Support for this edition comes from the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, hosting its Halloween Bash on Oct. 31. The event will feature a costume contest, a concert, art activities and trick-or-treating. For more information and tickets, click here or check the link below.
Support for this edition also comes from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show. The Christmas Show will shine Boilermaker bright with an all-student cast, festive music and dazzling performances. Tickets are now on sale for the Dec. 6-7 shows, where audiences of all ages will come together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season at this timeless Purdue tradition. Get your tickets here.
A few notes on a Sunday …
REPORT: BRAUN EXPECTED TO CALL FOR REDISTRICTING SPECIAL SESSION: With a new wave of Republican lawmakers announcing they’re on board for redistricting Indiana’s congressional seats before the 2026 midterms – See: Lafayette’s Sen. Ron Alting’s comments Friday – the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that Gov. Mike Braun was expected on Monday to formally call for a General Assembly special session.
The IBJ’s Mickey Shuey reported that the governor was expected to make that announcement Monday night at Indiana GOP 2025 Fall Dinner. Shuey also reported that sources “did not know when Braun would direct lawmakers back to Indianapolis but said the session would likely occur before Legislature’s scheduled Organizational Day on Nov. 18. That day — which is typically a ceremonial day meant to kick off the next year’s session—could also be used for a redistricting vote.”
The news comes as Indiana Senate leaders late last week indicated that they didn’t have the votes to approve a mid-decade redistricting process – which typically would be saved until after the U.S. Census is done in 2030 – that President Donald Trump wants in hopes of beefing up Republican-safe U.S. House districts in Indiana and other traditionally red states. (Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats are 7-2 in favor of the GOP now.)
Shuey also reported this movement: “On Friday, at least four more Republican senators signaled their support for redistricting, increasing the total number of ‘yes’ votes to 11, according to totals compiled by several news organizations. The latest support comes from Sens. Scott Alexander, Muncie; Ron Alting, Lafayette; Justin Busch, Fort Wayne; and Daryl Schmitt, Jasper.” A special session vote would put every lawmaker on the record. Here’s more from the IBJ: “Braun set to call lawmakers back to Statehouse for redistricting vote.”
Meanwhile, here’s more on Alting’s call for redistricting, as well as the stances of other state representatives and senators with parts of Tippecanoe County in their districts, via a BiL edition Friday:
AN SRO ADDITION AT TSC: Dan McDermott will be the seventh Tippecanoe County sheriff’s deputy assigned as a school resource officer for Tippecanoe School Corp., the school district and sheriff’s office reported this week. McDermott has been a deputy with the sheriff’s office since 2021. He will be assigned primarily to McCutcheon High School, joining school resource officers Beth Frazier, Steven Stonerock, Jason Morgan, Nathan Beever, Lucas Boyle and Rob Rush assigned to hallways and classrooms in 22 TSC school locations. “Our school resource officers play an important role in promoting a safe learning environment through education and relationship-building with students and staff,” Aaron Gilman, TSC’s safety manager, said in a TSC release. “Adding this position furthers TSC’s ongoing commitment to student safety and support.”
THE PLAY THAT UNDID PURDUE: Indianapolis Star reporter Nathan Baird broke down the nutty play that put Rutgers in position to beat Purdue 27-24 on a last-play field goal Saturday on Homecoming at Ross-Ade Stadium. Just unreal: “Purdue football finds ‘hard way to lose’ homecoming game to Rutgers. How it happened.”
RIVERFRONT PLANNING PUBLIC SESSION WEDNESDAY: The next step in Wabash River Enhancement Corp.’s latest study of riverfront plans will be Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The organization leading development plans along Greater Lafayette’s stretch of the river will hold a public session from 5:30-7 p.m. at the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 W. Columbia St., to offer an update on concepts for what’s considered the riverfront’s “south reach” and the West Lafayette section of the “central reach.” The South Reach consists of the river corridor bound by the South Street Bridge at the north, the rail corridor along the east side of the Wabash Avenue Neighborhood on the east, the U.S. 231 Bridge on the south and River Road on the west. The project also extends to Tapawingo Park on the north on the West Lafayette side of the river.
WREC held an initial session this summer for the work done so far by consultants from MKSK. For a look at some of the work WREC is doing on that segment along the Wabash River, here’s a story from June, when EPA funding came for cleanup of the former Jefferson Smurfit boxboard site in the Wabash Avenue Neighborhood. That story looked at some of the plans already emerging for that property, along with work being done on trails, parks, river features and potential bike/pedestrian bridges near downtown.
DOCUMENTARY SEASON …
“Beyond the Bridge,” a documentary looking at homelessness and the solutions to reduce it, will be shown at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, as part of a Greater Lafayette Homelessness Steering Committee community discussion at Connection Point Church, 2541 Cumberland Ave. in West Lafayette. The afternoon will include a screening of the documentary, insights from filmmakers: Don Sawyer and Tim Hashko, and a local panel discussion with state Rep. Chris Campbell, a West Lafayette Democrat; Jennifer Layton, who leads LTHC Homeless Services; and Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, with CHIP (Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention) Indy. The screening is free. To reserve a space through Lafayette Urban Ministry, go to: LUMserve.org/beyond-the-bridge
A showing of “Black Purdue,” a 2009 documentary about the history and experiences of Black students and faculty at the university, will be hosted by The Diversity Roundtable at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the IBEW Local 668 hall, 2535 S. 30th St. in Lafayette. Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, political science professor at Purdue, will lead a discussion afterward. Admission is free.
Thanks, again, for support for this edition from the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, hosting its Halloween Bash on Oct. 31. The event will feature a costume contest, a concert, art activities and trick-or-treating. For more information and tickets, click here
Thanks, also, to Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show Dec. 6-7. Get your tickets here.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
My brand is "centrist." So, I'm appealing here to all the well-connected Republican's who subscribe to this substack. Well-connected Republican friends, call Mr. Alting and Mr. Braun and convince them that 0% Democratic congressional representation from Indiana is ugly and unethical. 0% is the goal and it is anti-democracy. I'm talking directly to you, well-connected Republican that I know personally. And you too, the well-connected Republicans I'm friendly with. Do no violate the trust and support I've offered you.
Interestingly yet not surprising but Gov Braun's contact email link has not worked for at least 24 hours.
Maybe he can pay out of pocket for the up to $500,000 cost for a special session? Or maybe he can get "private interests" to pay for this to cover the costs? Most of the reasonings to redistrict from Hoosier state reps have that I have read are pretty petty.
My feeling has been that if the GOP felt confident that the voters are pleased with the way the country is heading, they shouldn't have to obey outside coercion to redistrict.