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In 2016, a survivor of sexual assault had a physical evidentiary exam, known as getting a rape kit, at IU Health Bloomington Hospital. While she says this process itself was consistently clear and well explained, the process of tracking the whereabouts of her kit afterward was less-so. A new law seeks to improve this process, with a system that allows survivors to track the status of their rape kits themselves, rather than having to go though detectives. | Photo by Nicole McPheeters

New Law Will Help Survivors of Sexual Assault Track Rape Kits
Hayley Miller, Nicole McPheeters
Rape kits contain evidence collected during hospital exams of the survivors of sexual assault. Nearly half of the more than 5,000 untested rape kits collected in Indiana are considered “backlog,” but a new Indiana law could make tracking easier — especially for survivors. Writer Haley Miller and photographer Nicole McPheeters take a look at the process. Click here to read the full story.
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The premise of our healthcare system without the Affordable Care Act: If you can’t afford healthcare, you don’t deserve it, writes Rob Stone, a local physician, healthcare activist, and one of the founders of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan. Stone and others are fighting to protect Hoosiers from this “medical caste system.” | Courtesy photo

Guest Column: ‘The Antidote to Healthcare Despair Is Activism’
Rob Stone
The premise of our healthcare system without the Affordable Care Act? If you can’t afford healthcare, you don’t deserve it, writes Rob Stone, a local physician, healthcare activist, and one of the founders of Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan. Stone and others are fighting to protect Hoosiers from this “medical caste system.” Click here to read the full story.
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Friends of Lake Monroe says, "Our governments must balance the public’s need for clean water for drinking and recreation with the extraction of natural resources on private property." | Photo by Lynae Sowinski

Letter of Response: ‘The Public’s Need for Clean Water’
Friends of Lake Monroe
Advocacy group Friends of Lake Monroe wrote a letter to Limestone Post in response to the article “Property Rights, Public Good, Campaign Contributions” by Susan M. Brackney. In the letter, they argue that the article did not go far enough to address the public’s need for clean water, among other issues. Read the entire letter here.
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A bill passed by the Indiana House in February aimed to limit a local government’s authority, but not the state’s, over the right to harvest resources, such as timber, on personal property. The bill died in a Senate committee, but balancing personal property rights with the rights of others who might be affected is an ongoing battle. | Limestone Post

Property Rights, Public Good, Campaign Contributions: Will Bill to Limit Local Government Be Revived?
Susan M. Brackney
A bill introduced in the Indiana House this year would have limited local governments’ ability to regulate such things as logging on private property, even if, for example, the logging threatened to damage Lake Monroe. But it isn’t just about private property vs. public good, writes Susan M. Brackney. Special interest groups and campaign finance play a role, too. Click here to read the full story.
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With the Indiana primaries over, IU research associate and policy analyst Luke Wood looks at how the Trump era has affected Democratic politicians and voters in Indiana ahead of the 2018 midterm election in November. The election could have a large impact on the makeup of the Indiana Senate and House (the House chambers are pictured here). | Photo courtesy of the Indiana Statehouse

Indiana Democrats and the Politics of White Nativism
Luke Wood
Last year, IU research associate and policy analyst Luke Wood wrote an article in LP about a potential clash between Indiana’s moderate Republicans and the Trump administration. Now, with the Indiana primaries over, he looks at how the Trump era has affected Democratic politicians and voters in Indiana ahead of the 2018 midterm election. Click here to read the full story.
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Abby Lee, who plays Sarah Whitmore, during rehearsal for Jewish Theatre of Bloomington's "Church and State." | Photo by Chaz Mottinger

Behind the Curtain: Jewish Theatre of Bloomington’s ‘Church & State’
Jennifer Pacenza, Chaz Mottinger
Politics, like theater, relies on the relationship between the stage and the audience, writes LP columnist Jennifer Pacenza in her Behind the Curtain preview of Church & State. The latest production of Jewish Theatre of Bloomington puts this relationship center stage in a “funny and heartrending play with a powerful message about God, guns, and politics.” Click here to read the full story.
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A group of 850 local scientists and allies have submitted a public comment to oppose the EPA’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s case for repeal, they say, is based on “unconvincing legal arguments, without appropriate consideration of the scientific evidence for human-induced climate change.” This repeal would affect facilities such as the Miami Port Power Station near the borders of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio along the Ohio River. | Photo by FunksBrother, Creative Commons

850 Hoosier Scientists and Allies Oppose EPA Proposal
Limestone Post
Concerned Scientists @ IU, a group of 850 local scientists and allies, has submitted a public comment to oppose the EPA’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s case for repeal, the scientists say, is based on “unconvincing legal arguments, without appropriate consideration of the scientific evidence for human-induced climate change.” Read their comment, as well as the proposed repeal, here.
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They’re a centuries-old assault on our environment, but eradicating invasive plants, such as the Callery pear tree (pictured here along the streets of Columbus, Indiana) requires more than pulling them out by the roots — especially since big box stores still sell them and red tape in the governor’s office still allows those sales. | Photo by Larry Brackney

Invasive Plants Are Still For Sale in Indiana, How You Can Help
Susan M. Brackney
They’re a centuries-old assault on our environment, but eradicating invasive plants requires more than pulling them out by the roots — especially since big box stores still sell them and red tape in the governor’s office still allows those sales. Writer Susan M. Brackney explains this weedy predicament, and how people can help. Click here to read the full story.
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Where once there was a trailhead near Crooked Creek Road on the Tecumseh Trail, Matt Flaherty encountered logging equipment and a trail in ruin. | Courtesy photo

Resistance to the DNR’s Logging of Yellowwood
Limestone Post
Several diverse groups have mobilized in recent months to oppose logging in Yellowwood State Forest. The resistance comes to a head this week, as forest advocates, including hundreds of scientists, are asking Gov. Eric Holcomb to call off the plan to cut down trees in Yellowwood’s backcountry and old-growth forest areas. Click here for the full story and how to get involved.
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The preamble to the Constitution begins “We the People,” but in presidential elections, the founders gave more power to people in less-populous states. | Copyright: klikk / 123RF Stock Photo

Small-State Bias and the Electoral College
Jim Allison
While this election day will be quiet in Monroe County, many people are still actively resisting the “new normal” and changing what they see as wrong in our country. In this article, IU Professor Emeritus James Allison shows why abolishing the Electoral College is the fair thing to do for a democracy. Click here to read the full story.
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Since the 2016 election, few people concerned about climate change thought they could have meaningful discussions with climate-science deniers. But members of Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) believe their efforts have even encouraged some congressional Republicans to consider a solution to the issue. | Photo by Lynae Sowinski

Guest Column: Changing Minds on Climate Change Is Possible
Erin Hollinden
Since the 2016 election, few people concerned about climate change thought they could have meaningful discussions with climate-science deniers. But members of Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) believe their efforts have even encouraged some congressional Republicans to consider a solution to the issue. In this guest column, writer and CCL activist Erin Hollinden explains how. Click here to read the full story.
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Rise to Run is a new grassroots movement whose goal is to mobilize young progressive women to run for office. The Bloomington hub of the organization hosted its kickoff event in the Council Chambers of Bloomington's City Hall on September 17. | Limestone Post

Rise to Run Trains Young Women to Enter Politics
Allison Yates
Bloomington is one of four cities in the U.S. to launch Rise to Run, a new grassroots movement that encourages and trains high school- and college-aged women to run for office. Writer Allison Yates talks to local co-coordinators Regina Moore and Rachel Guglielmo about their program. Click here to read the full story.
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