Articles

Turning brownfields into green land neither cheap nor easy

A 20-year-old state environmental law, oblique court decisions and a provision inserted seven years ago into the statute of limitations are coming together in a case from Elkhart that many environmental lawyers are hoping will finally settle lingering debates over when suits recouping cleanup costs may be filed.

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AG Hill may have violated law in online ad

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. may have violated a state ethics law prohibiting officeholders from using their names in audio, video or newspaper ads paid for with state funds.

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Alcohol commission will study permits, quota system

Coming off the successful passage of Sunday sales legislation during the 2018 Indiana legislative session, the Alcohol Code Revision Commission re-convened for the first time on July 18 to chart its course for this year’s study topics. While the commission’s work last year focused on more specific topics like Sunday sales, this year’s group has been charged with studying more general issues, including alcohol permits, the state’s quota structure and the causes and effects of over-consumption.

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Pence family gas stations left costly environmental legacy

The collapse of an oil company linked to the Pence family in 2004 was widely publicized. Less known is that the state of Indiana — and, to a smaller extent, Kentucky and Illinois — are still on the hook for millions of dollars to clean up more than 85 of the company’s contaminated sites, including underground tanks that leaked toxic chemicals into soil, streams and wells.

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Scooters halted in Indy for now; cities address sudden issue

Scooter rental service Bird has changed its mind about maintaining operations in Indianapolis while it waits for city officials to come up with regulations. Bird began removing scooters from the city Wednesday. City-County Council members are expected to vote on an ordinance regulating scooter-rental services on Monday.

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New laws for 2018

The Indiana General Assembly this year adopted new laws on matters from Sunday carryout sales to designating Say’s Firefly as the official state insect. Here is the complete list of enrolled acts signed into law this year.

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Townsend: See Purple? Check the property lines and avoid trespassing

Townsend By Andrea Townsend Effective July 1, seeing purple could mean you are about to commit trespass. Passed as part of House Enrolled Act 1233, Indiana’s “Purple Paint Statute” means that a purple paint perimeter serves the same purpose as a “No Trespassing” sign. Before July 1, criminal trespass required notice that no entry is […]

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Study: Gun removal law reduces suicides in Indiana

An Indiana law allowing authorities to temporarily remove guns from those considered a risk to others or themselves has helped reduce the state’s firearm-related suicides, according to a University of Indianapolis study.

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Changing times: Fewer call for laws on the books

With the Indiana Code accessible and searchable online, fewer and fewer volumes of the printed versions are being produced each year, and DVDs once supplied to county clerks around the state to update their statute records have gone the way of the floppy disc.

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