Indiana
US Supreme Court declines to review Indiana school district’s transgender bathroom policy
The US Supreme Court denied certiorari Tuesday to an Indiana public school district’s appeal of a ruling that prohibited the district from enforcing its transgender bathroom policy.
In August, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville’s policy, which barred transgender students from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity, violated students’ rights. The court found that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational settings that receive federal funding, and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires that all individuals receive equal protection under the law, protect students’ right to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.
A transgender minor and his parents originally filed the lawsuit against the school district in December 2021. The district court granted an injunction that ordered the school to grant the boy access to the boys’ bathrooms, and the circuit court upheld the order on appeal. The Supreme Court refused without comment to hear the case, letting the lower court’s ruling stand.
Multiple states have seen challenges to transgender students’ right to access bathrooms consistent with their gender identity in recent years. For instance, in August, a federal judge rejected a challenge to an Ohio school district’s gender-inclusive bathroom policy. Access to bathrooms is not the only LGBTQ issue being increasingly litigated. In December, a federal judge blocked certain provisions of an Iowa law that prohibited school libraries from distributing books containing LGBTQ issues. The governor of Ohio vetoed a bill that same month that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors and participation of transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports.
The ACLU reported that state legislatures have introduced 278 bills targeting LGBTQ issues for the 2024 legislative session. The report comes less than a year after the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights group, declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the US.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
Braden Smith spent four seasons with Purdue basketball proving all the power conference programs who overlooked him missed out.
Now the former Boilermaker point guard has a chance to do the same in the NBA.
Smith, a Westfield native, is headed to the Pacers after Indiana traded for him when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 38th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to IndyStar.
Smith is Purdue’s third draft pick in five years, joining lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey among a group of now 11 NBA draft selections to play at Purdue under Matt Painter.
Here’s a look at Smith’s Purdue career and what he brings to the Pacers.
Before capping a career that includes two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament championships, along with helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought, Smith broke former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record.
Along the way, Smith took home the 2025 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard in a season where he also was the Big Ten Player of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Smith finished his Purdue career eighth in career points (1,932), third in steals (249) and has the top three assist seasons in school history that helped add to his NCAA record total of 1,103.
Smith’s knock is his 5-foot-10 1/2 height measurement, but that didn’t deter him from being one of college basketball’s top players.
What Smith lacked in height, he made up for in basketball IQ. He’s lethal with a midrange jump shot and showcased an unblockable fadeaway that allowed him to shoot over lengthier defenders. He mastered manipulating defenses while playing with marquee big men the last four seasons.
His role in the NBA likely will be not require him to be the team’s primary playmaker immediately. Smith’s awareness of that fact pushed a more defensive-minded approach in preparation for the next level. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, Smith showed he’s capable of defending elite guards.
Smith is an elite competitor who never showed to shy away from the dirty work, which is something that can help him earn NBA minutes as a rookie while trying to find his footing in an unfamiliar backup role.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
The body of a 13-year-old boy was recovered from Lake Michigan during a multiple-day search near a beach in Michigan City, Indiana.
Officials did not provide further details.
A search has been underway since Monday night after witnesses reported seeing a child wearing red shorts enter the water.
Michigan City police said officers responded to a possible drowning just before 5:40 p.m. on Monday near Washington Park Beach.
Police said the child disappeared underwater just south of the lighthouse and did not resurface.
A search was initiated with dive efforts, a fishing boat, drone technology, and a medical helicopter deployed.
The Michigan City Fire Department said three divers suffered minor injuries during the search and are being treated at Franciscan Health. Fire officials said divers encountered “challenging water conditions” before the search was suspended.
Officials have not identified the body recovered.
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