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🎨 Yesterday marked 100 years since the death of Hoosier painter T.C. Steele. Did you know you could visit his former home in Nashville and tour his studio?
What’s on your mind? Hit reply and let us know.
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Can I get a free Indiana roadmap, please? No. |
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Laura Lane, rural communities reporter |
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If you want one of these in your car, you'll probably have to pay for it. (Jenna Watson/FPI News) |
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While contemplating a Midwest summer road trip, my daughter decided to gather up highway road maps as guides. She and her husband enjoy taking the backroads, plotting alternative routes to get a close-up look at small towns and places not aligned with major highways.
Once they took the scenic route from Chicago to Bloomington for a visit, and it took them six hours, not the usual four, to get to my house.
“Did you know Indiana doesn't print roadmaps anymore?” she asked one day. “You should write a story about it. All the other states will send you one in the mail, but I couldn’t get one from Indiana. I couldn't believe it.”
Neither could I. After calling around to various state transportation departments, I confirmed that indeed, Indiana no longer prints or provides free paper highway maps. Kentucky, though, still does. The state still prints about 700,000 every year at 19 cents each, and gives them out for free. |
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Dylan Peers McCoy, civic accountability reporter |
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Dylan, left, wants to have coffee with you next week. (Jenna Watson/FPI News) |
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The other day, Lindsey shared a map of the Indiana counties we’ve included in our stories so far. It got me thinking about the many, many places in Indiana where my reporting has taken me over the last decade — from rural stretches like Daviess County in southwestern Indiana to cities like Muncie.
We want our reporting to capture the diverse beauty and challenges across the state, and we need your help finding the local stories that matter.
Next week, I’m headed to Lebanon to meet our readers and sources on their home turf. I’ll be hanging out at Just Love Coffee Cafe from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 31. Stop by to say hi, share a coffee and find out more about FPI News.
🕐 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, July 31
📍Just Love Coffee Cafe, 126 W. Washington St., Lebanon
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A message from our partner |
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(Jenna Watson/Mirror Indy) |
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More than 1,000 people have signed up to run for school board seats this year — and about half declared a political party. Of those who declared, the majority are Republican. This is the first election cycle since the state law allowing party affiliation in school board races took effect. (Indiana Capital Chronicle) |
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(Melanie Moser/CDC/DPDx) |
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The outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the stomach infection caused by a parasite in contaminated food, continues to worsen throughout Indiana. There are nearly 700 cases as of Thursday, with every county reporting at least one case. Allen County leads the state, with 109. (WANE)
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(Abra Richardson/FPI News) |
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Hamilton County’s morgue has a sterile environment that coroner Jeff Jellison knows is uncomfortable for families. He wanted to make it better, so he launched a program to use donated handmade quilts to cover the deceased. (FPI News)
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How Temporary Protected Status ending will change Indiana’s workforce |
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Carson Gerber, civic accountability reporter |
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Weedberline Cetoute is worried about her father, a Haitian immigrant who will lose his Temporary Protected Status on Monday. (Abra Richardson/FPI News) |
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Weedberline Cetoute, 27, remembers walking through gang riots and piles of burning tires to get home from her job in Haiti, where her father owned a small business.
The Haitian immigrants came to Indianapolis to escape the country that has collapsed into chaos. Today, armed gangs control the capital, Port-au-Prince. The country remains under a national state of emergency.
Cetoute told me all this during a phone call last week to talk about the real possibility her dad could be deported back to Haiti. On Monday, he will lose his Temporary Protected Status following a U.S Supreme Court ruling last month.
Cetoute joined her dad in Indianapolis in 2023 for a better life. She now owns a flower shop. He works as a team leader at a local warehouse.
The story I wrote this week focuses on the fact that the state’s workforce will lose around 7,000 people on Monday when companies will be forced to lay off people like Cetoute’s dad.
But whether you agree with ending TPS or not, it’s important to understand that this policy is impacting real people living real lives in Indiana. |
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A message from our partner |
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🍉Rock the Rind |
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Watermelon and music festival with country music, food, craft vendors, kids entertainment and more. The watermelon festival is free. Rock the Rind is a ticketed event.
🗓️ Aug. 6-8
📍 Brownstown
🔗 Details |
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⚾️Indiana State Fair |
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The state fair is always a hit! So batter up for this year’s baseball theme and enjoy the animals, rides, foods, entertainment, contests and more.
🗓️ Aug. 7-23 (Closed Mondays)
📍 Indiana State Fairgrounds
🔗 Details |
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🍖BBQ & Brew Festival |
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Enjoy craft beer, burgers and live music at this ticketed fundraiser in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County.
🗓️ Aug. 8
📍Elkhart
🔗 Details |
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An IndyStar investigation found that officials at the Miami Correctional Facility were not prepared for the influx of immigrants sent there after Gov. Mike Braun agreed to use it to house up to 1,000 ICE detainees.(IndyStar)
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Hannah Rapp, a 26-year-old Yorktown native, Purdue University graduate and professional boxer known as “Hanarchy,” died July 18 after being struck by a vehicle while riding her bike in Texas. Hear from people who knew her. (Ball State Daily News)
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Artwork from the personal collection of Alicia Keys and music producer Swizz Beatz is coming to Newfields. The exhibit will open at the Indianapolis art museum in September. (Mirror Indy)
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Kat Von D, famous tattoo artist and TV personality, has opened a store offering home decor, kitchen goods and more in Vevay, in southeast Indiana along the Ohio River. (WKRC)
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📸 Photo to go: 'Tis the season |
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Annie Obert poses with her cow, Parfait, during the open dairy show at the 2026 Vanderburgh County Fair on July 22 in Evansville. (MaCabe Brown/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) |
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🫶 One of my favorite stories we’ve published since launch is this feature on Indiana barns, which are disappearing. But it’s not a sad story — it’s a look at an effort to save the remaining barns. Give it a read. |
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Lindsey Erdody, editor in chief |
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