Amid reported concerns about a largescale influx of illegal aliens and “legal migrants” into local communities, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced today that his office has sent a civil investigative demand (CID) to the Tyson Foods in Logansport seeking information related to human labor trafficking. 

The CID states Attorney General Rokita’s office has reasonable cause to believe that Tyson Foods may be in possession, custody, or control of documentary materials or may have knowledge of facts that are relevant to an investigation being conducted concerning human labor trafficking and indecent nuisances.  

“The vast number of additional people coming into our communities is alarming, and that’s just from the standpoint of seeing the staggering number of resources being put towards this fight – Every. Single. Day,” Attorney General Rokita said. “When you have an open border and an influx of people coming over illegally by the millions, we can’t have companies incentivizing this criminal behavior by offering jobs for cheap labor. It’s not fair to those looking for employment or to our law enforcement, local hospitals and healthcare facilities, taxpayers that fund these services, and our housing and labor markets. We will continue looking into this growing issue.” 

Attorney General Rokita said his investigation is focused on the coordinated efforts among international and local nonprofit “refugee resettlement” organizations and employers, like Tyson Foods, to bring large numbers of migrants to Indiana. 

On November 9, 2024, Attorney General Rokita announced he sent CIDs to Cass County Health Department, Logansport Community School Corp., Berry Global Group Inc., Tent Partnership for Refugees, God is Good, and Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. over this same growing issue. 

Attorney General Rokita’s office is conducting these investigations pursuant to its authority under Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and indecent nuisance statute.  

According to the CID, Tyson Foods must respond in writing by December 4, 2024. 

Sen. Mike Braun, Sen. Jon Tester, and Sen. Sherrod Brown celebrated the House passage of their bipartisan Mark Our Place Act, which is now headed to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

The bill amends current law to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a headstone, marker, or medallion for Medal of Honor recipients, regardless of their date of death. Currently, this is only available to Medal of Honor recipients that served after 1917. 

Rep. Morgan Luttrell introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“Our Medal of Honor recipients represent the best America has to offer. They should be honored regardless of when they served. I am proud to see this bill that will memorialize the valor of these American heroes be signed into law.” – Senator Mike Braun  

“I’d like to thank everybody involved in the Mark Our Place Act. This is a great bill to recognize the recipients of America’s highest medal for valor, the Medal of Honor, and I fully support it.” – Sergeant First Class Sammy Davis, Medal of Honor recipient 1968

By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Any drivers who navigate trucks weighing more than 7,000 pounds on a portion of West Market Street could face a traffic stop. The ordinance was passed during the Tuesday, Nov. 12, meeting of the Salem Common Council.

The weight limit pertains to the portion of Market Street between Tarr Avenue and Public Square.

Mayor Justin Green explained that city officials had passed a weight limit for that stretch of road around the early 2000s, and weight limit signs were posted; however, those signs were removed when Market Street became the detour while roadwork was completed along State Road 56.

New weight limit signs will be installed along the street.

Other business included:

Green announced that the city will receive a $356,000 Community Crossings Matching Grant from the state. It will be used to fix storm and sewer infrastructure along West Poplar Street between South Main and North Water streets. Bids will likely be accepted in January and the work could begin in the spring.

The council approved the rezoning of a property along South Martinsburg Road. The tract had two different types of zoning, one for single family residential and another for multiple family dwellings. It is now zoned for multiple family dwellings.

During its Monday, Oct. 28, meeting, the Salem Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend the rezoning to the Common Council with the stipulation that no mobile home park or mobile home subdivision is constructed on the property. Jason Temple told the Plan Commission it was likely multiple family duplexes would be built; however, those plans aren’t firm.

Any development plans for the property would have to be submitted to the city for review and approval.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced today that his office has filed a lawsuit against the owner of Hubbard Gardens Apartments in Indianapolis, alleging they failed to protect tenants against open sewer conditions and to properly maintain other essential systems. 

During an inspection by Attorney General Rokita’s Homeowner Protection Unit on Sept. 27, his investigators found open sewer conditions, which were reported to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center. Residents said that the plumbing and sewage issues impacted them for months without a permanent remedy from the ownership. 

“Hardworking Hoosiers don’t deserve to live in these types of conditions and are being treated horribly by the owner of this complex,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Our office will continue standing up for tenants’ rights and working to hold this bad actor accountable.” 

The lawsuit alleges that Hubbard Gardens Apartments was enveloped in at least 89 litigation cases with violations of local health and housing code brought by the Marion County Public Health Department from Jan. 1, 2023, to Oct. 4, 2024. The violations state a failure to ensure basic occupancy standards due to severe plumbing issues, including flooding of tenant apartments and common areas with raw sewage. The lawsuit demands a jury trial, costs of prosecution, and other damages against the defendant for multiple violations of the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.