Indiana | Journal Gazette

Indianapolis jail doubts sex study

Associated Press — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Inmates at jails in Indianapolis, Baltimore, St. Louis and Philadelphia face the nation's highest levels of sexual abuse at the hands of guards, according to a new federal report based on surveys of inmates at U.S. jails and prisons.

Exhibit at ISU features Bayh family

Associated Press — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

A new interactive display that documents the lives and accomplishments of Indiana's politically prominent Bayh family has opened at Indiana State University, the western Indiana school linked to several generations of the clan.

State pulls fertilizer site backing

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Indiana officials withdrew state backing Friday for a fertilizer plant over concerns about whether its Pakistan-based owners are doing enough at its overseas operations to keep the potentially explosive material from being used against U.S. troops.

Central Indiana town scorched

Associated Press — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Fire badly damaged several buildings Friday near the courthouse square in Greencastle, with flames shooting through the roofs as firefighters from several communities were called in to the central Indiana city to help.

Indiana withdraws support for fertilizer plant

Brian Chappatta — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:55:58 EST

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Friday pulled his support of a plan by a Pakistani company to build a fertilizer plant after the Pentagon raised concerns that its products were being used to make bombs.

Police: Mom died after killing 2 children

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:07:07 EST

NEW ALBANY, Ind. – Police said a woman found drowned in a southern Indiana creek with her son and daughter had killed the children and believed her family was being stalked by “demonic presences.”

Fire damages buildings near Greencastle's square

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:27:18 EST

GREENCASTLE, Ind. – Fire badly damaged several buildings Friday near the courthouse square in Greencastle, with flames shooting through the roofs as firefighters from several communities were called in to the central Indiana city to help.

Police: Horses run loose on highway

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:25:34 EST

HUNTINGTON - Police say several horses ran loose on a highway in northeastern Indiana.

Children injured in bus crash near Indy

CHARLES WILSON — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

A school bus carrying severely impaired students home from a trip to the zoo rolled over Thursday on a highway near Indianapolis, injuring a dozen people, including five children, state police said.

Seat-belt enforcement campaign runs through June 2

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:22:52 EST

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana law enforcement agencies have begun a two-week effort to enforce seat belt use on the state's highways.

Chicago man sentenced for Ind. beach fight death

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:31:03 EST

LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) A 20-year-old Chicago man has been sentenced to 145 days in jail after pleading guilty to fatally punching a 17-year-old boy on a northwestern Indiana beach.

Teen driver sentenced in triple fatal

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

A teenage driver who survived a southeastern Indiana crash that killed three other youths will spend 90 days in juvenile detention and surrender his driver's license until age 21.

Up to 9 hurt when semi, special-needs bus collide

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:25:15 EST

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State Police said a semi has struck a school bus carrying special-needs students on a highway near Indianapolis, injuring as many as nine people.

Overlay system backed for southern Indiana area code

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:09:43 EST

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s utility consumer advocate is recommending that regulators establish a new telephone area code that would overlap the existing 812 code that covers about the southern third of the state.

Teen driver sentenced in crash that killed 3

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:54:50 EST

VERSAILLES, Ind. – A teenage driver who survived a southeast Indiana crash that killed three other youths will spend 90 days in juvenile detention and surrender his driver’s license until age 21.

2nd-grader left at Ind. school calls for help

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:31:05 EST

A second-grader says he woke up alone inside his central Indiana elementary school hours after dismissal and called 911 for help.

Ind. prison holding open house at its horse farm

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:59:53 EST

A central Indiana state prison is throwing open the gates to its 100-acre farm for retired racehorses for an open house showing off the thoroughbreds and their inmate handlers.

Indiana hires development vet to lead farm efforts

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:56:05 EST

The Indiana Department of Agriculture has named a northern Indiana development veteran to lead the agency's own economic development and trade initiatives.

Fraternity risk for drinking deaths rises after Indiana court ruling

David Glovin — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:34:07 EST

A national fraternity with chapters on more than 125 campuses must stand trial about the drinking death of a Wabash College freshman, an Indiana court has said in a ruling that may force the organizations to take more responsibility for misconduct at chapter houses.

BMV passes buck in license flap

Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has ended talks with three organizations whose specialty license plates were suspended last year, surprising the groups that believed a resolution was near.

N. Ind. man, 86, dies after setting self on fire

Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:19:19 EST

Authorities say an 86-year-old man from northwestern Indiana died after setting himself on fire while smoking a pipe.

Purdue seeks infants for child autism study

Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:22:13 EST

Purdue University scientists studying how autism develops in young children are seeking the infant siblings of autistic youngsters for a new study of the mysterious disorder.

Officials to assess public damage from flooding

Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:02:18 EST

INDIANAPOLIS - Officials are about to begin assessing damage to public infrastructure from flooding in 18 Indiana counties to determine if the disaster warrants federal public assistance.

Shooting death results in 90-year sentence

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:06:46 EST

SOUTH BEND – A judge has sentenced a northern Indiana man to 90 years in prison on murder and other charges from the shooting death of his girlfriend.

Meth found at home where 4 slain, sheriff says

Charles Wilson — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:55:03 EST

COLUMBUS, Ind. – A sheriff said methamphetamine has been found at a southern Indiana home where four people were killed over the weekend, and investigators are considering the deaths drug-related.

Convenience-store group files cold-beer suit

Niki Kelly — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:52:43 EST

INDIANAPOLIS – If you like your beer cold, this lawsuit is for you.

DNR: Shark in Wabash River just another fish tale

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:09:11 EST

Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials say a report that a bull shark has been found in the Wabash River is just another fish tale.

Ex-deputy prosecutor facing bribery claims

CHARLES WILSON — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

A former Marion County deputy prosecutor has offered to provide federal authorities with evidence that could lead to corruption charges against other current and former Indianapolis officials, U.S. attorneys said Monday.

Ind. blueberry farmer killed working on equipment

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:20 EST

Authorities say a northern Indiana farmer was fatally injured after his clothing became caught in irrigation equipment.

Debate over land persists after 5 years

Niki Kelly — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

About five years ago, after a sometimes-heated auction for more than 400 acres around Rome City and Sylvan Lake, one man walked away with a deal - paying $1.35 million for land he had hunted on for decades and loved.

Pence taps new state DNR chief

Niki Kelly — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Gov. Mike Pence has appointed Cameron Clark as director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Goshen College commits to purchase 'green’ energy

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:03:06 EST

GOSHEN - Goshen College announced it will purchase all its electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

4 found slain at home in southern Indiana

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Authorities said Sunday that four people found shot to death in a southern Indiana home were a couple who lived there and two of their male friends.

Elkhart man could face charges for shooting fish

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:05:42 EST

ELKHART - A northern Indiana man who allegedly shot a 42-inch-long muskie with a bow and arrow could face formal charges for killing the fish.

Truck hit by bullet while on I-65 near Lafayette

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:54:37 EST

Indiana State Police say troopers are investigating a pickup truck being shot while driving on Interstate 65 near Lafayette.

Goshen schools to weigh transportation cuts

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:03:37 EST

GOSHEN - More students could be walking to school and funding for field trips could be cut under proposals the Goshen School Board is considering.

4 bodies found in rural S. Indiana home

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:14:17 EST

Authorities say three men and a woman have been found dead in a southern Indiana home.

Memorial marks Marine's death

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Family and friends of a U.S. Marine from Indiana who died in a 2003 Humvee crash in Kuwait marked the 10th anniversary of his death by gathering for a somber memorial at his grave site.

State pauses on standards for schools

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has signed a bill that will "pause" Indiana's adoption of a national set of reading and math education school standards.

State helps trees, wetlands along new I-69

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

State contractors are planting thousands of trees and reclaiming previously drained southern Indiana wetlands to make up for the environmental damage caused by construction of the $3 billion Interstate 69 extension.

Development chief tackles Columbus, Ind. housing woes

Associated Press — Sun, 12 May 2013 07:08:46 EST

he new director of community development in Columbus is meeting the challenge of solving the city's housing shortage head-on.

Former Gov. Bowen honored in hometown

Associated Press — Sat, 11 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

BREMEN -The flag-draped casket of former Indiana Gov. Otis Bowen, a small-town doctor who became one of the nation's top health officials, was carried to a cemetery by a horse-drawn caisson Friday as hundreds of people lined the streets of his northern Indiana hometown.

Pence signs $100 million Speedway funding bill

Associated Press — Sat, 11 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has signed a bill that will provide a $100 million state loan to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for planned improvements.

Mellencamp-King musical tour to kick off Oct. 10

Associated Press — Sat, 11 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

BLOOMINGTON - A musical created by rocker John Mellencamp, novelist Stephen King and producer T-Bone Burnett will kick off a 20-city tour this fall in Bloomington.

Indianapolis Star HQ may be gutted for apartments, shops

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:03:13 EST

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Star's century-old Indianapolis headquarters would be transformed into apartments and retail shops under a deal being negotiated with the newspaper's parent company.

Pigs in the backyard? What a Bloomington idea

Dawn Hewitt — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:29:24 EST

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Four pigs are destroying the plants a backyard near downtown Bloomington. They're eating honeysuckle, euonymus and other invasive vines and weeds, ripping their roots from deep in the earth, loosening the soil - and then fertilizing it.

Pence signs voucher expansion

Niki Kelly — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday signed into law an expansion of Indiana's already extensive school voucher program.

State stocking urban lakes, ponds with big catfish

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:32:45 EST

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Department of Natural Resources hopes to get state residents in several cities and towns hooked on fishing by stocking urban lakes and ponds with large catfish.

Former Ind. Gov. Bowen's hometown set for funeral

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:40:40 EST

The northern Indiana hometown of former Gov. Otis Bowen is set to honor him during his funeral services.

FEMA says no to flooded Kokomo-area counties

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Property owners in three Indiana counties most affected by last month's flooding will get some relief thanks to corporate donors and a state relief fund, but they won't see any help from the Federal Emergency Management Association.

Indianapolis police settle beating case for $150,000

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Indianapolis has agreed to pay $150,000 to the mother of a biracial teenager who was beaten by police in 2010, sparking racial tensions and a federal lawsuit.

Cat stuck on sign up for adoption

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

A cat that was tossed off an Elkhart County overpass and spent two days stuck on a sign before being rescued is ready for a new home.

Cricket field project OK'd in Indianapolis

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Plans to build fields in a city park for cricket matches and other sports mainly popular overseas are advancing after an Indianapolis board approved the first contract for the $6 million project.

Neighborhood oven? What a Bloomington idea

Associated Press — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:39:40 EST

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A Bloomington artist wants to turn his love of bread baking into something his entire neighborhood can enjoy.

South Bend zoo considers following in Fort Wayne’s footsteps

Associated Press — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:59:05 EST

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A non-profit group that raises money for South Bend's Potawatomi Zoo has proposed that it take over the facility's management from the city.