Indiana

The state of Indiana is about to make major changes to its child support laws, putting it in sync with most other states. Starting July 1, the age of emancipation will be 19 instead of 21. This means after the child turns 19 years old ... a parent no longer pays support, meaning a big change for families who not only pay ... but receive support. For people with one child ... they can just stop paying as of July 1. If child support payments are withheld from your paycheck, you will need court approval to have those stopped.

Hundreds of Indiana voters are outraged over a vote history audit being mailed out to homes. Watch the video above for the full story. 

It's not good news for Hoosiers - a new study says people in Indiana aren't very courteous. According to The Marchex Institute, a program that looked for words like "please" and "thank you" in 600,000 phone calls made by customers to businesses showed Indiana is the 3rd least courteous state - only behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts. The most courteous state, according to the study, is South Carolina followed by North Carolina. People in Michigan were deemed "usually courteous.

SOUTH BEND - Indiana is under-served when it comes to trauma care. There are only 8 trauma centers in the state leaving many rural communities unprotected. Memorial Hospital in South Bend has one of the designated trauma centers, meaning it has trauma surgeons and specialists on call 24-7. The Indiana Department of Health is working on a statewide trauma system. A new triage and transport rule went into effect last year.  That means the most seriously injured must be taken to a trauma center if it's no more than 45 minutes away or puts the patient's life in jeopardy.

CARLISLE, Ind. (AP) - A woman whose brother was fatally shot in 2007 is asking Indiana prison officials to remove a Facebook profile apparently created by a man convicted for his role in the slaying. Lisa Cunningham tells The News and Tribune (http://bit.ly/zxDgSR ) she learned Saturday that 20-year-old Quintez Deloney has a Facebook page on which he appears to be posting from prison in violation of state prison rules. She says Deloney "shouldn't have any freedom.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for all of northern Indiana effective until 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The winds are coming from the southwest with gusts up to 45 mph. Also, there is a gale warning issued for New Buffalo, MI to St. Joseph, MI.

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — A coroner says an initial autopsy failed to find the cause of death for a 17-year-old northern Indiana boy who died after collapsing at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center in Valparaiso. Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris says he is awaiting results of further testing before determining the cause of death of Gabriel Myers of Portage. Harris says witnesses said Myers appeared to be having a seizure when he collapsed about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Indiana could expand the school voucher program that uses taxpayer money to send kids to private schools. A state senate committee is scheduled to consider a proposal on Wednesday. The new system would eliminate a requirement that students spend at least one year in public schools before becoming eligible. This year Indiana is spending about $16 million on vouchers. Republican State Senator Luke Kenley of Noblesville estimates getting rid of the public school requirement would cost the state tens of millions in additional costs.

BEDFORD, Ind. (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least 10 tornadoes touched down in Indiana during a wave of severe storms that injured at least 34 people. The weather service planned to send teams out Friday to investigate more possible tornadoes in Gibson, Vanderburgh and Pike counties in southwest Indiana. The most powerful tornadoes Wednesday were three EF-2 tornadoes — one in Dubois (doo-BOYS') County about 75 miles west of Louisville, one in a rural area east of Bedford about 25 miles south of Bloomington and one in Newton County in northwest Indiana.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - A moment of silence was held for Joe Paterno on Sunday before Penn State's men's basketball team played Indiana. The 85-year-old Penn State football coach died Sunday morning, hours before the start of the Big Ten game. Fans responded with polite applause following the silence. Penn State officials arranged for their players to wear a black stripe across the jerseys. The Penn State players and coaches learned of Paterno's death on the bus ride to Assembly Hall.

INDIANAPOLIS - All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) license branches will be  closed  on  Saturday, June 15  while the Indiana Office of Technology staff completes a major maintenance project on the State's computer system.     The  myBMV.com  website will also not be available to customers from 6:00 a.m. on June 15 until the repairs are completed.   License branches will resume normal hours of operation the week of June 17.

The following release was issued by the BMV on Friday morning:   INDIANAPOLIS - R. Scott Waddell, Commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles ( BMV ), issued a warning to Hoosiers motorists of inappropriate phone solicitations regarding insurance rates:   "My office was informed that our customers are receiving calls from an outside organization claiming to be the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and offering to reduce their auto insurance rates.

SOUTH BEND -- More people are dying in fires and here's why it's so startling: most of those deaths could have been prevented. Indiana's fire marshal says most of those fatal fires involved homes without smoke detectors or working ones. Jim Greeson spoke Thursday at the South Bend Central Fire Station. Two girls who were just 4- and 6-years-old died in an apartment fire earlier this year in South Bend. There were no working smoke detectors in the home. "It's very frustrating," said Greeson.

The following is a release from the Indiana Attorney General's Office issued Tuesday morning:   INDIANAPOLIS   - Today the United States Supreme Court announced that it would not hear the State of Indiana's appeal in the legal challenge to an Indiana law, House Enrolled Act 1210, disqualifying abortion providers from being Medicaid providers. As the lawyer for state government, Attorney General Greg Zoeller's Office vigorously defends state statutes the Legislature passes such as HEA 1210 from legal challenges plaintiffs file.

The cool temperatures will likely keep you out of the water this Memorial Day, but Monday is still the unofficial start of summer and officials want to remind you to stay safe when you do get out on the lake. The Berrien County Sheriff's Marine Division says many boats are starting to get out on the water.  According to the U.S Coast Guard, 90% of people who drown in boating or water accidents would be alive today if they had been wearing a life jacket. For children, this is not just a safety tip - It's the law!

INDIANAPOLIS -- Who should be held responsible for problems that interrupted your child's ISTEP testing earlier this month? We could find out the answer to that question and others in a few weeks. Indiana lawmakers have ordered an investigation into computer glitches that delayed the standardized testing across the state. That investigation will start in mid-June with a day-long hearing at the statehouse. The test maker, CTB/McGraw-Hill and other education leaders will be questioned.

SOUTH BEND-- The number of child abuse and neglect cases in the state of Indiana is going up.  That's exactly why the state Department of Child Services is trying to fill nearly 200 positions. D.C.S. hosted a job fair in South Bend Wednesday in hopes of recruiting qualified applicants to be caseworkers and supervisors.     Close to a hundred people pre-registered, and there were dozens more who walked-in. Morgan Smith says, "I really want to help families.

The following release was issued by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development       INDIANAPOLIS   - Indiana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percent to 8.5 percent in April, the largest one month decrease in over a year. Private sector employment in the Hoosier state also increased by 6,800 jobs over the past month and exceeded the national rate of growth. Indiana has now experienced private sector employment growth in 37 of the past 40 months.  April also recorded the biggest drop in the total number of unemployed in over a year.

As a partner in National Dog Bite Prevention Week, the United States Postal Service released its 2012 U.S. Postal Service Dog Attack City Rankings, ranking Indiana as #7 for attacks of postal workers. To help reduce the number of dog bites across America, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is offering Indiana residents several ways to help reduce the number of dog bites in their community during the prevention week.  “Dogs are wonderful, intelligent and loyal creatures, but they depend on responsible owners to teach them how to behave around people,” said Dr. Douglas G. Aspros, president of the AVMA.

It's not good news for Hoosiers - a new study says people in Indiana aren't very courteous. According to The Marchex Institute, a program that looked for words like "please" and "thank you" in 600,000 phone calls made by customers to businesses showed Indiana is the 3rd least courteous state - only behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts. The most courteous state, according to the study, is South Carolina followed by North Carolina. People in Michigan were deemed "usually courteous.