A professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law at IUPUI has been nominated to become second in command at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Janet McCabe has been tagged
By Leisa Boley Hellwarth, a dairy farmer and attorney near Celina
Right-To-Farm (RTF) laws deny nuisance lawsuits against farmers who use accepted and standard farming practices and have been in prior operation, even if these practices harm or bother adjacent property owners or the general public. On Oct. 5, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari in
Himsel v. Himsel. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruling that the plaintiffs’ nuisance and trespass claims are barred by the RTF laws stands as the final decision.
Samuel Himsel has farmed in rural Hendricks County, Indiana his entire life. His sons, Cory and Clinton, also make their living farming in the county. In 2012, the three decided to start a hog-raising operation at 3042 North 425 West in Danville. This property had been in their family for more than two decades. Samuel’s parents acquired this farmland in the early 1990s, and the land had been used for agricultura
Greenwood to raise sewer rates by 25%
12/27/20 5:31 PM
Greenwood residents can expect their monthly sewer bills to increase by more than $10 come February.
The city has to raise sewer rates by 25% next year due to an agreement with Indianapolis-based Citizens Energy Group to raise sewer treatment costs across central Indiana.
In 2016, when Citizens Energy bought the Indianapolis water and wastewater systems, the company raised rates for Indianapolis residents. Then, the company saw residents in surrounding donut cities, including Greenwood, Westfield, Beech Grove, Lawrence and Speedway, were paying significantly less than Indianapolis residents.
So, Citizens Energy requested a 500% increase in wastewater treatment rates in those cities including Greenwood immediately. The proposed change would have increased Greenwood’s treatment rate from $0.76 per 1,000 gallons to $5.76.