Axios Indianapolis

February 03, 2026
It's Tuesday. Good morning to everyone except a certain rodent who can take his weather predictions and kick rocks.
🌨️ Today's weather: Cloudy, with a high near 30. A chance of snow in the morning.
🚰 Situational awareness: Speedway remains under a boil water advisory while repair crews address multiple water main breaks.
- Check town social media for updates.
Today's newsletter is 1,124 words — a 4-minute read. Edited by Lindsey Erdody.
1 big thing: IMPD silence speaks volumes
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to strip IMPD's civilian-involved board of its powers.
Why it matters: Police oversight advocates are upset by IMPD's silence on the measure, arguing the bill would make the agency less transparent when trust in the community is already an issue.
Driving the news: Senate Bill 284 would strip the General Orders Board established in response to George Floyd's murder of its binding authority by making civilian-led police oversight boards across the state "advisory only" bodies.
- The board — which is composed of four civilians and three law enforcement professionals — approves IMPD's officer conduct policies, including use of force.
- The bill was born after Indianapolis City-County Council Republicans turned to state lawmakers following a failed attempt to defang the board last summer.
Zoom in: Black Church Coalition, which stood alongside IMPD in November to unveil an online transparency portal that allows the public to track incidents and access crime statistics, and others across the Live Free Indiana ecosystem are protesting the legislation this week.
What they're saying: "For IMPD to be really committed to folks feeling safe, there's got to be a commitment to the department itself not being perceived as a threat or roadblock to that safety," coalition organizer Josh Riddick said. "If IMPD is willing to backpedal on its own policies around transparency, will they take additional steps back?"
- "It's disappointing, it's frustrating and it's not a good look to the agency."
Friction point: SB284 supporters say the General Orders Board setting best practices and approving the department's operating procedures undermines the chief's ability to run the department.
Flashback: When the City-Council Council was considering a similar measure, former IMPD chief Chris Bailey said the civilian-majority board lowered morale in the department.
- When contacted for comment about SB284 and its impact last week, IMPD sent Axios the following statement: "IMPD will continue operating as usual while closely monitoring several proposed bills."
2. Bills that died (so far)
The first half of the legislative session is officially over, which means the majority of introduced legislation is dead — either because it was never heard, got tripped up along the way or failed to get across the finish line.
Why it matters: When House Speaker Todd Huston made the final third reading calendar for bills to be considered in the first half of the session, he left several eligible bills off the calendar.
- Democrats say this move violated House rules, though the Republican supermajority defeated the challenge to the speaker's decision.
Driving the news: House Bill 1066, which would have prohibited local governments from buying luxury vehicles with taxpayer dollars, was one of the eligible bills left off the calendar on Monday, the final day for House bills to pass out of that chamber despite having bipartisan support.
- The bill followed similar legislation that passed last year aimed at high-end vehicles purchased by Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Secretary of State Diego Morales.
Reality check: The speaker generally exercises discretion over which bills are placed on the House calendar but withdrawing legislation is usually done in coordination with the bill's author.
- The author of HB 1066, Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), said he was not part of the decision and accused Huston of trying to "quietly kill it."
What they're saying: It's one thing to manage the process," said Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington). "It's another to just decide you don't like a bill, or maybe you don't like the author of the bill, and you don't put it on the calendar for the final day for third reading."
The other side: Huston did not say why he pulled the bill, but Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn), a co-author of the measure, defended the speaker's right to set the calendar.
3. Pit stop: Students walk out
🪧 Hundreds of North Central High School students walked out yesterday to protest federal immigration enforcement and ICE action, blocking traffic along 86th Street.
- Students from Noblesville and Southport high schools also walked out yesterday, joining a growing national movement of student protests. (WFYI)
💰 Indy Parks has added new fees and raised others this year to keep up with rising costs and budget cuts. (Mirror Indy)
🏡 Indianapolis is the best market for homebuyers, according to Zillow. The real estate site noted our relative affordability and lower levels of competition as particularly buyer-friendly. (WISH-TV)
🎸 The Jim Irsay Collection, hundreds of possessions of the late Colts owner that will be auctioned off next month, includes an impressive array of guitars and pop culture relics, such as a volleyball from the movie "Castaway," a gold ticket from "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and a pair of Elton John's eyeglasses. (IndyStar)
4. Brews on Tues: Never Home Coffee
👋 Arika here!
A new coffee shop has been flooding my social media feeds with dreamy photos of delicious-looking drinks.
Driving the brews: Never Home Coffee started as a roving pop-up but found its permanent home at Natural State Provisions late last year.
- Inventive ice latte flavors like Teddy Graham and Jasmine rotate regularly and have quickly built a cult following.
Brew of the week: Never Home's cherry and dark chocolate latte.
- Rich, intensely flavored and well-balanced.
Yes, but: Be prepared to wait. There was a small line when I arrived — I waited over 30 minutes for two lattes.
Cost: $8
If you go: Coffee is on from 9am-3pm Thursday-Saturday and 10am-3pm Sunday.
5. 📸 Pic to go: "Survivor" fans survive cold
The "Survivor 50 Challenge," a scavenger hunt for 50 hidden immunity idols placed across all 50 states, kicked off over the weekend and Indiana was one of the first states on the board.
Driving the news: Hundreds of superfans lined up outside the Fowling Warehouse in the Factory Arts District and waited hours after solving the clue.
- "Not Brookside but close by and smaller, sits a garden bearing Senator Calvin's family name."
- "From here you'll be clued in once more, towards the hometown collision of two sports."
How it works: Each state will hold its own unique challenge, with clues released on Survivor50Challenge.com in advance.
- Once the idol is found, players must snap a photo and submit it to the site.
- Winners will be invited to attend the live finale in Los Angeles on May 20.
Our picks:
🍷 Arika is looking forward to a Solely visit as a reward for successfully completing Dry January.
🎥 Justin thinks the Michael Jackson biopic looks better with every new trailer.
📬 Lindsey got mail twice yesterday after not getting anything delivered for a week.
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