Episode Archive
154 episodes of The Political Spotlight since the first episode, which aired on August 3rd, 2025.
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#653 | Jason Williams (R) Candidate for Henry County Sheriff! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 29th, 2026 | 2 hrs 24 mins
accountability, big announcement, cancer diagnosis, captain, captain of detectives, election 2026, ems, fire chief, firefighter, hcsd, henry county sheriff's department, indiana politics, insurance issues, jason williams, k9 deputy, lawsuits, mayor dan ridenour, merit commission, muncie fire department, new allegations, old allegations, perception, republican, troy dulaney
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Jason Williams, Republican candidate for Henry County Sheriff, to the show. Williams has lived in Henry County for more than 20 years. He has served with the Sheriff's Department for 21 years, including 17 as a K-9 Deputy. Williams currently serves as Captain of the Detectives Division. Bilbrey and Williams discuss the campaign, Williams' views on the state of the Henry County Sheriff's Department, and his plans for the Department if elected. Bilbrey had planned to talk, after the candidate interview, about the discrepancies between what Henry County Sheriff John M. Sproles has said about the Sheriff's Department's role in the insurance situation facing Henry County and what Producer Kate and the team have found through record requests. However, sometimes BREAKING NEWS changes things! So, Bilbrey and Producer Kate will cover the Henry County insurance situation in episode 654, which airs tomorrow evening, Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 9 p.m. (ET). Tonight, Bilbrey first addresses the sad news announced today by Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour. The Mayor confirmed a cancer diagnosis and will undergo surgery and treatment, keeping him out of City Hall for six weeks. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE MAYOR, HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND HIS DOCTORS AND NURSES! From there, Bilbrey examines the latest developments involving embattled Muncie firefighter Troy Dulaney, including the "newest-old allegations," the details of Dulaney's fight to stay employed, and what appears to be the city's effort to terminate Dulaney. Which one is right? Are they both wrong? What in the hell is going on? Bilbrey breaks it down, again, in this episode! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#652 | Sheri Chafin (R) Candidate for Delaware County Assessor! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 28th, 2026 | 2 hrs 57 mins
accountability, boss hog of liberty show, candidate forum, certification, chief deputy assessor, communication, delaware county assessor, delaware county prosecutor's office, election 2026, harrison township advisory board, henry county sheriff john m. sproles' breaking news, indiana politics, knightstown, property taxes, republican, sheri chafin, transparency, unknown federal investigation, upcoming muncie city council meeting
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Sheri Chafin, Republican candidate for Delaware County Assessor, to the show. Chafin is a lifelong Delaware County resident and currently serves as Chief Deputy Assessor for Delaware County, where she has worked for the past 16 years. Prior to joining the Assessor's office, she worked in the Delaware County Prosecutor's office for five years. She has also served on the Harrison Township Advisory Board for 12 years. Bilbrey and Chafin discuss the campaign, Chafin's views on the state of Delaware County, and her plans for the county Assessor's office if elected. After the interview, Bilbrey discusses a candidate forum he attended earlier in the evening in Knightstown, Indiana. He then covers follow-up news about Henry County Sheriff John M. Sproles' "Breaking News" from the Boss Hog of Liberty show, and he finishes with information about the upcoming Muncie City Council meeting! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#651 | Don Chambers (R) Candidate for Delaware Co Commissioner! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 27th, 2026 | 2 hrs 27 mins
affidavit of probable cause, arrest of teddy m. johnson, big news in delaware county, corporal blake a. reynolds, delaware county, delaware county commissioner of district 3, don chambers, driver of the semi-truck that struck and killed delaware county sheriff’s deputy, election 2026, failure to change lanes for an authorized emergency vehicle, felonies, final q&a live session, henry county sheriff john m. sproles, indiana politics, involuntary manslaughter, misdemeanor, no bail, reckless homicide, reckless operation of a tractor-trailer combination, republican, superintendent of maintenance for the delaware county, trainwreck
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Don Chambers, Republican candidate for Delaware County Commissioner of District 3, to the show. Chambers is a lifelong Delaware County resident and currently serves as the Superintendent of Maintenance for the Delaware County Government. Bilbrey and Chambers discuss the campaign, Chambers' views on the state of Delaware County, and his plans for the county if elected. With the candidate interview over, Bilbrey then turns to the BIG news of the day in Delaware County, the announcement of the arrest of Teddy M. Johnson, the driver of the semi-truck that struck and killed Delaware County Sheriff’s Corporal Blake A. Reynolds. Johnson was booked into jail on two level 5 felonies, one level six felony, and one class B misdemeanor. Johnson will be held without bail pending further order of the Honorable Thomas A. Cannon Jr., Judge of the Delaware Circuit Court # 5. Bilbrey will highlight the Affidavit of Probable Cause and share his thoughts on this situation. Finally, Bilbrey will share his thoughts on the third and final 'Q&A Live Session' hosted earlier in the evening by Henry County Sheriff John M. Sproles. Needless to say, it was a trainwreck! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#650 | Craig Ring (R) Candidate for Henry County Sheriff! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 26th, 2026 | 1 hr 29 mins
2026 white house correspondents’ association dinner, accountability, assassination attempt, cole tomas allen, craig ring, election 2026, hcsd, henry county sheriff's department, indiana politics, non-law enforcement, police, president donald j. trump, public concern, republican, secret service, sheriff, teacher, trump, update
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Craig Ring, Republican candidate for Henry County Sheriff, to the show. Ring is a lifelong resident of Henry County. He is one of two candidates in this race who are not currently, nor have ever been, law enforcement officers. He has said he is running because of well-known issues with the current elected sheriff and the sheriff's department's operations under that leadership. Bilbrey and Ring discuss the campaign, Ring's views on Henry County's current state, and Ring's plans for the sheriff's department if elected. After the interview, Bilbrey provides a brief update on what has been learned over the past 24 hours since the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#649 | Rachel Parham (R) Candidate for Henry County Clerk! | The Political Spotlight
April 25th, 2026 | 2 hrs 10 mins
2026 white house correspondents’ association dinner, assassination attempt. california, breaking news, chief deputy clerk, chief election official of the county, clerk of courts, cole tomas allen, county clerk, county election board, election 2026, henry county, indiana politics, kevlar vest, officer shot, president donald j. trump, press conference, rachel parham, republican, secret service, teacher, trump
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Rachel Parham, a Republican candidate for Henry County Clerk, to the show. Parham is a lifelong Henry County resident and currently serves as Chief Deputy Clerk of Courts in the Henry County Clerk's office, where she has worked for the past 10 years. She is now running for the office of the Henry County Clerk as a Republican. Bilbrey and Parham discuss the campaign, Parham's views on Henry County's current state, and her plans for the Clerk's office if elected.
BREAKING NEWS: During the candidate interview, we learned that a suspect attempted to enter the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. President Trump and the First Lady, along with many others, were escorted out of the event by the Secret Service. One officer was shot; however, his Kevlar vest prevented serious injury, and one suspect was taken into custody! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#648 | Maricel Driscoll (D) Candidate for Delaware Co Circuit Court Judge! | The Political Spotlight
April 24th, 2026 | 2 hrs 17 mins
attorney, boss hogs of liberty podcast, circuit court 5, civil law, court, criminal law, delaware county, democrat, deputy attorney general state of indiana, deputy prosecutor, drug court, election 2026, fool, henry county sheriff, indiana politics, jackass, john sproles, judge, lawyer, maricel driscoll, nonbreaking news, questions and answers, republican candidates, veterans court
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Maricel Driscoll, a Democratic candidate for Judge of Delaware County Circuit Court 5, to the show. Driscoll has served as a Deputy Prosecutor in Delaware County, Indiana, since 2016. From 2013 to 2016, she was a Deputy Attorney General with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. She earned her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2012 and graduated from Ball State University in 2005. Licensed to practice law since 2012, Driscoll has experience in both civil and criminal law. Bilbrey and Driscoll discuss the campaign, Driscoll's views on Delaware County's judicial system, and her plans for the Court if elected. After the interview, Bilbrey took some time to discuss the recent interview on the MOST PROFESSIONAL political show 'The Boss Hogs of Liberty' with most of the Republican candidates running for Henry County Sheriff. As it goes, Henry County Sheriff John Sproles was allowed to run the show, and he made a fool of himself! But that's how they like it over there! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#647 | Amanda Dunnuck (D) Candidate for Delaware Co Circuit Court Judge! | The Political Spotlight
April 23rd, 2026 | 1 hr 5 mins
amanda dunnuck, attorney, certified family law mediator, circuit court 5, civil law, court, criminal law, delaware county, delaware county council attorney, democrat, election 2026, indiana politics, judge, lawyer, modernizing court technology, public defender, reducing case backlogs
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Amanda Dunnuck, a Democratic candidate for Delaware County Circuit Court 5 Judge, to the show. Dunnuck has served as Muncie City Court Judge since 2015. Dunnuck's focus during her time on the City Court bench has been on modernizing technology and reducing case backlogs. Dunnuck is a lifelong Delaware County native and a Delta High School graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Ball State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of Law. Before her judgeship, she practiced law for 17 years, serving as a public defender, an attorney for the Delaware County Council, and a certified family law mediator. Bilbrey and Dunnuck discuss the campaign, Dunnuck's views on Delaware County's judicial system, and Dunnuck's plans for the Court if elected. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#646 | Tim Hollems (R) Candidate for Delaware Co Circuit Ct Judge! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 22nd, 2026 | 2 hrs 4 mins
accountability, attorney, board of works, carl malone, circuit court 5, city controller, city of muncie, controversy, court, craig wright, delaware county, election 2026, fired, george folley, indiana department of child services, indiana politics, indiana state board of accounts, indiana state police, judge, juvenile court magistrate, law enforcement, lawyer, malfeasance, master commissioner, mayor dan ridenour, misfeasance, nikki eckerson, nonfeasance, park superintendent, parks department, republican, special investigation, timothy hollems
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Tim Hollems, a Republican candidate for Delaware County Circuit Court 5 Judge, to the show. Hollems has served as a master commissioner in the Delaware County, Indiana, court system for the past nine years. Before becoming a master commissioner, he served as an attorney for the Indiana Department of Child Services for more than 10 years. He has practiced law for nearly 30 years. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and graduated from the Indiana Judicial College in 2021. Hollems and his wife have lived in Muncie since 2003, raising their two children in the community. Bilbrey and Hollems discuss the campaign, Hollems' views on the current state of Delaware County's judicial system, and his plans for the Court if elected. After the interview, Bilbrey discusses the State Board of Accounts' report on the Special Investigation into the City of Muncie Parks Department in greater detail. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#645 | SBoA Investigation of the City of Muncie's Parks Department! | The Political Spotlight
April 21st, 2026 | 2 hrs 19 mins
accountability, board of works, carl malone, city controller, city of muncie, controversy, craig wright, fired, george folley, indiana politics, indiana state board of accounts, indiana state police, malfeasance, mayor dan ridenour, misfeasance, nikki eckerson, nonfeasance, park superintendent, parks department, special investigation
Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey steps away from the candidate interviews for this 645th episode of the show to examine the State Board of Accounts' Report on its Special Investigation into the City of Muncie's Parks and Recreation Department. Bilbrey has covered this investigation over the past few weeks while awaiting the report's public release. The Political Spotlight has been on this story every step of the way since April 13, 2020. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#644 | David Williams (R) Candidate for Delaware County Council! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 20th, 2026 | 2 hrs 20 mins
accountability, bingo, controversy, delaware county council, delaware county republican party, district 1, election 2026, henry county sheriff, indiana politics, lawsuits, live q&a session, precinct committeeman, republican, sheriff john m. sproles, sproleswatch2026, state delegate, transparency
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes David Williams, a Republican candidate for Delaware County Council, District 1, to the show. Williams was born and raised in Delaware County and currently serves as an elected precinct committeeman for the Delaware County Republican Party. He also served as a State Delegate at the 2024 Republican State Convention and ran for Delaware County Council At-Large in 2024, but came up short. He has filed to run again in this election, seeking the Delaware County Council District 1 seat. Bilbrey and Williams discuss the campaign, Williams' views on the state of Delaware County, and his plans for the Council if elected. After the interview, Bilbrey discusses the second of three 'LIVE Q&A sessions' that Henry County Sheriff John M. Sproles is broadcasting to Henry County residents. He also talks about the BINGO game viewers could play LIVE during Sproles' event. This session was definitely different from the first, but Bilbrey had a hard time pinning down what was truly going on. What do you think was happening? And the end of the session was something out of this world... WOW... just wow! You do not want to miss this episode! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#643 | Randall McCallister (R) Candidate for State Representative Dist 34! | The Political Spotlight
April 19th, 2026 | 1 hr 23 mins
delaware county, election 2026, indiana politics, indiana state representative for district 34, muncie, national politics, randall mccallister, republican, state house
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Randall McCallister, Republican candidate for Indiana State Representative for District 34, to the show. McCallister, who has been active in national political campaigns for the past few years, decided to throw his hat in the ring for the office of Representative to the Indiana State House for District 34, which is made up mostly of the city of Muncie. He hopes to capture the seat for the Republicans for the first time since 1994, when Fred Wenger (R) was defeated after serving only one term. Bilbrey and McCallister discuss the campaign, McCallister's thoughts on Indiana's current state, and his plans for legislation if elected. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#642 | Gilbert (BJ) Zapfe (R) Candidate for Henry County Clerk! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 18th, 2026 | 2 hrs 1 min
chief election official of the county, clerk of courts, county clerk, county election board, election 2026, gilbert 'bj' zapfe, henry county, indiana politics, republican
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Gilbert (BJ) Zapfe, Republican candidate for Henry County Clerk, to the show. Zapfe, 44, is a lifelong Henry County resident and has served as a Middletown police officer, both full-time and as a reserve. He is now running for the office of the Henry County Clerk as a Republican. Bilbrey and Zapfe discuss the campaign, Zapfe's thoughts on Henry County's current state, and Zapfe's plans for the clerk's office if elected. After the interview with candidate Zapfe, Bilbrey turns to the latest nonsense from Randy Howard, the laughing-stock Republican candidate running for Sheriff of Henry County. He has now issued some sort of notice, which he claims is a tort notice; however, Bilbrey says not so fast! Tune in for the latest Randy Howard cluster. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#641 | Matt Kantz (R) Candidate for Delaware County Commissioner! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 16th, 2026 | 1 hr 21 mins
county commissioner, county councilor, delaware county, election 2026, indiana politics, matt kantz, republican
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Matt Kantz, Republican candidate for Delaware County Commissioner of District 3, to the show. Kantz is currently serving in the final year of his first term as the Delaware County Councilor for District 3. He decided to file to run for Commissioner rather than seek re-election to the Council. Bilbrey and Kantz discuss the campaign, Kantz's thoughts on Delaware County's future, with Senate Enrolled Act 1 being a major topic on many local public servants' minds, and his plans for the county if he is elected. With the candidate interview over, Bilbrey then turns to the City of Muncie's statement, released at the end of the day. The statement aimed to address the State Board of Accounts' current investigation into the Muncie Parks Department, a topic Bilbrey has been discussing for over a week. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#640 | T. Saunders (R) Candidate for Henry Co Prosecutor! & Muncie Crisis! | The Political Spotlight
April 15th, 2026 | 2 hrs 48 mins
attorney, court, election 2026, henry county, indiana politics, law enforcement, lawyer, prosecutor, republican, tony saunders
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Tony Saunders, Republican candidate for Henry County Prosecutor, to the show. Saunders, 48, has lived in Henry County for most of his life. He earned his J.D. from IU in Indianapolis and has practiced law in Indiana for the past 20 years. Bilbrey and Saunders discuss the campaign, Saunders' thoughts on Henry County's current state, and his plans for the office if elected. THEN... After interviewing candidate Tony Saunders, Bilbrey dives into the day's news, and there is a lot! Two of the top Republicans at the Indiana Election Division of the Secretary of State's office submitted their letters of resignation today, citing serious criticism of the current Secretary of State, Diego Morales. But then Bilbrey turns his attention to the City of Muncie... where he was once again right all along about the "Muncie Crisis Center!" He has a LOT to say about that breaking news! And finally, he looks more closely at the issues that have been festering for the past several days (and longer) regarding the City of Muncie's Communications Director. It's going to get wild! #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#639 | Jim Nicholson (R) Candidate for Henry County Sheriff! | The Political Spotlight
April 14th, 2026 | 1 hr 10 mins
accountability, captain, chief, city of new castle police, election 2026, hcsd, henry county sheriff's department, indiana politics, jim nicholson, republican
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Jim Nicholson, the Republican candidate for Henry County Sheriff, to the show. Nicholson, who currently serves as a Captain with the New Castle Police Department, has served there for 36 years, including 8 as Chief. This is Nicholson's second run for Sheriff; he ran four years ago, losing the primary to current Sheriff John M. Sproles. Bilbrey and Nicholson discuss the campaign, Nicholson's thoughts on Henry County's current state, and Nicholson's plans for the county if elected. #ThePoliticalSpotlight
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#638 | Landon Dean (D) Candidate for Henry County Sheriff! & More! | The Political Spotlight
April 13th, 2026 | 1 hr 51 mins
accountability, chief, city of muncie, controversy, democrat, election 2026, fired, george folley, hcsd, henry county sheriff's department, indiana politics, indiana state board of accounths, knightstown police department, landon dean, mayor dan ridenour, middletown police department, nikki eckerson, parks department, sgt
Join Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey as he welcomes Landon Dean, Democratic candidate for Henry County Sheriff, to the show. Dean, who is currently serving in his third year as Chief of the Middletown, Indiana, Police Department, retired from the Henry County Sheriff's Department after a 27-year career, during which he held numerous roles. Dean has also served as the interim Chief of the Knightstown, Indiana, Police Department for the past year. He helped rebuild and restaff the department and, just today, Monday, April 13, 2026, announced that he will step down from that interim position at the next Knightstown Council meeting. Dean ran for Sheriff twice, once more than twenty years ago and again in 2022, losing to the current Sheriff, John M. Sproles. Bilbrey and Dean discuss the campaign, Dean's thoughts on Henry County's current state, and Dean's plans for the county if elected. After the interview with candidate Landon Dean, Bilbrey then examines serious information he has been hearing from sources about the City of Muncie's Parks Department. #ThePoliticalSpotlight