There hasn’t been anything like this since the New Deal — a policy position so popular, so appealing in every way, and so utterly untenable. It is targeted economic development or eco-devo, a collection of schemes that would make FDR blush.

One of the most frustrating things that middle school teachers deal with is the fact that grades at our level don’t have a lot of teeth.

The email came in like a missile.

One of my favorite songs by Mary Chapin Carpenter notes: “The stars might lie, but the numbers never do.”

Republicans have such a strong grip on Indiana – holding the Governor’s office and super majorities in both legislative chambers – that it is difficult to see beyond the fact. It sometimes feels as though it must have always been so and always will be so.

The solemn moment has come.

What sort of refresh button did you set for 2020? Based on my unscientific observations, two of the most common are trying a new approach to eating or making a commitment to exercise, although at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library we would love it if you also included a renewed dedicati…

The founders of the republic argued long and hard to establish a balance between the executive and legislative branches of their new, unprecedented, and untried model of government.

The voice said something about a service call.

Bernie Sanders is rising, and conventional wisdom is that a Democratic nomination of the Vermont Democratic socialist will play right into President Trump’s reelection wheelhouse. But look back to the faint echoes of 2016 here in the Hoosier State, and polling last week from Morning Consult …

Important issues tend to be difficult, with deeply entrenched opinions and interests. They also attract the attention of media, political leaders, citizens and especially lobbyists. Recently, while explaining the results of two very contentious studies, I was asked who paid for them. That is…

Most of us struggle with addictions. Some of us might even be addicted to moderation (that’s a joke, son).

Recently, the old joke that the orange construction barrel is Indiana’s state flower has been told with unprecedented frequency around the Hoosier State. The proliferation of orange and white that motorists encounter across all 92 counties in our state is a visual confirmation of a historic …

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s fourth State of the State address made news in two ways.

Forget for a moment, if you can, what you think about the dangers of tobacco and the wisdom or folly of government trying to regulate its use. Consider, instead, how you think the laws dictating your conduct should be enacted.

President Donald Trump and his unquestioning defenders insist that killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani has made both the United States and the world safer.

Perhaps by the time you read this, the official U.S. Senate proceedings in the impeachment of President Donald Trump will have begun. Up until this week, the charges upon which the impeachment is based have been held by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I’ve been writing a lot about the problems with high-stakes standardized testing. This week’s topic fits right in with it because it is a somewhat hidden, but critical, side effect of the problems associated with our current testing policies. I’m speaking of the teaching of the social studies.

The 2020 session of the Indiana General Assembly has just begun, and already the campaign to duck the state’s biggest challenge is in full swing.

You do remember the impeachment trial?

Recently, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development put out a news release touting its “2020 campaign to tell real stories about Hoosiers.”

Since 1999 I’ve done an annual exercise, the Howey Politics Indiana Power 50 List, and this year’s version finds Vice President Mike Pence, Gov. Eric Holcomb and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg atop this compilation.

One of the frustrating things about living in Indiana is that we frequently have little voice in the selection of presidential candidates.

“Hi, Emil, come in,” I beckoned as I welcomed my clone-like imaginary friend. “I brewed a pot of coffee with those amazing volcanic-soil beans from Tanzania,” I added.

My previous column warned that growing inequality between regions in the United States is the most pressing issue of our time. I promised this week to write about potential remedies. Before doing so, I want to remind readers that there are strong economic forces behind growing inequality.

My entire life, people have been saying, “Dick, you don’t know Jack.” Actually, I do. In fact, I know dozens of Jacks. So does my wife. And she has a crush on about six of them.

Our personal experiences deepen our connection to, and stewardship of, nature and the world around us. Just as we get to know a person better by spending time together as friends, we get to know more about nature as the total amount of time we spend in it accumulates.

Maybe impeachment was the “imminent threat” that prompted President Donald Trump to order a drone strike that killed one of Iran’s top generals.

Someday, Hoosiers will be able to walk into a polling place, show a driver’s license, ID card or a recent utility bill, register to vote and then cast their ballot moments later.

OK. I’m running a little behind again. I’ve got a meeting 100 miles away that’s supposed to start in an hour. Going the speed limit, I’ll be 40 minutes late. What choices do I have?

As the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani with a drone strike escalated, one thought kept coming back to me.