Slew of events to mark passage of 19th Amendment
Hoosiers will be able to learn about the suffrage movement in Indiana through an array of events planned to celebrate and commemorate the 100-year anniversary of women’s right to vote.
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IU McKinney professors contribute to assessment of U.S. response to COVID-19
United States policy response to COVID-19 has been dangerously lacking, according to a recent report authored partially by two Indianapolis law professors. The new report recommends steps to safeguard health as well as civil and human rights.
Plaintiffs seek 10-day deadline for November mail-in ballots
As part of another lawsuit challenging Indiana’s election laws, Common Cause Indiana and the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP are seeking a preliminary injunction to suspend the noon Election Day deadline for county officials to receive completed mail-in ballots.
Holcomb unveils plan to equip state police with body cameras, create cabinet position
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday announced plans to equip Indiana State Police troopers with body cameras by next spring and create a new cabinet-level position in his administration to focus on equity and inclusion.
Indiana Election Commission rejects expanding voting by mail to all
The Indiana Election Commission on Friday voted against a proposal to expand absentee voting by mail to all voters for the November election. The 2-2 deadlock comes as lawsuits seek to expand mail-in voting with COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in the Hoosier State.
High court permits expansion of mail-in voting for 1 state
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday left in place an agreement that allows Rhode Island residents to vote by mail through November’s general election without getting signatures from two witnesses or a notary. The order was immediately cited in a lawsuit seeking to expand mail-in voting in Indiana.
AG Hill presses Holcomb to call special session focused on COVID-19
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is urging Gov. Eric Holcomb to call a special session of the Indiana General Assembly to focus on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Hill joins legislative Democrats who have also called for a special session to address the pandemic and potentially other issues.
Indiana Black Caucus pushes for more police accountability
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus on Thursday called for state lawmakers to increase accountability and transparency for the state’s police officers.
New Indiana COVID-19 cases top 1,000 again as testing surges
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,046 new COVID-19 case, the fifth time in the last eight days that new cases have exceeded 1,000.
Holcomb backs delay to possible Indiana school funding cuts
Indiana’s public schools would be assured of full state funding for the rest of this year under a plan announced by the governor Wednesday to sidestep a warning from a top fellow Republican that schools could face a 15% cut if they didn’t hold in-person classes.
Split COA reverses state ruling against 3 teacher union contracts
A divided appellate panel Wednesday overturned the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board’s final decisions that three contracts negotiated and ratified by Indiana teachers unions and their respective school employers did not comply with state law.
Indianapolis warns fines coming for virus rules violations
Indianapolis businesses not following the city’s coronavirus restrictions will face a greater chance of fines as officials said Tuesday that they will ramp up enforcement. Increased enforcement comes as Indiana reported its highest COVID-19 daily death count in two months Tuesday.
State officials pressured to set school-shutdown benchmarks
With at least 31 positive cases of the coronavirus reported in Indiana schools since buildings began reopening in late July, district leaders, teachers and parents are pressuring state officials to identify benchmarks for what would require schools to go back online as confirmed cases of the virus increase.
States strain to carry out Trump order on unemployment aid
Governors and state labor department officials were scrambling Monday to determine whether they could implement President Donald Trump’s executive order to partially extend unemployment assistance payments to millions of Americans struggling to find work in the pandemic-scarred economy.
Report blames Daleville in online school enrollment fraud
State auditors have determined a central Indiana school district should repay $2.2 million for failing to properly supervise two online charter schools accused of padding their enrollments by about 14,000 students over eight years.
Meeting tenants’ legal needs in looming eviction cases could cost billions
As Indiana’s moratorium on evictions is set to end in a week, legal aid providers are estimating the national price tag for helping tenants facing the prospect of losing their places to live will top $2.5 billion.
Indiana state superintendent says schools can safely reopen
Indiana’s top education official said Thursday that she think schools can safely reopen despite mounting reports of students and staffers testing positive for the coronavirus within days of returning to the classroom in some districts.
7th Circuit declines to reinstate exhibitor’s license for controversial Charlestown zoo owner
In a second legal defeat in one week, the owner of the controversial Charlestown zoo appearing in Netflix’s “Tiger King” series has lost his bid to reinstate his federal exhibitor’s license.
Reversing rulings for quadriplegic, 7th Circuit asks ‘how much’ court may order state to pay
A quadriplegic woman requiring nearly around-the-clock care was stripped of a federal court ruling permitting her to dictate the terms of her own home health care at the state’s expense. In so ruling, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals asked, “How much state expenditure outside the scope of the Medicaid program may a court command?”
Indiana’s death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 2,800
The Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 740 new COVID-19 cases, the ninth time in the past 10 days that new cases have exceeded 600.