Articles

Justices hear NIPSCO industrial users’ rate hike appeal

The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral argument Thursday morning on a utility rate increase case, hearing a northern Indiana utility industrial group’s appeal over whether a reversal of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s application of its own settlement orders conflicted with a prior settlement.

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Suit against Hill could cost taxpayers; accusers to name state

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is now in the process of investigating a complaint filed against it, the state and Attorney General Curtis Hill after four women who publicly accused Hill of groping them at a party filed official notice of a civil lawsuit. If the women succeed on their claims against state defendants, taxpayers could be on the hook to pay any judgments.

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No criminal charges, but AG Hill faces suits from accusers

After the special prosecutor announced his decision Tuesday not to bring charges against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, the four women who have accused the state’s top lawyer of sexual misconduct stepped into the public spotlight together and said they are not done fighting.

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Report: AG Hill’s behavior ‘creepy’ but not criminal

A 25-page report released by the Indiana Office of the Inspector General on Tuesday shines a light on the fallout from groping allegations against Attorney General Curtis Hill, including new allegations that he inappropriately touched four lobbyists in addition to the four women who previously accused him.

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AG Hill to continue to serve despite likely suits by accusers

Facing the prospect of lawsuits from four women he is accused of groping, embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill vowed through his legal team Tuesday to stay in office. A special prosecutor Tuesday declined to criminally charge Hill but said the AG admitted he consumed a significant amount of alcohol and touched his accusers the night of the alleged incidents.

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Indiana child welfare agency to spend $22M on raises

The Indiana Department of Child Services is spending $22 million on raises for staff as part of an effort to improve the agency that’s seen rising caseloads and internal battles. The raises will take effect Wednesday for more than 3,600 employees, or about 87 percent of the agency’s staff.

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COA upholds $78 million for state in IBM suit, awards IBM interest

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a $78 million judgment in favor of the state and against IBM Corp. that was awarded as part of a long-running legal battle stemming from IBM’s breach of a contract to redesign the state’s welfare system in 2006. But the court also ordered the state to pay post-judgment interest to IBM on a $49.5 million damages award it previously received, overturning a lower court ruling on that issue.

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COA slams courts, DCS for violating parents’ due process

The Indiana Court of Appeals reiterated harsh words at the Department of Child Services and Indiana trial courts after reversing another case involving a failure to afford due process protections to families in termination of parental rights cases.

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Study committee to return spotlight to DCS

While the firestorm over the Indiana Department of Child Services has died down, the Indiana General Assembly is preparing to begin its examination of the agency and possibly make recommendations for action during the 2019 legislative session. The Interim Study Committee on Courts and the Judiciary is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Room 431 of the Statehouse to review a host of issues related to DCS.

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Proposal to sunset Ohio River pollution standards yields flood of concern

Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission members, including three from Indiana, are preparing to vote on a proposal that would sunset the organization’s pollution control standards. That proposal has yielded thousands of pages of public comments from proponents who say ORSANCO’s standards are redundant and, more significantly, from opponents who fear water quality in Indiana would suffer.

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Indiana’s election security plans don’t include new machines

Indiana’s top elections official is planning to use more than $7.5 million in federal funding to improve the state’s election security, but not to upgrade its voting machines. Indiana was among the states and territories to receive money from the $380 million approved by Congress amid ongoing threats from Russia and others.

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Lawyer: State not enforcing Lake Michigan public access opinion

An attorney who is part of the legal team that won an Indiana Supreme Court decision preserving public access to the shores of Lake Michigan says state agencies are refusing to enforce the court’s order while private property owners on the lakefront seek a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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