The Sentinel

St. Joseph-Ogden Basketball dominates in Illini Prairie Conference road win

CHAMPAIGN - Four St. Joseph-Ogden players scored in double figures as the Spartans cruised to an 85-33 victory over St. Thomas More in an Illini Prairie Conference matchup Tuesday night. The nearly complete team effort propelled SJO to a dominant performance on the road.

Kody McKinney is all smiles after earning his 2025 Christie Clinic Shootout Player of the Game award. On Tuesday, the junior led the Spartans to a conference win over St. Thomas More with 16 points.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

With the win, the St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team improved to 16-5 overall and remains tied with Unity at the top of the IPC standings, both teams holding a perfect 4-0 record in conference play.

Kody McKinney led the Spartans with 16 points, including six of eight shots from the field and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 5-foot-10 junior also dished out three assists in just 16 minutes of play. Collin Thomey and Nolan Franzen each added 15 points, while Parker Fitch contributed 13 points to round out the top scorers. Franzen also led the team in rebounds with eight, followed by senior Tanner Siems, who grabbed six boards.

The Spartans showcased their depth, with five additional players contributing to a combined team shooting percentage of 51%. Meanwhile, St. Thomas More struggled offensively, making only 14 of 39 field goal attempts and converting just one of nine free-throw opportunities.

SJO will look to continue its strong Illini Prairie Conference campaign when it hosts Monticello (11-9) this Friday at the high school. Despite conference losses to Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Central Catholic, Monticello remains a tough opponent after an impressive victory over Seneca at the Christie Clinic Shootout.

Indiana pushes notification law for immigration arrests

by Joe Ulery
Indiana News Service

Opponents of Indiana bill, including civil rights groups, raised concerns about racial bias and confusion for officers in enforcing proposed law.

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana lawmakers are advancing a bill which would require police to notify federal authorities about certain arrests.

House Bill 1393 moved forward after lawmakers made significant changes. It applies when police arrest someone and suspect the person is in the country illegally. Officers must notify the county sheriff, who then informs federal agencies.

The amended version raises the standard from "reasonable suspicion" to "probable cause." It also grants civil immunity to officers who act in good faith.

Rep. Garrett Bascom, R-Lawrenceburg, said the bill balances enforcement with fairness.

"I want to be very clear about the determination," Bascom stressed. "The determination is not made just based off pulling a person off of the street. The determination is only made after an individual has been arrested for that felony or misdemeanor."

Opponents, including civil rights groups, raised concerns about racial bias and confusion for officers. Supporters said the bill strengthens immigration enforcement and addresses human trafficking concerns.

Critics warned it could encourage racial profiling and harm immigrants with legal status.

Carolina Castoreno, executive director of the American Indian Center of Indiana, worries it will unfairly target individuals during arrests.

"I'm here to tell you that if you think this will only impact undocumented people, you are wrong," Castoreno contended. "Historically, this has proven to be false. When they tried to do this in the 1930s, the Mexican Repatriation Act, nearly 2 million people were deported to Mexico and nearly 60% of those people were U.S. citizens."

Lawmakers debated the changes before the vote. Some warned it could disproportionately affect refugees and others without standard documents. Despite objections, the bill continues to move forward.

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Farm households will see more tax liability when Trump tax cuts expire

Photo: Steven Weeks/Unsplash

by Sky Chadde
Investigate Midwest

One of President Donald Trump’s first-term achievements was a major tax cut, which he signed into law in 2017. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act largely benefited the wealthiest families in the U.S.

But farm households also saw their tax rates decrease.

That means many farms will see their tax liability increase when the tax cuts expire at the end of the year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture research.

Currently, farm households have an average credit of about $3,800. Unless Congress acts, it could be about $1,300.

Congress could extend the tax cuts through legislation, and Trump has said he wants more changes to the tax code.

If the tax cuts do expire, which is scheduled for midnight on Dec. 31, 2025, farm households of varying sizes would be affected in different ways.

Child tax credit

For instance, fewer farm households would receive the Child Tax Credit. The 2017 law temporarily increased this credit and raised the income threshold for eligibility. Under the current law, about 36% of all farm households are eligible for the tax credit. When the law sunsets, about 27% of farm households will be, according to USDA research.

The tax credit amount will also decrease. Currently, farm households have an average credit of about $3,800. Unless Congress acts, it could be about $1,300.

Qualified business income deduction

Another 2017 tax cut that farmers were eligible for was the qualified business income deduction.

It is for businesses that are not organized as C-corporations, which allows owners and shareholders to separate their tax liability from that of the corporation (such as publicly traded corporations). The new deduction was intended to “provide parity with C-corporations” for farms and other businesses, according to the USDA.

Almost half of farm households receive the deduction. If the deduction is eliminated, the farms’ average tax bill would increase by 9%, or about $2,500.

Estate tax

Another part of the tax cut that could sunset is the provision related to the estate tax, which applies to the transfer of property after a relative dies. The tax only affects the wealthiest families in the U.S. and has become a persistent target of Republicans, who have labeled it the “death tax.”

Though implemented in 1916, the estate tax has “never directly affected a large percentage of farmers,” USDA researchers wrote.

USDA researchers estimate that, currently, just 0.3% of all farm households would be eligible to pay the estate tax. If this part of the 2017 tax cut expires, though, 1% of all farm households would be eligible.

This mostly affects the largest U.S. farms, which generate more than $1 million in annual gross income.

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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