Town won't fine those who violate funeral protest law

HEBRON | Anyone violating the town's ordinance against protests at funerals won't face Hebron's justice. They will have to deal with the state's.

Chief justice urges legislature to adopt criminal code reforms

INDIANAPOLIS | Chief Justice Brent Dickson, in his first-ever State of the Judiciary address Wednesday, urged the General Assembly to approve legislation revamping Indiana's criminal code.

Anti-gay marriage amendment could cause legal pitfalls

INDIANAPOLIS | Opponents of a possible amendment to the Indiana Constitution prohibiting gay marriage and any "legal status" that's "substantially similar" to marriage believe they have the law on their side -- 614 laws to be precise.

Valpo now in compliance with appointment laws

VALPARAISO | The council's annual January caucus to appoint people to various positions for the coming year resulted in a surprise discovery: several of the appointments were being done improperly and others were to positions that didn't exist.

Retailers selling outlawed synthetic drugs put on notice

CROWN POINT | Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller gave a personal push Tuesday to a statewide initiative geared toward removing a growing plethora of synthetics drugs from retailers' shelves.

Landfill company tells Dolton to start paying for residential waste disposal

DOLTON | Officials with Land & Lakes Co., which operates a landfill that overlaps the Chicago-Dolton border, have told village officials they’re going to have to start paying significant fees for disposal of residential trash.

State law forcing Valpo to re-examine ethics ordinance

VALPARAISO | The City Council beat the July 1 deadline for passing the state-mandated language on nepotism. Now the city's Ethics Commission must decide what to do with the old city ethics ordinance.

Constitutionality of Indiana immigration law still unresolved

INDIANAPOLIS | A Northwest Indiana Hispanic social services organization will continue its legal challenge to the state's 2011 immigration law after a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday involving a similar Arizona law left the constitutionality of most provisions of the Indiana law unresolved.

Golf carts now allowed on Hebron streets

HEBRON | There was no doubt where Greg Falkowski and his family stood on whether golf carts should be allowed on the town's streets.

Porter County might give homestead violators some help

VALPARAISO | The Porter County Council will have a proposed ordinance on its May 22 agenda that would offer some relief to residents who owe back taxes from homestead exemption violations.

New laws overturning Ind. Supreme Court decisions demonstrate balance of power

INDIANAPOLIS | On a yellow sheet of paper torn from a legal pad, Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan Jr. keeps the list.

Court: Texas company shipping product to Ind. not under state's jurisdiction

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday threw out criminal charges against two Texans whose only connection to Indiana was a business that shipped allegedly trademark-infringing toy guns to the state.

Hurdles ahead for Lake County 911 merger, sheriff warns

SCHERERVILLE | By state law, all Indiana counties must consolidate their 911 emergency response systems by Dec. 31, 2014. But Lake County's 911 system might be on life support long before that date.

Council defeats gun ordinance; city exposed to potential lawsuits

HAMMOND | The Hammond City Council defeated a proposal that would have changed the city gun and weapon ban to comply with a new state law.

EDITORIAL: Fighting Planned Parenthood hurts Hoosiers

The battle over government funding for Planned Parenthood is generating lots of sound and fury to rally anti-abortion forces, but it comes at high risk for low-income Hoosiers.

EDITORIAL: Put an end to secret meetings

East Chicago, the Foundations of East Chicago and the Indiana attorney general's office have been involved for years in a three-way taffy pull over casino funds. That's what made the secret meeting last week so disturbing.

Lawmakers clarify election rules for flip-floppers

SPRINGFIELD | If you are running for office, should you be able to change parties in the middle of the campaign?

Do you qualify for senior citizen tax exemptions?

Seniors eligible for either property tax exemption must meet the following requirements:

Ind. Senate votes to pre-empt local gun laws across the state

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Senate voted 38-12 on Monday to pre-empt all local gun regulations across the state of Indiana.

Lawmaker proposes registering home-schooled students

SPRINGFIELD | Parents of home-schooled children would have to register their kids with the state under a proposal that could be debated in the Illinois Senate in coming weeks.