ISU opts to encourage, but not mandate COVID-19 vaccine
Indiana State University will encourage but not require COVID-19 vaccinations for students and employees when they return to the western Indiana school for the upcoming academic year.
Associated Press
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Indiana unions sue over yearly hurdle on teacher union dues
Three Indiana teachers unions have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a new state law that would require educators to renew requests every year for automatic paycheck deductions of union dues.
2 more charged in killing of ex-Indiana U. football player
Two more people were arrested Thursday in the death of a former Indiana University football player who was gunned down during unrest in Indianapolis last year following the death of George Floyd, authorities said.
Court: If bias rules have exceptions, faith groups qualify
Justice Samuel Alito called it a “wisp” of a decision — a Supreme Court ruling Thursday that favored Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia but was far from the constitutional gale wind that would have reshaped how courts interpret religious liberty under the First Amendment.
Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray
Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office.
Senator: Military justice changes must go beyond sex cases
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is on the brink of success in her yearslong campaign to get sexual assault cases removed from the military chain of command. But getting over the finish line may depend on whether she can overcome wariness about broader changes she’s seeking to the military justice system.
Elkhart man charged with murder in beating death of boy, 4
A northern Indiana man has been charged with murder in the death of a 4-year-old boy who died at a hospital after being beaten unconscious, authorities said.
Former doctor from Indiana gets 3 years for illegal opioid distribution
A former Tennessee doctor who pleaded guilty to unlawfully distributing opioids has been sentenced to three years in prison, the Justice Department said. Darrel R. Rinehart, 66, of Indianapolis, admitted to distributing controlled substances, primarily opioids, to four different patients without a legitimate medical purpose 18 times between December 2014 and December 2015.
High court sides with Catholic agency in foster care dispute
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples as foster parents. The justices said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency’s policy.
Biden to sign bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
The United States is commemorating the end of slavery with a new federal holiday.
White Co. man fatally shot in exchange of gunfire with police
A man who exchanged gunfire with northwest Indiana police officers sent to arrest him on a warrant was struck by gunfire and died at a hospital, police said Wednesday.
Baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman, a state judge has ruled.
Loan relief granted to defrauded for-profit college students
The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it’s erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates’ success in finding jobs. The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration.
British lawyer Karim Khan sworn in as ICC’s chief prosecutor
British lawyer Karim Khan was sworn in Wednesday as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, pledging to reach out to nations that are not members of the court in his quest to end impunity for atrocities and to try to hold trials in countries where crimes are committed.
US urges court to reimpose Boston bomber’s death sentence
Joe Biden’s administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev despite the president’s vocal opposition to capital punishment.
Indiana rushes to spend virus relief aid on new jobs program
Indiana legislators scrambled in the final days of their session to make decisions on spending the state’s $3 billion share of the $350 billion in federal coronavirus relief money approved this year for state and local governments.
Senate votes to confirm Biden pick for DC appeals court
The Senate on Monday confirmed the first appellate court judge of President Joe Biden’s tenure, elevating a judge with strong prospects of landing on the president’s short list should a Supreme Court vacancy arise.
Justices rule against low-level crack cocaine offenders
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that low-level crack cocaine offenders convicted more than a decade ago can’t take advantage of a 2018 federal law to seek reduced prison time.
Justice Department to tighten rules on seizing Congress data
The Justice Department will tighten its rules around obtaining records from members of Congress, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, amid revelations the department under former President Donald Trump had secretly seized records from Democrats and members of the media.
Judge rejects new trial for Indiana man in Muncie murder-for-hire
A central Indiana judge has rejected a new trial for a man convicted in the 1993 murder-for-hire slaying of a woman found shot to death in her garage. Jess David Woods was convicted in 2009 of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Teresa French’s May 1993 killing and sentenced to 100 years in prison.