Swarens Funeral Home

Before this year, Braun, who had never run for an office higher than the Indiana General Assembly, was largely unknown among voters outside his home town of Jasper. Yet, when pitted against two incumbent U.S. House members in the Republican Senate primary in May, Braun won handily. On Tuesday, he did it again. The mild-mannered businessman from small-town Indiana, in defeating incumbent U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, pulled out a high-profile victory with enormous national implications. Indiana Senate race: Republican Mike Braun unseats incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly See full Indiana election results: Marion, Hamilton counties and more How did Braun do it? Here are three reasons why Indiana’s new senator-elect prevailed: Mike Braun is loyal to Trump In the GOP primary, Braun competed against U.S. Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita in a spirited contest to show who would be the biggest supporter of Donald Trump’s agenda.  Braun didn’t deviate from that path in the general election. He bet that the president’s popularity in Indiana — Trump won the state by 19 percentage points in 2016 — remained strong enough to help sweep him into office. The president rewarded Braun’s loyalty by campaigning for the challenger early and often. Trump visited Indiana five times in total between May and November, and in the final push before Election Day, dropped in on Air Force One three times in nine days. In backing Braun, voters in Indiana signaled that they want a senator who promises to consistently back the president. Braun gets credit for the win. But give President Trump a strong assist. ...

Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes. To show why, let me introduce John Windle, one citizen who's made a tremendous difference in his community. The story starts in early November 2016, a few days ahead of what Windle believed to be the most important election of his lifetime. One morning Windle read a column by IndyStar's Matt Tully about the frustrating lack of early voting centers in Indianapolis.  Windle was outraged by what he learned. Tully's column explained that citizens in heavily Republican suburban counties had access to multiple early voting sites. But in predominantly Democratic Marion County, Republican leaders had repeatedly blocked efforts to expand the number of early voting centers beyond the single site inside the City-County building in Downtown. Partisan concerns obviously drove that decision. To heck with the needs of voters. Windle's first response was to do what people often do when they're upset. He complained on social media. He posted a message on Common Cause Indiana's Facebook page that essentially said: "Somebody ought to sue." Swarens:  Well done, Matt Tully. You served Indiana well Matt Tully's legacy:  A fund to support early childhood education On the receiving end, Julia Vaughn, Common Cause's longtime policy director, read Windle's message and responded: "You're right. But we need a plaintiff." That's when Windle decided to do far more than complain. Windle, a 61-year-old U.S. Postal Service worker at the time, had never been deeply involved in politics, but he was passionate about voting rights. He also knew firsthand how difficult it was to cast an early bal...

They're about to do something special. So I went. And found that it's true.  Within a decade, this more than 100-year-old town rooted in an agricultural past may become one of the most livable communities in Central Indiana. Plainfield's future begins in its old downtown, which is set for an ambitious transformation that will include hundreds of new homes, new retail shops and restaurants, a town green and trails. More than 20 public and private projects are included in the redevelopment plan, drawn up in 2017 and scheduled to unfold over the next 20 years. Swarens:  'Iconic' project would add hotels, expand convention centerSwarens:  Carmel shouldn't give Mayor Brainard 7 percent raise The plan includes a site on Main Street designated for Hendricks County's first performing arts center. "It's not going to be the Palladium (in Carmel)," Town Manager Andrew Klinger said. "We are going to build a performing arts center that makes sense for Plainfield and Hendricks County."  The goal is to build a village-like town center where people can work, exercise, dine out and attend a concert or play. All within walking distance from where they live.  As a first piece in the transformation, the town board last week approved Fishers-based Rebar Development's bid to build a $21 million, four-story development that will feature 117 apartments and 7,000 square feet of retail space at Main Street and Avon Avenue. It's scheduled for completion in 2020. The yet-to-be designed building "is going to look like it belongs in a downtown that's been there for 100 years," Shelby Bowen, Rebar's president, said. "Plainfield is trending upward. It's the epicenter of west...