Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A bill aimed at having an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration in Indiana is on its way to the state Senate, but some Republican senators are leery about its impact. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 8-5 Thursday to advance the proposal. Changes made by the committee included requiring police to have probable cause to ask for proof of a person's immigration status. The original bill set a lower legal standard of reasonable suspicion.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The new budget year is off to a good start for Indiana's state government with about $23 million more in tax revenues coming in than expected. A report released Wednesday by the State Budget Agency shows tax collections totaling a little over $1 billion for July. That's 2.3 percent more than was projected in an April forecast that legislators used in developing the new two-year state budget and 11 percent better than what the state collected a year ago. State budget officials say the biggest boost in revenue has come from a $43 million, or 16 percent, increase in individual income taxes compared to July 2010.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - State Police say five people arrested on charges related to a Terre Haute police officer's fatal shooting were inside the apartment building where the shooting occurred but didn't tell officers the man they were looking for was inside and armed. Sgt. Joe Watts says the five individuals include the wife and brother of the 33-year-old man who allegedly shot Officer Brent Long. All five face charges of resisting law enforcement and are among seven people arrested Thursday in connection with Long's death.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana homeowners would have limited rights to resist police officers trying to enter their homes in a handful of instances under a bill that state legislators are considering. A state Senate committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday on a bill that follows a public uproar over a state Supreme Court ruling in May that said homeowners cannot violently resist police officers even during an illegal entry. The bill's sponsors say it is narrowly crafted to set out the rights of homeowners.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Planned Parenthood of Indiana says it won't be able to serve 9,300 Medicaid patients at its clinics after a federal judge refused to block a new state law that cuts off its public funding. The group says it is "deeply disappointed" that the judge didn't stop what it called an "unconscionable law" from taking effect. It says patients will lose access to crucial preventative care such as cancer screenings at its 28 clinics around the state.

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.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana's social services agency says it will expand its hybrid welfare eligibility system to 13 more counties next week. The Family and Social Services Administration said Tuesday that will put 72 of the state's 92 counties on the hybrid system, which was created after problems with the state's efforts to automate welfare intake functions. The hybrid system combines some aspects of automated intake but adds more face-to-face contact between state case workers and clients.

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed eight tornadoes across Indiana from the storm front that swept through the state Tuesday. No serious injuries or widespread damage was reported from the tornadoes. The weather service says the strongest of the twisters were rated EF1s with winds up to 110 mph. Two of those hit rural areas in Huntington and Whitely counties near Fort Wayne, while another caused some building damage at Wanatah (WAHN'-uh-taw)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Those who oversee Indiana's energy-assistance program for low-income families are uncertain how much money they'll have to work with this winter since Congress hasn't decided what funding it will provide. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority has set aside $25 million from its reserve and carry-over funds for heating assistance. But agency official Paul Krievins tells The Journal Gazette ( http://bit.ly/reBzOA )

SOUTH BEND - The University of Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course has been chosen as one of the top five courses in the state of Indiana, according to Golfweek Magazine.   In the survey, the Warren Golf course ranks overall as the fifth best course in the state of Indiana and also represents the only one of those top-five courses to be located north of Indianapolis. Along with that, a survey of collegiate golfers last week by Golfweek revealed the Warren as the eighth-best course in the nation to host collegiate tournaments.