Indiana Archives - The Virginia Star

Teen Girl at Baseball Game Stabbed by Previously Deported Illegal Migrant, Police Allege

September 2, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

A teen girl at an Indiana baseball game was randomly stabbed over the weekend by a man local authorities say is a previously deported illegal immigrant. The 14-year-old girl was watching her brother’s baseball game in Lowell, Indiana, on Saturday when a man randomly stabbed her in the hand and fled the scene, according to NBC Chicago. Law enforcement arrested Dimas Gabriel Yanez, a 26-year-old Honduran national, following an extensive manhunt that ended on Sunday amid a foot pursuit in a Lake County cornfield.

Indiana Republican Reverses Course, Will Seek Another Term in Congress

February 6, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana announced she will seek reelection in 2024 on Monday after previously deciding to retire.

Spartz announced just months after being reelected that she would not run for a third term in the lower chamber to spend more time at home with her family. Following a wave of GOP retirements in late 2023 and early 2024, Spartz reversed her decision and intends on filing for reelection, according to a statement from the congresswoman.

2022 Election Disputes Continue to Wind Through U.S. Courts as 2024 Nears

October 2, 2023October 2, 2023 Just the News

While former Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake continues with election-related lawsuits regarding irregularities in Maricopa County, there were also other issues during the 2022 midterm elections that occurred across the country.

Commentary: Tax Relief Is Coming to Millions of Red-State Residents in Ohio, Connecticut, and More

July 25, 2023July 24, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

July marked the beginning of Fiscal Year 2024 for 46 of the 50 states. It also closes the books on most state legislative sessions in what was an incredible 2023 for hard-working taxpayers.

In recent years, we’ve seen significant income tax relief in the states. Notably, 10 states – Kentucky, West Virginia, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, Connecticut, and Ohio – have cut personal income taxes (PIT) in 2023. With the new addition of West Virginia, North Dakota, and Connecticut, 22 states have cut personal income taxes since 2021, with several of these states cutting taxes multiple times during that period.

Commentary: There is a Good Reason Why Democrats are so Frightened of ‘Moms for Liberty’

July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

For most Americans, “Mom” evokes images of kindness, courage, sympathy and love. Likewise, “liberty” calls up concepts like individual rights, freedom of expression, equality and justice. Yet, the perversity of the current political environment is such that a parental rights group whose name combines these two words has been demonized by Democrats, the corporate media and the reactionary left. Just recently, a New Hampshire Democrat denounced the group as “Assholes with casseroles,” the Hill ran a story titled, “Six reasons why Moms for Liberty is an extremist organization,” and the Southern Poverty Law Center added them to its Hate Map.

Nearly Half of U.S. States Now Have Measures Limiting Transgender Surgery for Minors, but Lawsuits Abound

June 18, 2023 Admin

At least 20 states have either restricted or banned transgender procedures for minors, with many of them facing lawsuits and temporary blocks by courts as a result, while future litigation is possible in states considering adopting such laws.

The states that have enacted legislation against such procedures are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia – essentially all conservative-leaning.

Drug Manufacturers, CVS, Walgreens Settle Another Opioid Lawsuit with 22 States for $17.3 Billion

June 12, 2023 The Center Square

Thirteen attorneys general announced settlements with opioid manufacturers Teva and Allergan on Friday, while 18 states settled with CVS and Walgreens for a total of $17.3 billion.

The attorneys general said settlement funds will start flowing into state and local governments by the end of this year and will be used for prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.

Indiana Expands School Choice to Nearly All K-12 Students as Republican-Led States Continue Momentum

May 10, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Indiana scored the latest school choice victory with nearly all, save for 3.5 percent of families with school-age children, qualifying for the state’s new voucher program, The Wall Street Journal editorial board noted last week.

“The hits keep coming on school choice in Republican-run states,” The Journal editors observed, detailing:

The new law raises the income cap to 400% of the free- and reduced-price lunch income level, which is now about $220,000 for a family of four. The bill also removes the other criteria for eligibility so that any family under the income limit can apply. Tens of thousands of additional students could qualify, and a legislative analysis projects that some 95,000 students might use the program in 2025, up from about 53,000 in 2023.

17 State Attorneys General Declare Support for Florida Trans Guidance

April 13, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

by Eric Lendrum On April 7th, an amicus brief was filed in favor of Florida’s current ban on using state funds to support “transgender” treatments, with 17 state attorneys general voicing their support for the law. According to the Daily Caller, the brief’s filing was part of an ongoing legal…

Former VP Pence Informs Congress He’s Discovered Documents in Indiana Home Marked Classified

January 24, 2023January 24, 2023 Just the News

Former Vice President Mike Pence informed Congress on Tuesday that his team has discovered document in his Indiana home that from his time in the Trump White House and marked as classified.

Half of the US No Longer Requires a Permit for Concealed Carry

January 3, 2023January 2, 2023 Admin

Half of the states in the U.S. no longer require residents to hold a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in public after Alabama, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio passed laws in 2022 removing permit requirements.

On Monday, Alabama began enforcing its permitless carry law, becoming the 25th state to do so, while Indiana, Georgia and Ohio also passed laws this year allowing residents to concealed carry firearms without a permit. Over the last two years 10 states have moved to permitless carry, including Utah, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.

‘Satanic Temple’ Sues Indiana over Abortion Ban

September 28, 2022September 27, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

A group called “The Satanic Temple” has sued the State of Indiana to block its near-complete ban on abortions, per a lawsuit filed in federal court on Sept. 21.

The group, naming the state’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney Gen. Todd Rokita, as respondents, filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. It claims to be filing the suit on behalf of a female member of the group that became “involuntarily pregnant” and wishes to terminate the pregnancy.

Telemundo: Alleged Rapist of 10-Year-Old Confirmed to Be in ‘Domestic Relationship’ with Victim’s Mother

July 19, 2022July 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Telemundo confirmed Friday the alleged rapist of a 10-year-old girl who underwent an abortion is in a “domestic relationship” with the victim’s mother who reportedly is also pregnant with his child.

“It is, in fact, a domestic relationship – and there are additional children in the household,” said Jorge Bonilla, director of Media Research Center (MRC) Latino. “Horrendous.”

Mother of 10-Year-Old Rape Victim Defends Illegal Alien Charged with Raping Daughter

July 16, 2022July 15, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The mother of the 10-year-old girl who reportedly had an abortion in Indiana after a 27-year-old illegal alien raped her, is defending the man, stating, “Everything they are saying against him is a lie,” Telemundo reported Thursday.

The woman, who claims to be the mother of the 10-year-old girl the Indianapolis Star reported to have been raped and then referred by an Ohio “child abuse doctor” to Indiana abortion activist Dr. Caitlin Bernard for an abortion, said she did not file criminal charges against Gerson Fuentes, 27, who was arrested and admitted he had raped the girl on at least two occasions when she was nine years of age.

Alleged Illegal Alien Charged with Raping 10-Year-Old Girl Listed by Abortionist as Minor of Age ‘17’ on Report Form

July 16, 2022July 15, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

A report form obtained by Fox News and reportedly filed by Indiana abortionist Dr. Caitlin Bernard reveals she listed the age of the alleged illegal alien charged with raping an Ohio 10-year-old as a minor of age 17, rather than his age of 27, as reported by police.

Fox News reported Thursday evening Gerson Fuentes, 27, alleged to be an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, who was charged Wednesday in Ohio with rape of a minor under 13 years of age, was reported to be approximately 17 in the official Termination of Pregnancy Report (TPR) that gives the name of Bernard as the “physician performing termination.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost: No Evidence of Raped and Pregnant 10-Year-Old Girl Traveling to Indiana for Abortion

July 13, 2022July 12, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told Fox News Monday night there is no evidence of a 10-year-old girl in his state who was raped, became pregnant, and traveled to Indiana for an abortion, as Joe Biden claimed during his remarks justifying his executive order that attempts to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

“Not a whisper,” Yost told Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Primetime. “We have a decentralized law enforcement system in Ohio, but we have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs. Not a whisper anywhere.”

21 States Join Lawsuit to End Federal Mask Mandate on Airplanes, Public Transportation

March 30, 2022March 29, 2022 The Center Square

Twenty-one states have filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s continued mask mandate on public transportation, including on airplanes.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are leading the effort. Moody filed the suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida along with 20 other attorneys general. DeSantis said the mask mandate was misguided and heavy-handed.

Facebook Executive Resigns After Apparently Being Caught in Underage Sex Sting

February 20, 2022February 19, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

A corporate director at Facebook is out of the company after the release of what appeared to be footage of him being caught in an underage sex sting operation.

Jeren Miles, formerly a manager of global community development at Facebook parent company Meta, departed the company after video of the apparent bust was posted to the YouTube channel of the amateur group PCI Predator Catchers Indianapolis.

Sixteen States File New Lawsuit Against Federal COVID Vaccination Mandate

February 6, 2022February 5, 2022 The Center Square

Sixteen states again are challenging a federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers who work at facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Friday’s filing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana comes after the issuance of final guidance on the mandate from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), arguing the guidance is an action that is reviewable.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by 5-4 vote Jan. 13 against the original Louisiana challenge to the mandate and a similar Missouri filing.

New Bill Could Prohibit Critical Race Theory in State-Funded Schools, Universities

January 11, 2022January 10, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Indiana may effectively ban Critical Race Theory (CRT) tenets from being taught in public schools and universities.

Senate Bill 167, which is sponsored by seven Republican lawmakers, states that no “state educational institution” can “engage in training, orientation, or therapy” that includes stereotypes on the basis of “sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, [and] political affiliation.”

The state senate bill was read Jan. 4. A House version, House Bill 1040, has been introduced but makes further provisions that prohibit the teaching that “socialism, Marxism, totalitarianism, or similar political systems are compatible with the principles of freedom upon which the United States was founded.”

Commentary: The Data Mining of America’s Kids Should Be a National Scandal

October 28, 2021October 27, 2021 RealClearWire

As U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland sat down for his first hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, denying a conflict of interest in his decision to investigate parents for “domestic terrorism,” there is a mother in the quiet suburb of Annandale, N.J., who found his answers lacking. And she has questions she wants asked at Garland’s hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday.

On a recent Saturday night, Caroline Licwinko, a mother of three, a law school student and the coach to her daughter’s cheerleading squad, sat in front of her laptop and tapped three words into an internet search engine: “Panorama. Survey. Results.”

Commentary: The Worst Campus in America for Free Speech is Indiana’s DePauw University

October 5, 2021October 4, 2021 RealClearWire

For the second straight year, survey data shows that a small private school in western Indiana is the nation’s worst college for free speech.

DePauw University again finished last in the 2021 College Free Speech Rankings, the second annual campus-speech-related survey and rankings project sponsored by the research firm College Pulse, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and RealClearEducation. More than 37,000 students at 159 colleges and universities participated in the survey, and their responses helped determine each school’s place in the 2021 rankings.

Indiana Attorney General Investigates University’s Ties to Chinese Communist Party

August 24, 2021August 23, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that his office will investigate the and the Chinese Communist Party’s Confucius Institute at Valparaiso University.

“The investigation is aimed at identifying and getting to the bottom of the true intent of any relationships between Valparaiso University’s programming and the Chinese Communist Party,” a statement from Rokita’s office reads.

Valparaiso, a private Lutheran institution, received $1.1 million from the Chinese government between 2010-2019 and acknowledges the Rokita’s investigation on its Confucius Institute website.

Data Shows Increased Homicides in Six Major Cities Across the Country

June 25, 2021June 24, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The number of homicides in six major cities across the country has increased compared to last year, disproportionately affecting black people, according to crime data.

Black people have represented a massive share of murder victims in six major cities through the first six months of 2021 compared to last year, which itself saw a large crime surge, according to data analyzed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DCNF analyzed both police department data and homicide reports compiled by local news outlets to determine how black people have been victimized in the wake of the 2020 crime spike.

“We are seeing an uptick in violent crime across the country, specifically gun violence,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told The New York Times earlier this month.

21 States Sue Biden Admin for Revoking Keystone XL Permit

March 22, 2021March 21, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

A group of red states sued President Biden and members of his administration on Wednesday over his decision to revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, The Hill reported.

The lawsuit is led by Montana and Texas, and backed by 19 other states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

NCAA 2021 March Madness Tournament to be Held Entirely in Indiana

January 11, 2021January 10, 2021 Jacob Taylor

The NCAA is holding its 2021 men’s college basketball tournament entirely in the state of Indiana because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced last Monday.

When the NCAA decided to relocate 13 of the tournament preliminary round sites in late November and said they were in discussions with Indiana about hosting the annual competition, it was essentially a forgone conclusion but Monday’s announcement made it official.