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The Lens | 09/19/2026

🎪 Happy first Saturday of the Indiana State Fair. Who’s going to get deep-fried treats today? Or maybe you’re there for the animals. Today, you can catch llama, alpaca, lamb, pygmy goat, beef cattle and horse and pony shows.

What’s on your mind? Hit reply and let us know.

‘When an article is published I think it should have all the facts’

Rob Lawson and Ashea Lucas at their campsite in Bloomington. (Credit: Jeremy Hogan for FPI News)

The news reporter in me knows that most often, the best way to get to the heart of a story is to go where the people are.

On July 27, I laced up my hiking shoes and took a walk into the woods on Bloomington’s south side to talk to people living in a homeless camp about Indiana’s new law that makes sleeping outside on public property a crime that can land you in jail for six months.

Photographer Jeremy Hogan and I found Rob Lawson and Ashea Lucas at their campsite. They said police haven’t bothered them since the law went into effect July 1. If their camp is threatened, they’ll move deeper into the woods.

We heard from a reader who said the story should have mentioned the addiction that often contributes to homelessness. “I don't believe you got the full picture,” the email said. “When an article is published I think it should have all the facts and truth to the matter.”

Agreed. In this instance, the story was about how the new law is playing out in homeless camps. Are police going in to offer help and give the required 48-hour notice to move on? Has anyone been arrested? How substance use disorder plays into the mix is part of the street homelessness big picture, but not the focus here.

Reporting the news means meeting people where they are without judgment and preconceived notions about their lives. Not from a distance, but up close.

Why your homeowners insurance might not cover a new roof

(Credit: Jeneca Zody for FPI News)

A couple years ago, my mortgage payment suddenly spiked. The main reason was because my homeowners insurance was about to go up. My agent shopped around and found a new policy that was a lot less expensive. But there was one catch: my insurance now has a separate, higher deductible for roof damage.

It turns out, I’m not alone. Insurers now regularly offer policies that either have higher deductibles or only pay some of the replacement cost for roofs — leaving homeowners with steep bills if disaster strikes.

Those policies are appealing for insurers because hail damage is one of the biggest costs they bear. One industry study found that severe hail, thunderstorms and tornadoes were the costliest disasters for insurers globally in 2025.

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More Indiana news

Tariff refund is only a drop in the bucket for one Indiana business

Jeff Clark, founder and owner of Nashville-based 7PSolutions. (Credit: Chris Howell for FPI News)

Jeff Clark, founder and owner of the GPS-supply company 7PSolutions, said his business was booming at the end of 2024.

Then the tariffs hit April 2025, and everything changed. The company lost a million-dollar account. By November, Clark was wondering if he would have to layoff his seven employees.

I spoke with Clark for a story about Indiana companies receiving refunds from a set of tariffs the Trump administration implemented that the U.S. Supreme Court in February ruled unlawfulful.

Clark told me his company so far has received around $65,000, but should get back in total at least $150,000. But it doesn’t come close to making up the financial hit 7PSolutions took from the tariffs.

Clark said he’s not opposed to import taxes, but the way they’ve been rolled out so far has made operating a business complicated, unpredictable and stressful.

Now, the company could take another hit — the Trump administration last month announced another round of tariffs on more than 60 trading partners.

“It just feels like if, this afternoon, the cheese on Trump’s cheeseburger isn't melted enough and he wants to throw another 20% tariff on the cheese guys, then it's going to happen,” Clark said. “And there's just no warning.”

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🗓️ For your calendar

What else we're reading

• Good news if you need to fill up your gas tank soon. Not-so-good-news if you’re a city or town with a lot of road projects this year. Gov. Mike Braun found a way to extend the gas tax suspension for another month without legislative action. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
  
  

• Grants from funds established by Eli Lilly’s first Black chemist will help restore 15 historic African American sites across the state. (WTHR)
  
  

• Seven members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Indiana University have been charged with felony hazing for an October 2025 incident where two pledges were hospitalized. (Indiana Daily Student)
  
  

• The Elkhart Community School Board voted to close four school buildings and freeze pay for teachers as part of cost-cutting measures the district is implementing. (WVPE)
  
  

• Backyard chickens are permanently allowed in Lafayette now. After a controversial vote on a trial run last year, the City Council voted unanimously to make the ordinance permanent. (Based in Lafayette)
  
  

• Janie Hodge, whose popular TV show “Popeye and Janie” aired on WTTV from 1963-1986, died Sunday. (FOX-59)

🏈 It’s August, and football season is near. I’m offended by IU’s No. 6 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll, but feel indifferent about the Notre Dame-IU series being cancelled. Any one else have strong feelings?

P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at lindsey.erdody@fpinews.org. It helps us serve you better.

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