r/Indiana

On September 24th and 25th, I taught 150 third and fourth graders (ages 9 to 11) to build and launch their own high-power rockets for Eli Lilly's Global Day of Service! These are fiberglass kits flying on the same family of propellant as real rockets, and they went 2,000 feet into the sky!

Global Day of Service is the day Lilly employees around the world volunteer in their communities. This was the community event for our new Lilly site in Lebanon, Indiana, and it was a pilot. I'm so grateful to Lilly for believing in my vision and my dream for these kids.
Day one was the build. We had about 300 people in a school gymnasium, including over 120 volunteers, and I was in the center directing everybody. All 150 kids built their rockets in one day. This is the result of continuous improvements I've made to compress the build time since I started.

Day two was the launch. I searched for low-traffic airports near Lebanon, contacted the director of Sheridan Airport, and he let me close the airport for half the day! We had X’s on the runway. I also contacted the adjacent landowner, Beck’s Superior Hybrids, since the rockets would land in their fields. I brought in Indiana Rocketry as our launch partner, and then we filed for the FAA waiver. I had us launch 8 rockets at a time while the kids sat on the runway and watched, then they went out to recover their rockets. You never get access to a runway like that. It’s a day they will never forget.

The biggest technical challenge was that I was the only certified person. That’s a massive bottleneck with this many rockets. So I ran trainings four Sundays in a row leading up to the event and trained 25 adult volunteers as my teaching assistants. On launch day I flew their certification flights first so I had certified people helping me run the field. I also brought my experience as a capital projects construction manager at Lilly and applied Lilly’s internal safety standards and OSHA’s hierarchy of controls to the whole operation. To my knowledge, high-power rocketry has never been done with kids at this scale.

My bootcamp has been completely free since I started it in August 2025. High-power rocketry is an expensive hobby, and most kids never get to experience it. This event cost about $75,000, which is $500 of value per kid, delivered completely free. And every kid keeps their rocket! I want them to be family heirlooms, a reminder that they built something that overcame gravity. I'm so proud of them!

This was the greatest 72 hours of my life! It was incredibly hard work and a lot of long nights, and it was absolutely worth it.

Governor Mike Braun sent me a letter thanking me for mentoring these students in rocketry, and his office read it to the kids at the launch (it's in the photos). I'm very grateful for the recognition, and I'm going to keep this going!

Thank you to Lilly and our Lilly Lebanon site team, who came together to make this happen. It wouldn't have been possible without you. Thank you to MEPI, the nonprofit I started this with. Thank you to Indiana Rocketry, you did an incredible job and I love you guys. Thank you to Sheridan Airport and its director, who was amazing. Thank you to Beck's Superior Hybrids for letting our rockets land on your field. And thank you to the volunteers and every supporter.

When I see your encouraging comments, it keeps me going. It's a lot of hard work, and it's worth it for the kids.

Launch video: https://youtube.com/shorts/Et5Stk0SiOI

That brings my total to 336 rockets! Indiana will have the most rockets per capita in the world! 🌎🚀

For anyone who hasn't heard about our grassroots campaign yet, Our State, Our Bat is a citizen led effort to designate our incredible native Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) as our official state mammal! 🦇💚

What started as a simple idea has grown into an amazing statewide movement. Thanks to community members stepping up, we’ve already secured official municipal support, organizational backing, and best of all, a state representative who is officially authoring the bill for the upcoming 2027 legislative session!

Now, we are in the final home stretch. Our petition is currently sitting at 4,231 signatures, and our goal is to hit 5,000 by the end of this month when the campaign concludes, so we can prep our complete legislative packet.

We need all the support we can get from our local neighbors to cross that finish line. If you haven't signed yet, please take a quick second to add your name, and help us spread the word to your friends, family, and local groups.

Let’s make our little Hoosier Heroes official, Indiana! Sign the petition here: https://c.org/JrdDXNvVh8

Hi,
we’re four guys, and we’ve put together Westminster’s restaurant scene in an app called Vota. The concept is simple: you see two places side by side (for example Famille vs. Kachina Southwestern Grill), you choose the place you’d rather go to, and the ranking updates instantly. The more people vote, the more accurate the list gets over time. There are still a few duplicates here and there, but I’m continuously cleaning up the data.

Here’s the iPhone version, with categories that actually fit Westminster’s food scene:
https://apps.apple.com/app/vota-restaurant-ratings/id6744969212

And here’s the Android version (finally live):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.vota.app

P.S. I’m not from Westminster (I live in Gothenburg). I’m not collecting data, not selling anything, and the app does not use AI-generated content. I’m posting in a few different subreddits because we now support more regions, and I genuinely want honest feedback from people who actually know the area.

I voted early the first day the polls were open. Today, a friend who's a candidate for county commissioner told me her race was left off my ballot.
Each Indiana county has 3 commissioners. They live in a specific district, but are elected county-wide. In Floyd County, this year's election is for district 1, in New Albany Township.

At some point, someone in the county clerk's office or on the Election Board got confused and only included this race for ballots of residents of New Albany Township. The residents of the other 4 townships, myself included, did not have this race on our ballots.

As far as I know, this will be corrected by the time our vote center opens in the morning, and I have been told by my friend that the election board will contact me so I can vote again, and this time vote in that race.

This mistake is even more troubling after the recount in the Republican primary for Senate District 23, where the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the Indiana Recount Commission, saying they should not have tossed out 6 ballots that did not include the county seal and the initials of 2 poll workers, changing the result of that primary.

What can we do?

First, make sure you pay attention to your ballot and see that all the races are there. I missed this one because I voted straight party, but even knowing that, I could have paid more attention to the screen and noticed this race was missing. If you vote early or absentee, make sure your ballot envelope has both initials from poll workers, as required by Indiana Code.

Second, pay attention to who we elect for county clerk. I, personally, have paid a lot of attention to this race because of other issues happening in my county, but the need for good clerks is higher than ever. (Our clerk is term limited but her husband is running for the position and he has his own problems, so I'll be very happy when I vote against him for good when I get to correct this issue.)

On the scale of threats to our republic during these elections, this is relatively minor, but, come on, Indiana, you have to do better than this.

On 26 July, 1945, the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Indianapolis delivered several top secret packages to the U.S. Naval installation on Tinian Island, in the heart of the Pacific. Unbeknownst to her crew, they had just delivered the uranium core of “Little Boy”, the atomic bomb that would by dropped on Hiroshima a few weeks later.

Departing Tinian for the island of Leyte, she was rocked by explosions shortly after midnight on 30 July. Two torpedoes, fired by submarine I-58 of the Imperial Japanese Navy, brought “The Indy” down in only 12 minutes, plunging her beneath the Philippine Sea with 300 men.

The surviving 900 men were left stranded in the water. What would follow would become the largest known shark attack in history. Over four days, survivors died to hunger, thirst, and even their fellow men, with over 100 being dragged beneath the waves by unseen jaws. By August 2, only 316 men remained. Following their rescue, Captain Charles McVay was court martialed for not doing more to prevent the sinking, despite being attacked at night in waters he was told by the Navy were safe. Though he served no jail time, McVay would be haunted by the sinking and a never ending stream of hate mail from families of his dead sailors.

In 1968, McVay walked into his backyard in Litchfield, Connecticut, and shot himself in the head. He left no note.

And there the story remained, until a middle schooler from Florida sat down to watch “Jaws” with his father. Inspired by Quint’s harrowing monologue describing the sinking and subsequent shark attack, 12 year old Hunter Scott made it his mission to clear Captain McVay’s name. After interviewing over 150 survivors and reviewing 800 historical documents, Scott presented his findings as his National History Day project at his school. His testimony before Congress four years later led to a reevaluation of McVay’s court martial. They soon reached a unanimous decision.

While still in high school, Scott had managed to convince Congress to clear McVay’s name.

Captain Charles Butler McVay III of the USS Indianapolis was officially exonerated of all wrongdoing on 30 October, 2000.

I report a safety hazard and all they say this.

My phone wasn't in my hand. I reported it when I got home. Yeah, they are going to like my survey when they actually read it, which we all know they won't.

It is appalling to see the INDOT Highway Safety act like this.

UPDATE

A few hours after this post went up, they sent me another email. It stated that the roads were fine and it's purely cosmetic. So I guess when someone gets in an accident, because in the wintertime, you can't see the road very well, and they're following the yellow lines, then they might do something. MIGHT... but i doubt it.

I'm sharing this because a lot of people clearly do not understand it. I've run into some serious financial trouble that was beyond my control at the moment. while I do what I am able to try to fix it, I utilized a local food bank. I am NOT complaining. This is just my personal reality. I have food allergies and UC. the first picture is what one person can receive for one month. the second picture is what I can actually eat out of what I received. there was also a jar of peanut butter that I handed right back because I don't want it to go to waste. I will donate back what I can't use from this but this is a good visual example of why there is a need for financial safety nets like SNAP.

Southern Indiana has hosted two town halls from statewide elected officials in the past 24 hours! Lucky us.

Last night, Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith came to Clarksville as part of his statewide tour to visit every county. While I've posted here before criticizing how he's used the pulpit of his state office (and I have deep theological disagreements with what he preaches at his church), I hoped that there might be the slightest chance we could find some commonality on an issue that's near and dear to my heart if we talked face to face. The problem is that he ended up spending the night espousing several ideas that can be described as conspiracy theories at best. He has spoken so much about the Westfield Drum Line because "I’ve seen seances. I know what the they look like.” He perpetuated the myth that there are litter boxes in schools. He said "I don't think anyone is made gay." When asked about data centers, he expressed his opposition to tax breaks for them, but then said that China was behind the opposition: “All of the major outspoken voices against data centers in Indiana are communists.” He said that the antichrist will come from Islam, and that God has always created a refuge for God's people, and he wants Indiana to be that refuge, so that's he doesn't want Islam get a foothold here.

Look, my family have been Democrats since they arrived in Indiana from Germany. I know my ancestors are part of the reason why it used to be illegal to sell alcohol on election day, because they would bribe people with drinks. I'm never going to agree with Beckwith on much. But my goodness, I miss the days when we could at least find commonality with Republicans on some issues, because there is no way I can find commonality with this literal insanity.

As if that wasn't enough excitement, today the Floyd County GOP hosted a town hall with Sen. Todd Young at a coffee shop in New Albany. It was intended to be a private session for elected officials, but because the GOP doesn't know how to do basic tasks of running things, it was posted on Facebook, and I showed up and had a lovely chat with some friends from my church while Young was meeting with other tables. I knew he wouldn't say anything as absurd as Beckwith, but I did notice he told at least two people that he did not want to be filmed because "people edit videos and take things out of context." While I understand that, no one has forced him to be a senator, and if he cannot take that criticism, perhaps he should not hold that job? In the end, my table was the only one he did not stop at, and I made sure the staffers knew they had made a giant mistake in how the event was advertised.

To their credit, they showed up in places where they could meet with ordinary Hoosiers, something Sen. Banks, Rep. Houchin, and State Sens. Byrne and Garten have not done.

I don't expect to change anyone's mind with this post, and I'm sure I'm, in some ways, yelling into the void, but my goodness, we are not getting a good return on investment from the amount of money we are spending on our elected officials and their staffs, which makes me worry for our republic.

I hear people say all the time that Indiana is a red state, so what is the point of voting?

I get why people feel that way. When the same people stay in office year after year and you watch decisions get made that make life harder for your family, eventually you start wondering if anyone is listening.

But here’s the part I can’t stop thinking about: 44% of registered voters don’t show up.

Nearly half.

We spend so much time talking about how red Indiana is, but what would Indiana look like if the people who have stopped voting decided to come back?

We got a small glimpse of that here in Hamilton County this year. Democratic turnout in the primary increased 248% this year.

That gives me hope, because those aren’t imaginary voters we’re waiting to appear someday. They’re our neighbors. They’re people who have been here all along and decided this time was worth showing up for.

Indiana doesn’t have to be a place where someone works full time and still can’t pay their bills, parents spend a second mortgage on childcare, people put off going to the doctor because they can’t afford it, teachers beg for resources, and women have to leave the state for healthcare.

I refuse to believe this is as good as we can do.

I’m running for State Senate in a district plenty of people would look at on a map and immediately write off. We haven’t.

The other night, we were supposed to have a candidate forum hosted by nonpartisan community organizations. My opponent didn’t show up, but I did. And I’ll keep showing up.

That evening pissed me off because if you’re asking someone for the privilege of representing them, you should be willing to stand in front of them, answer their questions, listen when they disagree with you and explain what you’re actually going to do.

Nobody has a right to your vote because there’s an R or a D next to their name. Candidates should have to earn it.

We’re trying to run our campaign that way too. We don’t take corporate PAC money, we haven’t raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we don’t have huge checks coming in with expectations attached.

Our campaign looks like someone sending us $5, a group of volunteers writing postcards around a kitchen table, someone knocking doors after work, and people who have never been involved in politics nervously making their first phone call.

Those things don’t make national news, but they’ve built this campaign.

We’re running against a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate in a district people have been told is too red to change. I don’t know what would happen if the people who have given up on voting decided to come back. But I want to find out.

If you haven’t voted because you don’t think your vote matters, please reconsider this year. You don’t have to know everything about every race, and you don’t have to fill out every single part of your ballot. If you’ve voted Republican your whole life and there’s a Democrat you trust this time, you’re allowed to vote for them. Your ballot doesn’t change who you are.

Just don’t give your voice away because somebody convinced you it wasn’t worth anything.

If you want to get involved with a social worker, progressive candidate by donating or volunteering, you can find us at rootforindiana.org. We need you.

Hamilton County gave me a reason to believe something different is possible. Democratic primary turnout increased 248% because thousands of people made a choice to participate.

There are still so many people across Indiana who are frustrated, exhausted, or convinced that nothing will ever change here. They stopped believing anyone was listening.

I want them to know we are.

Indiana isn’t destined to be anything. Red isn’t something written into our state constitution. It’s the result of what voters show up and who we choose to put in office.

Indiana changes when you remember your vote matters.

Vote for the people you believe will make your life and your neighbors’ lives better. Bring someone with you who was planning to stay home. Talk to the person who thinks there is no point anymore.

There are enough people sitting on the sidelines to completely change the conversation in this state.

We just have to decide we’re done sitting there.