Articles

State seeks way to bail out debt-ridden CIB-WEB ONLY

State lawmakers are looking for ways to bail out the financially struggling group that runs professional sports stadiums in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board is facing a $35 million deficit in its operation of Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center. The board is already $20 million short this […]

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Homeless man charged in Cosmopolitan fire-WEB ONLY

A 22-year-old homeless man is being held tonight after prosecutors said he set a fire that gutted a $28 million six-story apartment complex under construction in downtown Indianapolis earlier this month. Brandon L. Burns faces preliminary felony charges of arson and intimidation in the March 12 blaze, Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said at a […]

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House OKs bill to cancel snow-day changes-WEB ONLY

The Democratic-led Indiana House has approved legislation that would prevent the Republican state schools superintendent from changing the statewide snow day policy. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett wants school districts to make up a day of school for each day they miss starting next year, ending a practice that allowed exceptions. Bennett said half-days […]

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Economy dipped 6.3 percent in 4th quarter-WEB ONLY

The economy shrank at a 6.3-percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, and it probably isn’t doing much better now. The U.S. Commerce Department today reported that the gross domestic product shrank a bit faster than the 6.2-percent annualized drop estimated a month ago for the October-December quarter. GDP […]

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Lilly Endowment gives $20M to Fort Wayne group-WEB ONLY

Lilly Endowment Inc. will give $20 million to an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne to develop workforce-training initiatives, the Indianapolis-based endowment announced today. The aim of the program, dubbed Talent Opportunity Success, is to better prepare northeast Indiana’s workforce for job opportunities in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. […]

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Simon raises $1.2B in equity, debt offerings-WEB ONLY

Indianapolis-based shopping center operator Simon Property Group Inc. today said it has closed the equity and debt offerings it announced last week, netting $1.2 billion. In total, the company sold 17.25 million shares of its common stock at $31.50 per share. Its operating partnership completed its offering of $650 million in 10.35-percent senior unsecured notes […]

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Flooded hospital seeks federal cash for expansion-WEB ONLY

Columbus Regional Hospital, which was badly damaged by flooding last year, has applied for federal funding toward its $108 million expansion plans. Hospital officials had planned to break ground last fall on construction of a project that included a five-story pavilion, some 60 private patient rooms and an expanded emergency department. Those plans, however, were […]

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Purdue weighs need for more veterinary grads-WEB ONLY

Purdue University officials are weighing the idea of boosting enrollment in the school’s veterinary programs to help meet the nation’s growing need for more veterinarians in key public health jobs. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report last month that there is a lack of government-employed veterinarians in food inspection, pathology and other […]

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Purdue weighs need for more veterinary graduates-WEB ONLY

Purdue University officials are weighing the idea of boosting enrollment in the school’s veterinary programs to help meet the nation’s growing need for more veterinarians in key public health jobs. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report last month that there is a lack of government-employed veterinarians in food inspection, pathology and other […]

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Bid for state smoking ban may be snuffed out-WEB ONLY

Legislative efforts to ban smoking in public places statewide may be up in smoke. Indiana lawmakers are clashing over whether they should try to pass a watered-down bill or sacrifice this year’s proposal in hopes of passing a stricter rule later. The Democrat-controlled House approved legislation last month that would ban smoking in some places […]

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Durable goods orders rise unexpectedly-WEB ONLY

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods unexpectedly rose in February after a record six straight declines. The Commerce Department said today that orders for durable goods – manufactured products expected to last at least three years – increased 3.4 percent last month, much better than the 2-percent fall economists expected. It was the […]

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Bid for state smoking ban may be up in smoke-WEB ONLY

Legislative efforts to ban smoking in public places statewide could be up in smoke. Indiana lawmakers are clashing over whether they should try to pass a watered-down bill or sacrifice this year’s proposal in hopes of passing a stricter rule later. The Democrat-controlled House approved legislation last month that would ban smoking in some places […]

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Indiana Senate Republicans pass jobless bill-WEB ONLY

A plan that would cut benefits to most jobless people to help fix Indiana’s bankrupt unemployment insurance fund moved to the House – and a showdown with majority Democrats. The Senate passed a Republican plan yesterday that is designed to make the fund solvent. It was approved on a mostly party-line 30-20 vote in the […]

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Bill would void changes by Indiana schools chief-WEB ONLY

Democrats who control the Indiana House took a swipe at the Republican state schools chief yesterday, passing a bill that would prevent him from changing a snow-day policy as he proposed. State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Bennett said last week that he will require schools to make up a day of school for each […]

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House OKs proposal to speed property-tax caps-WEB ONLY

The Democrat-controlled Indiana House has passed a proposal that supporters say will provide $200 million in property-tax relief this year by accelerating the phase-in of tax caps. But the bill is unlikely to win approval from the GOP-led Senate. Current law will phase in tax caps by 2010, when homeowners’ property-tax bills would be limited […]

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Indiana shoots for clean-coal leadership-WEB ONLY

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill into law yesterday that allows the state’s finance authority to negotiate long-term contracts to buy and sell synthetic natural gas from a planned southern Indiana coal-gasification plant. Daniels said the law would save Indiana’s natural gas users billions of dollars by ensuring a steady supply of synthetic natural gas […]

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Daniels signs Indiana coal-gasification bill-WEB ONLY

Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed into law a bill he says will save Indiana’s natural gas users billions of dollars in the coming years. The law allows the Indiana Finance Authority to negotiate 30-year contracts to buy and sell synthetic natural gas from a coal-gasification plant that is planned for construction along the Ohio River. […]

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Judge cuts bond in securities fraud case-WEB ONLY

A woman charged with defrauding clean-coal project investors of more than $2.5 million will be released from jail after a judge significantly lowered her bond. A Marion County judge agreed today to allow 50-year-old Dorothy Geisler-Tragardh’s release on a $50,000 surety and $30,000 cash bond, down from a $1 million cash bond. Defense attorney Mark […]

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Judge cuts bond in securities fraud case-WEB ONLY

A woman charged with defrauding clean-coal project investors of more than $2.5 million will be released from jail after a judge significantly lowered her bond. A Marion County judge agreed today to allow 50-year-old Dorothy Geisler-Tragardh’s release on a $50,000 surety and $30,000 cash bond, down from a $1 million cash bond. Defense attorney Mark […]

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Senate Dems offer changes to GOP’s jobless bill-WEB ONLY

Outnumbered Democrats in the Indiana Senate were unsuccessful yesterday in trying to make major changes to a GOP plan designed to fix the state’s bankrupt unemployment fund. The Republican plan would increase taxes on employers, reduce benefits for most jobless people and tighten eligibility standards. Senate Democrats offered amendments that would keep benefit payments the […]

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