This and that: Notes on a Saturday
Plus, a chance to win tickets to Tap for TAF.
Support for Based in Lafayette comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting Magdalena Bay on Thursday, April 23. Experience the genre-blending pop of Magdalena Bay, the LA-based duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. Known for shimmering melodies and a nostalgic yet futuristic sound, the pair has earned acclaim for albums like Mercurial World and Imaginal Disk. With a vibrant live show and inventive pop style, Magdalena Bay offers a fresh take on modern pop, featuring an opening set by Purdue student band 3rd Street Collective! Don’t miss it—BUY TICKETS today!
A few notes, followed by a chance to win, on this Saturday morning …
The Lake County prosecutor, assigned to review whether charges should be filed in a gun-related confrontation during an April 2025 “Hands Off” demonstration outside the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, missed a court-ordered deadline to update the status of the investigation. No charges were filed at the time against James Jordan, a 43-year-old Lafayette man who was briefly detained at the rally, or against a Lafayette man who head-butted him during a confrontation leading up to Jordan retrieving a gun from his truck left in traffic near the corner of Third and Columbia streets. The case was given to the special prosecutor two weeks later. On Dec. 15, a deputy prosecutor in Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter’s office wrote to the court that the special prosecutor was in the process of reviewing “voluminous materials in order to properly investigate … for charging consideration.” The office wrote that day that the Lake County prosecutor expected to finish within 90 days. Tippecanoe Circuit Judge Sean Persin in December had asked Carter to file a progress report by April 6 “if the investigation is still ongoing at that time.” Circuit Court staff this week said they were still waiting. Here’s more on the case, via a BiL edition in December, the last time the special prosecutor gave an update on the situation:
You still have about a month to wait, but the Mosey Down Main Street dates are set for 2026. The first for the summer festivals on Main Street, between Sixth and 11th streets, will be Saturday, May 9, according to a schedule of street closings approved this week by the Lafayette board of works. The rest: June 13, July 11, Aug. 8 and Sept. 5.
From that one Mosey Down Main Street. (Photo: Tim Brouk/For Based in Lafayette) One you won’t have to wait for: The Columbian Park Zoo will open for the season today. The zoo will operate under spring season hours, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, until May 23. At that point, hours will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission fees are the same as 2025: $3 for those 3 years old and older, free those younger than 3.
Greater Lafayette Indivisible will host a town hall and debate between Tippecanoe County commissioner candidates from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 W. Columbia St. The May 5 primary in the District 1 county commissioner race features two Republicans – Julie Roush and James Waters – and four Democrats – Andrea Burniske, Travis Dowell, Justin Kendall and AR Lane. Here’s more on the race, including early voting schedules, in a Q&A published this week in BiL:
Speaking of elections … As a retribution campaign continues against Indiana Senate incumbents who weren’t fully on board President Donald Trump’s redistricting plans for the state’s congressional seats, NBC News broke a story Friday looking at the lengths the White House went to shed one Republican candidate who was gumming up the works in a Terre Haute-centered race. From Jane C. Timm at NBC News: “White House officials and their allies sought to pressure an Indiana Republican to drop out of a state Senate primary earlier this year, floating job opportunities and warning of the personal attacks she could face as they worked to pave the way for President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate.” At issue is Alexandra Wilson, a candidate who entered the May 5 primary against state Sen. Greg Goode, who already faced a Trump-backed candidate, a Vigo County Council member named Brenda Wilson. Alexandra Wilson’s campaign, one feared to split votes against Goode given she shares the same last name, already had been challenged before election boards and is the subject of a lawsuit. The NBC report said it went beyond that, with White House officials, members of Gov. Mike Braun’s staff, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and more peppering her with offers for jobs and threats of political attacks if she didn’t drop out of the race. Here’s more: “How the White House tried — and failed — to push a candidate out of a Republican state Senate primary in Indiana.” This version is out there, too, via WFYI’s Ben Thorp:
As Artemis II was set to splash down off the coast of California Friday, Purdue had a look at three alumni who were part of NASA’s Landing and Recovery Operations team assigned to fetch the four astronauts and their capsule after a 10-day trip took them around the moon. “‘I’d describe the recovery process as a carefully coordinated ballet,” Emily Spreen, a Purdue grad and an aerospace engineer who leads a team charged with pinpointing where the spacecraft and jettisoned hardware landed, told Purdue writer David Ching. If you watched Artemis return to Earth and process to get the astronauts back to the USS John P. Murtha, here’s a look at the preparations that went into the operation: “NASA’s recovery team includes three alums aboard the Navy ship that will retrieve the space voyagers from the Pacific Ocean.”
Want a free pass to next Saturday’s Tap for TAF on BiL?: We’re fans over here of Tap for TAF, an annual craft beer event put on as a fundraiser for The Arts Federation. This year’s Tap for TAF, on top of the Tippecanoe County Parking Garage, is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. Saturday, April 18. See the poster below for details.
Based in Lafayette has four tickets and will raffle those off to full-access BiL subscribers on Tuesday.
How to enter: Use the comment button below and say that you want to enter.
Deadline: 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 14. I’ll put all entries in and randomly select four winners.
Thanks for support for this edition from Purdue Convocations, presenting Magdalena Bay on Thursday, April 23 at Elliott Hall of Music. Get 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.
Please enter me in the raffle for TAF tickets
Please enter me for the TAF raffle.