Indiana alters student count to maintain school funding
The Indiana State Board of Education approved a method to maintain funding for schools reopening virtually this fall after warnings of possible cuts from lawmakers last month.
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City working to reduce rent-relief waiting list of 25,000
The city of Indianapolis is ramping up its COVID-19 rental assistance program with plans to process about 1,000 applications a day while the funding lasts.
Settlement program aims to reduce eviction filings
The Indiana Supreme Court is launching a new mediation program to help stem the anticipated flood of evictions by facilitating settlement agreements between tenants facing eviction and landlords trying to collect rent.
ILS helping vulnerable Hoosiers get stimulus checks
Indiana Legal Services has launched a public education campaign to help all eligible Hoosiers access their federal stimulus payments, noting millions of dollars could remain unclaimed unless individuals act before the Oct. 15 deadline.
More than 30,000 Hoosiers apply for state rental assistance
More than 30,000 Hoosiers who have fallen behind on rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic have applied for financial assistance from the state — nearly triple the amount Indiana officials originally expected.
Indianapolis to get funding for new federal violent crime-fighting effort
An operation to end violent crime created in honor of a 4-year-old who was shot and killed in his sleep will now be expanded to Indianapolis, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
States strain to carry out Trump order on unemployment aid
Governors and state labor department officials were scrambling Monday to determine whether they could implement President Donald Trump’s executive order to partially extend unemployment assistance payments to millions of Americans struggling to find work in the pandemic-scarred economy.
Report blames Daleville in online school enrollment fraud
State auditors have determined a central Indiana school district should repay $2.2 million for failing to properly supervise two online charter schools accused of padding their enrollments by about 14,000 students over eight years.
Trump end run around Congress on COVID aid raises questions on his claims
President Donald Trump’s end run around Congress on coronavirus relief is raising questions about whether it would give Americans the economic lifeline he claims and appears certain to face legal challenges. Democrats called it a pre-election ploy that would burden cash-strapped states.
Progress slow on virus relief bill as negotiations continue
Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks resumed Monday afternoon in the Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and aid to schools struggling to reopen safely assuming a higher profile in the talks.
Trump administration $21M gamble on Pepcid as a COVID remedy fizzles
As the coronavirus began its deadly march through the world, two well-respected American doctors identified a possible but seemingly unlikely remedy: Pepcid, the heartburn medication found on drugstore shelves everywhere. There were no published data or studies to suggest its effectiveness against the novel coronavirus. But that didn’t stop the Trump administration from granting a $21 million emergency contract that is now the subject of whistleblower complaints.
Virus downturn knocks Indiana surplus down $850 million
Plunging tax collections caused by the coronavirus pandemic have delivered an $850 million hit to Indiana’s state budget reserves, and a top state official said Thursday he anticipates possibly steep spending cuts in the coming years.
Marion County rental assistance program available to residents Monday
Marion County residents can begin applying for rental assistance beginning next week, Indianapolis officials said Wednesday. The coronavirus housing relief effort is expected to be among the largest in the nation.
SCOTUS upholds prostitution pledge for groups getting AIDS funding
The US Supreme Court has upheld a provision of federal law that requires foreign affiliates of U.S.-based health organizations to denounce prostitution as a condition of receiving taxpayer money to fight AIDS around the world.
Officials halt central Indiana county’s needle exchange
Commissioners in a central Indiana county have failed to extend the county’s needle exchange, halting local efforts to prevent the spread of diseases among intravenous drug users by providing them with clean needles.
ACLU calls on Hogsett to reduce funding for police in Indianapolis
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is calling on Mayor Joe Hogsett to “reimagine” the role of police in Indianapolis and shift funding away from law enforcement into community-based initiatives.
Lawmakers support additional funding for legal aid as ILS receives $1M
Indiana Legal Services will be receiving a booster shot of just over $1 million as part of the additional $50 million in funding Congress allotted to legal aid providers across the country during the COVID-19 emergency. Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are pushing for another appropriation.
Democrat Weinzapfel leads AG campaign funding with $609K
Though Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is outpacing his Republican opponents in available money for the 2020 AG nomination race, a would-be Democratic challenger leads the pack with more than $600,000 on hand. Meanwhile, the incumbent AG has yet to secure a key supporter in his bid to become the Republican nominee.
Hill’s rivals for AG active during his discipline hearing
As Attorney General Curtis Hill took the stand in his disciplinary case filed over groping allegations, a lawyer and a lawmaker who hope to replace him appear to be using his infamy as something of a springboard for their own campaigns.
Federal grant fueling project to lower recidivism in Marion County
With more a third of the individuals from Marion County returning to incarceration within a year of being released, the city of Indianapolis is using a $1 million federal grant to launch a new three-year project to reduce the recidivism rate and improve outcomes.