Deery Makes Visits And Discusses Upcoming Events

Visiting Newport Mill

Last week I met with employees at the Newport Mill in Cayuga and toured the facility owned by International Paper. 

Using massive machinery, the mill turns recyclables into paper products, especially the paper that lines drywall. I enjoyed learning more about the Mill and the business needs of the rural parts of District 23. Furthering the economic prosperity of our rural counties remains one of my highest priorities.

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Eliminating Textbook Fees for Families

As Hoosier families prepare to send their K-12 students back to school, one expense they will no longer need to budget for is the annual textbook and technology fee. As a father to three in public schools, I know these fees can be in the hundreds of dollars and a real burden to many Hoosier families. I am thrilled to have played a role in eliminating this special tax in the last session. 

Instead, our new state budget allocates $160 million to cover these expenses beginning this school year, which is part of the state’s historic $2.9 billion investment in new K-12 education funding.

Creating high-quality educational opportunities for Hoosier students is critical to our students’ – and state’s – long-term success. I passionately supported these initiatives so parents can feel confident in the quality of education their students receive and we can better prepare the next generation of Hoosiers.

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Visit the 2023 Indiana State Fair

The 2023 Indiana State Fair is right around the corner, and the 18-day festival will celebrate Indiana’s rich agriculture history and basketball legacy.

Aside from the fair’s traditional activities, new events for this year’s theme will include:

• HOOPEST Outdoor Amusement Park;
• Pacers Sports & Entertainment Immersive exhibit;
• Land of Legends: Indiana Basketball Legacy, in partnership with the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame;
• Space Ham: An Augmented Reality Experience;
• Gene Hackman’s 1951 Chevy from the movie “Hoosiers;”
• The Evolution of the Game exhibit; and
• The Indiana Historical Society’s Chuck Taylor and Indiana Basketball exhibit.

Attendees can save on parking and admission by purchasing tickets before July 28. Daily deals, including three dollar Thursdays and Military and First Responders Day, are also available.

The state fair will run from July 28 through Aug. 20, and will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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Applications Open for Next Level Connections Broadband Grants

Applications for round four of the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program are now open for local communities to increase broadband coverage.

Communities will be eligible to receive a maximum of $5 million per grant to fund projects by telecommunications providers and utility cooperatives.

– Spencer Deery is an Indiana State Senator serving District 23 which includes Fountain, Parke, Vermillion, Warren and portions of Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties.