News (Noticias) for Indiana

The first Latino picked to serve as chairman of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce board of directors says the accomplishment is a credit to his city as much as his culture.

Charles J. Garcia, 57, named to the post Monday, is the second minority chair in the chamber’s 118-year history. Bill Mays was chairman of the board in 1993 and 1994.”*

*From: http://www.indystar.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

An Indiana legislator wants to penalize companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Republican Sen. Mike Delph told The Indianapolis Star he plans to file the bill next week when the 2008 session begins. The measure already is being criticized by business owners and Hispanic leaders.”*

*From: http://www.upi.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Latinos from across Indiana will unite for what is slated to be the state’s largest Hispanic and Latino conference Jan. 29 in Fort Wayne.

The daylong event, held at Taylor University Fort Wayne’s Eicher Commons, will include speakers and workshops focusing on improving the quality of life for Hispanics and Latinos in Indiana and understanding the challenges facing the community.”*

*From: http://www.fwdailynews.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Indiana might be one of the next states to consider legislation that places the burden of screening illegal immigrants on business.

At least one such bill is likely to be introduced in the General Assembly, said George Raymond, an Indiana Chamber of Commerce lobbyist specializing in labor relations.”*

*From: http://cms.ibj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Leaders of Fort Wayne’s Hispanic community say their confidence level in the Fort Wayne Police Department may depend on results of an investigation into a shooting before Christmas in which a rookie officer killed an illegal immigrant.

Police commanders tell our Jeff Neumeyer, they have evidence that should help sort out whether the actions of the officer were justified. “*

*From: http://www.indianasnewscenter.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

As expected, Mayor-elect Brian Snedecor announced Wednesday that patrol Sgt. Rod Gonzalez will serve as police chief under his administration.

Gonzalez, 42, was picked to serve as the department’s top administrator following a search and interview pro-cess, said Snedecor, who retired from the Hobart Police Department in October after a 27-year career, including a five-year stint as chief.”*

Latino grocery store owners need more education about the rules and laws governing the sale of prescription drugs, a Hispanic leader said after two business owners were arrested during raids in Saluda last month.

Officers who raided the grocery stores were looking for illegal copies of movies and music but also found businesses selling prescription drugs without a license, authorities said.

The sale of prescription medications in groceries is common in Latin American countries, but without a license in the United States it is illegal.”*

Fans and family members filled all the seats and most of the aisles at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Indianapolis, as priests conducted a funeral Mass for Gomez. He had been living the past few years in suburban Avon with his wife, children and other relatives.

His closed casket was in front of the church pews, and members of his band wore dark sunglasses as they stood watch at each end of the coffin. A white cloth that said “I am the Resurrection and the Life” covered the casket.”*

Those who knew popular Mexican-American musician Sergio Gomez from his many visits to Spanish-language radio station WEDJ-FM cannot understand how he got caught up in the wave of entertainment-related murders in Mexico.

The 35-year-old singer was killed last weekend after performing with his top-selling group, K-Paz de la Sierra, in Morelia, Mexico. His body was expected to be returned Thursday to Indiana.”*

Illegal Immigration was a top campaign issue for Frankfort Mayor Candidates this year. During his campaign, Chris Pippenger criticized the current administration’s handling of the problems. Independent Chris Pippenger beat out Republican Incumbent Don Stock in the November Election. One of Pippenger’s top issues was what he considers to be Frankfort’s illegal immigration problems. Pippenger says when he becomes mayor in January, his first goal is to step-up law enforcement.”*

La familia del vocalista del grupo K-Paz de la Sierra, Sergio Gómez, confirmó hoy que los restos del cantante serán sepultados en Indianápolis, Indiana, donde residía.

En entrevista con Notimex, Baldomero Gómez, padre del cantante, desmintió que su hijo vaya a ser cremado en la Ciudad de México. “La familia determinó recibirlo, hacerle una misa de cuerpo presente, abierta a sus admiradores, y sepultarlo en Indianápolis”.”*

The Goshen Fire Department is investigating eight separate cases where fires were intentionally set. Three involve Hispanic businesses: The Blessing Place, Los Galanes Market and the San Marcos Grocery and Restaurant.”*

Martin Albornoz has been named director of interactive media for The Times, Publisher Bill Masterson announced today.

Albornoz will start at The Times and nwi.com on Friday.

“I am happy to announce that Mr. Albornoz has been offered and accepted the position of director of interactive media,” Masterson said. “Martin’s extensive and broad-based experience in the newspaper, magazine and online fields made him the perfect candidate to lead our very important nwi.com product.”*

Hispanic business owners in Grant County sometimes experience difficulty communicating with English-speaking customers, but most of them say it’s not a serious problem.

Joaquin Mendez, manager at Mi Pueblo, 406 E. Fourth St., said sometimes customers have a hard time understanding some of his employees because of their accents.”*

Tensions between the Latino and Anglo communities in this city can be eased, believes Mayor-elect Chris Pippenger, if all residents become lawful citizens.

“We have had such an influx of Hispanics in our town,” he said. “It is making people uneasy.”

The recent growth of the Hispanic population in Clinton County has caused some residents to think the local school system and other public services are being forced to support illegal immigrants.

The number of Hispanic residents in the county has increased by nearly 70 percent -in six years — from 2,478 residents in 2000 to an estimated 4,207 residents in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau”*

The west side of South Bend has a growing Hispanic population. But the barriers between the people who live there and the police patrolling the areas can create conflict. That’s why police are working with local Hispanics, hoping to break down those barriers.

Police and community members formed the Hispanic Outreach Committee in 2006. After learning about a rise in Latino gangs in Elkhart and Goshen, they wanted to prevent that from happening in South Bend. Now they’re trying to bridge the gap between the police department and the Hispanic community.”*

There were no programs or clubs at Pike High School to bring Hispanic students together or teach other students about the contributions Hispanics have made to the U.S. and the rest of the world.

“When I moved here . . . I was educating people about my culture,” said Cindy, who was born in Mexico.

That’s now changed at Pike and other area schools as more and more Hispanics move into Indianapolis. According to the U.S. Census, they are the fastest-growing population in Marion County. At Northwest and George Washington high schools, for example, Hispanic students make up 17 and 21 percent, respectively, of the high-school populations.”*

Efforts to implement a Latino studies minor gained momentum when about 50 students and faculty attended a presentation by the director for Latino studies at Notre Dame, Monday night.

Students and faculty attended the lecture presented by Gilberto Cárdenas to show support for this desired program. He discussed the growing rates of the Latino population in the United States.”*

“”Bella,” a heartwarming tale about one magical day that changes the lives of three people, took the top prize at the Heartland Film Festival on Saturday night. Haley Joel Osment (”The Sixth Sense”) was one of the presenters at the black-tie gala held at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde, “Bella” took home the $100,000 Grand Prize for best dramatic feature, the largest cash award of any film festival in the world.

The film, in both English and Spanish, was one of several Hispanic-themed movies giving this year’s festival a distinctive Latin flavor. It stars Eduardo Verástegui, a major TV star in Mexico.”*

“But the migration has unsettled smaller Indiana cities even as the Bush administration and the courts wrangle over a key issue. The administration contends America’s illegal immigrants — about 6 million have arrived this decade — should be forced out.
It’s a dispute central to Indiana’s economy, where Hispanics such as the stay-at-home Frankfort mom’s family have become solidly embedded.
In the past seven years, according to various estimates, the state’s Hispanic population has soared 39 percent to 300,857, including 50,000 to 85,000 immigrants deemed illegal because they entered the United States unlawfully without proper visas and work permits.”*

“A police officer was arrested after authorities said he took cash from several Hispanic drivers who wanted to avoid traffic tickets or jail.

Lt. Scott Fross, a 10-year veteran of the Westfield Police Department, was arrested on armed robbery charges, Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter said Wednesday.

“He was in a police uniform, he was armed at the time, which meets the elements of armed robbery,” Carter said. “He never displayed his weapon or took it out to use it, nothing like that.”"*

“A new exhibition at the Northern Indiana Center for History offers a glimpse into Hispanic culture as preserved and practiced by area residents. It also constitutes the seeds of a long-term project to create a permanent record of that culture.

Dozens of articles, from a Quinceañera dress to a Havana University law degree, are on display at the bilingual exhibition titled “Yesterday and Today for Tomorrow.” Research by the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies and NICH staff chronicles the settlement of Hispanics in the St. Joseph River Valley from the late 1940s onward.”*

“Heartland, which opens Thursday, has always had an international flavor, with movies from a variety of countries and languages. This year, more than a quarter of the 47 films have a foreign influence, with a special emphasis on Spanish-language films that organizers hope will lure the local Hispanic community.

Jeffrey Sparks, the festival’s president and chief executive officer, decided the 2007 event should have a Latin theme. The result is five films in Spanish or with Hispanic stories, including two of the five movies in contention for Heartland’s $100,000 Grand Prize: “Bella” and “Mia Sarah.”

“This is actually the first year that Heartland has focused on Latin-based films,” said Malissa Escalante, a festival volunteer. “Hopefully we’ll get a pretty good turnout from the Latin community.”"*

“La Plaza, an Indianapolis group helping Latino youth assimilate and succeed in a new environment, was the recipient of a 2007 Indiana Youth Investment Award presented today along with a $5,000 check from the Indiana Youth Institute.

The group provides educational, health and other social service programs to about 1,000 Latino youths. The goal is to help the children recognize and take advantage of the opportunities to improve their economic futures through education.
A key challenge for La Plaza is reaching the children’s parents, said Miriam Acevedo Davis, executive director of La Plaza.”

“The family of Ana Casas and her three young daughters expressed forgiveness for Simon Rios and then asked local prosecutors to spare his life.

Monday was the first time the Casas family had attended any of the court proceedings since Ana and her daughters, Liliana, 10, Katherinne, 4, and 20-month-old Thannya, were found dead inside the family’s South Calhoun Street home.

Most of Ana Casas’ family still lives in Mexico and their voice has been missing during the almost two-year ordeal that ended when a judge sentenced Rios to four consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife and daughters.”