House sets fine of $10K for taking cellphones into prisons

INDIANAPOLIS | Sneaking a cellphone into a state prison and giving it to an inmate is already a felony, but the Indiana House voted 98-0 Tuesday to add a fine of up to $10,000 for the crime.

DeMotte man charged with several Hobart auto burglaries

HOBART | A 26-year-old DeMotte man entered unlocked cars throughout town and stole coins, jewelry and other items, police said.

Verizon to ditch most phone plans for shared ones

NEW YORK | Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest cellphone company, is dropping nearly all its phone plans in favor of pricing schemes that encourage consumers to connect their non-phone devices, like tablets and PCs, to Verizon's network.

Interview: Mike Flannery digs Illinois politics

With more than three decades of reporting on Chicago politics—which many liken to a blood sport—Mike Flannery, the political editor at FOX Chicago News, probably has the most upfront and personal inside knowledge of city and state politics. Flannery, who grew up in Washington, D.C., and grad…

Teenage texting is up; epic phone calls are down

A new report has found that as the frequency of teenage texting continues to increase, teen use of the phone is on a significant downslide.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Property crimes, 911 consolidation key public safety issues

Law enforcement in Northwest Indiana will face challenges this year.

Police: Cellphone violators down from 2010

SPRINGFIELD | State police nabbed fewer Illinois motorists last year for violating state laws designed to limit the use of cellphones while driving.

Cullerton: No ban on cellphones while driving, yet

SPRINGFIELD | A leading advocate for mandatory seatbelt usage and other highway safety measures says a ban on cellphone use by drivers is not coming to Illinois anytime soon.

Officials targeting cellphones in prison

SPRINGFIELD | No cellphones in the cell block.

Michigan City police offer tips to avoid text scams

Michigan City police are warning of spam texts that could make consumers vulnerable to scams.

18.7 percent in Lake County cut landline use

INDIANAPOLIS | More than one-third of the adults in Indianapolis have severed their landlines, relying only on cellphones for communication.

Lawmaker seeks ban on cell phone photos of accidents

SPRINGFIELD | A downstate lawmaker wants to prevent people from taking cell phone photographs or videos of traffic crashes.

Another reason to be un-appy about cell phones

As seemingly the last person without a cell phone (I'm still in therapy over the change from rotary dial phones to those newfangled pushbutton models), I sometimes wonder if they aren't just a fad, like TV and Justin Bieber's hair.

EDITORIAL: Call for courts to allow phones

The Porter County commissioners are buying lockers for each entrance to the county courthouse so visitors can safely secure their cell phones. That's convenient for visitors, but it's time for a discussion bound to be inconvenient for Indiana's judges.

Lawmakers go ape with new laws

SPRINGFIELD | Although Illinois lawmakers were unable to agree on a plan to extricate the state from its financial quagmire, they did go bananas in approving a slew of new laws.

State cops nab nearly 7,800 cell phone violators

SPRINGFIELD | Two laws aimed at limiting the use of cell phones while driving have resulted in nearly 7,800 motorists being pulled over by the Illinois State Police this year.