Associated Press

Indiana is launching a $100 million program to expand broadband internet services across rural parts of the state. Gov Eric Holcomb (R-IN) says the Next Level Broadband program will bridge the digital divide, giving more rural Hoosiers access to the internet for business or personal uses. The governor says the “internet is just as essential to Indiana’s prosperity today as highways were a century ago.” Broadband providers can initially apply for up to $5 million to expand service to unserved areas if they provide at least a 20 percent match.

The steady loss of local newspapers and journalists across the country contributes to the nation’s political polarization, a new study has found. According to research published in the Journal of Communication, with fewer opportunities to find out about local politicians, citizens are more likely to turn to national sources like cable news and apply their feelings about national politics to people running for the town council or state legislature. The result is much less “split ticket” voting, or people whose ballot includes votes for people of different parties.