How these IndyStar stories made a difference in Central Indiana and beyond in 2023

Since 1903, IndyStar has been a force for change in Central Indiana.

This year, our journalists tackled sensitive topics like the state's failures to regulate problem bars in Indianapolis and legal immunity for contractors of the state's child welfare system.

They also told heartbreaking stories of love and loss that inspired neighbors to reach out to one another offering help and support in times of need. The ways Hoosiers responded to IndyStar reporting in 2023 are nothing short of amazing, and it’s a reminder of why residents of this state are known for their good will.

In its second year, the IndyStar Community Impact Report recognizes 120 years of commitment to our community and the ways our work has made a measurable difference in Hoosiers' lives.

IndyStar, as part of the USA TODAY Network, defines impact as real-world change inspired by our journalism. We track 12 types of impact, including direct benefits to our sources — like readers giving to a GoFundMe campaign after a story is published — policy changes, introduced legislation or government investigations.

Why you should subscribe:5 things you'll get if you subscribe to support IndyStar's award-winning journalism

We do this not to congratulate ourselves for a job well done, but to remind ourselves of the collective power for change that we all have — readers and reporters alike. Together, we can make Central Indiana a better place for all Hoosiers.

The following are just a few examples of how IndyStar journalism changed lives in 2023.

Lawmaker, safe-drinking advocate call for changes in law following IndyStar investigation

Changes are coming to Indiana’s alcohol enforcement system after IndyStar exposed how weak response by the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission has contributed to a Wild West atmosphere at some Indianapolis bars.

The February investigation, produced in partnership with Fox59, found that inadequate regulation, poor oversight and lax enforcement by the state allowed violence at Indianapolis bars and clubs to fester, despite aggressive policing by the city.

Some of the key findings of IndyStar’s investigation included:

• The state only had 73 excise officers to monitor 15,000 bars, restaurants and stores that sell alcohol. That’s not even one officer for every county in Indiana.
• A nuisance bar program created in 2019 didn’t have a single Indianapolis bar enrolled in the program, despite rampant violence and other problems.
• Unlike neighboring states, Indiana law prohibits cities from using nuisance ordinances to regulate alcohol establishments.
• When bar owners seek an alcohol license or renewal, concerns raised by local police are treated no differently than neighbors who complain about noise, litter or traffic.

In response to the investigation, several bars were closed, Gov. Eric Holcomb proposed a 35% funding boost for the chronically understaffed ATC and state officials proposed new policies intended to crack down on problem bars and the creation of a task force to target nightclubs where violence is a concern.

Read the investigation:49 killed, 154 shot or stabbed — How Indiana law protects bad bars

More:Calls for change follow IndyStar investigation of violence at bars

State commission investigates, fines Indiana gunmaker for undisclosed lobbying activity

IndyStar reported in May that Fostech, a Southern Indiana gunmaker, made flyers available to some Republican lawmakers advertising a custom-made AR-15 style "legislator rifle" at a steep discount.

After reading our reporting, a citizen filed a complaint with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission, arguing this behavior appeared to be lobbying and should have been reported as such.

The commission investigated that complaint and found Fostech had taken some lawmakers out to dinner without reporting the activity. As a result, Fostech was compelled to register as a lobbyist and file an activity report, and in November the company was fined $4,500, the maximum penalty, for not having done so earlier.

More:Indiana gun maker offers Republican lawmakers customized AR-15 style rifles, half off

Gov. Holcomb signs anti-bullying bill TB3, named after baseball phenom who died by suicide 

Terry Badger III was a 13-year-old baseball phenom who was bullied every day at school and tragically died by suicide in March.

IndyStar went to the home of Terry II and Robyn Badger just days after they lost their son to share their story, raising awareness of the effects of bullying and drawing attention to an anti-bullying bill appearing before the state legislature. The bill requires, among other things, that a school corporation prioritize the safety of a bullying victim; that the school corporation report an act of bullying to the parents of the victim and alleged perpetrator; and that it makes allowances for school transfers depending on the severity of the bullying.

After our story ran, Indiana lawmakers passed the bill and named it in the boy’s honor — TB3, Terry’s nickname.

State Rep. Vernon Smith (D-Gary) told us the bill had been stuck until he brought the IndyStar story to the Statehouse chambers and passed it to legislators: “I handed them a copy of Terry's story. I told them, 'Read this until the end,'” Smith said. “I think that must have been what convinced (them) to pass this bill.”

Read his heartbreaking story:Baseball phenom, 13, dies by suicide. He came home from school, left video: 'I hate my life'

State Rep. Rowray introduces bill in part after reading IndyStar article on stillbirths 

State Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Muncie) filed House Bill 1567 in part after reading IndyStar's article telling the story of how Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly and his wife, Emma, experienced the stillbirth of their daughter, Mary Kate, at 19.5 weeks.

In Indiana, the gestational age at which a fetus would receive a death certificate is 20 weeks. Amid immense tragedy, the Kellys were faced with the realization that there would be no official record from the state showing their daughter had existed.

Rowray’s legislation, which was introduced but did not go to committee, would have amended the definition of stillbirths in the Indiana Code to births after 12 weeks.  

Read their story:Colts' Ryan Kelly, wife Emma held daughter, Mary Kate, kissed her and cried

A happy update:Colts' Ryan Kelly, wife and twin boys who fought to survive

Indiana lawmakers drop plan that would've given state contractors immunity from lawsuits

Indiana lawmakers were set to make a last-minute change to state law governing the liability of groups that provide services to children in the care of the Department of Child Services — until an IndyStar investigation revealed the leading advocate for the change had a history of unaddressed abuse allegations.

The immunity proposal stoked outrage among child advocates, trial attorneys and some lawmakers after our investigation revealed that Lifeline Youth & Family Services/Lasting Change, a faith-based contractor that had been pushing for the immunity, had been accused of allowing staff to sexually abuse boys in the care of Pierceton Woods Academy, a residential treatment center west of Fort Wayne.

IndyStar kept following the story. In November, IndyStar and ProPublica published a joint investigation into the allegations at Pierceton Woods and found that while there were signs of sexual abuse occurring at the center, the state continued to place children there and continued providing funding. (Lasting change was the highest-grossing contractor of the Indiana Department of Child Services.)

In response to that investigation, State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) wrote an op-ed in which she committed to pursuing legislative changes that would require DCS to investigate all allegations of abuse at residential facilities and suspend referrals if a facility repeatedly fails to report abuse.

Read our investigation with ProPublica:There were signs of sexual abuse at youth center. State kept sending boys and money anyway.

Attorney General investigates Indianapolis Housing Agency, city orders reorganization

After a 2022 IndyStar investigation into the Indianapolis Housing Agency found evidence of chronic mismanagement, poor living conditions and repeated failures to meet residents’ needs, at least 40 consumer complaints were filed by tenants with the Indiana attorney general, leading the office to open an investigation in January. In August 2023, the attorney general’s office announced the agency had “agreed to maintain Lugar Tower in a safe, clean, habitable condition.”

The City of Indianapolis also announced this September that it would partner with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to reform the troubled housing agency. 

Read the investigation:As Indy housing agency faces financial crisis, residents suffer the brunt of its neglect.

$129K raised for adopted teen mom of preemie triplets

Shariya Small received thousands of dollars in donations, as well as national media attention, after an article about her adoption appeared in IndyStar and was shared by other outlets.

The story featured Katrina Mullen, a neonatal nurse at Community Hospital North and mother of five who met Small after the then-14-year-old gave birth to premature triplets, born at just 26 weeks gestation and weighing less than 2 pounds each. The baby’s father, also a teen, wasn’t in the picture, and Mullen offered to help with anything she could, even after Small was discharged.

Mullen told IndyStar: "I knew that I was going to be in their life forever in some capacity.”

An extended hospitalization for one of the infants prompted an investigation by the Indiana Department of Child Services into the conditions of Small’s Kokomo home, and it was determined Small and her children needed to enter into foster care. That’s when Mullen’s phone rang.

Mullen fostered Small for 668 days, and in February officially adopted the teen.

The IndyStar story was also featured in USA TODAY, leading to a watershed of support for Small and Mullen and more than $7,000 raised in three weeks. Mullen and Small were also interviewed on The TODAY Show. Donations continued, and by December, the GoFundMe had raised over $129,000.

Read their story:Indy nurse adopts teen mother of preemie triplets to keep family together

Indiana parents raise enough money to get their son a service dog after IndyStar article

Ryder Harris was diagnosed as an infant with a debilitating brain disorder called polymicrogyria. Among a long list of impairments, the then-6-year-old had mobility issues and used a wheelchair. He was also prone to seizures, which his parents said have worsened steadily over time, and prompted them to seek the aid of a service dog.

His parents, Allison and Chris, created a GoFundMe in March to support the $20,000 service fee. In its first two weeks, donors had given roughly $10,000 — but then donations stopped. The wait list for a service dog through 4 Paws for Ability, the Ohio agency they were working with, is a minimum of two years — the amount of time it takes to breed, raise and train the dog — and they knew Ryder’s condition saw likely to worsen as they waited. The sooner it could happen, they told IndyStar, the better.

On April 19, IndyStar published an article about their experience, and within 24 hours, the Harrises had met their GoFundMe goal. Allison Harris sent a message to us that day: “We can't thank IndyStar enough. We wouldn't have met our goal without you getting our story out to the community!” 

Read their story:Indianapolis family seeks perfect dog for perfect son, but time isn't on their side

IndyStar awards $100K to nine Central Indiana nonprofits serving youth and families in need

IndyStar's annual Season for Sharing campaign seeks to harness the power of local journalism to help underserved children and families across Central Indiana. Every year, readers answer the call to help their neighbors. In the last five years, we’ve invested nearly half a million dollars in programs serving vulnerable Hoosiers.

The 2022 campaign yielded $82,000 in donations, including a generous $25,000 matching grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. A committee of newsroom and Gannett LocaliQ representatives decided to make a donation from the Season for Sharing reserves, raising the total awarded to $100,000. Initiatives supported included basic needs assistance and tutoring for students affected by housing instability, general operating support for a summer camp for children affected by the state's welfare system and the purchase of multilingual books for local classrooms via Teachers' Treasures.

See the list of grantees:These 9 Central Indiana nonprofits received $100K in Season for Sharing grants from IndyStar

Contact IndyStar newsroom development director Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @hollyvhays.