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NDIANA (WNDU) - The size of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church (INUMC) is somewhat shrinking after nearly 200 congregations cut ties with the Protestant denomination. Last week, the annual INUMC meeting saw 174 disaffiliations approved. Regional and local pastors cite human sexuality viewpoints as the main reason behind the split. Pastor Vickie Van Nevel, of First United Methodist Church in South Bend, said current UMC rules forbid pastors to perform same-sex marriages within a church and don’t allow openly gay Methodist pastors to minister. “As we’ve all spoken, there are plenty of pastors who’ve not come out...

An arrestee on Wednesday afternoon was found with scissors in a “peculiar” location after a body scan at the La Porte County Jail (LCJ). Lieutenant Jeff Holt – Assistant Jail Commander of Operations, was assisting jail deputies with the intake of the arrestee inside the jail. Police say while completing the process of the intake, the arrestee refused to participate in a body scan. The body scan is a requirement for all arrestees to complete prior to acceptance as an inmate at the LCJ. Police say the arrestee reluctantly agreed to participate in a scan. While reviewing the scan image,...

LANSING, Mich - The Michigan House has passed House Bill 4004 by a 56 to 53 vote which repeals the Right to Work Law in Michigan. The legislation will now to go the Michigan Senate. If the Senate approves the legislation it will then move to Governor Whitmer's desk for approval. The legislation was pushed by the Democrats who control the House, Senate, and the Governor's office.

The Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday, 07 March 2023 that it had filed a lawsuit seeking to block JetBlue Airways' $3.8-billion purchase of Spirit Airlines. In a 43-page document, the DOJ alleged the merger would reduce competition among U.S. domestic air-carriers and drive up consumer air-fares. Specifically, the department argued the deal would adversely impact low-income and cost-conscious travelers who depend on budget airlines—like Spirit—to provide bargain air-fares. In their complaint, DOJ lawyers wrote: "If the acquisition is approved, JetBlue plans to abandon Spirit’s business model, remove seats from Spirit’s planes, and charge Spirit’s customers higher prices....

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A rock that serves as a point of reference and billboard on Michigan State University's campus was repainted with a new message in the early hours of Feb. 15, 2023, hours after a mass shooting on the university's East Lansing campus. 'Allow Us to Defend Ourselves and Carry On Campus' is the message now spray-painted across 'The Rock' at MSU, with the paint appearing around 24 hours after a message asking 'How Many More?' was painted on.

Pictures have emerged of the fiery scene of a Boeing 737 crash in southern WA — the first in Australia — as the state's premier hailed the pilots' "remarkable" survival. The Boeing 737 Fireliner, a civilian aircraft that had been converted for firefighting and operated by Coulson Aviation, came down in the Fitzgerald River National Park, about 460 kilometres south-east of Perth, about 4:40pm on Monday. The two pilots onboard were rescued from the crash site by helicopter and airlifted to the local hospital in Ravensthorpe. Despite the large size of the aircraft involved, it is understood both men only...

ndiana Senator Mike Braun is running for governor. Our CBS/FOX partners in Indianapolis report he filed the paperwork to run as the state's leader this morning with the Secretary of State's office. Braun was elected to the Senate in 2018 with this first term expiring in 2024. That's when current Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb's final term in office ends due to term limits. Braun has consistently said he would make a decision on running for governor by December 1.

The Air Force will “hold accountable” whoever leaked confidential records holding private information about the sexual assault of a Republican House candidate and former officer, two GOP congressmen said Wednesday. Reps. Jim Banks and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) said in a joint statement that Air Force watchdog Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis had told them the service took “full responsibility” for the release of Jennifer-Ruth Green’s confidential personnel records to an unnamed political research firm. “On yesterday’s [Tuesday’s] call, the Air Force took full responsibility for improperly releasing Lt. Col. Green’s confidential personnel records to an opposition research firm just weeks before...

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — A report by Notre Dame student newspaper, The Irish Rover, uncovered a Notre Dame professor is using her campus office to offer abortion services to students. It turns out, Keough School of Global Affairs professor, Tamara Kay, has posted a sign on her office door notifying students of the services she is offering. It seems Kay has also developed a more subtle code with other professors who are also offering the services by putting the letter “J” on their office doors. Kay’s door also has a “J” on it. Kay has blocked REAL News Michiana from...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Congresswoman Liz Cheney will visit the University of Notre Dame on Oct. 14 to deliver a lecture on the future of democracy. The lecture, titled “Saving Democracy by Revering the Constitution,” will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Washington Hall. The event is open to Notre Dame, Holy Cross, and Saint Mary’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Admission is free, but a ticket is required. Cheney is Wyoming’s lone member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives. She sits on the House Armed Services Committee and also serves as the vice chair for the...

A Mishawaka woman is facing multiple charges, including criminal confinement and battery, after allegedly holding a man hostage and beating him. Officers responded to the 500 block of 4th Street on Sept. 7 and found a 61-year-old man naked, beaten, and wearing a ball-gag. The man told officers he received alarming text messages at 2 a.m. from 28-year-old Mariah Conn-Wilhelm. He feared for her safety and the safety of her 5-month-old son, so he went over to her apartment. When he arrived, Conn-Wilhelm became angry and began striking the man with a frying pan. Conn-Wilhelm then contacted a friend of...

<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered that an abortion-rights initiative appear on the November ballot.</p><p>Thursday’s decision will allow voters to decide whether the right to an abortion will be enshrined in the state constitution.</p><p>Abortion-rights supporters say a vote is necessary to stop a 1931 state law that outlaws abortion from taking effect. The law that would have been triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe v. Wade has been blocked by court battles.</p>

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. — REAL News Michiana has obtained exclusive bodycam video of a false arrest of Granger man by the United States Coast Guard last month. The Coast Guard made the arrest based off of a flyer sent to them from an anonymous source, then claimed the man was wanted for assaulting a federal officer at the January 6th, 2021, rally in Washington D.C. It turned out, there was no warrant. The Coast Guard arrested Walker on June 11th of this year at the Moorings Marina in New Buffalo. However, there was no warrant and no evidence the 68-year-old...

In a letter sent to Trevor Jacob by the FAA on April 11, the FAA said he had violated federal aviation regulations and operated his single-engine aircraft in a “careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another.” The agency said it would immediately revoke Trevor Jacob’s private pilot certificate, effectively suspending his license to operate any aircraft. When contacted by The New York Times via email Trevor appeared unaware of the FAA’s ruling and replied, “Where’d you get that information?” to their email, they also said he did not immediately respond to follow-up emails....

British volunteers have been blamed for a missile strike that killed 35 people at a Ukrainian training facility because their phone signals gave away the base’s location. Whoops. “Between 12 to 14 British phone numbers starting with the +44 national dialling code were visible to surveillance equipment a short time before the Russian missile strike on the Yavoriv training facility in western Ukraine on the 13th of March,” reports Breitbart. “Mercenaries who were contracted by the Wagner Group, a military company linked to Moscow, may have been operating nearby at the time of the strike, according to reports, and specialists...

I've been using Turbo Tax for years, but now their price is up to $59 for the deluxe version plus another $49 to file state. There software always seems a bit buggy, but I keep going back to it because of the convieniance of importing my personal data. I am looking for an alternative. I don't own a business so I just need something basic. Any suggestions?

Santa Clara County officials and advocates are rejoicing as the federal government agrees to reassess the use of leaded aviation gasoline nationwide. During a news conference Wednesday, County Counsel James Williams announced the Environmental Protection Agency approved a petition from the county and several environmental organizations to evaluate whether leaded fuel used by airplanes is a threat to public health and welfare. Leaded fuel for cars was banned in the U.S. more than two decades ago, but it is still used by some airplanes, including those at the Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports in Santa Clara County. "Today is a...

The group of Benedictine monks that govern Lisle’s Benet Academy has announced it will cut ties with the school after the hiring of a lacrosse coach who is in a same-sex marriage. Murphy and Flynn explained that the monk community, St. Procopius Abbey, had spent the months since the September hiring examining their relationship with the school. “After much deliberation, the monks as a community have discerned that they no longer have the resources needed for the governance and oversight of the Academy,” they said. Benet Academy had faced community backlash for rescinding a lacrosse head coach position offer to...

A 1995 law that required parents to be notified when a minor seeks an abortion is off the books. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 370 Friday which repeals the Parent Notification Act. The law, which has been enforced since 2013, requires parents to be notified 48 hours in advance when a minor seeks an abortion. The law did not take effect in Illinois until a Supreme Court ruling after years of court challenges by the American Civil Liberties Union. “With reproductive rights under attack across the nation, Illinois is once again establishing itself as a leader in ensuring access...

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - A second arrest has been made in connection to the string of barn fires in Elkhart County. Joseph Hershberger, 41, of Nappanee was charged with arson Tuesday. And now, his 32-year-old girlfriend Sherry Thomas, also of Nappanee, is in custody as well. Hershberger is facing eight counts of arson for all eight barn fires we’ve told you about extensively in Elkhart County dating back to April (links to stories at the bottom). He also faces one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. As for Thomas, she faces one count of arson, and...