Articles

Indiana’s unlicensed child-care ministries soar-WEB ONLY

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The number of unlicensed, faith-based child care centers has grown by nearly 30 percent in Indiana since 2001, worrying supporters of state-licensed child-care centers struggling to hold their own. The state’s child care ministries are tax exempt and face minimal regulations, unlike Indiana’s highly regulated licensed centers, The Fort […]

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Economic woes test Indiana’s festivals-WEB ONLY

The lingering recession is forcing the organizers of some of Indiana’s festivals to scale back their events or move them to more affordable venues before the state’s festival season gets under way. In Indianapolis, not-for-profit Storytelling Arts of Indiana canceled its long-running fall festival this year because it anticipates large cuts in city and state […]

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Charter-school limits could be costly to state-WEB ONLY

Republicans and Democrats in the Indiana House had plenty to disagree about before they voted down a proposed state budget, forcing a special legislative session. But in the thick of talks over state spending, a heated debate emerged about whether the growth of charter schools should be limited. That discussion will likely continue as lawmakers […]

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Wabash National won’t recall 790 workers-WEB ONLY

Wabash National Corp. has told nearly 800 workers who were laid off over the winter that it does not expect to recall them. The Lafayette-based truck-trailer manufacturer notified the Indiana Department of Workforce Development of the decision on Friday, saying the decision was prompted by declining demand projections for new trailers. The economic slowdown also […]

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Bankruptcy could idle Chrysler for months-WEB ONLY

Chrysler LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York today and will form an alliance with the Italian carmaker Fiat Group SpA in an effort to revive the nation’s ailing third-largest automaker. The move will idle Chrysler production workers across the nation for 60 days or more, including about 6,000 employees in Indiana […]

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Daniels defends firm stand on budget-WEB ONLY

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he will call a special session on the budget when lawmakers are ready to deal with fiscal realities. The General Assembly adjourned last night without passing a new, two-year budget, which will force lawmakers to reconvene to craft a spending plan. Daniels said today that the plan lawmakers voted on […]

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Governor says he’ll sign jobless-fund bill-WEB ONLY

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said he plans to sign into law a proposal to fix Indiana’s bankrupt unemployment fund, despite calls from business leaders for him to veto the bill. The state’s unemployment insurance fund currently pays out hundreds of millions of dollars a year more in benefits than it collects in employer taxes. The […]

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Chrysler to file for bankruptcy today-WEB ONLY

Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler LLC, which has about 6,000 workers in Indiana at four plants in Kokomo, will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York today and be eligible for up to $8 billion in federal aid, senior administration officials said today. The move would come after talks with a small group of […]

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Bauer blames Daniels for special session-WEB ONLY

Democratic Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer is blaming Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels for the need of a special legislative session. The General Assembly did not pass a new state budget by last night’s midnight deadline for adjourning the session, which will force Daniels to call a special session to get one approved. Bauer said today […]

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Chrysler to file for bankruptcy today-WEB ONLY

Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler LLC, which has about 6,000 workers at four plants in Kokomo, will file for bankruptcy, two Obama administration officials said today. The move would come after talks with a small group of creditors crumbled just a day before a government deadline for the automaker to come up with a restructuring plan. […]

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General Assembly closes without CIB solution-WEB ONLY

Lawmakers failed to take action on a bill last night before the General Assembly adjourned that would have given Indianapolis local taxing options to help its struggling stadium agency. The bill may have some hope if it is revived in the special session that is now necessary after lawmakers failed to pass a new state […]

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Indiana General Assembly fails to pass budget-WEB ONLY

The Indiana General Assembly failed to pass a new state budget before last night’s midnight deadline for adjourning, making a special legislative session certain. The Democrat-led House decided to put a Senate Republican budget proposal up for a vote with only minutes left until midnight, even though they disliked it because it cut $100 million […]

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State lawmakers OK bill to regulate dog breeders-WEB ONLY

Supporters of a bill to regulate large-scale dog-breeding operations hope the legislation will have an immediate impact on so-called “puppy mills” around Indiana. Bill sponsor Rep. Linda Lawson (D-Hammond) said the bill that won final legislative approval late tonight will allow the state to start cracking down on irresponsible breeders. “It’s a great start,” Lawson […]

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State lawmakers pass unemployment-fund bill-WEB ONLY

State lawmakers last night approved a plan designed to fix the state’s bankrupt unemployment fund. It would dramatically raise taxes on employers and make administrative changes in hopes of saving money, but it would not cut benefits. It passed the Senate on a bipartisan 46-3 vote, then passed the House 52-47 along party lines, with […]

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Jobless rates rise in all big metro areas-WEB ONLY

Unemployment rates rose in all of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas for the third straight month in March, with Indiana’s Elkhart-Goshen region once again logging the biggest gain. The Labor Department reported today that all 372 metropolitan areas tracked saw jobless rates move higher last month from a year earlier. Elkhart-Goshen’s rate soared to 18.8 […]

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State set to put CIB ball in Ballard’s court-WEB ONLY

State legislators seem willing to give Indianapolis officials the power to raise several local taxes to help fund the city’s troubled stadiums agency. That plan, though, would force Mayor Greg Ballard to take some of the heat for increasing any of those taxes – and the task of persuading the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers […]

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Differences remain on budget, jobless fund-WEB ONLY

Indiana lawmakers will be scrambling to meet tonight’s midnight deadline for adjourning the legislative session, but differences remained yesterday over a new state budget and fixing Indiana’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund. Negotiators for House Democrats and Senate Republicans said yesterday that they had reached a tentative compromise on a plan designed to start fixing the […]

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Economy shrank 6.1 percent in first quarter-WEB ONLY

The U.S. economy shrank at a worse-than-expected 6.1 percent pace at the start of this year as sharp cutbacks by businesses and the biggest drop in exports in 40 years overwhelmed a rebound in consumer spending. The Commerce Department’s report, released today, dashed hopes that the recession’s grip on the country loosened in the first […]

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Differences remain on state budget, jobless fund-WEB ONLY

Indiana lawmakers will be scrambling to meet tonight’s midnight deadline for adjourning the legislative session, but differences remained yesterday over a new state budget and fixing Indiana’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund. Negotiators for House Democrats and Senate Republicans said yesterday that they had reached a tentative compromise on a plan designed to start fixing the […]

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Medco quarterly profits beat expectations-WEB ONLY

Pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc. said today that new clients and increased use of higher-margin generic drugs boosted its profit in the first quarter, with results exceeding Wall Street’s expectations. Medco, based in Franklin Lakes, N.J., is building a $140 million automated pharmacy in Boone County that is expected to employ 1,300 people […]

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