Lake County to test decade-long backlog of rape kits
Lake County plans to test some of the 240 untested rape kits that are part of a decade-long backlog and make policy changes to help prevent another logjam, officials said.
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Demolition begins at contaminated E. Chicago housing complex
Demolition has begun at a northwest Indiana public housing complex contaminated with arsenic and lead. Demolition of East Chicago's West Calumet Housing Complex will remove all buildings, foundations, streets and sidewalks, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
12 apply to Court of Appeals
The Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission has received applications from 12 applicants to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Steering committee named for 2020 mock trial nationals
Preparations for the 2020 National High School Mock Trial Championship in Evansville are continuing with the steering committee for the event being finalized. Lawyers, judge and private citizens from around Indiana are helping to oversee a contest which will bring about 900 high schoolers to Indiana.
Racial discrimination claim will proceed against Purdue coach
The Indiana Northern District Court has allowed a racial discrimination claim to continue against a Purdue University baseball coach after finding one of his player’s adequately alleged the coach treated him differently because of his Mexican heritage.
State will appeal denial of recovery of allegedly misappropriated school funds
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has announced plans to appeal a Lake County ruling that prohibits the state from recouping more than $841,000 in funds allegedly overpaid to two Munster school officials.
Mom charged with leaving children alone before fatal Gary fire
The mother of two young children killed in a northwestern Indiana apartment building fire has been charged with leaving them alone for several hours before the youngsters started the blaze while playing with the kitchen stove.
Companies move to dismiss East Chicago lead contamination suit
Companies taken to court over property damage from the contaminated USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago have asked a federal judge to dismiss the case.
Hendricks Regional, Hall Render face $50M lawsuit over failed deal
A lawsuit against Hendricks Regional Health and an Indianapolis law firm representing the hospital group alleges they used “malicious, oppressive, willful, wanton, and/or reckless conduct,” conspiring to squelch a competitor’s deal to operate 23 Indiana care facilities after Hendricks’ contract was terminated.
Officials warn flood victims in the state to be wary of disaster opportunists
Authorities are now warning those reeling from the floods that ravaged northern and southern Indiana against these scammers.
Holcomb orders special session to address school safety, tax reform
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday morning ordered lawmakers to return to the Statehouse sometime in May for a special session of the Indiana General Assembly after Republican supermajorities failed to come to consensus on key bills by the time this year’s session ended last week.
Appellate court upholds conviction in killing of man’s girlfriend, unborn baby
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a murder conviction against a man who killed his girlfriend and unborn child, finding the warrantless search of his girlfriend’s apartment did not violate his state or federal constitutional rights.
City of Gary fighting sanctuary city lawsuit
The city of Gary is defending its welcoming ordinance, filing a motion for summary judgment last week in Lake Superior Court against plaintiffs who claim the municipal government violates the state’s “sanctuary city preemption law.”
Timeliness hurdle blocks attempt to intervene in consent decree
Although a federal judge sympathized the with East Chicago residents who have been waiting years for their neighborhoods to be decontaminated, he ultimately held that their quest to intervene in a consent decree was untimely.
Settlement with polluting East Chicago coke plant offers complex resolution
The consent decree reached between the state of Indiana, the federal government and the metallurgical coke manufacturers in East Chicago is 69 pages of terms and conditions detailed in dense legal and scientific language.
ACLU report finds alarming rights abuses by law enforcement, judges
Getting into debt is easy, but people who fall behind in payments can find themselves fending off aggressive debt collectors, acquiescing courts and even incarceration.
Judge’s revocation of plea deal, longer sentence affirmed
A man convicted of negligence resulting in the death of this 3-month-old son lost his appeal Wednesday, failing to show that a judge erred in revoking his plea agreement before sentencing, which led to a longer sentence when he was convicted after a trial.
ACLU report: Debtors’ prisons no longer relic of Dickensian past
Hoosiers who bounce a check, fall behind in rent, or owe even a few dollars can find themselves arrested and thrown in jail, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union released this week that examines the rise of debtor’s prison in the United States.
Indiana town paying $150K to settle sex harassment claim
The northwestern Indiana town of St. John has agreed to pay a former police dispatcher $150,000 to settle her sexual harassment claim against a former police official and town councilman.
COA strikes fee collection statute drafted to benefit Bloomington, West Lafayette
A fee collection statute the city of Hammond alleged was enacted for the benefit of only two Indiana cities must be struck from Indiana law after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined Monday the statute violated special legislation restrictions in the Indiana Constitution.