NEW YORK (AP) — Former vice president and Indiana governor Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.
Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the official announcement. He’ll also release a video message as part of the launch.
His team sees early-voting Iowa as critical to his potential path to victory and advisers say he plans to campaign aggressively for the state’s conservative, Evangelical Christian voters. The campaign is expected to lean heavily on town halls and retail stops aimed at showcasing Pence’s personality as he tries to emerge from former President Donald Trump’s shadow.
The week will be a busy one for GOP announcements. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is planning to launch his campaign Tuesday evening at a town hall event in New Hampshire and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will announce on June 7 in Fargo.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in April, illustrating the resilience of the American labor market and complicating Federal Reserve efforts to fight inflation.
Employers posted 10.1 million job openings in April, up from 9.7 million in March and the most since January, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Economists had expected vacancies to slip below 9.5 million.
“Demand for workers is still strong and the labor market is largely continuing to chug along nicely,” said Nick Bunker, research director at the Indeed Hiring Lab.
Layoffs fell, but the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence that they can find better pay or working conditions elsewhere — slid in April to the lowest level since March 2021, according to the Labor Department’s monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Quits remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate 10 times in the last 14 months, making it more expensive for businesses to borrow and invest. The central bank is hoping achieve a so-called soft landing — raising rates enough to slow hiring, economic growth and price increases without tipping the world’s biggest economy into recession.
Economists are skeptical and many expect a recession to start later this year. Fed Chair Jerome Powell was hoping to see the job market cool — and relieve pressure on companies to raise wages and prices — relatively painlessly with employers trimming job openings rather than laying off workers; Wednesday’s report was a setback for that scenario.
Still, Indeed’s Bunker said the Fed “will be cheered” by the drop in quits.
Inflation has come down steadily from the four-decade highs it reached in mid-2022. But consumer prices still rose 4.9% in April from a year earlier — well above the Fed’s 2% year-over-year target.
Hiring has slowed after posting the best two years on record in 2021 and 2022. Employers added 666,000 jobs from February through April — decent numbers by traditional standards but still the weakest three months of job creation since January 2021.
But surprisingly resilient consumer spending and a wave of retirements since COVID-19 hit the economy in early 2020 have kept the labor market tight. The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in April, tying a 54-year low.
The Labor Department issues job figures for May on Friday. Forecasters surveyed by the data firm FactSet expect that the economy generated 188,000 new jobs this month (down from 253,000 in April) and that the unemployment rate blipped up to 3.5%.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Department of Agriculture will accept submissions for the 16th annual Indiana Agriculture photo contest during the month of June.
The contest is open to all Indiana residents, and according to a press release, “was created to recognize the hard work and contributions of Hoosier farmers, as well as the beauty of the state’s agricultural landscape.”
Participants are encouraged to submit photos reflecting the wide array of agriculture. The categories photos can be enters under include:
- On the Farm: Showcasing any building, piece of equipment or activity that is a part of life on an Indiana farm.
- Faces of Agriculture: Featuring those who grow and produce food, fuel and fiber in Indiana.
- Agritourism: Spotlighting Indiana’s seasonal and agricultural destinations, such as orchards, wineries and farmers markets.
- Conservation: Highlighting Indiana’s natural beauty with landscapes, water and wildlife.
Ten winners will be selected: two from each category and two overall. Winners will be invited to attend a special ceremony at the Indiana State Fair, where they will be recognized and receive certificates from Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb.
Contest winners will have their photographs featured in the offices of the Lieutenant Governor’s Family of Business in Indianapolis throughout the year.
Contestants can submit up to five photos in digital format accommodated by a submission form for each photo. Photos will be evaluated based on creativity, composition, and category representation. Entries must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on June 30, 2023.
Participants can click this link for entry forms, guidelines, and criteria, or visit ISDA.IN.GOV.
(AP) — A missing emergency room doctor from Missouri whose body was found in northwestern Arkansas died from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities said Wednesday, but they’re still investigating what happened in the week since he was last seen.
A kayaker found the body of Dr. John Forsyth, 49, on Tuesday afternoon in Beaver Lake, a large reservoir in Arkansas, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said. No further information would immediately be available, authorities said, and they did not specify if the gunshot wound may have been caused by someone else or was self-inflicted.
The doctor’s unlocked vehicle was found near an aquatic park in Cassville, the town in the Missouri Ozarks where he worked, with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items inside, his brother Richard Forsyth said in an interview. Police told the family there were no signs of foul play.
The last known person who communicated with John Forsyth was the woman he’d recently gotten engaged to, who texted with him at around 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, his brother said. Police said he failed to show up at work later that day.
The last time the two brothers met in person was at dinner on Wednesday, May 17.
“I told him this is the happiest I’d seen him in a long time. His divorce was final May 11, and I think that gave him energy for the future,” Richard Forsyth said.
The body was found in the Lost Bridge South area of Beaver Lake, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Cassville, police said.
Messages left Wednesday with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol were not immediately returned.
John Forsyth had worked at Mercy Hospital in Cassville for about 15 years, his brother said, describing him as a doting father, part-time math nerd and dedicated physician who stayed in his RV near the hospital when he was on-call.
“He really cared about his patients,” Richard Forsyth said. “And he loved his kids.”
When the doctor’s vehicle was found, several law enforcement agencies searched about a 9-mile (15-kilometer) radius around the aquatic park using people, dogs and drones. Forsyth’s family set up a Facebook page seeking information.
“My brother has now been missing for week,” his sister, Tiffany Andelin, wrote Monday. “I’m grieving, I’m afraid, and it feels like the world has tipped into sheer chaos.”
KINGMAN, Ind. (WISH) — At 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, Indiana State Police and Fountain County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a fatal crash on US-41 at the State Road 234 intersection involving a passenger vehicle and semi-tractor trailer.
The crash killed a 72-year-old Covington, Indiana woman.
Investigators believe that a 2024 Honda CR-V was traveling westbound on State Road 234 approaching the intersection of US-41, where a 2022 Peterbilt semi-tractor pulling a trailer was traveling northbound. The Peterbilt was driven by Randall Wallis of Elkins, Arkansas. Anita Field, the driver of the Honda, failed to stop at the intersection and yield the right-of-way, striking the northbound Peterbilt.
The crash caused the semi-tractor and trailer to overturn, blocking both lanes of US-41. Wallis was not injured in the accident. The roadway was closed 9 hours for investigation and cleanup.
Mrs. Field was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fountain County Coroner, and notification to family has been made.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis woman is facing federal charges after stealing a nursing license and working in local nursing homes illegally, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a Wednesday press release.
Rochelle Perry, 49, is charged with five counts of Social Security number fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of Social Security disability benefits fraud.
Between Feb. 26, 2020, and March 23, 2022, Perry submitted five job applications to nearby nursing homes and assisted living facilities using a stolen Social Security number.
During the time frame, Perry received about $55,000 in Social Security disability insurance benefits under her actual Social Security number.
“Perry knew that she might not be able to pass an employment background check if she applied to a health care facility using her true Social Security number,” the justice department said in a press release.
In addition to using a stolen Social Security number, Perry used a stolen Licensed Practical Nurse license. Perry has never received any type of nursing license in Indiana, according to the justice department.
Perry worked as a Memory Care Program Coordinator in 2020 for about two months. She also worked at two different facilities as an LPN in 2021 for a total of about ten months.
“On two separate occasions, in August 2021 and October 2022, Perry submitted Work Activity Reports to the Social Security Administration,” the release said. “In those reports, Perry declared, under penalty of perjury, that she had not earned any income since May 2019. Perry did not disclose that she had been earning wages at health care facilities.”
If convicted on all counts, Perry faces five years in federal prison.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Don’t miss your chance to see the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels soar over central Indiana.
Tickets and parking passes are now available online for the Crossroads Air Show, set for Oct. 28-29, 2023, at Indianapolis Regional Airport in Greenfield.
The Blue Angels will be the show’s featured aerial performer. Additional performers, including the P-51 Red Tail Mustang “Tuskegee Airmen” and the U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team “Para-Commandos,” will be on hand to demonstrate breathtaking civilian aerobatics.
Fans of flight will have the chance to see historic aircraft up close, including the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the Douglas C-54 Skymaster, and the F8F Bearcat fighter plane. The air show will also have exhibits, booths, and a Kids Zone.
Funds from the Crossroads Air Show will benefit scouting in Indiana, the Additional Riley Children’s Foundation, and the Catch the Stars Foundation.
Click here to visit the Crossroads Air Show website and learn more.
Ticket and parking information
Single-day tickets start at $10 for general admission to $1,600 for a table of eight at the Flight Line Club.
General admission is free for youth Cub Scouts. Kids five and under get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Parking is not included with the purchase of admission and is required to attend the air show.
Click here to view ticket options and purchase online.
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Carmel police have arrested a man accused of pointing a handgun at a homeowner and firing shots at a house over Memorial Day weekend.
Andrew Bryant, 50, of Noblesville, was arrested on charges of criminal recklessness, intimidation, and pointing a firearm, the Carmel Police Department said in a release Wednesday.
Investigators believe Bryant visited a house on Eden Village Place, not far from the intersection of 126th Street and Keystone Avenue, on Sunday and demanded information about the homeowner.
People inside the home called 911, but the man — later identified as Bryant– was gone by the time officers arrived.
As a precaution, the residents left the house and spent the day somewhere else, police say.
Upon returning home that night, they noticed multiple bullet holes in the residence. Officers returned to the scene, collected evidence, and identified Bryant as the suspect.
Investigators believe Bryant was the only person involved in the incident.
Bryant was being held Wednesday in the Hamilton County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
A pretrial conference is set for August 1.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Carmel PD at 317-571-2500 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS and reference Carmel police case number 23-37751.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in most cases.
In a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are unconstitutional because they require a “medical emergency” before a doctor can perform an abortion. The court said this language conflicts with a previous ruling it issued in March. That ruling found the Oklahoma Constitution provides an “inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life.”
The laws struck down Wednesday both included a civil-enforcement mechanism that allowed citizens to sue someone who either performed or helped someone perform an abortion.
“Despite the court’s decisions today on SB 1603 and HB 4327, Oklahoma’s 1910 law prohibiting abortion remains in place,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement. “Except for certain circumstances outlined in that statute, abortion is still unlawful in the state of Oklahoma.”
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The Social of Greenwood, a nonprofit that provides programs for people 50 years and older, is temporarily closed after a car drove into its building, according to a Facebook post by the nonprofit.
The car drove into the east side of the building, and caused major damage. This prompted the nonprofit to close for a week to assess the structural issues caused by the accident.
“We are asking our members and those in the community to please stay away from the east side of our building until further notice,” the post said.
A driver has not been identified.
News 8 has reached out to the Greenwood Police Department for additional information.