Articles

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

The Indiana House has advanced a proposal that supporters say would accelerate limits on tax bills and provide $200 million in property-tax relief. But don’t count on seeing those savings. The proposal is unlikely to pass the more deliberative Senate, where a Republican leader said caps on property-tax bills must be gradually implemented as originally […]

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Stocks surge on bank plan, rise in home sales-WEB ONLY

Wall Street is getting the good news it wants on the economy’s biggest problems: banks and housing. Investors reignited a two-week rally today, cheering the government’s plan to help banks remove bad assets from their books as well as a report showing a surprising increase in home sales. Major stock indicators jumped more than 6 […]

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February existing-home sales rise by 5.1 percent-WEB ONLY

Sales of existing homes rose from January to February in an unexpected boost for the slumping U.S housing market as buyers took advantage of deep discounts on foreclosures. The National Association of Realtors said today that sales of existing homes grew 5.1 percent, to an annual rate of 4.72 million last month, from 4.49 million […]

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Recession changing state’s immigration flow-WEB ONLY

The recession may have reversed the flow of immigration to Indiana as immigrants, both legal and illegal, leave the state to look for jobs. For example, Ligonier, about 35 miles northwest of Fort Wayne, saw its population swell from 3,400 in 1990 to nearly 6,000 as Hispanic immigrants from Mexico and other countries arrived. By […]

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Plan to thaw credit markets sends stocks soaring-WEB ONLY

The Obama administration launched a new effort today to end a paralysis in lending, saying it will team with investors to sop up a half-trillion dollars of bad assets from banks that have been reluctant to make loans to consumers and companies. In announcing the program, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pleaded for patience, saying that […]

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Plan to thaw credit markets sends stocks soaring-WEB ONLY

The Obama administration launched a new effort today to end a paralysis in lending, saying it will team with investors to sop up a half-trillion dollars of bad assets from banks that have been reluctant to make loans to consumers and companies. Wall Street seemed to feel rejuvenated by the plan, at least initially. In […]

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