Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Terre Haute Tribune-Star. February 22, 2022.

Editorial: Braun's chance to make an impact

Mike Braun has rarely been hailed for bipartisanship, but his presence as co-leader of a group of lawmakers whose mission is to examine conditions within the U.S. Bureau of Prisons puts him in position to make a constructive contribution in the federal public policy arena.

The first-term Indiana Republican U.S. senator was tapped to lead the team along with fellow first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia. Among the group will also be the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.

Formation of the group was triggered by reporting from The Associated Press that uncovered widespread corruption and abuse in federal prisons. The group's aim is to develop policies and proposals to strengthen oversight of the troubled prison system and improve communication between the Bureau of Prisons and Congress.

Indiana and Illinois play a significant role in the U.S. prison system, with major facilities in communities such as Terre Haute and Marion, Ill. Conditions of incarceration are important issues in all 122 prison facilities. The protection of human rights is a key element of a viable system, as is safety of the more than 35,000 employees who toil in various roles and facilities. The most recent federal prisoner count is more than 150,000.

In order to achieve those goals, the bureau must be more transparent and responsive to public inquiry and scrutiny.

Braun's leadership appointment will require him to work in a bipartisan manner with Ossoff and others in the group and set aside what are clearly his strident ideological tendencies. We hope he's up to the challenge.

The Associated Press exposed how the federal prison system had become a hot bed of corruption and misconduct. The agency has been plagued by myriad crises, including widespread criminal activity among employees, systemic abuse at a federal women's prison in California, critically low staffing levels that hampered responses to emergencies, the rapid spread of COVID-19, a failed response to the pandemic and dozens of escapes. Late last month, two inmates were killed in a gang fight at a federal prison in Texas, prompting a nationwide lockdown.

Early this year, Bureau of Prisons director Michael Carvajal announced his resignation. A search for his replacement is underway.

The federal prison system is, as Sen. Ossoff told The AP, 'œhorrifically dysfunctional.'ť A congressional effort to get to the root of the problem and find solutions is urgent and essential. The staff and inmates at Terre Haute's federal facility - as well as at prisons in Illinois and across the country - are counting on this group of lawmakers to be effective and successful in carrying out its task.

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Indianapolis Business Journal. February 25, 2022.

Editorial: Esports is a tourism strategy worth exploring, pursuing

We don't claim to know a ton about esports here at IBJ, but we know a bit about numbers, and if the financial projections about competitive video gaming are accurate, we're thrilled Indianapolis is jumping into the game.

As IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey explains in a page 3A story this week, competitive video gaming-called esports-has emerged as a billion-dollar worldwide industry. And some of the in-person events fill arenas, according to Ryan Vaughn, president of the Indiana Sports Corp., with thousands more people watching online.

Indianapolis has taken some limited steps into the esports tourism world.

The Indiana Sports Corp. and local firm Harena Data hosted their second esports combine in October, an effort to digitally connect hundreds of potential college gamers with universities looking for players.

And now the NBA 2K League-which has video gaming teams associated with NBA teams, including the Pacers-announced this month it will hold its 2022 season this spring at the Pan Am Pavilion downtown. That will be an in-person event.

Of course, the esports events that have landed in Indianapolis aren't equal in scale to the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four or a Super Bowl. But many of them can be equivalent to the hundreds of smaller events hosted in central Indiana throughout the year.

It's not clear yet just what kind of strategy Visit Indy or the Sports Corp. has put together to try to attract more of these types of events-especially the larger ones Vaughn referred to (bigger events can draw 10,000 to 50,000 in-person attendees). But it seems worth fleshing out.

Shuey's story explains that more than 26 million people tuned in to watch a professional video gaming competition last year, according to a report by Inside Intelligence. And the research firm predicts nearly 30 million people will watch this year.

Meanwhile, esports revenue from media rights, ticket sales, in-game purchases, merchandising, and advertising and sponsorships is expected to top $1 billion this year.

Some cities (and many colleges) are building special facilities-even small arenas-to host esports events. South Bend turned an auditorium in a convention center into one such facility and has been hosting events since last fall.

We're not convinced that Indianapolis should spend big money for that type of esports space at this point. But having the ability to turn an existing facility into an esports arena (as the Sports Corp. is doing with The Pavilion at Pam Am for the NBA 2K season) seems like an appealing and flexible option.

And as city and community leaders plan other big projects-the Circle Centre Mall revamp, a soccer stadium complex or the Indiana Convention Center expansion-accommodating future esports events would be a great thing to keep in mind.

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South Bend Tribune. February 27, 2022.

Editorial: This isn't the way to address South Bend's need for affordable housing

There are plenty of unanswered questions in the dispute between the city of South Bend and a local developer over the housing of people at the former Madison Center.

But one thing's for sure: This is not the way to responsibly address the city's need for affordable housing.

Instead, controversy has overwhelmed the issue, with officials and local business owners accusing developer David Matthews of illegally housing people at the former psychiatric hospital on Niles Avenue without the required permission from the city.

Matthews been using the building in the city's East Bank area to provide housing for as many as 30 at-risk people, at least some of whom were recently homeless. This comes after his announced plans to convert the building into a hotel catering to traveling youth sports teams.

City officials say Matthews is illegally housing people and collecting public money - through Emergency Rental Assistance - while doing so. They say they can't allow him to continue until he goes through the proper channels to convert it into a traditional hotel or a longer-term 'œgroup home.'ť

For his part, Matthews has argued that he already has the right to operate the building as an extended-stay hotel.

Caught in the middle are the residents, some of whom recently left the Motels4Now program for the homeless. One tenant said that he was living under a bridge less than two years ago before enrolling in Motels4Now.

He also expressed appreciation for the quiet and amenities at his new home - though he noted that he doesn't have heat, relying instead on a space heater, and that the shower on his floor hadn't been working.

Among the most pressing questions is how to resolve this problem without having to evict vulnerable members of the community. Matthews should have considered his options before choosing to set up a housing plan without going through the proper channels and ensuring he first had the city's approval.

The need for solutions to the city's housing problems couldn't be clearer. But this community doesn't need a standoff resulting from an irresponsible effort, with the lives of 30 people hanging in the balance.

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