Indiana

More than half a million Hoosiers rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But those benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown.

Community members from Morgan County gathered Thursday night for an educational listening session on redistricting as Indiana lawmakers prepare for a special session to draw new maps. It is the first of three hosted by the nonpartisan group ReCenter Indiana Politics.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced its intent to loan the project $1.5 billion last fall. Residents against the project called the loan closure “shameful” at a time when basic government services are shut down.

The number of communities budgeting or writing grants for sustainability nearly doubled in the past three years. More than half of cities adopted ordinances to prevent new construction in floodplains.

The government shutdown not only impacts federal programs like food assistance, it also means important workforce data gets delayed — like Indiana’s monthly employment report. The report highlights the state’s unemployment data and labor force participation rate, among other things.

An Indiana University professor has joined a national team of researchers that aims to track what are called “cascading hazards.” That’s where one natural disaster increases the likelihood of another — or makes the effects of that next disaster worse.

President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Republican governors to draw up new maps in an attempt to give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House in the midterms.

The utility did consider a scenario to serve data centers with all clean energy sources, but said it wasn’t as cost-effective for customers.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is opening a second public comment period on a proposed rule to eliminate gender changes on driver’s licenses. Advocates say the move is a "direct dismissal of public will" after dozens of people showed up to the first public hearing in opposition.

Only two counties in Indiana require emissions tests for some passenger cars — Lake and Porter. State lawmakers have long blamed smog from Chicago and interstate travel for this. But how smog forms around Lake Michigan is much more complicated.