James Briggs

3 weeks 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.

3 weeks 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.

1 month ago | indystar.com | James Briggs

Hamilton County cities are scapegoating Wall Street so they can award affluent buyers and existing homeowners with exclusive access to single-family houses and keep away unsavory renters. City officials in Fishers and Carmel argue it's necessary to ban renters from subdivisions where single-family homes hit 10% renter-occupied. It's every American's right to treat shelter as a financial instrument, they argue.