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Between 6:30-9:45 Super Bowl XLIV averaged a 46.4/68 (household rating/share) in preliminary Nielsen numbers. If it holds up in the finals we will see new records. This is better than last year’s 42.1/65 by 10 percent. Unfortunately it’s not possible to accurately predict the number of average viewers based on preliminary household rating, but given the general trend of the numbers, it looks like last year’s viewing record of 98.7 million average viewers will be shattered, and 100 million for the New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts certainly looks possible. In the 9:30p-9:45pm portion of the game almost 51 percent...

A Major Winter Storm will likely impact the area beginning on Monday night and continuing through the day Wednesday. In many locations, the biggest snowfall of the season to date is possible. Please see the images below for current expectations on how the storm will evolve. Please note that some uncertainties remain with the forecast and changes to what you see below are possible. A Winter Storm Watch is currently in effect for the entire area. Please check back later for updates!!

Miami, FL (LifeNews.com) -- When tens of millions of people around the world tune in for the Super Bowl tomorrow, they will finally get a chance to see the commercial celebrating the life of Tim Tebow. But viewers may not know Clyce Christensen, the assistant head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has his own potential abortion story that changed his life.Christensen's mother was an unwed teenager who gave birth to him when she was 15 -- an age where many teens have an abortion because their pregnancy is frequently a result of sexual assault."I also can't help but look back...

If you want more evidence of how deep Democratic losses may be in the fall midterm elections, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's suddenly shaky bid for a third term is Exhibit A. A few months ago, Mr. Bayh was considered a shoo-in for re-election in the Hoosier state. Now election handicappers have moved him from "safe" to endangered. [Snip] Despite Mr. Bayh's once carefully cultivated image as a party moderate, he has lurched left under the rhetorical spell of the Obama presidency and the pressures of the Senate's liberal Democratic caucus. He voted for the $2.5 trillion Obamacare bill despite strong...

<p>Toyota's sales freeze last week intensified the focus on Elkhart, Ind.-based CTS since it was singled out after the world's largest automaker's Jan. 21 U.S. recall of autos whose pedals might "stick." CTS expressed "deep concern" on Jan. 29 about how its parts were being portrayed.</p>

FRANKLIN, Ind. -- A former Salvation Army youth volunteer awaiting trial on charges of child molestation tried to arrange to have the witnesses and other people in the case killed, prosecutors said. Conspiracy to commit murder charges were filed Thursday against Jonathan Hartman, 30. Johnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper said Hartman talked with another inmate, Matthew Parker, about killing up to 13 witnesses, but that Parker tipped off police. "In addition to killing the witnesses, Hartman also contracted to kill a child of one of the witnesses that Hartman believed to be his," Cooper said...

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman who carried out a series of strong-armed robberies of older women on Indianapolis' east side was sentenced on Wednesday. Laritha Martin, 26, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after she confessed to robbing three women ranging in age from 71 to 82 last May. Police said Martin and Ashley Spraddling preyed on older women outside shops whom they observed shopping and using handicapped parking spots...

Former Indiana GOP Sen. Dan Coats is launching a political comeback, announcing Wednesday that he’s preparing to challenge Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh in a race that’s poised to be one of the marquee Senate contests of 2010.

INDIANAPOLIS - Informed and reliable sources are telling Howey Politics Indiana that former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats will announce Wednesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh. The source, former aide Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute, said that Coats knows he has about two weeks to gather the 4,500 signatures - 500 per Congressional district - in two weeks. Coats was up for re-election in 1998 when he decided to retire, citing the pressures of constant fundraising. Bayh went on that year to defeat former Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke to reclaim his father's Senate seat. Coats was...

Coats vs. Bayh The Indiana site Howey Politics reports that former Senator Dan Coats is set to challenge the well-funded Evan Bayh. He's a serious challenger, a figure in the Clinton wars who most recently served George W. Bush's ambassador to Germany, and the kind of figure who would only get dragged back into the game in what appears to be a good GOP year.

SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Police Department is investigating whether officers behaved appropriately during a chase of a car theft suspect Sunday, a department official said. Some police at the scene allege Cpl. Scott Ross mishandled his canine and scuffled with Cpl. Joshua Morgan after Morgan tried to shoot the dog, South Bend police spokesman Capt. Phil Trent confirmed. "We're investigating what led to a shot (allegedly) being fired by an officer, what was the aftermath, and were all policies and procedures followed correctly," Trent said. According to a police report, Morgan began chasing a teenager driving a stolen...

Toy pistol in hand and cap on backwards, Indiana State Representative Vernon Smith resorted to bizarre theatrics in his failed bid to prevent a pro-gun bill from passing in the House. From the Evansville Courier & Press: Explaining his support for the "Wild Wild West," he fired the fake pistol, saying, "Bang, bang, shoot 'em up!" "This is indeed an NRA state," Smith said. "I pledge allegiance, not to the flag, but to the NRA." The bill in question is HB 1065. You can read it here. In essence, it: Prohibits a person, including an individual, a corporation, and a...

The trailer industry and lawmakers are pressing the government to send Haiti thousands of potentially formaldehyde-laced trailers left over from Hurricane Katrina — an idea denounced by some as a crass and self-serving attempt to dump inferior American products on the poor. "Just go ahead and sign their death certificate," said Paul Nelson of Coden, Ala., who contends his mother died because of formaldehyde fumes in a FEMA trailer.

Indiana Rep. Steve Buyer will announce his retirement today, becoming the 15th Republican planning to retire or seek higher office at the end of the 111th Congress. "Today, I am announcing my retirement from the U.S. Army Reserve this summer and retirement from the U.S. Congress at the conclusion of this term due to the recent diagnosis of my wife, Joni," said Buyer. His wife, he added, has been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease. The Buyer news -- first reported by WISH TV in Indianapolis -- comes as House Republicans are huddling in Baltimore to plan their strategy in...

Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., will not seek re-election this fall amid an ethics probe focusing on a non-profit foundation he founded in order to fund academic scholarships. First elected in 1992, Buyer is a veteran of the Gulf War and rose to become the top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fourth district Republican Rep. Steve Buyer was expected to announce Friday that he won't seek another term in the House. Buyer, 51, of Monticello, has been in the House since 1993, first representing the 5th district before redistricting in the wake of the 2000 census moved him to the 4th district. Buyer's district spans from a portion of northern Indiana to areas west and southwest of Indianapolis. Buyer planned an 11 a.m. announcement at Indiana University Hospital.

An audio interview of Richard Behney who is seeking the Indiana Republican Nomination for United States Senate. Not a bad interview.

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita (R) is weighing a challenge to Sen. Evan Bayh (D). "I continue to receive a lot of encouraging phone calls and emails from a diverse group of people," Rokita said in a statement Wednesday. "I certainly share Hoosiers' concerns that we need real leadership in Washington - leadership that we simply aren't getting today." Rokita's statement also said he and his wife are preparing for the birth of their second son and that "we still think and pray about how we can best serve Indiana in the future - this great state that we...

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) announced on Facebook Tuesday that he has decided not to run for Senate against incumbent Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh next year. He will instead seek reelection in the House. "I am staying for two reasons," he wrote. "First because I have been given the responsibility to shape the Republican comeback as a member of the House Republican Leadership and, second, because I believe Republicans will win back the majority in the House of Representatives in 2010." Pence was probably the GOP's best chance to flip Bayh's seat, though former Congressman John Hostettler and...

Two U.S. Senate Democrats voiced opposition on Tuesday to one possible strategy to push ahead on healthcare reform as congressional leaders pondered a short list of imperfect options to pass a bill this year. Democratic leaders said they were in no hurry to make a decision on how to proceed on a healthcare overhaul and did not expect specific guidance from President Barack Obama when he delivers his State of the Union address on Wednesday. "We're trying to figure out what is possible," said House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer. "There are no easy choices." Democrats have struggled to...

Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) are jumping on the spending freeze bandwagon, calling on Congress to flatline discretionary spending—and they issued a challenge to the president the day after the White House proposed its own three-year budget freeze. "If the president is serious—and I believe he is—he should also say tomorrow night he will veto the first appropriations bill that comes to his desk that has an earmark on it," McCain said. The Fiscal Freeze Act of 2010, which Bayh and McCain hope to introduce to the Senate later this week, includes provisions to install a spending...

Despite a late recruitment push from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) announced he won't be challenging Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) this year, and will instead seek re-election to the House. Republicans have grown increasingly bullish on their chances at winning Bayh's Indiana Senate seat in light of the worsening political environment for Democrats, but don't have a strong candidate willing to take him on — at least not yet. Pence led Bayh in a Rasmussen poll released yesterday, and Bayh polled under 50 percent against two other possible Republican challengers. Here's Pence's letter: Open Letter...

A Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday shows GOP Rep. Mike Pence with a slight advantage over Indiana Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who is up for re-election in 2010. The survey reports Pence has a 3-point lead over Bayh, 47 percent to 44 percent, within the poll’s margin of error. Seven percent are undecided, while 3 percent said they’d back another candidate. Pence, who met with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn on Thursday, said Friday he would take the weekend to talk with his wife about a potential challenge. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31958.html#ixzz0dgVLPy8H

Gallup reports today that Barack Obama has polarized the nation more than any other first-year President, with partisan gaps on approval ratings wider than anyone since Gallup started polling. Bill Clinton held the record before now, but Obama bested him by 12 points: The 65 percentage-point gap between Democrats’ (88%) and Republicans’ (23%) average job approval ratings for Barack Obama is easily the largest for any president in his first year in office, greatly exceeding the prior high of 52 points for Bill Clinton.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh is another Democratic incumbent who could find himself in a tough reelection battle this fall. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds that Bayh attracts support from just 44% or 45% of voters when matched against his top potential Republican challengers. Congressman Mike Pence is reportedly considering running against Bayh. At this time, he attracts 47% of the vote while Bayh picks up 44

In yet another sign that Republicans’ strategery is paying off, a new poll shows Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., lagging GOP Rep. Mike Pence, 44%-47%, in a hypothetical 2010 matchup. Pence, an anti-earmarks champion, is mulling a bid but hasn’t signaled what he’ll actually do. Indiana, though it voted for Barack Obama in 2008, seems to be returning to its GOP roots. But until recently, Bayh was viewed as safe — he’s a centrist Democrat and has been a fixture in Indiana politics for decades. But the Democrats’ sharp left turn over the past year has taken its toll, and Bayh...

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh is another Democratic incumbent who could find himself in a tough reelection battle this fall. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds that Bayh attracts support from just 44% or 45% of voters when matched against his top potential Republican challengers. Congressman Mike Pence is reportedly considering running against Bayh. At this time, he attracts 47% of the vote while Bayh picks up 44%. A former Republican congressman, John Hostettler, has already indicated he will challenge Bayh. In that match-up, it’s Bayh with a three-point edge, 44% to 41%. Freshman...

I have checked almost every news outlet on the web - to include Google News, Yahoo Answers, CBS.com, FOX.com, even NFL.com itself - and NONE of them will tell me the true starting times of the games today. I know that they do this to try to maximize their Nielsen ratings for as long a time period as possible, but the level of deceit, duplicity, disingenousness and societal thought control in this unified front of media dishonesty is absolutely infuriating to me. For instance, look at this screen capture from nfl.com: Notice anything missing? Like the starting times of today's...

UPDATED! Here is the Survey USA poll ********* According to the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, a new poll out today will show Republican Mike Sodrel leading incumbent Democrat Baron Hill 49 percent to 41 percent in southern Indiana's 9th Congressional District. For the fourth time in the past week, the liberal Firedoglake blog will release a poll showing a conservative Democratic member of Congress in serious trouble against his Republican opponent this November. The latest survey, set to go public this morning, will show former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) leading Rep. Baron Hill (D) 49 percent to 41 percent in...

FDL/SurveyUSA, 1/16-1/18, 600 likely voters, margin of sampling error ± 4.1% If there were an election for US House of Representatives today, and the only two candidates on the ballot were Democrat Baron Hill and Republican Mike Sodrel, who would you vote for? 41% Baron Hill (D) 49% Mike Sodrel (R) 10% Undecided 2010 will be the fifth straight time Democratic Congressman Baron Hill has gone head-to-head with Republican former Congressman Mike Sodrel for the opportunity of representing Indiana’s 9th congressional district. The seat, in the southeast of the state, has changed hands twice. Hill beat Sodrel in 2002 during...

“There’s going to be a tendency on the part of our people to be in denial about all this,” Bayh told ABC News, but “if you lose Massachusetts and that’s not a wake-up call, there’s no hope of waking up.” Democrat Senator Evan Bayh on Republican Scott Brown’s stunning Senate win in Massachusetts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Republican Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana said he hasn't ruled out a possible challenge to Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh this year...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tuesday's political shocker in Massachusetts is bringing harsh criticism from Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who some say is now vulnerable. Republicans picked up the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, with Scott Brown defeating Martha Coakley in a close, bitter race. The loss of such a solidly Democratic seat has prompted Bayh, who faces re-election this year, to severely criticize the party's strategy and approach. "If you lose Massachusetts, if it's not a wake-up call, there's no hope of waking up," he said Wednesday. Brown's successful campaign against Coakley was based largely on his opposition to President...

Rep. Mike Pence’s decision to speak at CPAC had some wondering whether he would attempt a run at the presidency from the House, a strategy that has only worked once — when James Garfield, the last of the log-cabin Presidents, got elected 130 years ago. It seems that Pence has a more realistic goal in mind. The third-ranking Republican in the House may try to unseat Evan Bayh this year, who seems very vulnerable after the Massachusetts political earthquake

At least one Republican might do more than cheer for Massachusetts: House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence is now considering a campaign of his own against Sen. Evan Bayh.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A bill that would prohibit public access to gun permit information is gaining support in the Legislature. Indiana law currently allows anyone to access a list of those with gun permits, which can be purchased from Indiana State Police for about $30, said State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington. Welch has authored a bill to keep the information private after she said she received complaints from constituents...

INDIANAPOLIS — Gun owners in Indiana will be able to keep their firearms locked in their vehicles at work without fear of reprisal from employers if a bill progressing in the General Assembly becomes law. Opponents of the bill, mostly businesses and business groups, say it violates the rights of property owners to make policies that keep their workplaces safe. “We feel a property owner or employer ought to have the right to say what can or cannot come on their property,” said George Raymond, vice president of human resources and labor relations for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Sen....

Notre Dame uproar over anti-gay cartoon in student newspaper By DARA KELLY IrishCentral.com Staff Writer The University of Notre Dame is being rocked by a controversy over an anti-gay cartoon printed in the student-run newspaper, The Observer. The cartoon depicts a conversation between two figures that reads: “What’s the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable?" “No idea.” “A baseball bat.” Earlier, the cartoonist, who has not yet been named, posted the original version of the cartoon on his blog. In this version, it shows the punch line as “AIDS” instead of “a baseball bat.” The paper, he...

INDIANA ELECTION CENTRAL If we are going to make a difference in the upcoming election, we need to KNOW the candidates. Please post the names of ALL your Congressional candidates on this thread along with any and all information available. We need names, positions, platforms, news articles, statements, pictures. We need to separate the RINOS from the Conservatives, and most of all, we need to get the liberals of either party OUT!We can do this if you help. I have started this thread. All you have to do is contribute a little time and a little research. Help us...

Mike Sodrel announced today that he again will seek the Republican nomination for Indiana's 9th Congressional District. If he wins the GOP nomination, he potentially could face Democratic U.S. Rep. Baron Hill for the fifth time. Hill defeated Sodrel in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Sodrel won in 2004.

Bloomington - White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel made a visit to Indiana Saturday night. While Emanuel was in town to attend fundraisers for Congressman Baron Hill, others were there to have their say. ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- An animal rights group figures if KFC can use fire extinguishers and hydrants to promote its chicken in Indianapolis, it should be able to denounce cruelty to the birds on city fire trucks. People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals offered to donate $7,500 in a letter to Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard in return for advertising space on the vehicles, after the fast-food chain announced a deal this week to pay for fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the city in exchange for advertising on them. The ad proposed by PETA shows a plucked and scalded chicken alongside...

NEW YORK -- Maybe the award should be renamed Most Valuable Peyton. Peyton Manning became the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player honor four times. The Indianapolis Colts' sensational quarterback romped to the award Saturday in balloting by 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He received 39½ votes to 7½ for Drew Brees of New Orleans. Only four players -- all quarterbacks -- earned votes. The other two were Philip Rivers of San Diego (2) and Brett Favre of Minnesota (1). Manning also won in 2003, 2004 and 2008, breaking a tie...

Juanita Carpenter Richardson, 73, Purdue’s first Golden Girl, died in San Diego, CA, on Dec. 25, 2009, following a short illness. Director Emeritus of Bands Al G. Wright recruited Juanita to come to Purdue from Colorado and perform as a solo twirler with the “All-American” Marching Band in1954. Her blond hair, gold sequin costume and twirling talents combined to make her an instant fan favorite. She twirled two football seasons, in 1954 and 1955, but the name given to her - Purdue’s Golden Girl - created a tradition that continues to this day.

A former Huntington police officer was sentenced Monday in Huntington Circuit Court to one year in prison and 18 months on probation for fondling a 15-year-old girl. William Wike, 42, pleaded guilty in October to sexual battery, one of three charges against him. In early November, the nine-year veteran of the Huntington Police Department was fired by the city’s board of works.

SEARCH GUN PERMIT DATABASE State lawmakers submitted a series of bills this week to protect the privacy of Hoosiers who hold gun permits. At least three different bills have been filed, legislators said. The proposed laws would prohibit the Indiana State Police from publicly releasing the names, home addresses and other identifying information about permit holders. Current law allows anybody to purchase the state's full permit database for $32. It includes a permit holder's race, height, hair color, eye color and more. Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, and Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Indianapolis, each submitted a bill to...

INDIANAPOLIS (December 30, 2009) - 2009 traffic fatalities in Indiana are on pace to be the lowest recorded since 1925. Preliminary statistics through December 28 show 680 highway fatalities, compared to 814 for the same period in 2008, according to Indiana State Police (ISP). That is a more than 16 percent reduction. Since 2004, when there were 947 fatalities, there has been a 28 percent drop in roadway deaths. 2009 will be the first year in which ISP issued more than one million traffic arrests and written warnings. ..................

ANDERSON­ — A man who was shot in the head during an alleged armed robbery attempt last week was released Monday from an Indianapolis hospital into the custody of Anderson police. Spencer R. Simmons, 44, of Beech Grove, was released from Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis at about 10 a.m. Anderson police Sgt. William Casey said Simmons was “brought to APD, and gave a full confession to his participation” in Wednesday night’s attempted armed robbery of the Pizza Hut restaurant on Broadway in Anderson. Simmons was held on $40,000 bond in the Madison County Jail on Monday evening. He is charged...

ANDERSON – A Pizza Hut delivery person shot a man who allegedly tried to rob the store Wednesday, according to police. A police report said Spencer Simmons, 44, attempted to rob the Pizza Hut on Broadway Street at about 11 p.m. Wednesday. The report said Simmons pointed a .25 Raven Arms semi-automatic handgun at the store’s cashier and demanded money. The cashier loaded about $720 into a small bag. Simmons wasn’t aware that a delivery man, Michael Shaker, had heard the commotion and snuck to the back as well, the report said. “Seconds later, Simmons left the register area, and...