Brown County getting state’s largest nature preserve
A state panel has set aside a 3,300-acre tract of Brown County State Park for the largest nature preserve owned by the state.
State Government
Articles
Hoosiers can file for back jobless benefits Aug. 3
The state Department of Workforce Development says about 80,000 Hoosiers will get restored eligibility covering about 250,000
weeks of payments thanks to a federal law signed last week.
Big budget cuts will make for bitter state politics
As Indiana’s reserves dwindle toward zero and federal stimulus money disappears, trying to keep political debate friendly
and the budget in the black will be quite a challenge. Half a year before they must craft the next state budget, Democrats
and Republicans already are squabbling.
BP donates to Indiana candidates, some return cash
BP's employee political action committee donated nearly $24,000 to Indiana legislative candidates in June, but not everyone
wants to cash the checks after the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
SHOUP: Emancipation is near for independent contractors
State regulators are gearing up to crack down on companies thought to be treating people as though they are independent contractors
instead of employees.
Indiana: IBM welfare intake work flawed from start
The state is suing IBM for more than $1.3 billion, claiming the company breached one of the biggest outsourcing deals in state
history. IBM wants Indiana to pay $52.8 million it says it’s owed in deferred payments and equipment costs.
Indiana accused of cutting aid to food stamp users
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration attorneys do not believe federal law was broken when officials balanced
food stamp
payments against a state-run supplemental aid program.
State asking Hoosiers to repay stimulus money
An Indiana agency is telling about 36,000 people who collected a $25 stimulus payment as part of their unemployment check
that they must repay the money because they were later ruled ineligible.
State reserves down nearly half despite spending cuts
Indiana brought in $957 million less in revenue than it budgeted for fiscal year 2010, forcing it to use almost half its reserves,
Indiana State Auditor Tim Berry announced Friday morning.
Program to help foster kids ease into adulthood
The Indiana Supreme Court says youth who outgrow foster care are at risk of homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse, criminal
involvement and mental health issues.
State schools spend 58 percent in classrooms
The statewide average for the 2008-09 school year is similar to previous years but still trails the nationwide average by
5 percentage points, according to a budget official.
New energy-efficiency grants available to Indiana commercial, industrial firms
Conserving Hoosier Industrial Power, or CHIP, grants will range from $50,000 to $400,000.
Fort Wayne legislator quits, joins lobbying firm
Rep. Randy Borror of Fort Wayne is ending his re-election campaign to become a senior vice president for Indianapolis-based
Bose Public Affairs Group.
Report: Indiana could save $450M on school insurance
A new report says health insurance for Indiana's public schools and universities could cost at least $450 million less annually if they joined the state's plan for public employees.
New law will hold casino winnings of deadbeat parents
The state is working to build an online system that will allow casinos to check the names of winners against a database of
people who owe child support, said Mike Smith, president of the Casino Association of Indiana.
Lawsuit: State takes too long on jobless appeals
John Gorman, who worked for the same company for 31 years before he was fired in December, has been waiting on a decision
for at least 100 days, and he still hasn't received his unemployment check, according to the American Civil Liberties
Union of Indiana.
Employers mull legal challenge to new state gun law
Indiana Chamber of Commerce president says several members have inquired about pursuing legal action, though nothing formal
is in the works
yet.
New Indiana laws on guns, booze, driving take effect
The latest batch of Indiana laws takes effect Thursday, with new provisions raising the age at which teenagers can get driver's
licenses and requiring ID checks for everyone buying alcohol.
House speaker continues quest for jobs data
State Rep. Pat Bauer says employment figures provided by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. are a good start but insists
the
agency is not revealing everything it can.
New securities law lets some victims recoup losses
A new state law allows the securities commissioner to award up to $15,000 or 25 percent of unrecovered awards to victims who
can prove that a court or other agency awarded restitution for fraud that occurs after July 1 of this year.