ICOG News - Indiana Coalition for Open Government

IndyStar: Media orgs threaten legal action over delays in Indiana’s public access office

Grace Randolph. 2026-08-05. Indianapolis Star. You can read the letter from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press here. Update: Gov. Mike Braun released the following statement after the initial publication of the story: "Gov. Braun has long been an advocate for transparency. That is...

IndyStar: Under Braun’s watchdog, government secrecy grows harder to challenge

Cate Charron & Grace Randolph. 2026-07-24. Indianapolis Star Indiana’s public access counselor is supposed to ensure transparency in government. But under Gov. Mike Braun’s appointee, Jennifer Ruby, it has become far more difficult for Hoosiers to challenge government secrecy, an IndyStar...

Indiana Public Access Counselor, Jennifer Ruby, Publishes First Two Opinions

You can read the first two (and more in the future) 2025 Advisory Opinions from Indiana's new Public Access Counselor, Jennifer Ruby: 25-FC-00B: Alleged Violation of the Access to Public Records Act by the New Carlisle Town Council 25-FC-003: Alleged Violation of the Open Door Law by the Green...

Who you gonna call? 260-ASK-ICOG!

We are excited to launch our public access (ODL, APRA, and civics phone help line), 260-ASK-ICOG. Staffed by ICOG volunteers, we'll do our best to assist you with your questions related to open government in the Hoosier state. Currently being explored as a pilot project, we will re-evaluate the...

The Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana public access office goes quiet amid turnover

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz. 2025-05-30. Indiana Capital Chronicle. Tippecanoe County resident Pamela Frazee just wants to know if her messages went through. Phone calls to Indiana’s Office of the Public Access Counselor (PAC) route directly to a voicemail box and aren’t returned. Emails — including...

News from Indiana

WNDU: The transparency behind South Bend’s updated Transparency Hub

Dec 4, 2020

By Joshua ShortPublished: Dec. 1, 2020 at 6:20 PM EST SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Today South Bend city officials announced the launch of its improved police department’s Transparency Hub. To put it simply, the update is more user-friendly and allows residents to view...

Square Beacon: Indiana’s public access counselor opinion shows Bloomington’s city council has a transparency problem

Dec 3, 2020

Dave Askins, B Square Beacon, November 29, 2020 On June 10 this year, Bloomington’s city council decided to hire then-deputy council administrator/attorney Stephen Lucas to replace the retiring Dan Sherman. Lucas had been serving as Sherman’s deputy for about nine...

IndyStar: Gaming commission investigation of casino company Spectacle Entertainment grows

Nov 27, 2020

Cook, Tony. 2020. Inquiry of casino firm spectacle expands. Palladium - Item, Nov 27, 2020. (accessed November 27, 2020). During her update to the commission, Tait also mentioned that the indictment of Keeler refers to another unnamed Centaur executive who met with a...

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Journal & Courier: Trustee refuses to work with board

Sep 28, 2021

Wilkins, Ron. 2021. Trustee refuses to work with board. Journal & Courier, Sep 12, 2021. (accessed November 28, 2021). Fairfield Township Trustee Taletha Coles continues to ignore Indiana laws that require trustees attend township board meetings and make public...

NWI Times: All-electronic government meetings must end when Indiana COVID-19 emergency expires

Jun 21, 2021

Carden, Dan. 2021. All-electronic government meetings must end when Indiana COVID-19 emergency expires. TCA Regional News, Jun 09, 2021. (accessed June 21, 2021). The Hoosier State's experiment with all-electronic local government meetings is coming to an end.When...

Indystar: Judge: Ex-AG Hill broke Indiana public records law

Jun 20, 2021

Magdaleno, Johnny. 2021. Judge: Ex-AG Hill broke Indiana public records law. Indianapolis Star, Apr 02, 2021. (accessed June 20, 2021). A Marion County judge has ruled that the personal email addresses of public officials count as public records, bringing an end to a...