Indiana gives initial OK to off-site manure ponds
A state panel gave preliminary approval Wednesday to Indiana's first rules governing big stand-alone ponds and lagoons built to hold manure trucked in from livestock farms.
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Tax Court denies rehearing in charitable purposes exemption case
Tax Judge Martha Wentworth affirmed that a housing company in Bartholomew County failed to show that its rental properties qualified for a charitable purposes exemption for the 2006 tax year. The judge denied granting Housing Partnerships Inc.’s request for a rehearing.
Deal may be near in stage collapse suit
A lawsuit filed by victims of the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse appears to be nearing a settlement, a mediator's report indicates, more than three years after the fatal accident that killed seven people and injured more than 40.
Closure of Indiana juvenile boot camp put on hold
State officials are delaying the closure of a paramilitary-style boot camp for juvenile offenders in northwestern Indiana.
Marion County small claims reform faces hurdles in Legislature
The Indiana Supreme Court’s recommendation to merge Marion County’s nine township small claims courts with Marion Superior Court may be too bold for the Indiana General Assembly, a key senator said.
Economic harm is key part of gay marriage argument
When the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 4 affirmed Indiana’s marriage law was unconstitutional, Judge Richard Posner’s opinion gave special nod to the economic harm married same-sex couples suffer by not receiving the tangible state and federal benefits that are extended to married opposite-sex couples.
7th Circuit: Marriage law is unconstitutional
Indiana’s assertion that preventing same-sex marriage encourages responsible procreation among heterosexuals was unequivocally rejected Sept. 4 in a blistering opinion from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the state’s argument could not be taken seriously.
Beer distributor Monarch stepping up booze push
In a campaign to enter the hard liquor business, Monarch Beverage Co. is pursuing a new tactic that takes aim at state regulators.
Denial of mortgage lender’s license is within state’s authority, COA rules
The Indiana Court of Appeals found the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions had the authority to deny a mortgage lender originator’s license to an applicant who has a criminal record.
Appeals court bounces IURC ruling favoring Duke on Edwardsport plant
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission failed to comply with laws and regulations when it approved an order allowing Duke Energy to pass along to ratepayers certain construction costs for the $3 billion Edwardsport coal gasification plant in Knox County.
7th Circuit rejects denial of disabled woman’s benefits
Finding repeated fault with the administrative law judge who denied a Chandler woman Social Security disability payments, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the case to the Social Security Administration.
Feds reach settlement for East Chicago cleanup
The federal government has reached a proposed settlement under which two companies will pay for an estimated $26 million cleanup of lead and arsenic contamination in an East Chicago neighborhood.
State can exclude fuel ethanol plants from ‘chemical process plant’ classification
The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the decision by state environmental agencies to no longer consider fuel ethanol plants to be a “chemical process plant” under the Clean Air Act. By removing fuel ethanol plants from this classification, those plants may not be subject to stricter regulations.
Divided 7th Circuit affirms dismissal of RTW challenge
A split panel on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the decision by a federal judge in northern Indiana to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a union challenging Indiana’s right-to-work law. The majority concluded the law does not violate the union members’ rights under the U.S. Constitution nor is it preempted by federal labor legislation.
Tax Court reverses reduction in school corp.’s exempt debt service fund levy
The Indiana Tax Court on Friday overturned the decision by the Department of Local Government Finance to reduce the Gary Community School Corp.’s exempt debt service fund levy for the 2011 budget year. Judge Martha Wentworth found the state agency had no authority to reduce the levy.
Supreme Court recommends abolishing Marion County township courts
A report from the National Center for State Courts recommends the nine township small claims venues in Indianapolis transition into a unified section of Marion Superior Courts. The Indiana Supreme Court is asking lawmakers to abolish the current system and unify them with the Superior Courts’ Civil Division effective Jan. 1, 2016.
Ex-Indiana elections chief starts politics website
Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White's voter fraud conviction has taken him out of politics but hasn't stopped him from writing about it.
Settlement reached in Nashville shocking case
The southern Indiana tourist town of Nashville has reached a settlement with a Michigan man who accused a deputy marshal of shocking him with a Taser gun while he was having a seizure.
Judge threatens to find Indiana mayor in contempt
A judge threatened to find a central Indiana mayor in contempt of court over a dispute about pipes blocking a courthouse entrance.
Judges blast Indiana, Wisconsin gay marriage bans
Federal appeals judges bristled Tuesday at arguments defending gay marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin, with one Republican appointee comparing them to now-defunct laws that once outlawed weddings between blacks and whites.