of the panelists.

Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

e week ending December 26th, 2025.

Indiana Week in Review is produced by WFYI in association with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations.

This year has been marked by numerous changes inside Indiana government structures that have been influenced by the Trump administration.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun has stood alongside the president during what has been a busy year for Indiana policy.

Mike Braun's first year as governor has been marked by a conservative agenda that includes a restructuring of the executive branch, budget cuts and overhauling regulations on education and the environment.

Braun has backed many federal moves aligned with the Trump administration, starting with the removal of DEI efforts throughout state departments.

Early in the year.

agencies made cuts as they faced a grim revenue forecast.

At the same time, Braun touted property tax reform that is now expected to impact the budgets of local schools and cities.

The governor has supported Trump's wishes when it came to congressional redistricting and immigration enforcement.

How has Braun's first year shaped up?

It's the first question for our Indiana Week and review panel.

Democrat, Ann DeLaney.

Republican, Mike O'Brien.

Oseye Boyd, editor in chief at Mirror Indy.

And Niki Kelly, editor in chief at Indiana Capital Chroniclee I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

So, Ann, how do you think governor Mike Brown's first year has gone?

You want to, you know, Judge his first year?

You probably have to go back to June of 2024 and look at what happened to him in the convention when his own handpicked lieutenant governor candidate was rejected by his party.

I mean, he he dealt with the IDC, IEDC.

Okay, but there's no replacement.

he obviously put all his eggs in the redistricting basket, which was a bad mistake.

And now he's attacking the Senate that he's going to have to go to if he has a legislative agenda to try to get it passed.

And there have been a series of of things that he's done that have not been thought through the property tax reform.

The average person is not going to feel that, but the average community is going to feel it.

And he's managed it hurt both companies that don't have a good property tax base.

And those companies, the communities, excuse me, and communities that are expanding.

He's his property tax reform is damaging them both.

And there are going to be significant, impacts on schools, police and fire around the state because of this reform, all because they've spent all the money.

I mean, the business personal property tax, give back the cut in the corporate income tax, the cut in the personal income tax guarantees that there's no money there for child care.

I mean, people are going to be desperate for child care because they're there are there are childcare facilities closing because of those cutbacks and health care and all the things that are important to the quality of life.

He's failed on.

And frankly, I thought when he came in that he would try to moderate the right wing, crazies on the Republican side, and instead he's jumped into bed with them.

It was a disappointment.

Well, Mike, we've seen, you know, a fracture in his in the Republican Party, you know, with with Governor Braun under his helm.

This this year.

Do you think that this is going to pose a further problem for him moving forward?

Well, I think he came in at a at a difficult time.

you know, he came in right at the end of a lot of Covid money.

You know, if you look at the budget cycle in 2023 versus when he came in in 2025, I mean, it was a $5 billion flip, from having an excess surplus of 5 or $6 billion that the legislature and the governor went in and and spent through.

And 23 comes in and 25 and now we're looking at a $2.5 billion forecast, a downward forecast that he had to go manage and did that really well.

I think his reorganization of state government is it's probably like the biggest hallmark so far.

It's more transparent.

It's more accountable because, you know, who is actually in charge of each, you know, of these agencies.

And, you know, he to reduce the size of the cabinet so that there are fewer people, over more agencies, you know, so all of those things were, were, were positive things.

Right at the beginning of the year, he got his, property tax reform legislation, which whatever you think of it, it's going to help homeowners and businesses.

while while not a legislature, just have to come back in this year and clean up some of the edges of, you know.

Whether you have to lay off police.

I mean, the areas where they know they missed, but have plenty of time to do it because they've like mandates are aren't for years from now.

But, so I think there are a lot of there are a lot of high points.

I think he came in at a difficult time.

And, and because he came in with a business minded approach to it, was able to kind of manage through that.

Yeah.

He really well.

Obviously didn't have as much money, but he was able to expand vouchers, wasn't there, and he was able to do the business.

Personally.

But that.

Wasn't.

He met all those things.

At the same time.

He's depriving health units of them of the money they need to make our population more healthy, and child care and other important Hoosier things.

Well, Niki, you've seen him at work here this past year.

Do you think he was off to a strong start and, you know, maybe, he's dealing with some issues now that.

I mean, he was very busy in the beginning.

I mean, he issued a ton of executive orders, many of which mirrored similar ones from President Trump.

You know, he's made a lot of cuts to state government that definitely have impacts in terms of the structure you mentioned.

I mean, I know what the structure is, but I don't think the structural changes he made mean anything to a basic Hoosier on the street of who's a cabinet member and who's not, you know.

Administration and state government that matters.

I mean, they may not see, like, all the dots connected, but I mean, there's a lot of people that are interacting with government that are doing so in a more efficient way.

Now, I don't I don't have any proof of that.

But I'm just saying, you know, that he struggled to get what he got out of property taxes.

He obviously failed completely on the redistricting front.

He continues to fight sometimes with his own lieutenant governor.

So it hasn't you know, it wasn't a great first year.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing what his agenda is for the second year.

We it's December.

We still have no idea.

And they're going to be ended by the end of February.

So, I think it's probably time yet none.

I think we great to start talking about that.

I mean, we did see a lot of those early moves, you know, significantly, efforts that were cut out of a lot of state programs.

Yes.

And then also, you know, a number of, agencies have had to make those cuts.

Do you think those are the things that, more resonate with people that are, you know, sort of seeing how branded this first year?

I think those are things he may want people to remember.

because I'm with Niki, no one's going to know about the different heads of agencies and efficiencies there.

but I think this has been a whirlwind year.

He came in like a lion.

so I'm curious to see what his agenda is going to be for the next year, because there has been there have been some, some efficiencies, cuts to, for, for, for government efficiency.

But also where are you putting the money toward when we say we don't have money, but we're putting it toward, like you said, vouchers, but not toward child care that I think resonates with people.

People remember that those who need child care, remember that especially right now when we have people who are losing daycares, people who can't afford daycare, then you also have people come back to work.

But now tell them to bring your baby to work and see if A is going to keep your baby for, a little bit while you go off to a meeting.

There's just some, I think, some strange things that have been happening.

and then we've just seen the redistricting happen as well.

So, this is kind of soured, I think.

Well shown, I guess showing his lack of power in some areas for sure.

Have seen him reeling a little bit from from the recent redistricting vote.

What should the governor, you know, focus on moving forward.

With the redistricting?

I mean, we're you know, people around the statehouse are normally you used to be sitting here on, you know, in the middle of December.

And you know what the House Republicans are going to do, you know, what the House Democrats want to do?

You know what the Senate's going to work on the governor.

And it there's a cadence to this and redistricting just like killed it.

and so now we've got three weeks before the start of the really the real start of the, the session.

Not this like fake start to the session and December 1st.

with really no clear idea of what anyone wants to do or like what the what the plan is for.

Now this like what's going to be about seven weeks of of session is going to be fast.

And so what the you know back to what the public needs to understand.

And that is if whatever the agenda is, they're going to have ten days to get it moving and that's it.

Two hearings and it either it's either moving or it's not.

And so like those of us that are on the state House, a lot, the the cadence and the rhythm, the to this session is really hard to understand.

What are the opportunities going to be in this, in this now like very narrow frame of time after they all came out of this redistricting thing, angry at each other like no one's getting along, the Republicans aren't getting along.

The Democrats aren't getting along.

I never heard anyone take the microphone in one of those chambers and call the other side evil.

I never heard that before.

And I heard that.

And that certainly the overt partizan nature of it and the even between the Republicans was, was unprecedented for me and my.

It's very hard to put the genie back in the bottle, at least I think it's hard to for.

Three weeks and pretend like none of it ever happened.

Now we're going to go to health committee, so maybe we can, like.

Hypnotize them, let them think.

Yeah.

He also said he loved them though too.

So.

Well, which predominates.

I don't know.

We'll see how that happens in 2026.

Indiana is also at the center of a data center boom, with billions of dollars and projects underway.

Farrah Anderson reports 2025 was marked by proposals for data centers throughout Indiana and community pushback.

Data centers store and process huge amounts of digital information.

As artificial intelligence grows and demand for storage increases, companies are racing to build more of them, and Indiana has become a fast growing destination thanks to generous tax incentives and plenty of available land.

But many communities are pushing back.

Bryce Gustafson, an organizer with the Citizens Action Coalition, has been helping residents respond.

It's really found traction in these communities.

Unlike anything that I really seen.

Residents across the state have raised similar concerns, including strain on the power grid, heavy water use and doubts that the economic benefits will reach local people.

So, Mike, how should communities respond to this?

You know, increased in a number of data centers that are looking to come into.

In the well, not the way they have been, which just take either it's on data centers or energy development.

You water.

We talked with the leave district and you see you see towns and communities taking their counties, taking really punitive steps to stop what should be statewide assets or statewide policies.

And I think that's where the legislature is, has gone in the last 12 months.

I think there's been a real recognition that we can't let a county decide how the water flows through it.

These these need to be policies that that are statewide and data centers.

They are energy intensive and they are water intensive, and they require a lot of resources.

they also need to exist like they can exist somewhere.

I like Illinois, I prefer they just say, well, Illinois can't do it because of their energy policies.

Okay.

How about Ohio?

so I don't understand why.

One, I don't understand the aversion to to a data center.

I understand that there are things that need to be figured out.

I also don't I can't go back to the property tax conversation.

You know, you have some pretty small places with very small tax bases turning their nose up at $10 billion in investment.

And it's like, are you out of your mind?

The one to the one in the city of Indianapolis, the Google Center in Indianapolis data center?

they got rejected by the the Board of Zoning Appeals.

they wanted to do that in favor of, of a neighborhood that's never going to be built, which which now brings in all kinds of other problems fire protection, police protection.

Now they got to build another school.

And it's like, okay, well, or we could just build this data center and go to the bank.

and these things do need these things need to exist.

They can, they can, I guess your health, your health records and all of your personal information can exist in a data center in Mexico, but I'd rather have it be in Cloverdale, you know, and see billions of dollars invest in those communities.

So I think the legislature is on the front end up coming in and preempted a lot of what local governments able to stop and do in this in other areas.

Well, I mean, we have seen such a strong community like activism around this issue as well.

And, you know, that has been heartening to see, you know, so many people get involved, but are they possibly misguided?

If this is true?

I think we're seeing all of this development of data centers because of too many incentives offered by the state of Indiana to bring them here.

At the same time, we didn't hear our governor or either of our senators protest when Hallie stopped the cheaper and more environmentally friendly, electricity coming from Kansas through Missouri.

Nobody said anything about that.

Okay.

We have the highest residential, electric rates in in the Midwest, the highest right now.

And this is going to compound that problem, never mind the water problem.

And it just seems to me that everybody has to step back when you say it brings billions of in development, certainly it brings construction jobs.

It's unclear how many long term jobs are going to be available as a result of that.

And it does.

It's going to put a very big, very big load on our electric grid.

At the same time, the Republicans are actually talking about bringing back coal.

Okay.

I mean, you know, talk about being well, yeah, but it's more coal and it's against wind and solar.

And in that, it seems to me, is self-destructive.

If they were in favor of lowering the utility rates by bringing in the solar and the wind, they might have a more receptive audience.

Well, Niki, I mean, we do have to have some regulation and understanding of how we do move forward with these data centers in Indiana.

Our lawmakers considering good measures, to make it happen.

I think they're getting frustrated by all the not my backyard stuff.

and they're probably going to take over kind of on the front end.

But the in the end result is they're no one's selling these.

I mean, you just said take the money to the bank, but I can never find out what money any community is giving.

We give them a bunch of sales tax.

We give them this huge sales tax exemption, which could be helping pay for child care.

We're losing hundreds of millions a year in state coffer money from that sales tax exemption.

Then we give them property tax abatements.

So that's the main thing with data centers for me is I don't understand what they're bringing to the community.

Right.

And you're not.

Alone.

I think a lot of community members, we've heard that from them is that, you know, what's the long term benefit for us here in Martindale, Bray and like, you know, Decatur Township, like they just aren't seeing.

Is that what you're hearing as well?

I'm hearing that there are environmental environmental concerns.

There are electricity concerns.

But also no one is selling this to make me understand why we need this.

To your point, they are here.

We do need them, but no one is telling people why they're here, why we need them, why it's a mistake to send it to another state.

we're just hearing we're going to come and we're going to put this here and if you like it, don't like it.

Oh, well.

So people, we're not we don't like it because we don't know why it's here.

We don't know how many jobs we keep talking about.

All these jobs.

How many, how how long are they going to be here?

It's just going to be a janitor who comes in.

A custodian comes in and cleans at night.

Like, are people actually going to work here?

We don't know anything.

And I think that's the biggest issue is the lack of knowledge about what benefits front end.

Yes, for sure.

I think so.

I think I think we get too far down the road on this is coming.

This is coming.

Who is it?

I can't tell you.

I'm under an NDA.

I you know, you'll find out later.

Everything is top secret.

So all the approvals are done.

That's a lot.

Actually, a lot of the work we do is try to, like, lay that groundwork.

And it's.

I think the industry is starting to figure out, oh, we got to get way ahead of this because we can't just drop into a community.

Yeah.

Then not tell anybody what's going on.

Everyone.

And then.

So quickly.

The message that they can provide is a positive message that the community will want if there are no jobs and if there is a concern on the electric rates and everything else, that's not going to sell.

But I think that's been a part of a bigger conversation about about energy development and having a statewide water strategy.

Let's let's figure that we don't have one.

Well, how about wind and solar.

An issue.

We do have.

We aren't bringing it from.

Kansas, but we have more.

Thanks to the Republicans.

We'd have more of it if we didn't have local control.

Over.

Well, I agree with.

The farmer solar farm to have.

So I don't disagree with that.

Solar on all the data center properties.

And yeah.

That's that's moving issue.

That's another issue.

The issue of immigration has become contentious in Indiana and influenced other communities all across the state.

Samantha Horton has more.

At the beginning of the year, Indiana law enforcement around the state began to sign agreements to work more closely with the federal government to detain immigrants, while legislation to make immigration enforcement more stringent across the board failed earlier this year, it is being considered again in the 2026 session.

The state also worked with the federal government to expand detention capacity in Indiana.

The Miami Correctional Facility north of Kokomo started holding people in October, and Camp Atterbury has been considered for additional detention space.

The issue has deeply impacted the immigrant community, who described experiencing heightened stress and fear because of these policies.

This month, dozens of immigrants were denied their final step in becoming U.S.

citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Indianapolis.

So, Niki, we've seen a lot of activity around this issue obviously this year.

What do you think?

You know, policy wise has really made the most impact in Indiana?

I think the biggest impact is the stuff we're seeing nationally, right?

Where random person is at the Home Depot and they just get pulled up on and and yanked and told, you know, these aren't people.

They have warrants for.

They aren't people who have violent histories.

you know, I feel like the extremes in our world right now, we went from the extreme of allegedly, you know, they said the Biden administration just let anyone in the world, you know, we went from that extreme to now, you know, we're going to basically we close down the border and that's one thing.

But now we're going in the second part, which is basically just to kick anyone out who's not white or from, you know, or sort of basic Anglo history.

And, and, you know, I think that's bothering people.

Like, I feel like there's got to be some moderation in there in the middle, but so far we're struggling to find it.

Yeah.

And we, you know, have seen this hugely impacting communities across Indiana.

You know what we're seeing talking about, you know, the fear that it's creating and the the repercussions there.

What in your mind has has been the biggest impact in the state?

Well, I think the fear that everyone has is, is palpable.

People are afraid to go to the grocery store.

They're afraid to go to school when you have when you when you're afraid the ice is going to come into your school and, take children away.

these are things that these are things we're talking about now that we didn't talk about before that didn't ever seem, plausible before.

now we're we're talking about.

Well, I don't want to give you my name just because we don't.

I don't want to be at risk.

You have people trying to protect communities in ways that we've never seen before.

that I think is probably just the fear that everyone has of just not knowing what's going to happen, getting denied.

You do all the work to become a citizen, which we say we want people to do.

You're supposed to do that.

And then being denied to at the swearing in ceremony that I've never heard of that before happening.

So I just think there's then there's another one coming up, I think this week or next week.

So what's going to happen there?

There's just fear.

There's just fear among a lot of communities that we've never had before in this country.

And any of the speakers will be back, you know, with with some legislation this year that tries to make immigration enforcement a little stricter.

Are they on the right track?

I don't disagree with anything.

It was just said, I think the I think what is moving, I think what is moving the needle is like these guys who rented minivans just showing up and throwing, you know, just grabbing people off the street.

I'm like, this is insane.

This has got to be, I think, I think generally the public coming into kind of this Trump in this second Trump administration didn't look at the southern border and go 250,000 people a month.

Is is insane.

But this has got to be this.

That has to be fixed and they fix it.

And I think people appreciate that part of it.

But now it's, you know, like everything else, we're missing the other.

We missed the other way.

Now, ISIS raiding green card meetings because there's an administrative lapse in your green card.

But you're going through the right process and the legal process that is burdensome and long and hard.

But a lot of people are going through this and we're catching them on like paperwork glitches or technicalities.

And it's these people, these, you know, these are the criminals and drug dealers that we've that were purported to be enforcing.

These are like doctors who are who are here and just trying to renew a work visa.

you know, so we've clearly missed the other direction.

We missed in a way that's scary to look at for sure.

and there's just no accountability for this agency.

It doesn't feel like.

It's that should, you know, should there be more.

But absolutely.

It's like the SS in Nazi Germany.

You mean you could be walking along, minding your own business or at, like, what happened at that Naturalization Service, sir?

service.

Doing everything that you're supposed to do to be in this country legally and become a citizen and still be grabbed off the street.

I mean, it it is shocking and I agree there has to be a moderation, but that requires an immigration bill that actually establishes a process of purpose.

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

This system.

Is clearly it's.

It's clearly failing.

an issue again that I know lawmakers will be involved in and that we will continue to look at here in Indiana.

But on a lighter note, it has been a banner year for Indiana sports teams, all major league professional teams, as well as a few Hoosier universities that have racked up impressive winning records.

Sam Horton again has more.

From the Pacers playoff run to the IU football season success.

It's been an exciting year for sports in Indiana.

For fans, it's a thrilling time.

After some lackluster seasons in the past two years, the success has touched the fever the Colts, Purdue and Notre Dame.

The year has also marked the debut of a number of new professional teams.

Team owners, coaches and players say this year's success follows decades of investment and development.

So, Oseye, your favorite sports moment of the year?

Okay, mine is going to be different.

I'm a volleyball mom.

My daughter is a college player, so we were waiting years for Indy Ignite.

and we got to go to the inaugural game when she was on break away was this year.

But last year for her break, you know how that goes when your kids in college, when we got to go to Niagara game together and celebrate to see professional volleyball in Indiana.

So, we were very excited.

I'm very excited for the Indy Ignite.

I think that's been one of the wins.

We've seen a number of new professional teams come into the state because of all the legacy building in sports world over the over the years.

Niki, I know we have a lot of college fans here.

I mean, it's hard not to choose.

Now obviously that was just the Big Ten championship.

And we want them to actually win the overall championship.

But that one's a hard one to beat for me.

Ann also I absolutely I mean, the idea that that Indiana would be a power football school, that's not been in my lifetime.

So it it is it is wonderful and it's energizing for the alumni base and the state as a whole.

Mike, what bandwagon were you on this year?

Well, I put a sports fan.

I feel like a sports junkie.

And my wife has not been except this year.

And I started with the Pacers.

And then we got right into we're Bears fans.

And so the bears are well yeah.

Turning the page there too.

But yeah.

the one moment when Tyrese Haliburton I can't remember the game, but when he, when he, when he hit that shot that hit the that brick and went straight up and it came right down back down and then sent the game to overtime, I was going berserk.

And then woke my wife up and.

Truly an exciting year.

So Its been an exciting year.

That's Indiana Week In Review for this week.

Our panel has been Democrat, Ann DeLaney.

Republican.

Mike O'Brien.

Oseye Boyd, editor in chief at Mirror Indy.

And Niki Kelly, editor in chief at Indiana Capitol Chronicle.

You can find Indiana Week In Reviews podcast and episodes at wfyi.org/iwir or on the PBS app.

I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI.

Join us next time because a lot can happen and an Indiana Week.