Farmer enters plea, will serve probation in dead cow case
An eastern Indiana farmer has pleaded guilty to one count of failing to dispose of a dead animal after an inspection found 38 dead cows on his property.
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Tax Court grants judgment to real estate company in withholding dispute
The Indiana Tax Court has granted summary judgment to a real estate company after finding it was entitled to a refund of money levied out of its bank account by the Indiana State Department of Revenue.
Indiana sees huge jump in sports betting with boost from mobile wagering
Hoosiers wagered nearly $92 million on sports in October — the first month that mobile bets were accepted — according to numbers released Friday by the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Fort Wayne attorney becomes Indiana Chamber board leader
A Fort Wayne attorney has taken the helm of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as the leader of its board of directors. The partner in Faegre Baker Daniels’ Fort Wayne office will serve a one-year volunteer term.
Indiana to consider creating a government corruption hotline
Indiana residents soon could have a hotline for reporting improper or illegal spending and other suspected corruption by local government officials, if lawmakers approve a proposal being drafted by a legislative committee.
Marion County files first charge of drug dealing resulting in death
For the first time in Marion County, a suspected drug dealer has been charged under a new law criminalizing dealing that leads to a drug user’s death.
AG Hill tries barring testimony against him
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is trying to block two women from testifying about allegations of sexual misconduct as he faces a disciplinary hearing on separate claims that he drunkenly groped four women at a bar last year.
AG Hill’s top advisers compelled to produce evidence in discipline case
Two of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s top advisers must produce documents concerning their communications with him regarding the groping and sexual misconduct accusations that led to his attorney discipline hearings, scheduled to begin next week.
Supreme Court reduces interest for IBM in dispute with state
The Indiana Supreme has once again revisited the years-long dispute between the state and IBM Corp., issuing an opinion on rehearing that provides more detail on the post-judgment interest due to IBM.
High court to consider state role in prosecuting immigrants
Donaldo Morales caught a break when federal prosecutors declined to charge him after he was arrested for using a fake Social Security card so he could work at a Kansas restaurant. But the break was short-lived. Kansas authorities stepped in and obtained a state conviction that could lead to Morales’ deportation.
Indiana election upgrade leaves widespread paperless voting
Indiana officials are launching a statewide election system upgrade that will add devices to perhaps 2,000 electronic voting machines and allow them to display a paper record to voters. The State Budget Committee voted Friday to approve releasing $6 million in funding for that project.
Justices: Amended statute retroactively applies in eminent domain action
Indiana Supreme Court justices have determined that an amended statute dealing with ownership transfer in instances of eminent domain may be applied retroactively.
School district sues Indiana over building transfer for $1
West Lafayette Community School Corp. is suing the state to protect a vacant elementary school building from being sold or leased to a charter school for $1. Charter schools can lease or buy the building for $1 if a school building is unused for two years. But the Department of Education must know beforehand, according to a 2011 law.
Bipartisan state AGs plan Facebook, Google antitrust probes
New York Attorney General Letitia James said a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general is investigating Facebook for alleged antitrust issues, and published reports indicate a separate investigation will target tech giant Google.
Study committee begins summer review of criminal justice reform initiatives
As criminal justice reform efforts continue across the state, members of the Indiana General Assembly are meeting this summer to discuss issues related to pre-trial release, indigency and sentencing, among others.
Indiana just days away from legalized sports betting
Sports betting is days away from becoming legal in Indiana and the state’s casinos are lining up to start collecting wagers. Indiana will become the 12th state — and the first in the midst of major Midwest markets — with sports betting when a new state law takes effect Sunday.
Ban on Indiana abortion parental notification law upheld
A federal appeals court has upheld an injunction blocking a 2017 Indiana law that would have required parental notification for mature minors seeking an abortion. One member of the three-judge panel dissented, however, and would have allowed the law to take effect.
Director hired to oversee administrative law judges
Matthew A. Brown, deputy director of operations at the State Personnel Department, has been selected to serve as the first director of the new Office of Administrative Law Proceedings. He will start in his new role Sept. 1.
South Bend abortion clinic can open, but only as ‘provisionally licensed’
A preliminary injunction issued to allow the doors of a South Bend abortion clinic to open has been affirmed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the appellate court narrowed the injunction and struck a compromise between the parties’ dueling views of Indiana’s licensing system.
Long partisan gerrymandering fight ends, but struggle continues
For a team of Indiana lawyers who successfully litigated a case contesting partisan gerrymandering in Michigan, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision was a disappointment that likely will vacate the judgment in their favor. Legal observers say the issue now will be fought in statehouses across the country.