IndyStar.com: Metro & State
Indiana's leading news source for all the top stories, local news, sports and weather.
Lafayette strikes a balance
Despite the recent economic downturn, the Lafayette area remains a beacon in Indiana for job growth.While other old factory centers in the state have ebbed, the Lafayette area has six more plants in operation than a decade ago, with 120 in all.And...
Monroe County deputy hit by SUV, hospitalized
Bloomington » A Monroe County sheriff's deputy was critically injured when struck by a Jeep on Friday night.Sara Jones was being treated Saturday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, according to Indiana State Police, who are investigating the...
Valparaiso University welcomes new president
Valparaiso » Mark Heckler was inaugurated Friday as Valparaiso University's 18th president.Heckler is the former provost of the University of Colorado-Denver.He replaces Alan Harre, who retired in June after 20 years leading the university.Star...
No winners in Powerball, Hoosier Lotto
INDIANAPOLIS — None of the tickets sold for Saturday’s Hoosier Lotto game matched all six numbers drawn, so the jackpot grows to an estimated $11 million for Wednesday’s drawing.The winning Hoosier Lotto numbers Saturday night were 1, 29, 30, 43,...
Bright House leaves Colts fans in dark for 3rd game
For the third Sunday in a row, Bright House customers won’t be able to catch the Colts game on television today.WISH (Channel 8), the local CBS affiliate owned by LIN TV Corp., hasn’t appeared on Bright House Network since Oct. 3, when...
Monroe Co. deputy struck by SUV dies
BLOMINGTON — A Monroe County sheriff’s deputy has died after being struck by a teenager driving a Jeep, according to police.Sara Jones, 27, who was struck Friday night on Ind. 45 a few miles south of Bloomington, died this afternoon at Methodist...
Chrysler ends Getrag transmission deal
TIPTON, Ind. — German manufacturer Getrag is without a primary customer for the transmissions it expected to make at a new factory in Tipton.Chrysler LLC terminated a financing options agreement with Getrag during the weekend, the company said....
Gov. Daniels visits Sikh temple for milestone celebration
About 250 members of Indianapolis’ Sikh community gathered Sunday at their temple, the Gurdwara of Indianapolis, where they welcomed Gov. Mitch Daniels.Daniels’ visit to the temple, 10950 Southeastern Avenue, was to observe the...
Deputy dies of injuries after being hit by teenage driver
Deputy Sarah Jones' death Sunday from injuries she suffered in a line-of-duty traffic accident left colleagues in the close-knit Monroe County Sheriff's Department devastated and grieving the loss of a promising law enforcement officer."The impact...
Stepping out for the needy
Lianna Branham knows that pushing two of her children in a double stroller for three miles is nothing compared to what some have to go through to get food.Branham and her four children were just a few of the 1,000 people who participated in the 29th...
'X-Men' producer to discuss indies
So what's a guy who's produced movies with a $150 million budget doing addressing a seminar on independent filmmaking?It's true that Ralph Winter's name is most associated with mainstream blockbuster franchises, including the "X-Men," "Fantastic...
APA finalist delivers expressive performance
Expressiveness dominated Elizabeth Joy Roe’s recital and concerto program at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Sunday, part of the first phase of the American Pianists Association’s 2009 Classical Fellowship Awards competition.A...
Economy puts more in need of agencies' aid
Even in tough times, Alicia Percifield had avoided asking for help to put food on the table. But last week, the dental assistant and single mother found herself searching the Internet for food pantries.Faced with high food and gas prices, Percifield,...
Farm yields bones thousands of years old
FLORA, Ind. — Amos Flora leans back in his simple chair, rubs his chin with his 84-year-old fingers and ponders a question that has troubled him for nearly 40 years.“The Bible only gives us 6,000 years, and I believe that,” he says,...
Grain farmers squeezed by economic crisis
Fort Wayne Indiana farmers are being squeezed by high fertilizer prices while the value of their grain crops declines amid the global economic crisis.More farmers planted grain last year, because grain prices were high, said Bruce Erickson,...
Reprimanded scientist files defamation suit
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Purdue University scientist who was reprimanded for research misconduct over claims he produced nuclear fusion in tabletop experiments is suing two other faculty members for defamation.Rusi P. Taleyarkhan, a professor of...
Condition upgraded for man hurt in crash
An Indianapolis man who was critically injured in a Southwestside street-racing accident that killed his passenger during the weekend was upgraded to serious but stable condition Sunday at Methodist Hospital.Mark Barron, 20, was southbound while...
2 men remain hospitalized after shooting
Two men shot in a Near-Eastside home invasion during the weekend remained hospitalized Sunday while police continued to seek a third man believed to be involved in the incident.Condition updates were not available, but Jason Kennedy, 25, and...
Longtime IHSAA commissioner Cato dies
Former Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Gene Cato died on Saturday, his family announced. He was 77.No cause of death was given.Cato served as IHSAA commissioner from 1983-95, during which time the organization formed a...
WNDE beats WFNI in sports talk radio ratings
For the third consecutive quarter of Arbitron radio rankings, John "JMV" Michael of WNDE-AM (1260) amassed a larger audience than the WFNI-AM (1070) team of Eddie White and Star columnist Bob Kravitz .Michael won the latest round of the afternoon...
Man gets 50 years for Ind. torture slaying
CROWN POINT, Ind. — A Maine man was sentenced today to 50 years in prison for the 1979 sexual torture and slaying of an 8-year-old Gary boy.David Bowen, 44, of Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty in September to the murder of Kenneth “Butch” Conrick...
Muncie man charged with biting child
MUNCIE, Ind. — A self-proclaimed white supremacist who allegedly made threatening “black magic” phone calls to a high school this summer now faces charges that he repeatedly bit a 9-year-old boy.Dmitriy V. Sklyarov, 20, was charged Friday with...
Martin students to protest professor's firing
Students at Martin University have announced they will stage a protest tonight over the firing of a popular professor, according to an unsigned press release.The release says students are upset over the dismissal of a veteran instructor, although...
National City plans to cut 4,000 jobs
NEW YORK — National City Corp. today reported a third-quarter loss and said it will cut 4,000 jobs, as the regional bank continues to struggle amid the ongoing downturn in the mortgage and credit markets.Despite the larger-than-expected quarterly...
Inspiring words
Hundreds of volunteers from Indianapolis businesses gathered with about 1,500 students from Indianapolis Public Schools on Tuesday to help inspire young patients at Wishard Health Services.As part of a program called Soaringwords, the fourth-graders...
Martin University students protest firings
A small group of Martin University students gathered across the street from the school Tuesday to protest the direction the institution has taken under a new president.The gathering was unusual for a university demonstration: not youths in their...
IPS chief turns down pay raise
Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White on Tuesday — for the second year in a row — turned down a raise, citing ongoing talks on pay for teachers and other workers.School Board President Mary E. Busch said that even before...
Car stolen, crashed with tot inside
Police say an intoxicated Indianapolis man stole a woman’s car — with her toddler still secured in back — and crashed the vehicle on the Near Westside this morning.Hector Flores, 28, was arrested for drunken driving, neglect and other charges after...
Fatal fire at Bartholomew Co. official's home
NEWBERN, Ind. — One person has been found dead in a fire that destroyed the home of Bartholomew County Auditor Nancy McKinney and her husband, former county sheriff Jimmie McKinney.Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Rob Kittle...
Ballard: Indy will be stingy salting roads this winter
City snowplows and salt spreaders will try to limit the amount of high-priced salt they spread on city streets this winter without leaving them covered in snow and ice.Mayor Greg Ballard held a press conference this morning — one of the first...
