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South Bend Region Bracing for Severe Weather as Derecho Hits Metro Chicago

A severe line of thunderstorms is pounding the Chicago region as it makes its way to the east. South Bend could begin seeing the storms as early as 9:45 pm tonight. Most of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan is currently under a severe thunderstorm watch. The counties include but are not limited to Benton, Cass,…

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President Obama Promises Executive Action on Immigration This Year

President Obama said today that he would no longer wait on House Republicans to pass a comprehensive immigration bill as thousands of migrant children remain mired in a bureaucratic jungle that has placed them in inhospitable care. The mostly teenage children have fled their homes in Mexico and Central America where violence and endemic poverty…

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Supreme Court Rules Yet Again That Corporations Are People

If you were surprised to learn four years ago in Citizens United that corporations were people in the eyes of the Supreme Court, you probably were not as surprised today when a 5-4 conservative majority followed the same logic in gutting the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. The ACA requires employers with 50 or more…

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Watch Dogs Video Game Provides Digital Tour of Chicago

New York, Los Angeles, London and Miami have all been re-created as open world, digital environments. Specifically, they have been virtual playgrounds for gamers in video games such as Grand Theft Auto and The Getaway. Chicago, America’s third largest metropolis, has not received the same digital treatment — until now. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs was released…

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Indiana Clerk Refuses Marriage License to Same-Sex Couple Citing Religious Beliefs

Seven Indiana counties are dragging their feet in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. US District Judge Richard Young struck down Indiana’s ban on gay marriage on Wednesday. His ruling, effective immediately, found that the ban violated same-sex couples’ equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment. The clerk in Daviess County, a rural Southern Indiana…

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The Daily Show Highlights Sexual Assault on College Campuses

The disadvantages that women face in male-centric 21st century American society are unquestionable. While job opportunities have slowly opened, gender roles have evolved, and the wage gap has steadily closed, females still find themselves disproportionately in poverty (over 30 percent of single moms live in poverty versus just 16.4 percent of single dads), the target…

Supreme Court: Police Must Get Warrant for Cell Phone Searches

The US Supreme Court has made a sweeping judgment in favor of digital privacy rights. The unanimous ruling overturned a lower court ruling that allowed police officers to search the contents of a defendant’s cell phone without a warrant. The ruling means police will need to obtain a warrant before such a search could take…

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South Bend Lands GE Jet Engine Research Facility at Ignition Park

The University of Notre Dame, in partnership with General Electric, announced today that they are set to open a jet engine research facility at the Ignition Park technology park just south of downtown South Bend. The $36 million Turbomachinery Research Facility will occupy half of a new 43,000-square-foot building under construction from Great Lakes Capital…

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Local LGBT Community Reacts to Indiana Gay Marriage Ruling

Today’s marriage equality ruling was historic. Judge Young’s ruling means that Indiana joins twenty other states where same-sex marriage is legal. State courts or US District Courts in another seven states have ruled that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional but appeals remain pending. All of this happened on the same day that the 10th…

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Read Judge Young’s Ruling on Marriage Equality in Indiana

US District Court Judge Richard Young ruled today that found Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. As we reported earlier today, several counties in Indiana are already issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, including Marion (Indianapolis), St. Joseph (South Bend, Mishawaka), and La Porte (Michigan City). We have the full ruling below: Indiana Gay…