Suit: Election Day deadline to receive mailed ballots disenfranchises voters
Indiana law that says mail-in ballots must be received by noon on Election Day will disenfranchise voters and should be blocked, a federal lawsuit filed Thursday says.
State Government
Articles
COA reverses Owen County denial of trash transfer station
A family-owned trash collection business hoping to set up a new transfer station in Owen County won a reversal from the Indiana Court of Appeals following its struggle to proceed due to a dispute with county officials.
Source: US, Oregon in talks about pulling agents in Portland
The Trump administration has started talks with the Oregon governor’s office and indicated that it would begin to draw down the presence of federal agents sent to quell two months of chaotic protests in Portland if the state stepped up its own enforcement, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
Former Gov. Joe Kernan dies at 74 after battle with Alzheimer’s disease
Former Indiana Gov. Joseph Kernan, a gregarious Democrat who spent 11 months as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and served as mayor of South Bend, died Wednesday morning after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 74.
Report: Indiana public defender caseload standards likely too high
Caseload standards imposed by the Indiana Public Defender Commission are likely higher than the caseloads public defenders should carry, meaning current practices do not give public defenders sufficient time to provide effective representation.
Holcomb drops mask violator penalty after criticism
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb dropped a planned criminal penalty from the statewide face mask mandate that he signed Friday after objections from some law enforcement officials and conservative legislators.
Holcomb officially orders wearing of masks effective Monday
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday issued an executive order requiring the wearing of face coverings in public as Indiana coronavirus cases continue at near-record levels. The order does not include potential criminal penalties, which Attorney General Curtis Hill had said Holcomb lacked the authority to enforce.
AG Hill’s accusers file state complaint, 7th Circuit appeal over alleged groping
Following two dismissals from the Indiana Southern District Court, the four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are taking their claims for battery, defamation and invasion of privacy to state court.
State reports all-time daily high in new COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 954 new COVID-19 cases, an all-time daily high for positive cases.
AG Hill: Holcomb has no authority to enforce statewide mask mandate
Gov. Eric Holcomb lacks the authority to enforce the statewide mask mandate he announced on Wednesday and should call a special session if he wants to implement the requirement, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said late Wednesday.
Holcomb to mandate mask use statewide
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday said he would pass a statewide mask mandate because of a recent rise in the COVID-19 positivity rate.
Judge hears Oregon request to restrain federal agents
A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on Oregon’s request for a restraining order against federal agents sent to Portland to attempt to quell protests that have spiraled into nightly clashes between authorities and demonstrators.
Democratic governor candidate wants masks in Indiana schools
The Democratic nominee for Indiana governor called Tuesday for more widespread mask use in schools and for school leaders to turn more toward online coursework rather than having students return to classrooms in the coming weeks.
Indiana’s second-largest county latest to adopt mask mandate
Officials in Indiana’s second-largest county and one of the largest Indianapolis suburbs have adopted face mask mandates for residents and businesses in an attempt to slow the coronavirus spread.
Democrat Weinzapfel continues fundraising lead in Indiana
Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel continues to lead fundraising in the Indiana attorney general race, finishing the second quarter of 2020 with more than $720,000 available to his campaign. His Republican counterpart, former Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita, posted a total of a little more than $18,200 at the end of the second quarter, about two months after he entered the race.
Courts, attorneys fear wave of COVID evictions
A moratorium on evictions of families in federally subsidized housing is set to end July 25, and Indiana’s moratorium prohibiting evictions is set to end July 31. Advocates warn a wave of evictions is coming that could leave many Hoosiers without a place to live, but because of how these cases are tracked, they lack data to how big that wave will be and when it will arrive.
Scams and schemes rising with spread of coronavirus
Schemes to con people out of their stimulus checks, to get money for face masks that are never delivered and to get payments for bogus COVID-19 treatments or cures have surged. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has a special coronavirus page on its website devoted to advising consumers on how to identify real contact tracers and to ignore offers for home test kits.
Rokita, Weinzapfel launch general election AG campaigns
With the candidates now in place, what has so far been an unconventional race for Indiana Attorney General is shifting gears toward the November election. Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel, a former state representative and mayor of Evansville, is promoting himself as the attorney general of the people, not the party. He’ll face off against former Indiana Republican Rep. Todd Rokita, a known quantity in the Hoosier state who is promising “certainty in uncertain times.”
Indiana Democrats call for special legislative session
Legislative Democrats want Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to bring the General Assembly back in a special session as concerns over racial injustice and rising coronavirus cases have created what they say is an immediate need for legislators to reconvene.
Indiana launches helpline for support during virus pandemic
Indiana residents can call and speak confidentially with a trained counselor at any hour free of charge under an initiative announced Monday. The helpline was established by FSSA’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction in direct response to the elevated levels of stress and anxiety Hoosiers are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.