Thank you for joining us for June's News Roundup. We took a look at the local impact of federal cases, state education changes and took a ride on the last trip for the Hoosier State Line.
We opened our episode with a discussion with regular guest Andrew Downs, head of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Indiana has a long history of gerrymandering, one made worse in recent years. Andy sat down with WBOI Producer and Host Ben Clemmer to discuss ways in which recent a Supreme Court ruling may impact attempts by Hoosiers to achieve redistricting form.
Indiana legislators have little incentive to redraw the map, and the maps are becoming more skewed in one party's direction or another. Indiana is one of a majority of states that allow legislatures to draw their maps for representation.
WBOI News Director Rebecca Green caught up with Reporter and Morning Edition Host Zach Bernard for an update on the status of the Electric Works project, the city's bedeviled solid waste management contract, and the defeat of Fort Wayne's "Pay-to-Play" ordinance in Allen Superior Court.
In June, the Amtrak train Hoosier State Line ceased operations. When Gov. Eric Holcomb and state lawmakers passed a tw0-year budget this spring, they zeroed out the $3 million Indiana paid to keep the service running. Indiana Public Broadcasting's Samantha Horton took a ride on the train's final journey.
Journal Gazette Editorial Page Editor Karen Francisco came by WBOI to talk with Rebecca Green about the changes in Indiana education coming after the recent state legislative session. Karen also looked back at the long tenure of Fort Wayne Community School's Superintendent Wendy Robinson, who will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
Indiana Public Broadcasting's Justin Hicks covers workforce development for stations around the state.
In June, he reported on efforts to slow Indiana's brain drain problem.
We also re-aired WBOI's Arts and Culture Reporter Julia Meek's interviewwith acclaimed Hamburg muralist 1010, whose artwork is gracing facades throughout Fort Wayne.
WBOI is blessed with wonderful interns from time to time, and we said goodbye to a great one in June when Delaney Zuver left us after about six weeks. A student at Wooster College, Laney sat down with Ben to talk about her experience here at the station and where she wants to go.