INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma says lawmakers are taking their time deciding how they’ll vote on a proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage. The Indianapolis Republican said Wednesday that a vote by the House Judiciary Committee could happen next week. Members of that panel had planned a vote Monday, but delayed it following hours of emotional testimony.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An armored carrier the West Lafayette police department recently acquired from the U.S. military is being refitted and will soon serve as a “moving shield” for officers, the city’s police chief said. Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said the big truck, which has armored plating intended to protect its occupants from bomb blasts, is essentially on permanent loan from the military but can be recalled by the federal government at any time.
The Muncie City Council voted unanimously Monday night to oppose bill House Joint Resolution 3. The bill, previously known as House Joint Resolution 6, would add an amendment to the Indiana Constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage in the state. The proposed amendment also would ban anything “similar” to same-sex marriage, including civil unions. Supporters and opponents disagree on whether the proposal would also bar health and tax benefits for same-sex couples.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s efforts to add high-tech jobs have paid off in Indianapolis and surrounding counties — at the expense of the rest of the state, a newspaper analysis has found. The Indianapolis Business Journal analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and found Indianapolis had 39 percent more jobs in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math — in 2012 than in 2001. That’s more than double the national growth rate of 17 percent.
Supporters of a state constitutional amendment to block same-sex marriage and civil unions say they can still win, despite public opinion against them and a growing lineup of major companies and others opposed.
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — The company that operates the power grid that supplies energy for more than 61 million people in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South is calling for the public to conserve electricity Tuesday because of the extreme cold. PJM Interconnection operates the power grid in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The grid operator asks the public to conserve electricity Tuesday, especially from 6 a.m.
INDIANAPOLIS — While plows still work to clear snow off Indiana roads, officials are beginning to worry about possible flooding. The National Weather Service is predicting rain with highs in the upper 30s on Friday.
Ball State canceled classes for Monday ahead of a cold snap that is expected to push temperatures to the lowest in 20 years and present a threat to health. Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler said he plans to call a snow emergency for the city, ordering all but emergency traffic off the streets.
INDIANAPOLIS — Water covered several highways Monday as central and southern Indiana residents contended with flooded creeks and rivers following a weekend of heavy rain and melting snow. The high water impeded the morning rush hour for Indianapolis commuters, causing them to take alternate routes around inundated roads, emergency management officials said. “The good news is that we don’t have school today, and many people aren’t working due to the Christmas holiday,” Ed Reuter, director of the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations 911 Center, told The Republic newspaper on Monday.
SELLERSBURG, Ind. — A state senator says he plans to introduce legislation that would provide legal protection to public schools and teachers that want to celebrate Christmas in their classrooms. Sen.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s call to eliminate the personal property tax for businesses could end up raising taxes for homeowners and residents throughout the state, depending on how local governments react, according to a legislative report completed Monday. Analysts for the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency determined that the tax would amount for about $1.06 billion in proceeds for local government in 2015, creating budget havoc if it were completely removed.
INDIANAPOLIS — A federal judge is allowing a lawsuit to move forward against two men who were with a 20-year-old Indiana University student before she disappeared in 2011. The parents of Lauren Spierer filed the lawsuit against former IU students Jason Rosenbaum and Corey Rossman.
INDIANAPOLIS — Attorney General Greg Zoeller is warning residents hit by flood damage to watch for scam artists. Zoeller said Monday fraudulent contractors will often come into heavily damaged areas and attempt to scam homeowners.
INDIANAPOLIS — A bipartisan group of Indiana mayors, including those of some of the state’s largest cities, announced their opposition Tuesday to placing Indiana’s ban on gay marriage in the state constitution.
INDIANAPOLIS — Supporters of ending Indiana’s longtime ban on Sunday retail alcohol sales are hoping a change in leadership of a key legislative committee has improved their chances of success. That change is the appointment of Republican Rep.
INDIANAPOLIS — One of three men who were with an Indiana University student when she disappeared in 2011 was dismissed Monday from a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for her death. Michael Beth offered 20-year-old Lauren Spierer a place to sleep after his roommate, Corey Rossman, brought her intoxicated to their apartment, U.S.
More students are staying in Indiana after graduating, which may be a reason for a drop in unemployment, a Ball State economist said. Michael Hicks, director of Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research, released a report saying Indiana is recovering from the recession better than the national job market. The state unemployment rate dropped from 8.4 percent in July to 7.5 percent in October, in part to the growth in the manufacturing industry.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A former Indianapolis police officer who killed a man and seriously injured two others when he was driving drunk and crashed his police cruiser into two motorcycles stopped at a traffic light was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years in prison. David Bisard was convicted last month on nine counts, the most serious of which was driving with a blood-alcohol content above 0.15 percent while in a fatal accident. The legal limit in Indiana is 0.08.
MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Failed referenda in two Indiana communities are forcing school officials to regroup as they assess their needs for everything from leaky roofs to bus transportation. Mishawaka voters this month rejected a $28 million referendum that would have helped upgrade security and technology, replace aging boilers, fix roofs and make other repairs.
KOKOMO, Ind. – When they got back to their home in Kokomo, Jill Shimer and her husband, Scott, had no idea what to expect. The Shimers returned from Cincinnati around 8 p.m., roughly four hours after the tornadoes tore up the south side of the city.
