Appeals court weighing Indiana strip club dispute
A federal appeals court is now considering whether northeastern Indiana city officials acted properly when they prevented a strip club from opening.
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Grassroots group challenges jail plan, wants focus on jobs
A grassroots, church-based organization is trying to stir up voter interest in Marion County’s plan for a new criminal justice complex and questioning the need to expand jail capacity.
Indiana Legal Services still planning to hire new executive director by year’s end
Still set on hiring a new executive director by the end of the year, Indiana Legal Services Inc. has narrowed it search to six candidates.
Legislative committee recommends making annexations more difficult
The legislative committee examining Indiana’s annexation laws underscored how complex and difficult the issue is when committee members looked at the laws Wednesday. The members took a third of the time allotted for the meeting to decide that a remonstrance should succeed if a simple majority of property owners oppose a municipality’s effort to incorporate their land.
St. Joseph County gets $399,000 grant to fight elder abuse
St. Joseph County will receive a $399,000 Department of Justice grant for training and services designed to combat violence against elderly and vulnerable populations.
When municipal growth clashes with property owners, the result is annexation headaches
A 644-acre swath of rural Hancock County land is at the heart of a contentious annexation battle that illustrates what municipalities say is the need to get control of property before development happens. The case also brings to light what may be a shift in the judiciary’s attitude toward remonstrators.
‘Common sense’ requires ruling in favor of inmate, judge says
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed judgment in favor of jail officials on an inmate’s complaint that he was denied medical access while in jail. The judges did not agree with the magistrate judge’s decision that Randy Swisher had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies by not filing a written grievance.
Some Indiana gay marriages could be invalid
The Indiana attorney general's office says same-sex couples who married in the two days after the state's gay marriage ban was first struck down in June should confirm their marriages were properly recorded.
Indiana cuts some public audits over shortages
The State Board of Accounts no longer is auditing the financial records of Indiana libraries, conservancy districts, some public school accounts, and small towns and townships, its leader says.
Appeals court revives inverse condemnation claim
A woman who sued after town and county officials worked on a drainage project on her property without her permission will be able to present her claim for inverse condemnation. The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of that claim in her lawsuit against officials but affirmed she acted too late to present a trespass claim.
Former Indy deputy mayor joins developer as general counsel
Deron Kintner, the city of Indianapolis' former deputy mayor of economic development, has landed at local apartment developer Flaherty & Collins Properties.
Judge halts planned consolidation of Zionsville, Perry Township
A Boone County judge has ruled that Zionsville can’t absorb the operations of Perry Township even if voters OK a reorganization plan that’s already on next month’s ballot.
Keeping death certification accessible is ‘victory for the public’
Both the Hoosier State Press Association and the Indiana attorney general are applauding the Indiana Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday that cause of death information is public.
Officer’s meth-exposure claims untangled by appeals court
The Indiana Court of Appeals rules an injured city policeman must exhaust workers’ comp remedies before turning to the injured-on-duty statute.
SCOTUS rejects 3 Indiana cases
The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday declined to review a ruling that struck down Indianapolis’ limits on the hours that adult bookstores can operate.
Indiana county settles dispute with forensics firm
A southern Indiana county has reached a settlement in its billing dispute with a forensics company that testified on the prosecution's behalf last year in a triple-murder trial.
COA: Letter satisfied notice requirements after city damages pipeline
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of the city of Plymouth’s motion to dismiss an administrative action against it stemming from damages it caused to an underground natural gas pipeline. The appeals court found the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission satisfied the statutory and administrative requirements concerning notice of the violation and recommended penalties.
Annexation called ‘legalized bullying’ during interim study committee meeting
Property owners told Indiana legislators Sept. 24 that despite the General Assembly’s continual tinkering with the state’s annexation statute, the process still favors municipalities by giving them all the power to take the land they want without considering the owners’ wishes.
Former sheriff’s deputies lose suit challenging promotion process
Because the phrase “shall endeavor” should be read to mean one shall try, the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers' arguments that they should have been promoted to captain. The two claimed because they were former sheriff’s deputies, the consolidation of the sheriff’s and city police departments in 2006 required their promotions to maintain proportional representation.
State’s way of paying public defenders debated
The state pays the salaries of its judges and prosecutors, but public defenders are paid by counties that are only partially reimbursed for their costs — an approach that some including the executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council want to see changed.