Indiana challenges Biden’s concealment of records involving federal intimidation tactics against parents
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading a 14-state effort to force President Joe Biden and his bureaucrats to turn over records related to the administration’s schemes to prevent parents from speaking out against leftist indoctrination in public schools. The administration has refused to respond to Attorney General Rokita’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, which were filed last fall on behalf of Indiana and other states.
The requests seek federal officials’ communications preceding an October 4th Department of Justice memo that called for FBI surveillance of parents expressing opinions at school board meetings and other forums. The lawsuit asks a U.S. district court to force the Biden administration to respond to the requests for information.
In the Oct. 4 memo, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland parroted language from a Sept. 29 letter to the Biden administration from the National School Boards Association (NSBA). That letter lamented the rise of parents pushing back against divisive ideologies, including critical race theory (CRT). It further suggested that protests by parents across the nation were rising to the level of “domestic terrorism.”
Facts then came to light suggesting the NSBA and White House worked together all along to concoct a false premise for targeting parents.
The NSBA eventually apologized for its language comparing parents to domestic terrorists, but the Biden administration has never rescinded its threatening memo. Besides the White House and U.S. Department of Justice, the lawsuit also names as defendants the U.S. Department of Education and its leader, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Indiana High School Students to Participate in Poetry Out Loud State Finals
The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced today that students representing fifteen high schools from around the state will compete in the virtual Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Finals. The Poetry Out Loud State Finals will occur live on Wednesday, March 9th at 5:30PM ET. Since 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and Indiana Arts Commission have worked with Indiana schools, teachers, and organizations to bring students a unique way to learn and love poetry. Through Poetry Out Loud, students read, memorize, and recite classic and contemporary poems.
The fifteen students taking part in the 2022 Poetry Out Loud State Finals include:
Tilly Robinson, Bloomington High School South
Kenlie Thomas, Bluffton High School
Madeline Phuong, Homestead High School
Aalihya Banks, Pike High School
Taylor Bush, Franklin Central High School
Mikayla Holstein, Indiana Connections Academy
Lila Ward, Columbia City High School, Eagle Tech Academy
Layla Sanders, Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High School
Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, Columbus North High School
Destiny Wells, Indiana Digital Learning School
Hannah Coe, Monroe Central Jr.-Sr. High School
Gabriel Porter, West Washington Jr.-Sr. High School
Claudia Buschkoetter, Jasper High School
Jehanna Fisher, Early College High School
Madison Sherman, Forest Park Jr.-Sr. High School
The virtual finals will be hosted by Lucia Walker and Jayden Baskin. Lucia Walker is the 2021 Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Champion and a recent graduate of Bloomington High School South. Jayden Baskin is the 2021 Poetry Ourselves State Champion and a recent graduate of Pike High School. The State Champion receives a $200 cash prize and the Champion’s school receives a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books. Each State Finalist will receive an original Poetry Out Loud screen print by artist Tahj Mullins and a book of poetry. Poetry Out Loud is a national partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
Click here to register for the 2022 Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Finals direct stream link.
Lawrence County Native Awarded Bloomington Post “Trooper of the District” for 2021
Indiana State Police Trooper Chance Humphrey has been selected as the 2021 Bloomington District Trooper of the Year. Trooper Humphrey will be recognized later this year in Indianapolis by Superintendent Douglas G. Carter along with other Troopers who were selected by their respective districts.
Trooper Humphrey serves on the Bloomington District ACES (Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Section) which conducts proactive criminal investigations throughout Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, and Owen Counties. Humphrey’s work with that team did not go unnoticed in 2021 as Trp. Humphrey was responsible for arresting 191 defendants for 362 criminal arrests with 191 of those being felony charges.
Trp. Humphrey, a Lawrence County native, was born and raised in Springville. He is a 2002 graduate from Bedford North Lawrence and attended the University of Indianapolis. He graduated from the 78th ISP Recruit Academy in 2018 and has been assigned the Bloomington District since his graduation. Besides being a member of the district ACES, he is a member of the Mobile Field Force Team and a School Resource Officer.
This Week in Hoosier History
1923 – Jazz musician Wes Montgomery was born in Indianapolis. One of the best jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he influenced countless others and changed the role of the guitar in popular music. He died in 1968.
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