News

Indiana officials are looking at options for a new high school equivalency credential exam.

The Department of Workforce Development and similar offices in nearly all the other states are seeking alternatives to the traditional GED. The move comes as Pearson, the company that owns the rights to the current test, plans to move it online and nearly double the price.

A DWD spokesperson says going online only will cut in half the number of available places to take the test in Indiana. Officials also worry Hoosiers won’t be able to afford the higher cost.

The man wanted for the hit and run of a Lafayette bicyclist has been caught.

Tippecanoe County Sheriff detectives arrested 38 year old Gregorio Felipe Friday morning in Indianapolis.

They say he was driving a van that hit 62 year old Rodney Smith, who was riding his bike on David Ferry Bridge of North 9th Street Road May 14 at 7:21 p.m. Smith died May 19 due to his injuries.

Felipe faces a felony charge of Failure to Stop and Remain at the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Injury or Death. He's being held on $10,000 bond.

This is the story of Lucie Blackman, a young woman murdered while pursuing adventure in a foreign land – Japan - far from her home in Britain.  Lucie’s story is told by a London Times journalist who labored for many years to discover the truth behind Lucie’s tragic death.  Compelling in its writing, People Who Eat Darkness has been deservedly compared to the best books of the true-crime genre.

Senator Joe Donnelly is emphasizing the importance of passing a long-term farm bill that not only provides help to the agriculture community but also helps reduce the deficit. 

The 2008 farm bill expired in January, though Congress quickly extended it to October.  A five-year farm bill passed the U-S Senate Agriculture Committee last week and Senator Joe Donnelly says he’s hoping it will hit the Senate floor soon. 

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is tracking 33 measurements of progress toward goals it laid out in last year‘s "Vision 2025" plan.

President Kevin Brinegar says the results are a "mixed bag," but says one negative statistic, the number of Hoosiers in poverty, stands out.

At nearly one in six, Indiana has fallen from the 12th-best poverty rate in the U-S in 2000 to the 16th-worst.

A Purdue expert says the tornado that hit Oklahoma this week may be especially frightening for children because of the destruction to schools and the number of children who died.

Purdue Professor Emeritus of Child Development Judith Myers-Walls says kids are limited in their ability to understand causality and probability, so it's likely their fears will be raised by news stories.

She says having a storm action plan in place can help alleviate stress.

There are about 175 children in Tippecanoe and surrounding counties currently in foster care. Statewide, the figure is 5,600 abused and neglected children.

The Department of Child Services is calling attention to those in need, and those who open their homes, during National Foster Care Month.

Angela Archibald and her husband are foster parents in Clinton County. She says many people ask her about the experience.

Some new animals are coming to Lafayette’s Columbian Park thanks to the Mayor’s Youth Council. The ten animals are concrete statues that line the tracks of the train ride.

City Clerk Cindy Murray says the teens were responding to a challenge to liven up the area.

“We had them painted. We tried to keep to the same color scheme the park already has with the rides. We have a pink zebra with black stripes and green giraffe with yellow dots,” she says. “We also have three benches. One is a caterpillar and butterfly on one end. We have a giraffe bench.”

Most Purdue students studying on the West Lafayette campus won’t pay more for their education next year. In fact, administrators say thousands will pay less.

The Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved freezing tuition and most fees. The plan also includes a reduction in the campus meal plan and fees for summer internships and co-ops.

President Mitch Daniels says those two things add up to $3.5 million dollars and are just as important as tuition costs.

Tippecanoe County officials are considering the possibility of employee raises in the next budget.

Auditor Jennifer Weston provided the commissioners with cost estimates in increments of 1% with each percent representing $577,529. That includes wages, Social Security and the Public Employees Retirement Fund (PERF).

Weston says PERF is increasing more than usual.

“It’s been increasing anywhere from a quarter to a half percent lately, and it’s going up 1.2% (next year),” she says. “Yeah, that’s going to be a big hit for us.”