State Briefs

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Evansville casino to move inland…governor stands by his decision on refugee ban, Homeland Security urging us to be cautious, Lee Hamilton gets Presidential medal.


Tropicana Casino on the banks of the Ohio River in Evansville will stay in Evansville, but not on the river. On Tuesday, the casino announced that it would be investing $50 million to move inland, following the state legislature legalizing land-based gaming. One official with Tropicana said it plans on building the new casino between the Tropicana and Le Merigot hotels on Riverside Drive. If the move proceeds, the historic LST 325 is slated to be moved to where the casino is currently anchored.

The Indiana Secretary of State says voter turnout in the recent November 3rd election was 20.5%. Connie Lawson says that means about 559-thousand of some 2.7 million registered voters actually went to the polls this past Election Day. Ohio County had the highest turnout rate at 63 percent. Lawson says most voters were driven by candidates and the issues.

 President Obama awarded former Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday. Serving more than 30 years in Congress, Hamilton represented Indiana’s 9th district and was head of the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committee. He also served as the top-ranking Democrat of the 9/11 Commission. The president also honored Indianapolis native Bill Ruckleshaus, who was head of the EPA during the Nixon and Reagan administrations.

Governor Mike Pence’s office says he’s standing by his decision to order Indiana state agencies to stop helping with the resettlement of Syrian refugees despite a federal lawsuit challenging that move. Pence’s office said in a statement Tuesday that the first-term Republican is “confident he has the authority to suspend the state’s participation in the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana.”

 Indiana’s homeland security agency is urging Hoosiers to be “especially alert” in public places amid a worldwide travel alert for Americans. The U.S. State Department warned Americans to be alert to the possible travel risks following increased threats from militant groups around the globe. The agency urges people to trust their instincts.

 Purdue University President Mitch Daniels has announced the creation of a safety relations committee on its West Lafayette main campus after students demonstrated over what they say are problems with racism. Daniels says the safety committee will begin meeting in December. He also reassured students of Purdue’s commitment to a campus free of discrimination.