The Political Spotlight - Episodes Tagged with “East Central Indiana”

#717 | Sunday, August 16, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 717th episode, The Political Spotlight continues its coverage of last week's historic flooding in Muncie, Delaware County, and elsewhere across East Central Indiana, focusing on the lives lost and the major property damage.

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey also continues to investigate the serious public-safety communications problems reported during the event. We now have more information — but we also have two very different accounts of what happened.

The Political Spotlight obtained firsthand accounts from Muncie police, fire, and EMS personnel, along with an end-of-shift report from MPD Lt. Justin Peters detailing intermittent police radio issues, problems with Fire/EMS paging, flooding at the Sampson Avenue communications site, alternative methods of dispatching officers, Priority 1-only responses, and concerns about the availability of a fully operational backup system.

Delaware County Commissioner Stephen Brand has now responded, stating that the county's backup and failover communication processes worked, emergency communications continued despite flooding at the Sampson Avenue tower control building, backup channels were used, and he is not aware of any critical communication failures or public consequences.

So which description is correct?

Possibly both — which is exactly why more answers are needed.

In this episode, Bilbrey examines what we KNOW, what we DON'T KNOW, and the critical questions that remain:

Was MPD limited to Priority 1 calls — and for how long?

What exactly failed or degraded?

What backup systems were activated, and what capabilities did they provide?

How do the county's claims of a successful failover align with what Muncie first responders reported in real time?

Is the communications system fully back to normal today?

What equipment was damaged, what will repairs or replacement cost, and who will ultimately pay?

And perhaps most importantly: What will Muncie and Delaware County do differently before the next catastrophic emergency?

This is not about manufacturing a controversy. It is about establishing the facts surrounding one of the most important pieces of public-safety infrastructure in Delaware County.

If the backup system worked exactly as intended, the public deserves to understand how.

If weaknesses were exposed, the public deserves to know how they will be corrected.

And if The Political Spotlight reported something incorrectly, officials have been invited to identify exactly what was wrong and provide the correct information.

In this episode, Bilbrey lays out the entire timeline and follows the evidence wherever it leads.

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VIDEO version of Ep 717: https://youtube.com/live/SfLBHkFIUJU

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'The Political Spotlight'
LIVE Sunday - Thursday @ 9 p.m. (ET)
Hosted by: Kristopher H. Bilbrey
Produced by: Kate Thornburg & Brandon Rudd
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Email: tpsprogram@gmail.com
© 2026 Mud Creek Studio.
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#716 | Thursday, August 13, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey explores the extraordinary weather emergency and disaster that has struck East Central Indiana, particularly the southern portions of Muncie and Delaware County, extending into Henry and Randolph counties, as historic flooding — reportedly the worst in more than 113 years — has overwhelmed roads, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and emergency services.

As police, firefighters, EMS personnel, emergency management officials, and first responders worked to protect the public during the flooding, the Muncie City–Delaware County 911 Dispatch Center and the public-safety communications system faced an emergency of their own.

The dispatch center handles emergency and non-emergency communications for police, fire, and EMS throughout the City of Muncie, Delaware County, and the smaller communities and departments across the county. During one of the area's most serious weather emergencies in generations, critical radio communications encountered major problems.

The Political Spotlight obtained information from within the Muncie Police Department indicating that city police radios went in and out throughout much of the overnight shift from Wednesday, August 12, through the morning hours of Thursday, August 13, 2026. Officers were reportedly informed that the primary Motorola communications tower near 18th Street and Sampson Avenue in Muncie had been found underwater.

By approximately 4:45 a.m., the paging-tone system used for Fire and EMS was reportedly down, with no estimated time for restoration.

Personnel were further advised that there was no fully operational “Plan B” to replace the affected tower if it failed completely. AEP was expected to shut off power to the tower to protect whatever equipment could still be salvaged — a move that would further disrupt MPD radio and dispatch operations.

With communications compromised, MPD personnel were reportedly responding only to Priority 1 calls at the time, while dispatchers and supervisors relied on alternative communication methods to coordinate officer responses.

In this 716th episode, The Political Spotlight examines what happened, how severe the communications failure was, what contingency measures were — or were not — available, and the questions that Muncie and Delaware County officials will now have to answer about the reliability and redundancy of one of the county's most critical public-safety systems.

Questions have been asked; have answers been provided yet? Tune in for more.

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VIDEO version of Ep 716: https://youtube.com/live/AOGJS1RpZaA

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The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
(Sunday — Thursday at 9 p.m. ET)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight

Audio Podcast: https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
& All Other Podcast Hosting Sites

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#690 | Winning the War Means Losing Some Battles! | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

On this 690th episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey breaks down the latest developments across East Central Indiana, including:

• Delaware County / Muncie...
• Madison County / Anderson...
• Henry County / New Castle...

From local government decisions and public meetings to the issues affecting our communities, we'll cover what matters most—and why.

Bilbrey wraps up the show with a discussion of State Representative JD Prescott's "Property Tax Repeal & Replacement Proposal Tour." While Bilbrey is 100% on board with repealing property taxes, he firmly believes it must be done right. Hoosiers owe it to themselves to look beyond the headline and sound bite before deciding whether this proposal is the right path forward.

There's more to this proposal than just "Repealing Property Taxes!" Before forming an opinion, take time to understand what's being proposed, how it would work, who would pay for it, and what the long-term consequences might be.

Join the conversation live or catch the replay. Share your thoughts in the chat, and help spread the word by sharing The Political Spotlight with your friends, family, and neighbors across East Central Indiana and beyond.

Ep 82 of 'The Rob Kendall Show' (06.24.26) Discussion of State Representative JD Prescott's "Property Tax Repeal & Replacement Proposal." Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/C\_uvb\_SO6Qc?si=Rzypa-W6yL\_rGAlM&t=1605 . . .

The Indiana Capital Chronicle article: "Indiana Republican Platform Now Backs Property Tax Elimination, Closed Primaries." Link: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/06/24/indiana-republican-platform-now-backs-property-tax-elimination-closed-primaries . . .

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VIDEO version of Ep 690: https://youtube.com/live/m-9Wbf3trTM

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The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight

Audio Podcast: https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
& All Other Podcast Hosting Sites

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Facebook 1: https://www.facebook.com/Bilbrey318
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Email: tpsprogram@gmail.com

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🚨🚨🚨
'The Political Spotlight'
LIVE Sunday - Thursday @ 9 p.m. (ET)
Hosted by: Kristopher H. Bilbrey & Brandon Rudd
Produced by: Kate Thornburg
https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight
https://rumble.com/c/ThePoliticalSpotlight
https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
https://www.facebook.com/Bilbrey318
https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalSpotlight318
https://www.tiktok.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight
https://x.com/BilbreyLIVE
Email: tpsprogram@gmail.com
© 2026 Mud Creek Studio.
—

#688 | It Might Be Cool Outside, But Government Is Heating Up Everywhere! | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 688th episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey guides listeners through a whirlwind week of local government controversies, public meetings, political maneuvering, and breaking news across East Central Indiana.

The show opens with the latest developments on the "doomed-from-the-start" Muncie Crisis Center. Originally expected to remain open through December 31, 2026, the City has now announced that the center will close much earlier, with its final day set for Friday, July 3, 2026. Bilbrey examines the implications of the sudden closure, the City of Muncie's response, and why this latest twist continues to show that the Ridenour Administration is a complete dumpster fire!

Next, attention turns to Muncie City Controller Craig Wright and his failure to comply with the first action required by the Muncie City Council's Resolution 8-26. With this deadline missed and information still outstanding, Bilbrey explains why the City Council may be left with few options other than seeking court intervention and issuing subpoenas to compel compliance. While the Council will not want to go that route, the Controller's Office's delay on this first action may leave the Council with no choice.

Bilbrey then previews a couple of upcoming Muncie City Council Committee meetings:

First up is the "Public Service Committee" meeting, scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. This meeting is intended to provide information on Ordinance 9-26 (the proposed Muncie Fire Department Station 5).

Next up is the "Tax Abatement Committee" meeting scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is intended to provide information on Resolution 9-26 (the proposed Tax Abatement for a business in Muncie).

Bilbrey then shifts to discuss the upcoming regular Muncie City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Bilbrey reviews several major agenda items, including:

• A letter from Councilor Nora Powell to Council President Jeff Green on behalf of AFSCME.

• A letter of resignation submitted by Council Attorney Jagan Arnold.

• Ordinance 13-26.

• Ordinance 14-26.

• Resolution 9-26.

• Resolution 10-26.

• Resolution 11-26.

From there, Bilbrey mentions two important upcoming events:

• The hearing on the need for a special election for the Knightstown Clerk and Council At Large positions is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

• The Madison County Election Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

The conversation then shifts to Anderson, where City Councilor Jennifer Culp has announced her intention to run for Mayor. Bilbrey examines what the announcement means for Anderson politics and his problem with the "all Culps, all the time" in Madison County and Anderson politics.

Finally, Bilbrey recaps the Delaware County Council meeting held earlier today, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. What began as a routine meeting quickly turned tense as Delaware County Auditor Ed Carroll, 911 Director Fred Cummings, and council members engaged in a heated exchange. Bilbrey breaks down what happened, why it matters, and what could come next.

From crisis center closures and council subpoenas to mayoral ambitions and county government disputes, Episode 688 is packed with developments that citizens across East Central Indiana need to know.

Don't miss Episode 688 of The Political Spotlight: "It Might Be Cool Outside, But Government Is Heating Up Everywhere!"

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VIDEO version of Ep 688: https://youtube.com/live/bGe93gxtS5Q

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The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
(Sunday - Thursday @ 9 p.m. ET)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight

Audio Podcast: https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
& All Other Podcast Hosting Sites

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#553 | Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Open Show! | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 21:00:00 -0500

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey kicks off the show on a pretty calm Thursday, November 6, 2025. This will be a free-association style show! Come one, come all...

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VIDEO version of Ep 553: https://youtube.com/live/FneN9C2JZp8

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Subscribe: https://bit.ly/subTPS
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============================

The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
(Sunday - Thursday @ 9 p.m. ET)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight

Audio Podcast: https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
& All Other Podcast Hosting Sites

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