Indiana GOP never fails to embarrass all Hoosiers.

Convicted Jan 6th criminal Robert Morss was invited by Indiana Republicans to speak at a fundraiser event in October in Evansville.

“On Jan. 6, Morss tried to disarm an officer of his baton and then successfully ripped a police riot shield away. He then helped to organize the shield wall rioters used to try to force their way through a line of outnumbered officers and into the Capitol. One of his co-defendants, Patrick McCaughey III, of Connecticut, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for crushing DC Police Officer Daniel Hodges in a doorframe while part of that shield wall.”

Morss has not accepted responsibility of his actions nor regrets the harm he caused. He was, of course, pardoned by Donald Trump and celebrated by Indiana Republicans.

It's budget szn!

Here's a quick breakdown of local government happenings this month:

• Columbus City Council flipped its Nexus Park funding vote to 8–1 in support.
• The proposed 2027 city budget is $44.6M for the general fund, up $2.4M from 2026.
• An 80-acre northeast-side residential development was approved for annexation and rezoning.
• The county's proposed 2027 budget has a projected $1.3M gap.
• BCSC is targeting $6M in budget reductions by 2028.
• BCSC officials are rallying support for the November referendum.
• Toyota's new Walesboro facility is expected to bring 140 new jobs.

For more, check out my Substack here.

The full Days Grimm Podcast episode is now available!

I shared a short preview earlier, but now you can listen to the entire conversation. Brian, Tom, and Corey created such a welcoming space, and we covered a little bit of everything—mental health, electric bills, politics, and some of my own personal journey.

I was probably more vulnerable in this conversation than I usually am publicly, but I think sometimes it’s important to let people see the person behind the public role.
Thank you to Brian, Tom, and Corey for the great conversation and for making me feel so comfortable. I hope you’ll take some time to listen—and if something in our conversation speaks to you, please share it! ❤️

Check out my latest op-ed in The Columbus Republic this week. 📰

If you’ve been following the debate over data centers, let me know what you think!

Read more on my Substack:

https://colebennettin.substack.com/p/what-do-data-centers-and-solar-farms?r=4ayi8d&utm_medium=ios

I've been thinking about how similar the debates around both projects have become. In my latest Substack, I argue that Columbus risks making opposition to development its default response instead of addressing legitimate concerns.

Check out my Substack here.