Hannah Troyer - TheStatehousefile.com

When reviewing a law that passed last session, Sen. Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, found that possession of rolling papers - a Class A misdemeanor - was actually a higher offense than possession of marijuana.

Under House Bill 1100, the state would create the School Efficiency Grant Fund, supplying schools with one-time grants up to $500,000 to help cover consolidation costs.

Indiana is one of six states chosen to collaborate with the federal Department of Energy in a project to expand research, development, and job creation in composite material technology.

The rate last year was 3.8 per 100 full-time workers. That's the lowest recorded rate since the Indiana Department of Labor began collecting the data through the updated Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in 1992.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says he won't appeal a ruling that a man sentenced to death for killing a Franklin College student in 1997 is incompetent to be executed because such an appeal likely would not succeed.

Republicans swept the elections for statewide office Tuesday with easy wins over Democrats running for auditor, treasurer and secretary of state. The results mean that Auditor Suzanne Crouch and Secretary of State Connie Lawson will keep their offices, while Kelly Mitchell will move into the treasurer's office.

With no race of national interest on the ballot in Indiana, the television ad wars that accompany most election seasons have been largely missing. But the men and women running for state treasurer, auditor and secretary of state are trying to fill the void and nab voters' attention.

Democrats are calling on Gov. Mike Pence to cancel a trip to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, but the governor's press secretary said Pence's presence is needed to help other GOP leaders with issues in their states.

A Republican legislative agenda that calls for more money for education is a smokescreen to shield the GOP from past failings, Indiana Democratic Chairman John Zody said Wednesday.

Seven new counties across the state will partner with the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, which offers community-based alternative programs to the typical detention facility solution for juveniles.