The Daily from Ball State Unified Media

West Lafayette police obtain military vehicles to use as moving shield

By The Associated Press / January 14, 2014

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An armored carrier the West Lafayette police department recently acquired from the U.S. military is being refitted and will soon serve as a “moving shield” for officers, the city’s police chief said. Police Chief Jason Dombkowski said the big truck, which has armored plating intended to protect its occupants from bomb blasts, is essentially on permanent loan from the military but can be recalled by the federal government at any time.

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Muncie votes to oppose recently renamed HJR-6 as state delays decision

By The Associated Press / January 13, 2014

The Muncie City Council voted unanimously Monday night to oppose bill House Joint Resolution 3. The bill, previously known as House Joint Resolution 6, would add an amendment to the Indiana Constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage in the state. The proposed amendment also would ban anything “similar” to same-sex marriage, including civil unions. Supporters and opponents disagree on whether the proposal would also bar health and tax benefits for same-sex couples.

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STEM sector jobs thrive in Indianapolis, state lags behind

By The Associated Press / January 12, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s efforts to add high-tech jobs have paid off in Indianapolis and surrounding counties — at the expense of the rest of the state, a newspaper analysis has found. The Indianapolis Business Journal analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and found Indianapolis had 39 percent more jobs in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math — in 2012 than in 2001. That’s more than double the national growth rate of 17 percent.

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US power grid operator urges conservation

By The Associated Press / January 7, 2014

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — The company that operates the power grid that supplies energy for more than 61 million people in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South is calling for the public to conserve electricity Tuesday because of the extreme cold. PJM Interconnection operates the power grid in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The grid operator asks the public to conserve electricity Tuesday, especially from 6 a.m.

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Broken southern Indiana levee closes highway

By The Associated Press / December 25, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS — Water covered several highways Monday as central and southern Indiana residents contended with flooded creeks and rivers following a weekend of heavy rain and melting snow. The high water impeded the morning rush hour for Indianapolis commuters, causing them to take alternate routes around inundated roads, emergency management officials said. “The good news is that we don’t have school today, and many people aren’t working due to the Christmas holiday,” Ed Reuter, director of the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations 911 Center, told The Republic newspaper on Monday.

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End of tax for businesses could raise other rates

By The Associated Press / December 25, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s call to eliminate the personal property tax for businesses could end up raising taxes for homeowners and residents throughout the state, depending on how local governments react, according to a legislative report completed Monday. Analysts for the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency determined that the tax would amount for about $1.06 billion in proceeds for local government in 2015, creating budget havoc if it were completely removed.

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Part of suit over Spierer's disappearance stands

December 25, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS — A federal judge is allowing a lawsuit to move forward against two men who were with a 20-year-old Indiana University student before she disappeared in 2011. The parents of Lauren Spierer filed the lawsuit against former IU students Jason Rosenbaum and Corey Rossman.

Michael Hicks, Bureau of Business Research
NEWS

Graduates remaining in-state contribute to economic growth

By Staff Reports / December 3, 2013

More students are staying in Indiana after graduating, which may be a reason for a drop in unemployment, a Ball State economist said. Michael Hicks, director of Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research, released a report saying Indiana is recovering from the recession better than the national job market. The state unemployment rate dropped from 8.4 percent in July to 7.5 percent in October, in part to the growth in the manufacturing industry.

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Ind. officer gets 13 years in fatal crash

By The Associated Press / December 2, 2013

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A former Indianapolis police officer who killed a man and seriously injured two others when he was driving drunk and crashed his police cruiser into two motorcycles stopped at a traffic light was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years in prison. David Bisard was convicted last month on nine counts, the most serious of which was driving with a blood-alcohol content above 0.15 percent while in a fatal accident. The legal limit in Indiana is 0.08.

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Schools seek answers after voters reject tax hikes

By The Associated Press / November 25, 2013

MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Failed referenda in two Indiana communities are forcing school officials to regroup as they assess their needs for everything from leaky roofs to bus transportation. Mishawaka voters this month rejected a $28 million referendum that would have helped upgrade security and technology, replace aging boilers, fix roofs and make other repairs.

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