Indiana ethics chief seeks changes after scandals
Indiana Inspector General David Thomas has published a series of ethics reforms, asking for improved disclosure and new rules for state officials after a trio of Statehouse scandals.
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State seeks greater damages from township embezzler
The former Marion County Center Township accountant who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $340,000 also should pay the cost of investigating his wrongdoing, the Indiana State Board of Accounts says.
OneAmerica pays $800K over fraud orchestrated by ex-employee
OneAmerica Securities Inc. has agreed to pay the state $805,000 to settle allegations it failed to supervise a former employee who helped orchestrate an $8.9 million Ponzi scheme in Ohio, Kentucky and southeastern Indiana.
Oral argument set for ex-Indiana elections chief
The next step in former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White's fight to overturn his voter fraud conviction is set for next month.
Big GOP wins create questions for Indiana Democrats
Indiana Democrats are looking for places to rebuild after an election drubbing that saw Republicans capture all three statewide offices on the ballot, build on an already overwhelming supermajority in the state Senate and protect their supermajority in the House.
BMV lawyers defend embattled state agency
Lawyers for the embattled Bureau of Motor Vehicles are speaking out this week in the ongoing legal battles over overcharges by the state agency.
Justices uphold fired DWD employee’s ban from executive branch employment
A fired Indiana Department of Workforce Development employee who argued that she shouldn’t be sanctioned and barred from future executive branch employment because of her misuse of state property lost her appeal before the Indiana Supreme Court Thursday.
Domestic violence shelters get $1.2M more, but extra funds held back
Four dozen shelters around the state will receive an additional $1.2 million to provide immediate assistance and short-term support for victims of domestic violence, a roughly 43 percent increase compared with state funding allocated last year.
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.
State holds $1.2 million in domestic violence funds
The trustees of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute have decided to stick by a plan that withholds $1.2 million in domestic violence prevention funds from private agencies until they submit spending plans.
Judge rules for revenue department on man’s claim for sanctions
A man who argued that the Indiana Department of State Revenue should be sanctioned for allegedly producing his ex-wife’s transmittal envelope for her tax return and passing it off as his own lost his case before the Indiana Tax Court Thursday.
Omitted information in notice does not bar entry of summary judgment
Failure in a notice of dissolution to describe information that must be included in a claim filed against the company does not make the notice invalid, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. Since the notice was valid, a convenience store owner’s lawsuit is time-barred.
Indiana gives initial OK to off-site manure ponds
A state panel gave preliminary approval Wednesday to Indiana's first rules governing big stand-alone ponds and lagoons built to hold manure trucked in from livestock farms.
Deal may be near in stage collapse suit
A lawsuit filed by victims of the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse appears to be nearing a settlement, a mediator's report indicates, more than three years after the fatal accident that killed seven people and injured more than 40.
Beer distributor Monarch stepping up booze push
In a campaign to enter the hard liquor business, Monarch Beverage Co. is pursuing a new tactic that takes aim at state regulators.
Denial of mortgage lender’s license is within state’s authority, COA rules
The Indiana Court of Appeals found the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions had the authority to deny a mortgage lender originator’s license to an applicant who has a criminal record.
Appeals court bounces IURC ruling favoring Duke on Edwardsport plant
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission failed to comply with laws and regulations when it approved an order allowing Duke Energy to pass along to ratepayers certain construction costs for the $3 billion Edwardsport coal gasification plant in Knox County.
State can exclude fuel ethanol plants from ‘chemical process plant’ classification
The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the decision by state environmental agencies to no longer consider fuel ethanol plants to be a “chemical process plant” under the Clean Air Act. By removing fuel ethanol plants from this classification, those plants may not be subject to stricter regulations.
Tax Court reverses reduction in school corp.’s exempt debt service fund levy
The Indiana Tax Court on Friday overturned the decision by the Department of Local Government Finance to reduce the Gary Community School Corp.’s exempt debt service fund levy for the 2011 budget year. Judge Martha Wentworth found the state agency had no authority to reduce the levy.
Duke can charge ratepayers for time construction delayed on Edwardsport plant
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed grant of Duke Energy Indiana’s request to include the amount spent during an 80-day delay in construction of the coal gasification plant in Edwardsport in a rate adjustment rider. Several parties intervened, claiming construction delays attributable to Duke should not be chargeable to ratepayers.