skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

IN Officials Announce $65 Million for New Pedestrian Trails

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 27, 2022   

Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced $65 million to fund new pedestrian infrastructure in Indiana.

The grant money, distributed as part of Indiana's NextLevel Trails initiative, will be used to create nearly 80 miles of new walking trails across the state.

Mark Becker, NextLevel Trails program manager for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which is administering the projects, said the trails will serve as an important outdoor recreation resource and a new piece of Indiana's transportation infrastructure.

"Oftentimes, it's an easy way to get to the store or get downtown, that sort of thing," he said, "and a fun and safe way to do it, either on a bike or walking or jogging."

The $65 million will be distributed as grants to 38 communities and nonprofit organizations. Becker said they'll be tasked with handling construction on roughly three dozen trails. This is the third round of funding for the NextLevel Trails program; the state has allocated a total of $120 million to build almost 200 miles of trails across Indiana so far.

The grant program has a current maximum budget of $150 million, the largest infusion of cash into the state's trails in Indiana history. Becker said the DNR defers mostly to local expertise on the projects.

"What we do is, we award a grant to a local community," he said. "They're able to hire a design firm that they're comfortable with, and hire contractors that are familiar in their community."

According to the program's website, eight of the 73 approved NextLevel Trails projects have been completed so far. Grant recipients must meet a minimum 20% project match for their proposals, which can take the form of financial contributions, land value and materials and labor.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021