With at least 31 positive cases of the coronavirus reported in Indiana schools since buildings began reopening in late July, district leaders, teachers and parents are pressuring state officials to identify benchmarks for what would require schools to go back online as confirmed cases of the virus increase.
Indiana’s top education official said Thursday that she think schools can safely reopen despite mounting reports of students and staffers testing positive for the coronavirus within days of returning to the classroom in some districts.
Indiana residents who have struggled to pay rent or utility bills during the coronavirus pandemic have one more week before the state’s protections against evictions and utility shutoffs end, despite a recent analysis that found that more than 40% of the state’s renters are unable to pay their rent.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and other state officials defended brick-and-mortar school reopenings Wednesday despite mounting reports of students and education staff testing positive for the coronavirus since returning to school statewide. The governor also resisted calls to expand voting by mail in the November general election.
As Gov. Eric Holcomb extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until mid-August, Indiana state courts increased their calls for residents and property owners to start trying to work out agreements that will keep families in their homes.
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The coming retirement of a St. Joseph Superior Court judge has opened applications for her successor, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Friday. |
Another month passes. The coronavirus pandemic marches on. And Americans struggling amid the economic fallout once again have to worry as their next rent checks come due Aug. 1.
Indiana will keep its current coronavirus restrictions in place for at least most of August, with Gov. Eric Holcomb choosing Wednesday to encourage compliance with safety measures amid continued concerns about recent growth in the state’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Holcomb also said he would briefly extend a moratorium on evictions that was scheduled to expire this week.
In anticipation of state courts being overwhelmed with landlord-tenant cases once the pandemic moratorium on evictions is lifted, a task force assembled by the Indiana Supreme Court released recommendations Wednesday that encourage payment plans and alternatives to forcibly removing residents from their homes.
Former Indiana Gov. Joseph Kernan, a gregarious Democrat who spent 11 months as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and served as mayor of South Bend, died Wednesday morning after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 74.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday appointed attorney Andrew S. Williams to fill a vacancy on the Allen Superior Court bench. Williams will succeed retired Judge Nancy Eshcoff Boyer, the first woman to serve on the state trial court bench in Fort Wayne.
Applications are now open to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Allen Superior Court bench as Judge Thomas Felts prepares to retire.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb dropped a planned criminal penalty from the statewide face mask mandate that he signed Friday after objections from some law enforcement officials and conservative legislators.
Controversy over Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s statewide mask mandate has spilled over into the race for attorney general, with Democratic candidate Jonathan Weinzapfel accusing Republican candidateTodd Rokita of purposefully declining to stand with the governor.
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday issued an executive order requiring the wearing of face coverings in public as Indiana coronavirus cases continue at near-record levels. The order does not include potential criminal penalties, which Attorney General Curtis Hill had said Holcomb lacked the authority to enforce.
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Thursday he is confident he has the legal authority to impose a statewide mask mandate, telling reporters after an event in Lafayette that “we do our research before we speak.” His comments came after fellow Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an opinion saying Holcomb lacked the authority to enforce a mask order.
Nearly 90 people took an oath to become an American citizen on Thursday morning, becoming the first group to participate in a naturalization ceremony hosted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Two of the state senators who asked the attorney general for a legal opinion about whether Gov. Eric Holcomb has the authority to enforce a statewide mask mandate say they do not plan to file a lawsuit to challenge the measure.
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 954 new COVID-19 cases, an all-time daily high for positive cases.
Gov. Eric Holcomb lacks the authority to enforce the statewide mask mandate he announced on Wednesday and should call a special session if he wants to implement the requirement, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said late Wednesday.