James Briggs

1 month ago | indystar.com | James Briggs

Indiana is going to start giving letter grades to schools again. They're probably going to be useless for parents. As IndyStar's Caroline Beck writes, a new law requires the state board of education to create a methodology for A-through-F grades by 2026. While we don't know what that will look like, we can say one thing with near-certainty: The grading system will be a better measurement of wealth than school quality.

1 month ago | indystar.com | James Briggs

Indiana lawmakers could have acknowledged that Indianapolis and its suburbs are getting stiffed on road funding. They also could have fixed it. Instead, the Indiana General Assembly agreed to send an additional $50 million a year toward fixing Indianapolis roads. But the state isn't just giving away that money. It's treating it like a matching grant, requiring Indianapolis to come up with $50 million on its own to unlock the money.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | James Briggs

Indiana lawmakers could have acknowledged that Indianapolis and its suburbs are getting stiffed on road funding. They also could have fixed it. Instead, the Indiana General Assembly agreed to send an additional $50 million a year toward fixing Indianapolis roads. But the state isn't just giving away that money. It's treating it like a matching grant, requiring Indianapolis to come up with $50 million on its own to unlock the money.

1 month ago | usatoday.com | James Briggs

President Trump's tariffs are doing what Indiana lawmakers won't: curtailing fireworks. Trump's 145% tax on goods imported from China is making fireworks prohibitively expensive, just as retailers are stocking up for the July 4 holiday. Virtually all consumer fireworks come from China, and Indiana is a major recipient thanks to free-for-all laws enabling amateur pyrotechnicians to purchase miniature explosive devices and detonate them every day until midnight from June 29 to July 9.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | James Briggs

President Trump's tariffs are doing what Indiana lawmakers won't: curtailing fireworks. Trump's 145% tax on goods imported from China is making fireworks prohibitively expensive, just as retailers are stocking up for the July 4 holiday. Virtually all consumer fireworks come from China, and Indiana is a major recipient thanks to free-for-all laws enabling amateur pyrotechnicians to purchase miniature explosive devices and detonate them every day until midnight from June 29 to July 9.