effectively “neutered” the commission — DNR is now bypassing preliminary commission review on rulemaking, reducing a 12-member oversight body to a ratifying function. The timing is not incidental. Rep. Ed Soliday's HB 1368 — currently moving through the legislature — would hand that same commission federal primacy over Class VI well permitting for all nine of Indiana's pending carbon sequestration projects, transferring review authority from the EPA to DNR. Industry lobbyists for POET, CountryMark, and the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association testified in support, citing EPA review as too slow; Citizens Action Coalition called DNR a “pay-to-play permit-issuing agency.” Indiana's compulsory integration statute allows developers who clear the Class VI threshold to fold non-consenting landowners into sequestration projects over their objection — a right currently gated by an EPA review process that HB 1368 would replace with the body whose chair just described it as decorative. Soliday's contributions from Duke Energy, CenterPoint, BP North America, and Sunrise Coal are public record. His bill is on the same desk as his utility consumer protection kills. _What is not yet confirmed: HB 1368's current vote status, and whether the NRC chair's statement this week was triggered by a specific rulemaking action or a pattern. Both matter._ * * * **Fort Wayne's anti-dumping ordinance** Fort Wayne has made it a civil offense — carrying a $2,500 fine — to relocate “transient homeless individuals” into city limits from another location. The policy targets what city officials describe as deliberate transfers of homeless residents from surrounding municipalities or counties into Fort Wayne, a practice they argue burdens city services. Critics have not yet appeared in this week's coverage. What the ordinance does not address: where people displaced from or denied entry to Fort Wayne are supposed to go, what “relocation” means in enforcement terms, or what the due process mechanism is for the fined party. The framing of homeless individuals as vectors of municipal cost, rather than as residents with rights, is embedded in the ordinance's language and unremarked upon in the coverage. * * * **Hailey's Law and the digital safety push** The father of a Fishers teenager killed after meeting an online predator is pushing Indiana lawmakers to pass “Hailey's Law,” which would create a Pink Alert system for high-risk youth, mandate school-based online safety education, and increase first-offense grooming penalties. The effort coincides with a new advocacy organization, Hailey's Army for Children, and with a separate $375 million verdict against Meta in New Mexico for knowingly exposing child users to harm on Instagram and Facebook. The legislative proposal is in the advocacy stage; no bill number or committee assignment appears in this week's coverage. What the simultaneous arrival of the Meta verdict and a local bill push signals: the legal and legislative pressure on platform accountability for child safety is building from multiple directions at once. * * * **Delaware County: emergency management in suspension** The Delaware County Commissioners voted 3-0 on Monday to suspend both the county's EMS director and Emergency Management Agency director, pending a state police investigation — all in a meeting that lasted three and a half minutes. No detail on the nature of the investigation was released at the meeting or in subsequent coverage. Delaware County, home to Muncie, has faced documented fiscal and institutional instability for more than a decade. The simultaneous suspension of both the EMS and EMA directors is not routine; these are the two positions most directly responsible for coordinating emergency response. No interim leadership was named in available coverage. _What is not known: what triggered the investigation, whether the directors were paid during suspension, and who is currently running emergency operations._ * * * **No Kings reaches Hamilton County** The Hamilton County Democracy Coalition has scheduled a No Kings civic gathering at Federal Hill Commons Park in Noblesville for Saturday, March 28th, offering voter registration and primary election information alongside what is now a nationally coordinated series of demonstrations. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports a $1 million advertising campaign accompanying the No Kings movement, funded by a nonprofit called Home of the Brave. The movement's arrival in Hamilton County — one of Indiana's most reliably Republican suburban counties — is the local-specific detail that matters here. Whether it represents genuine political realignment, protest tourism, or something between the two is not yet answerable from a single rally announcement. Early voting for the primary begins April 7th. * * * ## Synthesis Indiana this week is running two kinds of stories simultaneously, and the tension between them is the actual news. One set is structural and slow: eviction filings normalized at 23,000 a year in Marion County, utility companies blaming customers for bills they cannot afford, state employees going without raises for a second consecutive year, an election check-in system held together with a patch, a regulatory commission stripped of its deliberative function while being positioned to absorb federal permitting authority over nine contested carbon sequestration projects. These are not crises — they are settled conditions, which is worse. The other set is acute and fast: federal workers lining up at food banks because Congress cannot pass a budget, a war in the Middle East already metabolized into gas prices and household anxiety, election infrastructure rattling as voters prepare to cast primary ballots. What runs through both sets is the same thing: institutions that are either unwilling or unable to close the distance between the problem they were built to address and the people bearing its weight. The IURC held a full day of testimony and produced no relief. The Senate is “closing in” on a deal to pay TSA workers — workers who have already lost a month and a half of income. The Natural Resources Commission chair says his body has been made decorative, at the precise moment a bill would make it the sole gatekeeper for projects that can compel Indiana landowners to host underground injection wells. These are not failures of intent. They are failures of structure, normalized by repetition, and this week Indiana's news cycle captured all of them at once without quite noticing the pattern.

#hoosiernews brotherpsyche.social/hoosier-local-news-brief...

Original post on mastodon.social

RE: https://recurse.social/@lindsey/116217484721519922

that is all they young guys in the break rooms are doing every payday; talking parlances or crashing out because they lost their families entire paycheck / targets minorities by design / remove law and regulation, you get typical capitalist […]

As ICE Buys Up Warehouses, Even Some Trump Voters Say No The agency is ramping up arrests, but local pushback is complicating efforts to expand detention capacity and prevent overcrowding.

again for the people who don't how to bypass paywalls, 8500 bed facility in the indy area #indy #hoosierNews #fascism #indiana

#democracy #usa #gop #fascists

👉 Vote 'em Out!

again for the people who don't how to bypass paywalls, 8500 bed facility in the indy area #indy #hoosierNews #facism #indiana

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/us/politics/i...

https://www.hoosiersrise.org/sheet

#Indiana #HoosierNews #Indy #Indianapolitics

Residents, utilities face off in community meeting over LEAP water supply A packed meeting in Pike Township focused on how much water the LEAP district could use.

www.wthr.com/article/news/local/resid...

Original post on mastodon.social

i swear wasn't there plans for an additional lilly leap research innovation district ai data center / like the dxg superpod-scale system […]

vibed coded draft of an automated hoosier news to svg generator, scapes rss and everything on command ror cycled / learn how to use the tools folks / they're here and useful #HoosierNews

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Join us at the seed swap! We will have native plant seeds & 46 species of plants available as bare roots! Get a head start on spring blooms, and save shipping fees! See you there! #nativeplants #indiana #hoosiernews #indianawildlife #indianapolis #IndianaNativePlants #HoosierMast […]

'You know you struck a child?' | 2-year-old injured by hit-and-run driver on Indy's south side; 18-year-old charged IMPD officers responded to the 3900 block of Madison Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 for a report of a hit-and-run involving a child.

"'You know you struck a child?' | 2-year-old injured by hit-and-run driver on Indy's south side; 18-year-old charged" via @wthrcom.bsky.social

#SafeStreetsIndy #Indianapolis #HoosierSky #HoosierNews

JD Vance to visit Indiana amid push for redistricting. Will Braun call special session? Republicans hold seven of Indiana's nine U.S. House districts. Will state lawmakers try to squeeze out another GOP seat ahead of the 2026 midterms?

As if Indiana hasn't been gerrymandered to the point of no return, apparently, these assholes want even more. GOP- The party of pedophiles, cheats, women haters, LGBTQ haters, white supremacist pieces of shit. Fuck this state and the GOP
#Indiana #Hoosiernews

www.indystar.com/story/news/p...

Native Plants Unlimited sale on the campus of Earlham College at the greenhouse near Noyes Hall. Sunday, May 18. 12pm-3pm.

Join us on Sunday!

Overall shot of our booth at the garden show. Two of our owners, 3 tables and loads of stuff you need for your garden!

TODAY until 4pm!! Join us for the largest garden show in central Indiana— in Danville at the Hendricks County Maater Gardener’s “Gardening for All Ages Show”. We’ll see you soon! #HoosierMast #hoosiernews #indianapolis #nativeplants #IndianaNativePlants […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Join us this Saturday- it’s going to be an unbelievable lovely day of spring sunshine! Come and get some bare root plants for your garden- or, order ahead and pick up in Bloomington. We’ll see you outside at #SwitchyardPavilion! #BloomingtonIndiana […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Join us this Saturday for one of the best garden shows in the area! An easy drive from Hamilton and Marion counties! We will bring bare root plants with us, or order ahead by email for pick up in Lebanon! Nativeplantsunlimited.com #indiana #nativeplants […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Original post on mastodon.social

Garden with natives, but just as critical- stop using pesticides. Support legislation that regulates farm chemicals. Wildlife habitat IS your yard. Preorders are open now. Don’t wait another year. www.cbc.ca/news/science/butterfly-l... #nativehabitat #indianapolis #HoosierMast […]

Bird flu claims over 100 sandhill cranes in LaPorte County, 1500 statewide Bird flu has struck Fish Lake, as hundreds of birds, including a significant number of sandhill cranes, have dropped dead.Now the community is working to dispos

wsbt.com/news/local/bird-flu-h5n1... #indiana #hoosiernews #rfkjr #avianflu #birdflu #sandhillcranes #birding #H5N1

Consider membership … they do great work and you get great insight into the wildlife web that your native plants support! Link to the latest newsletter -> mailchi.mp/indianaaudubon/iasupdate...
#indiana […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Consider membership … they do great work and you get great insight into the wildlife web that native plants support! Link to the latest newsletter -> mailchi.mp/indianaaudub...
#indiana #hoosiernews #nativeplants #birding #ecology #citizenscience #outdooreducation #biodiversity #indianaaudubon

<div class="newspack-popup-container newspack-lightbox newspack-popup hidden newspack-lightbox-placement-center newspack-lightbox-size-medium newspack-lightbox-no-border" data-frequency="1,4,0,day" data-scroll="10" data-segments="" id="id_37946" role="button" tabindex="0"> <div class="newspack-popup-wrapper" data-popup-status="publish" style=""> <div class="newspack-popup__content-wrapper" style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000"> <div class="newspack-popup__content"> <div class="wp-block-cover has-custom-content-position is-position-bottom-center" style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0"><span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-70 has-background-dim wp-block-cover__gradient-background has-background-gradient" style="background:linear-gradient(354deg,rgb(0,0,0) 50%,rgba(0,0,0,0) 82%)"></span><img alt="" class="wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-40892" data-attachment-id="40892" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-caption="" 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width="1000"/><div class="wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained"><div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex" style="padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left" id="h-support-local-news" style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0"><strong>Support local news</strong></h2> <p class="has-text-align-left has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8929b3b8f947618397cb72586a6d629e">Our journalism will always be free because of donations from readers like you.</p></div> <div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%"><div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-fill"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-bright-pink-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://mirrorindy.org/donate/?utm_source=np_prompt&amp;utm_medium=overlay&amp;utm_campaign=give_now_button" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border-radius:100px" target="_blank">GIVE NOW</a></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div> <button aria-label="Close Pop-up" class="newspack-lightbox__close"> <svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" height="24" role="img" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z"></path></svg> </button> </div> </div> <div class="newspack-lightbox-overlay" style="opacity: 0.35;background-color:#d6f752;"></div> </div> <div class="page-position-marker" id="page-position-marker_id_37946" style="position: absolute; top: 10%"></div><p>If John Morrow Jr. wants to plan for the future of his Indianapolis business, he needs answers.</p><p>From the Indiana Department of Transportation. From the federal government. From a judge in Kentucky whose decision last year put Morrow and many other business owners in an uneasy waiting period.</p><p>Morrow owns ForeSight Environmental Solutions. The company is certified as a disadvantaged business enterprise, or DBE, a federal program that helps his small business compete for contracts on projects for INDOT and in other states. The program is meant to prevent discrimination by setting diverse hiring goals.</p><p>But that program is on a partial pause after two southern Indiana companies filed a lawsuit saying the practice of setting goals for disadvantaged businesses resulted in “reverse discrimination.”</p><p>A federal judge in Kentucky then temporarily blocked the program while the lawsuit continues.</p><p>The disruption comes as Republican leaders are fighting to get rid of programs that assess or reward diversity in schools and workplaces. President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun, for example, have issued orders to eliminate DEI programs.</p><p>And while it’s too soon for business owners to analyze the full impact, the possibility of the DBE program going away makes looking ahead an uncomfortable exercise.</p><p>“We had clear goals,” Morrow said of his company’s future.</p><p>Morrow’s company specializes in air quality technology. That service probably won’t be impacted by changes to the DBE program, he said, because there isn’t a lot of competition.</p><p>But the next step for his company’s future — getting in on the demand for electric vehicle charging stations — is where he sees big opportunities with INDOT.</p><p>The department wants to put $100 million toward building a statewide network of charging stations. But even those plans are now uncertain with the Trump administration <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5289922/trump-transportation-department-ev-charging-halt" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">holding back funding</a>.</p><p>For now, Morrow is stuck waiting for answers.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-we-re-all-in-the-dark">‘We’re all in the dark’</h2><p>Indianapolis business owners said they aren’t hearing much from INDOT.</p><p>Asked for its stance on the program and whether it’s still trying to meet DBE goals, INDOT spokesperson Natalie Garrett told Mirror Indy the department is “following all guidance” from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. Much of INDOT’s project funding comes from the federal government, which has rules about how the money should be spent.</p><p>But that answer didn’t satisfy Morrow.</p><p>“You can’t have a plan to build infrastructure based on a non-answer,” he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, the court case that interrupted the program might come to a halt for now. Both sides in the case asked for a pause because of changes at the federal level since Trump took office.</p><p>The request cites Trump’s <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-31/pdf/2025-02097.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">executive order</a> to end “illegal DEI and DEIA policies.”</p><p>Gov. Braun has adopted a similar tone in Indiana. Braun <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/gov-brauns-order-replaces-dei-with-mei/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">signed an executive order</a> in January to replace “diversity, equity and inclusion” with “merit, excellence and innovation.”</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img alt="Mike Braun speaks from behind a podium with the seal of the state of Indiana." class="wp-image-43771" data-attachment-id="43771" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Indiana Governor Mike Braun delivers remarks after being sworn in as the state’s 52nd governor Jan. 13, 2025, at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis.&lt;/p&gt; " data-image-description="" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Indiana Governor Mike Braun delivers remarks after being sworn in as the state\u2019s 52nd governor Jan. 13, 2025, at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis.","created_timestamp":"1736785879","copyright":"\u00a9Doug McSchooler","focal_length":"400","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.JPG","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.JPG" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?fit=2200%2C1466&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2200,1466" data-permalink="https://mirrorindy.org/01132025_braun_inauguration_36-jpg/" data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" height="682" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" src="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36-1024x682.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" width="1024"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indiana Governor Mike Braun delivers remarks after being sworn in as the state’s 52nd governor Jan. 13, 2025, at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis. <span class="image-credit"><span class="credit-label-wrapper">Credit:</span> Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy</span></figcaption></figure><p>Braun, through a spokesperson, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s emailed questions asking for his position on the DBE program and his response to the small business owners who are worried.</p><p>“We’re all in the dark,” said Summer McIntyre, who owns CMG Trucking.</p><p>The Indianapolis company has been DBE-certified for more than 10 years. McIntyre said the certification helped her break into an industry usually run by the “good ol’ boys” club.</p><p>“It was able to help me get in the door and prove myself,” she said.</p><p>McIntyre isn’t sure how rolling back or even getting rid of the DBE program — which Congress created in 1983 — would impact her business. It’s so early in the process, she said, that it isn’t clear if she’s lost job opportunities yet.</p><p>But even without total clarity, the effects in some ways are becoming apparent.</p><p>When INDOT publishes a list of contractors that have indicated interest in bidding for a project, each job lists a DBE goal. Typically, the goal is around 10%, which is the most recent recommendation from the federal government under former President Joe Biden.</p><p>But the lawsuit has changed that. Now, projects that the two suing companies say they’re interested in all show the same DBE goal: 0%.</p><p>On the <a href="https://www.in.gov/indot/doing-business-with-indot/files/B-and-PH-List2.7.2024.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawIZwcRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRiLkfxFOn1dawbQam0QDtYxq5TfvNsJpsDPmY3CUZuK-C0NlLx8-kenAQ_aem_GiqAWkbUgN05qpmvBCZPpg" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">most recent list of jobs</a>, only nine of the 36 projects receiving federal money had a DBE goal.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-business-owners-turn-to-one-another">Business owners turn to one another</h2><p>With so much uncertainty, many DBE business owners have formed their own online communities, sharing information and support.</p><p>One Facebook group — <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/551508384190764" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">DBEs of America</a> — has more than 370 members.</p><p>The founder, Stephanie Allen, said she intended for the group to serve Indiana business owners. But interest from others across the country became clear with so much worry about the future of their businesses.</p><div class="wp-block-group alignright"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img alt="" class="wp-image-45821" data-attachment-id="45821" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Stephanie Allen, owner of Crossroads Highway Products, holds her certification for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.&lt;/p&gt; " data-image-description="" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="stephanie_allen_dbe" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?fit=567%2C464&amp;ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?fit=300%2C246&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?fit=567%2C464&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="567,464" data-permalink="https://mirrorindy.org/stephanie_allen_dbe/" data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" height="464" sizes="(max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px" src="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?resize=567%2C464&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?w=567&amp;ssl=1 567w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?resize=300%2C246&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?resize=400%2C327&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" width="567"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Stephanie Allen, owner of Crossroads Highway Products, holds her certification for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. <span class="image-credit"><span class="credit-label-wrapper">Credit:</span> Provided photo/Stephanie Allen</span></figcaption></figure></div></div><p>Allen posts updates from the Kentucky court case and organizes Microsoft Teams calls with other business owners.</p><p>“There’s a reason why this program was put in place,” Allen said. “And there’s a reason why it needs to stay in place.”</p><p>The goal of the program is to prevent discrimination. But Allen said this is far from a handout.</p><p>Allen’s company, Crossroads Highway Products, supplies expansion joint material. In order to get her DBE certification, she had to meet a host of requirements. Officials visited her site in Mooresville, and she had to show that she has a warehouse. Allen also had to demonstrate a good work history and give a list of contractors she’s done business with.</p><p>“I love what I do,” Allen said. “I don’t want this program to be taken away. There’s just so many people who depend on it to be considered for projects.”</p><p>As for the future of her business, Allen is staring down the same foggy path as everyone else.</p><p>Allen has a few jobs lined up already, but after that?</p><p>“I have no idea,” she said.</p><p><em>Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or <a href="mailto:tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org</a>. 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a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" rel="noreferrer license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> </div><em>Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/content-republishing-guidelines/">republishing guidelines</a> for use of any other photos and graphics.</em></div><div class="article-info"><h1>These Indy business owners are feeling the effects of DEI opposition</h1> <p class="byline">by Tyler Fenwick, Mirror Indy <br/>February 18, 2025</p> </div> <textarea id="republication-tracker-tool-shareable-content" readonly="" rows="5"> &lt;h1&gt;These Indy business owners are feeling the effects of DEI opposition&lt;/h1&gt; &lt;p class="byline"&gt;by Tyler Fenwick, Mirror Indy &lt;br /&gt;February 18, 2025&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If John Morrow Jr. wants to plan for the future of his Indianapolis business, he needs answers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;From the Indiana Department of Transportation. From the federal government. From a judge in Kentucky whose decision last year put Morrow and many other business owners in an uneasy waiting period.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Morrow owns ForeSight Environmental Solutions. The company is certified as a disadvantaged business enterprise, or DBE, a federal program that helps his small business compete for contracts on projects for INDOT and in other states. The program is meant to prevent discrimination by setting diverse hiring goals.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But that program is on a partial pause after two southern Indiana companies filed a lawsuit saying the practice of setting goals for disadvantaged businesses resulted in “reverse discrimination.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A federal judge in Kentucky then temporarily blocked the program while the lawsuit continues.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The disruption comes as Republican leaders are fighting to get rid of programs that assess or reward diversity in schools and workplaces. President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun, for example, have issued orders to eliminate DEI programs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And while it’s too soon for business owners to analyze the full impact, the possibility of the DBE program going away makes looking ahead an uncomfortable exercise.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We had clear goals,” Morrow said of his company’s future.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Morrow’s company specializes in air quality technology. That service probably won’t be impacted by changes to the DBE program, he said, because there isn’t a lot of competition.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But the next step for his company’s future — getting in on the demand for electric vehicle charging stations — is where he sees big opportunities with INDOT.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The department wants to put $100 million toward building a statewide network of charging stations. But even those plans are now uncertain with the Trump administration &lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5289922/trump-transportation-department-ev-charging-halt" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;holding back funding&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;For now, Morrow is stuck waiting for answers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-we-re-all-in-the-dark"&gt;‘We’re all in the dark’&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Indianapolis business owners said they aren’t hearing much from INDOT.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Asked for its stance on the program and whether it’s still trying to meet DBE goals, INDOT spokesperson Natalie Garrett told Mirror Indy the department is “following all guidance” from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. Much of INDOT’s project funding comes from the federal government, which has rules about how the money should be spent.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But that answer didn’t satisfy Morrow.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“You can’t have a plan to build infrastructure based on a non-answer,” he said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the court case that interrupted the program might come to a halt for now. Both sides in the case asked for a pause because of changes at the federal level since Trump took office.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The request cites Trump’s &lt;a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-31/pdf/2025-02097.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;executive order&lt;/a&gt; to end “illegal DEI and DEIA policies.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Gov. Braun has adopted a similar tone in Indiana. Braun &lt;a href="https://mirrorindy.org/gov-brauns-order-replaces-dei-with-mei/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;signed an executive order&lt;/a&gt; in January to replace “diversity, equity and inclusion” with “merit, excellence and innovation.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;figure class="wp-block-image size-large"&gt;&lt;img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01132025_Braun_Inauguration_36-1024x682.jpg" alt="Mike Braun speaks from behind a podium with the seal of the state of Indiana." class="wp-image-43771" /&gt;&lt;figcaption class="wp-element-caption"&gt;Indiana Governor Mike Braun delivers remarks after being sworn in as the state’s 52nd governor Jan. 13, 2025, at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;Braun, through a spokesperson, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s emailed questions asking for his position on the DBE program and his response to the small business owners who are worried.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“We’re all in the dark,” said Summer McIntyre, who owns CMG Trucking.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Indianapolis company has been DBE-certified for more than 10 years. McIntyre said the certification helped her break into an industry usually run by the “good ol’ boys” club.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“It was able to help me get in the door and prove myself,” she said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;McIntyre isn’t sure how rolling back or even getting rid of the DBE program — which Congress created in 1983 — would impact her business. It’s so early in the process, she said, that it isn’t clear if she’s lost job opportunities yet.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But even without total clarity, the effects in some ways are becoming apparent.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;When INDOT publishes a list of contractors that have indicated interest in bidding for a project, each job lists a DBE goal. Typically, the goal is around 10%, which is the most recent recommendation from the federal government under former President Joe Biden.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But the lawsuit has changed that. Now, projects that the two suing companies say they’re interested in all show the same DBE goal: 0%.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;On the &lt;a href="https://www.in.gov/indot/doing-business-with-indot/files/B-and-PH-List2.7.2024.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawIZwcRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRiLkfxFOn1dawbQam0QDtYxq5TfvNsJpsDPmY3CUZuK-C0NlLx8-kenAQ_aem_GiqAWkbUgN05qpmvBCZPpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;most recent list of jobs&lt;/a&gt;, only nine of the 36 projects receiving federal money had a DBE goal.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-business-owners-turn-to-one-another"&gt;Business owners turn to one another&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;With so much uncertainty, many DBE business owners have formed their own online communities, sharing information and support.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;One Facebook group — &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/551508384190764" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;DBEs of America&lt;/a&gt; — has more than 370 members.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The founder, Stephanie Allen, said she intended for the group to serve Indiana business owners. But interest from others across the country became clear with so much worry about the future of their businesses.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class="wp-block-group alignright"&gt; &lt;figure class="wp-block-image size-full"&gt;&lt;img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stephanie_allen_dbe.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-45821" /&gt;&lt;figcaption class="wp-element-caption"&gt;Stephanie Allen, owner of Crossroads Highway Products, holds her certification for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;Allen posts updates from the Kentucky court case and organizes Microsoft Teams calls with other business owners.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“There’s a reason why this program was put in place,” Allen said. “And there’s a reason why it needs to stay in place.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The goal of the program is to prevent discrimination. But Allen said this is far from a handout.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Allen’s company, Crossroads Highway Products, supplies expansion joint material. In order to get her DBE certification, she had to meet a host of requirements. Officials visited her site in Mooresville, and she had to show that she has a warehouse. Allen also had to demonstrate a good work history and give a list of contractors she’s done business with.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“I love what I do,” Allen said. “I don’t want this program to be taken away. There’s just so many people who depend on it to be considered for projects.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As for the future of her business, Allen is staring down the same foggy path as everyone else.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Allen has a few jobs lined up already, but after that?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“I have no idea,” she said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This &amp;lt;a target=&amp;quot;_blank&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indot-contractors-worry-dei-backlash-hurt-business-indianapolis/&amp;quot;&amp;gt;article&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; first appeared on &amp;lt;a target=&amp;quot;_blank&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://mirrorindy.org&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Mirror Indy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.&amp;lt;img src=&amp;quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-401442716_225543877242595_3231803923611443992_n.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;amp;ssl=1&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;img id=&amp;quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&amp;quot; src=&amp;quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;amp;post=45965&amp;amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;width:1px;height:1px;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;script&amp;gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &amp;quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indot-contractors-worry-dei-backlash-hurt-business-indianapolis/&amp;quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &amp;lt;/script&amp;gt; &amp;lt;script id=&amp;quot;parsely-cfg&amp;quot; src=&amp;quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/script&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt; </textarea> <button onclick="copyToClipboard('#republication-tracker-tool-shareable-content', this)">Copy to Clipboard</button> </div>1 </div> <section class="below-content widget widget_block" id="block-17"><div class="wp-block-group css-section-newsletter css-article-newsletter has-green-background-color has-background" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"><div class="wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex"><h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center" id="h-sign-up-for-our-newsletter">Sign up for our newsletter</h1> <p class="has-text-align-center">Want to know what’s really going on in our city? Sign up for the Mirror Indy newsletter!</p></div> <div class="wp-block-newspack-newsletters-subscribe newspack-newsletters-subscribe" data-success-message="Thank you for signing up!"> <form data-newspack-recaptcha="newspack_newsletter_signup" id="newspack-subscribe-2"> <input name="newspack_newsletters_subscribe" type="hidden" value="1"/> <input name="lists[]" type="hidden" value="3"/> <div class="newspack-newsletters-email-input"> <input autocomplete="email" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-14041-email" name="npe" placeholder="Email Address" type="email" value=""/> <button class="submit-button has-background-color" style="background-color: #F74FD9;" type="submit"> <span class="submit">Sign up</span> </button> </div> </form> <div class="newspack-newsletters-subscribe__response"> <div class="newspack-newsletters-subscribe__icon"></div> <div class="newspack-newsletters-subscribe__message"> </div> </div> </div> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:14px">By clicking Sign Up you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.</p></div></div></section><section class="below-content widget widget_block" id="block-10"><div class="wp-block-group css-centered-header is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex"><h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-related-articles">Related Articles</h1></div></section><section class="below-content widget widget_block" id="block-11"><nav aria-label="Related Posts" class="jp-relatedposts-i2 wp-block-jetpack-related-posts has-small-font-size" data-layout="grid"><ul class="jp-related-posts-i2__list" data-post-count="3" role="list"><li class="jp-related-posts-i2__post" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083cc7e"><a class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-link" href="https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-rethink-coalition-indot-influence/" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083cc7e-label">Rethink Coalition wants a recessed highway. Is INDOT interested?<img alt="A rendering looking toward downtown from the north" class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-img" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rethink_rendering.jpg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rethink_rendering.jpg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rethink_rendering.jpg?resize=525%2C300&amp;ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rethink_rendering.jpg?resize=700%2C400&amp;ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rethink_rendering.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&amp;ssl=1 3x"/></a><dl class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-defs"><dt>Date</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-date">December 17, 2023</dd><dt>Author</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-author">Tyler Fenwick</dd></dl></li><li class="jp-related-posts-i2__post" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083ccae"><a class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-link" href="https://mirrorindy.org/propel-indy-meeting-drexel-gardens-neighborhood/" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083ccae-label">State seeks input on how to improve I-65, I-70 downtown<img alt="The westbound lane is only about 100 feet from several homes on McCarty Drive." class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-img" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/propelindy2-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/propelindy2-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/propelindy2-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&amp;ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/propelindy2-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&amp;ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/propelindy2-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&amp;ssl=1 3x"/></a><dl class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-defs"><dt>Date</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-date">October 10, 2024</dd><dt>Author</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-author">Enrique Saenz</dd></dl></li><li class="jp-related-posts-i2__post" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083ccce"><a class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-link" href="https://mirrorindy.org/public-hearing-i65-southeast-indianapolis-safety-improvements/" id="related-posts-item-67b71c083ccce-label">INDOT seeking public comment on I-65 changes<img alt="" class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-img" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/i65.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/i65.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&amp;ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/i65.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&amp;ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/i65.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&amp;ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/i65.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&amp;ssl=1 3x"/></a><dl class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-defs"><dt>Date</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-date">July 23, 2024</dd><dt>Author</dt><dd class="jp-related-posts-i2__post-author">Darian Benson</dd></dl></li></ul></nav></section>

mirrorindy.org/indot-contractors-worry-... #hoosiernews #HoosierMast #smallbusiness #NoBillionaires

Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead in full bloom. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus behind subject. https://nativeplantsunlimitedshop.com/products/pink-turtlehead-chelone-obliqua

Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead in full bloom. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus behind subject. https://nativeplantsunlimitedshop.com/products/pink-turtlehead-chelone-obliqua

Pink turtlehead can reach 6 feet in height. Works best in full sun with medium-wet soil to standing water. Can tolerate some shade in morning or late afternoon. Pair with marsh milkweed, obedient plant and other moist soil tolerant species. This photo was taken before our beds filled in. This bed also has foxglove penstemon and showy blackeyed susans.

A native bumblebee nectaring on Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead, in full bloom. Bumblebees have to pry the petals apart to enter the flower. Other small insects pollinate turtlehead blooms as well. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus in foreground.

Pink turtlehead is on preorder this year! Great for rain gardens. See alt text captions for more info. Preorders open now through April 1! All sale details at link in bio: nativeplantsunlimited.com #nativeplants #hoosiernews #indianapolis #nativehabitat […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]

Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead in full bloom. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus behind subject. https://nativeplantsunlimitedshop.com/products/pink-turtlehead-chelone-obliqua

Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead in full bloom. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus in foreground.

A native bumblebee nectaring on Chelone obilqua, pink turtlehead, in full bloom. Bumblebees have to pry the petals apart to enter the flower. Other small insects pollinate turtlehead blooms as well. Pink flowers on stalk with unopened buds at top. Bright green foliage with serrated leaves margins. Additional stalks can be seen out of focus in foreground.

Pink turtlehead can reach 6 feet in height. Works best in full sun with medium-wet soil to standing water. Can tolerate some shade in morning or late afternoon. Pair with marsh milkweed, obedient plant and other moist soil tolerant species. This photo was taken before our beds filled in. This bed also has foxglove penstemon and showy blackeyed susans.

Pink turtlehead is on preorder this year! Great for rain gardens. See alt text captions for more info. Preorders open now through April 1! All sale details at link in bio: nativeplantsunlimited.com #nativeplants #hoosiernews #indianapolis #nativehabitat #indiana #pollinatorgarden #butterflygarden

#hoosiernews

Text reads: Preorders Begin Ground Hog Day, February 2! SPRING 2025 DATES TO KNOW Geist Nursery Location: February 2 - Preorders Begin April 1 - Preorders End May 2,3,4,5,6 - Preorder Pickups w/ Early Sale Access May 7 - Public Sale Begins June 29 - Public Sale Ends

Are you ready to rumble???

https://nativeplantsunlimitedshop.com #IndianaNativePlants #nativeplantsunlimited #hoosiernews #indianapolis #HoosierMast #wetlandconservation #hoosierenvironmentalcouncil #nativehabitat

Got cabin fever? Let us help you plan for spring! Join NPU at the seed swap and check out our selection of bare roots and seeds- all #wildtype #Indiana #nativeplants It’s a great place to find heritage vegetable seeds!
#indianapolis #hoosiernews

Walmart altercation led to Castleton Square Mall shooting, court records reveal Police re-arrested an 18-year-old after discovering that a prior altercation led to the shooting inside of the Castleton Square Mall.

IndyStar reports:

Walmart altercation led to Castleton Square Mall shooting, court records reveal

www.indystar.com/story/news/c...

#hoosiersky #indianapolis #news #indiana #hoosiernews