It is with a heavy heart that we share this message with everyone who has followed the City-County Observer for more than two decades. As of February 1, 2026, there will be no further publications of the City-County Observer.

With Ron’s passing, continuing his legacy has been incredibly difficult. This paper was truly his passion, and it meant a great deal to him to keep the community informed.

We are deeply grateful to all who supported and read the paper over the years, especially those who enjoyed “Is It True?” and the many articles that sparked conversation and kept readers engaged.

As we close this chapter, we do so with a salute to Ron and the work he dedicated so much of his life to.

BY: TOM DAVIES– INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE

The plug has been pulled on a bill that would give the Hoosier Lottery permission to sell tickets online and host instant games on its website. 

The proposal cleared an Indiana House committee on Jan. 8 but had not been called for a vote by the full House. It was scratched from Thursday’s House calendar and won’t advance this legislative session, House Public Policy Committee Chair Ethan Manning said.

“It didn’t have enough support, really, from either caucus on the concept,” Manning told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “I don’t think I could have changed one word in the bill to gain any more votes. It’s just the idea itself. We’re clearly not ready, as a Legislature, to move any further on any forms of online gambling.”

Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan are among 18 states currently with online lottery sales and Hoosier Lottery officials supported the move as a way to boost revenue.

An analysis of House Bill 1078 projected that online sales would increase the lottery’s revenues by between $314 million and $629 million in the third year. That would increase the lottery’s annual profits — $340 million for fiscal year 2025 — by between $31 million and $94 million in the third year.

The lottery’s sales have been flat at around $1.7 billion for the past five years.

Manning, R-Logansport, called the bill’s failure “a shame, because it’s one way to get additional state revenue without raising taxes, and we have very few ways to do that.”

“I was hopeful that that argument would help, but it did not,” he said.

Republican House Speaker Todd Huston said he wasn’t persuaded by such reasoning.

“Gaming policy shouldn’t be done for the sake of revenue,” Huston told reporters Thursday. “It should be done because you think it’s the right public policy, and we’ve never chased revenue in the past. I think it would be a mistake to do it now.”

A Hoosier Lottery spokesman declined to comment.

Manning’s committee last year endorsed a bill for both online lottery and internet casino games, but it didn’t reach the full House for a vote amid concerns of drawing business away from physical casinos and greater gambling addiction risks.

Manning said this year’s bill faced similar objections despite focusing solely on lottery sales, pointing to worries over online sports betting that was legalized in 2019.

“Sports wagering, having gone so early and Indiana being one of the earliest states to do that, I think that’s hurt our argument for further forms of online gaming, because a lot of members don’t like the impacts,” he said. “They don’t like seeing the advertisements and those sorts of things.”

This story has been updated with comment from House Speaker Todd Huston and Hoosier Lottery declining to comment.

Virtual News Conference – Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. ET

The Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) will host a virtual news conference on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. ET to announce the findings from a new report on the current state of Indiana hospital finances. The analysis, provided by Kaufman Hall, will include an update on struggling hospital margins in 2025, in addition to projections on financial losses Indiana hospitals are likely to incur over the next three to five years due to rising inflation, tariffs, and federal fund cuts.

In addition to Kaufman Hall’s presentation, several hospital leaders will participate to share how mounting financial pressures are impacting their facilities and what it means for Hoosier patients unless action is taken by state and federal policymakers.

• WHO: Indiana Hospital Association
• WHAT: Virtual News Conference on Indiana Hospital Finances
• WHEN: Tuesday, January 27 at 10 a.m. ET
• WHERE: Zoom link | Meeting ID: 897 8914 8936 | Passcode: 098139
• HOW: Please RSVP with Steve Cooke via scooke@ihaconnect.org or (317) 627-9955

• Scott B. Tittle – President, Indiana Hospital Association
• Erik Swanson – Managing Director, Kaufman Hall
• Matt Doyle – President and CEO, Methodist Hospitals
• Dr. Patrick McGill – President and CEO, Community Health Network
• Brenda Reetz – CEO, Greene County General Hospital
• Mike Schroyer – President, Baptist Health Floyd

STATEHOUSE (Jan. 23, 2026) – State Rep. Julie McGuire’s (R-Indianapolis) legislation to reduce children’s exposure to harmful chemicals in school meals and increase transparency of ingredients in their menus passed the Indiana House of Representatives.

Studies have shown that consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a range of health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, hormonal disruption and obesity. For many students, school meals are nearly half of the daily calories they consume.

“Ultra-processed foods are consistently linked to chronic disease,” McGuire said. “We now see children diagnosed with conditions that used to be almost exclusive to adults that often follow them for the rest of their lives.”

Through House Bill 1137, public schools that participate in federally funded or assisted meal programs would remove a narrow list of harmful chemical additives from their lunches and post menus and ingredient lists online to support added transparency, data collection and evaluation. It would not apply to school lunches provided by parents or food sold at school fundraisers outside of school hours and at weekend events on school grounds.

“Many of these ingredients are already banned in other states and countries,” McGuire said. “They have well-documented health risks and no nutritional value. Because school meals play such a large role in our children’s daily nutrition, improving their quality is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways we can protect their long-term health.”

House Bill 1137 now moves to the Senate for consideration. Watch session and committees live, and view legislation atiga.in.gov.