From the Associated PressIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is outlining a handful of changes the state is taking following last year's deadly state fair stage collapse. Daniels says he has ordered the state Department of Homeland Security to begin reviewing temporary outdoor structures like the stage rigging that collapsed Aug. 13. He also said firings at the state fair commission could be a part of an overhaul he's now considering. He did not say whether that included State Fair director Cindy Hoye. An independent investigation released last week found the state fair had no clear chain of command for deciding when to evacuate fans. A separate probe found that the rigging which killed seven people and injured close to 60 people was not built to withstand the 59-mph winds that knocked it down.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.