News

The state of Indiana is urging farmers to take special precautions during harvest season this year, as the drought has created some additional risks.

Tippecanoe County juvenile court judge Loretta Rush is Indiana’s newest Supreme Court justice – and the second woman to ever sit on the state’s high court.

Governor Mitch Daniels named Rush as his pick Friday.  Hamilton County judge Steven Nation and Indianapolis attorney Geoffrey Slaughter were the other two finalists.  Many in the legal community urged the governor to name a woman to the bench.  

While Daniels says he wasn’t oblivious to those calls, quality was his first concern.

A panel met Tuesday to discuss whether the state’s formula for compensating State Fair stage collapse victims was fair, and the results could serve as a guide for responding to future tragedies.

On Tuesday, Indiana’s first responders who went to New York the day of the attacks eleven years ago, were honored in Indianapolis.  

Indiana’s Task Force One is a search and rescue team of emergency personnel and civilians who arrived at Ground Zero just sixteen hours after the World Trade Center towers fell.  George Callahan is a former firefighter and member of Task Force One.  He said it doesn’t take much to bring the memories to mind.

The University of Saint Francis is adding to its presence in Downtown Fort Wayne.

University President Sister Elise Kriss announced Monday that USF will buy the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce building at 826 Ewing Street, adjacent to the city’s business district. Once renovations are finished, it will be the new home for the Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education wants College Success Coalitions in all 92 Hoosier counties.  Currently, 35 exist across Indiana.

Investigators examining last year’s State Fair stage collapse said Indiana has made significant progress in preventing future accidents. They also said the state still has work to do.

Representatives from Thornton Tomasetti and Witt and Associates, the two independent firms that conducted stage collapse investigations, reviewed their findings Wednesday before a legislative study committee.  They also gave brief evaluations of the temporary regulations the state has adopted since the stage collapse. 

Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman is campaigning for GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock in a commercial airing around the state.  Skillman highlights Mourdock’s ability to work with both sides of the aisle, something Mourdock’s opponents say goes against his record.

In the 30 second ad, Skillman talks about Mourdock’s experience working with she and Governor Mitch Daniels.  She refers to the state treasurer a “great teammate” who will work with Republicans and Democrats in Washington. 

One school in Indiana this year is eligible for state takeover. That’s down from seven last year.  The state Board of Education Thursday chose not to exercise its takeover option, but is leaving that on the table. 

Court action in the case between American-born Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh and the Terre Haute federal prison in which he is housed wrapped up Thursday.  

Lindh and other Muslim inmates at the Communications Management Unit in the Terre Haute prison filed suit against the government, seeking to pray in a group once a day.  Group prayer is currently restricted to once a week gatherings. 

Lindh says his religious rights are being infringed upon.  Prison officials say group prayer poses security concerns and the once-a-week allowances are enough.