Indiana seeks $250M in stimulus cash for schools
The state has altered some education rules to get in line with the federal Department of Education’s $4 billion “Race to the
Top” grant program.
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Indy route not part of high-speed rail funding application
The decision to sidetrack a 110-mph Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati train hasn’t received any attention
locally. High-speed rail could someday become an economic development engine here, but it has
not gained as much attention here as improved highways or a commuter rail line from downtown to Noblesville.
Unions prod Obama to fix ailing airline industry
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is holding a forum Thursday to discuss the state of the airline industry, which is
mired in a severe economic slump and blamed for using a business model critics say undermines safety.
Record number of Indiana taxpayers e-filed this year
Indiana taxpayers filed a record 2.2 million electronic federal tax returns this year.
House health bill unacceptable to many in Senate
A government health insurance plan included in the House health care reform bill is unacceptable to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the Senate.
Indiana jobless benefits extended 20 more weeks
Federal legislation will provide up to 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits in Indiana. The extension means eligible residents will be able to claim up to 99 weeks in benefits.
House passes health care bill on close vote
In a victory for President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed landmark health care legislation
Saturday night to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. The 220-215 vote cleared the way for the Senate to begin a long-delayed debate
on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.
Obama to sign homebuyer, jobless assistance bill
President Barack Obama is set to sign a $24-billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers
and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind as the economy veers toward recovery.
WellPoint, Obama administration battle over cost of health reform to employers
At this point in the health reform debate, you have to take numbers from any side with a grain of salt. That said, Indianapolis-based
WellPoint Inc. has done perhaps the only local analysis of how proposed reforms would affect the cost of health insurance
for employers.
Latest stimulus jobs report rife with errors, review finds
The government’s latest count of stimulus jobs significantly overstates the effects of the $787 billion program, raising fresh
questions about the process the Obama administration is using to tout the success of its economic recovery plan.
Senate probing WellPoint, others over small-biz rates
The Senate health care committee is investigating how health insurers, including Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., price
the coverage they sell to small businesses.
Stimulus funds 18,900 jobs in state, White House claims
President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus package has steered about $848 million to Indiana so far and created or retained
nearly 18,900 jobs, the White House said. But an analysis found the report is still full of errors.
Judge orders state to improve food-stamp processing
A federal judge has ordered Indiana’s partially privatized welfare intake system to speed up decisions on food-stamp applications,
but the state has a year to meet its first target.
Has Bayh’s moment arrived?
Fiscal responsibility could be the mettle Sen. Evan Bayh needs to land in a higher office.
Doctors balk at Senate attempt to cut waste
Some Indianapolis-area doctors fear a bill in the U.S. Senate would botch the way costs for tests and procedures are calculated, and ultimately
lead to a reimbursement system that works worse than the existing system.
Indiana lands $39.4M in power-grid stimulus grants
IPL will receive $20 million to help pay for a $48.8 million project to install more than 28,000 smart meters; Midwest ISO
will get $17.3 million toward a $34.5 million project to install 150 phasor measurement units.
Cook Group Inc. owner says health reform’s tax on medical devices could kill jobs
Bloomington-based Cook Group Inc. might have to cut as many as 1,000 local jobs if Congress enacts a tax on medical devices
to pay for health care reform, company founder Bill Cook said in an interview.
First Financial gets sweet deal on Irwin Financial’s bank assets
It’s good to be among the favored few, those blessed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to scoop up the remnants
of failed banks. Because it was on the FDIC list of approved buyers, Cincinnati-based First Financial Bancorp
was able to acquire Columbus, Ind.-based Irwin Financial Corp.’s banking operations under terms
that would make any deal-maker proud.
Democrats eye insurance industry’s antitrust protection
Top Senate Democrats intend to try to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws, according
to congressional officials, the latest evidence of a deepening struggle over President Barack Obama’s effort to overhaul the
health care industry.
Lockheed Martin planning Indianapolis layoffs
Maryland-based Lockheed Martin will idle 10 percent of the employees at its Indianapolis call center as a result of declining call volumes and “funding issues” that are cutting short a five-year federal contract worth a total of $80 million.