#576 | The Shortest Day (2025)! | The Political Spotlight

December 21st, 2025  |  1 hr 46 mins

2026 election cycle, delaware county sheriff tony skinner announces candidacy for delaware county council district 3, indiana state politics, jim lutton, madison county politics, mayor dan ridenour, muncie indiana, muncie parks board, muncie politics, muncie redevelopment commission, shortest day of the year, winter solstice 2025

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey is coming to you LIVE from Sunday, December 21, 2025, THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR! From here on, we slowly start to get more sunlight through June 2026, which is FANTASTIC NEWS! That said, this is the start of the BIG Holidays... and the end of the 2025 year! Things are slowing down on the surface; however, there are still so many things going on behind the scenes, and Bilbrey digs into it all in this episode! #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#575 | What’s the Deal W/Madison Co Sheriff John Beeman & the Sumner Case? | The Political Spotlight

December 18th, 2025  |  1 hr 56 mins

dr. katherine callahan, former county councilor steve sumner, fugitive from justice, howard county maryland, madison county indiana, madison county politics, madison county sheriff john beeman, political activist, record requests, sharon bailey barker, twenty-thousand dollar reward, united states marshals service

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey dives deep into the strange case of former Madison County Councilor and preacher Steve Sumner, who spent more than two years as a fugitive before his arrest, following a $25,000 reward offered by Dr. Katherine Callahan.

Bilbrey walks through the arrests of Sumner and his girlfriend, Sharon Bailey Barker, their extraditions back to Indiana, and the troubling questions surrounding who provided the tip, who should receive the reward money, and why the Madison County Sheriff John Beeman acted so strangely, trying to get Callahan to issue payment to someone who did not call in the tip. Answers begin to surface—after Bilbrey receives the records he requested from Howard County, Maryland. But this story is only getting started. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#573 | Park Board Mtg! + MadCo's No Vote to New Precincts! + Boards 10-96! | The Political Spotlight

December 16th, 2025  |  2 hrs 12 mins

carl roy webb boards ii, contributing correspondent dr. katherine callahan, death penalty, democrats, elwood police, governor of indiana, judge andrew hopper, line of duty death, lt. governor, madison county circuit court division 3, madison county commissioners, madison county indiana, madison county politics, mayor dan ridenour, micah beckwith, mike braun, muncie indiana, muncie park board meeting, muncie politics, parks superintendent carl malone, police officer noah shahnavaz, prairie creek reservoir, redrawing voting precincts, republicans, state of indiana politics

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey discusses the events that took place at the City of Muncie's December 2025 Parks Board Meeting. Prairie Creek Reservoir was the main topic at the meeting. Then, Bilbrey welcomes contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to the show to talk about the Madison County Commissioners' December 2025 Meeting. During the meeting, the Commissioners voted no on the effort to redraw the county's voting precincts. Finally, Bilbrey and Callahan discuss the recent decision by Madison County Circuit Court Division 3 Judge Andrew Hopper, who ruled that Carl Roy Webb Boards II—the man charged with the shooting death of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz—is not competent to stand trial. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#568 | The Bare Minimum of an Already Broken Process! | The Political Spotlight

December 2nd, 2025  |  2 hrs 6 mins

anderson city council, anderson indiana, anderson politics, caucus, dr. katherine callahan, madison county commissioners meeting, madison county indiana, madison county politics, redrawing the local precincts, voters registration

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey welcomes contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to the program to discuss the events from the Madison County Commissioners meeting on Monday, December 1, 2025. Bilbrey and Callahan also talk about the upcoming City Council caucus in Anderson. Finally, they review the day's events from the Indiana State House. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#567 | December 1, 2025 - Review of the Day’s Governmental Happenings! | The Political Spotlight

December 1st, 2025  |  1 hr 51 mins

delaware county commissioners meeting, delaware county indiana, delaware county politics, indiana general assembly, indiana politics, indiana redistricting, indiana state house of representatives, indiana state senate, madison county commissioners meeting, madison county indiana, madison county politics, muncie city council meeting, muncie indiana, muncie politics, redrawing precinct maps

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the events from various government meetings held throughout the day (Monday, December 1, 2025).

Bilbrey covers the following meetings in this 567th episode:

• Delaware County Commissioners Meeting...

• Madison County Commissioners Meeting...

• State of Indiana General Assembly - House of Representatives (Day 1 of the 2026 Session)...

• City of Muncie City Council Meeting...

Tune in for Bilbrey's review and commentary on the proceedings of these meetings. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#566 | A Long December! Meetings & a Possible Redistricting Reversal! | The Political Spotlight

November 30th, 2025  |  1 hr 28 mins

delaware county commissioners meeting, delaware county indiana, delaware county politics, indiana general assembly, indiana politics, indiana redistricting, indiana state house of representatives, indiana state senate, madison county commissioners meeting, madison county indiana, madison county politics, muncie city council meeting, muncie indiana, muncie politics, redrawing precinct maps

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey and 'The Political Spotlight' are back after the Thanksgiving 2025 break, and it's time to get back to work. Bilbrey gives an overview of the key upcoming meetings scheduled for early December 2025. He also discusses the "about-face" made by Indiana's State Senators at the very end of the news cycle last week, as everyone was heading into the Thanksgiving break. The Indiana State Senate will now be heading into session on Monday, December 8, 2025. Let's roll! #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#565 | MAPS: MadCo A**hole Public Servants! | The Political Spotlight

November 25th, 2025  |  2 hrs 35 mins

accountability, anderson indiana, anderson politics, anderson redevelopment commission, correspondent dr. katherine callahan, election board, indiana, madison county clerk's office, madison county commissioner, madison county politics, maps, public access, rebecca crumes, record requests, redrawing precincts, transparency, voters' registration

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey had to step in during Madison County drama earlier today (Tuesday, November 25, 2025), and it’s never a good day when that happens. So, what was the issue? Madison County, Indiana, is in the process of redrawing its election and voting precincts, and this topic will be discussed during an upcoming commissioners meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025. However, Madison County Election Officials were frustrating citizens by refusing to provide both the current and proposed precinct maps for review before the meeting. But then Bilbrey stepped in! To help explain all this, Bilbrey invited contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to the show to discuss the current MAPS drama—aiming to clarify and help Madison County residents stay involved. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#562 | The Doors of Participation: The Public Access Issue! | The Political Spotlight

November 21st, 2025  |  2 hrs 28 mins

98 apartments, accountability, bond, breaking news, communication, curt d. andersen, election board, indiana, initial hearing, judge dale arnett forced to resign, madison county politics, muncie politics, open door violations, public access laws, transparency, whitestown shooting investigation

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey and contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan are here on a very special Friday night episode to discuss a serious PUBLIC ACCESS CRISIS affecting Madison County, Indiana... and beyond! From city council meetings to commissioners meetings, to election board meetings, and everything in between. It's just another symptom of the broader disease of BAD GOVERNANCE! #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#561 | Mayor Dan Ridenour, Reimagining Muncie! Plus: A Stupid Movie! | The Political Spotlight

November 19th, 2025  |  2 hrs 15 mins

build back better, camping, city parks, crazy video, curt d. andersen, hollywood movie magic, indiana, indiana american water company, madison county election board meeting, madison county politics, mayor dan ridenour, muncie, muncie politics, prairie creek reservoir, press conference, reimagining muncie, whitestown indiana cleaning lady shooting

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey covers the BIG news of the day in Muncie, Indiana—the closure of 234 campsites on the North Shore of Prairie Creek Reservoir. Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour announced this during a press conference held earlier in the day (Wednesday, November 19, 2025). This is something Bilbrey has heard was coming for some time, but it still comes as a shock. Bilbrey discusses what this could mean for the city in the long run, as well as the potential political fallout for Mayor Ridenour. Finally, Bilbrey explains the difference between reality and fantasy while describing how Hollywood movie magic works! For those wondering, this is connected to the "Whitestown Cleaning Lady Shooting" case. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#557 | Thursday, November 13, 2025 - Chit Chat! | The Political Spotlight

November 13th, 2025  |  1 hr 15 mins

board of works, delaware county sheriff's department, dustin clark, indiana politics, jonathon culp, madison county politics, muncie politics, muncie recovery opco llc lease, records request, whitestown cleaning lady shooting

This 557th episode of 'The Political Spotlight' will be an open-topic show! Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey is currently working on a few topics that aren't quite ready to explore yet, and even though it seems like a lot is happening, everything still feels like it's moving at a snail's pace. There are a few odds and ends to cover as we head into the weekend; this is always a strange time of year, politically speaking. But, as usual, Bilbrey will make the most of it! #ThePoliticalSpotlight