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

Pharos-Tribune: Suit against county regarding zinc plant on hold until judge’s decision

Nov 25, 2020

James D. Wolf Jr. Staff Reporter Oct 31, 2020 Earlier this week, the Indiana Public Access Counselor ruled that there should be some sort of official record of a March 18 phone meeting between county officials and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management...

PAC 20-FC-004: Indiana Department of Correction

Nov 24, 2020

Lessons: It can be difficult to inspect records as an individual and even more so as an incarcerated one. When making your request, ask if the records can be made available for inspection in the initial request. If computer time is available, a requester could also...

WLFI (West Lafayette, IN): Purdue students: “We are crying out for help but our plea is falling on deaf ears.”

Nov 22, 2020

From West Lafayette, IN, WLFI: More than a dozen Purdue students are accusing university officials of ignoring their cries for help and guidance during a difficult school year. Posted: Nov 20, 2020 11:25 AM Updated: Nov 20, 2020 6:47 PM Posted By: Marvin Bills Lee...

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Indianapolis Star: ‘Truth must be told’ – Family demands answers after Speedway police kill schizophrenic man

Mar 31, 2021

Mack, Justin L. 2021. 'Truth must be told': Family demands answers after Speedway police kill schizophrenic man Indianapolis Star, Mar 26, 2021. (accessed March 31, 2021). The family of a mentally ill Black man shot and killed by Speedway police officers last month is...

South Bend Tribune: New train station in South Bend: lots of money on studies. No progress. No location settled.

Mar 24, 2021

Sheckler, Christian. 2021. New train station in south bend: Lots of money on studies. no progress. no location settled. TCA Regional News, Mar 21, 2021. (accessed March 24, 2021). Mar. 21—In 2018, when former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg threw his support behind a...

Star Tribune: Support and protect Asian Americans – They faced discrimination and hate long before the coronavirus made them targets.

Mar 24, 2021

Support and protect Asian Americans: They faced discrimination and hate long before the coronavirus made them targets. 2021. Star Tribune, Mar 23, 2021. (accessed March 24, 2021). During the past year, a Woodbury resident of Hmong descent and his wife found a note on...