Now that winter is just around the corner,  many Hoosiers have the tendency to start their cars and leave them running until they‘re nice and warm.

While that may serve to keep the driver from getting too chilly, ISP Captain Dave Bursten says leaving an unattended car running  —  locked or unlocked  —  is a perfect invitation for a thief to steal the car.

Even if it‘s locked, Bursten says, that is not a deterrent to a criminal because chances are he just wants to use the car to help with a robbery or other criminal act.

Bursten says if the thief has to smash out a window to get inside and drive it that way for a day or two, no problem:  he‘ll ditch it later anyway.

The moral:  if you want to warm up your car, stay in it.  He also says you can put a towel or blanket over the windshield to keep snow or frost off.

State leaders will be holding a public forum in Gary today (Mon) to address the problem of vacant and abandoned homes.

The public forum will focus on a new program that could provide funds to demolish these homes.

If approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Indiana could receive up to 100 million dollars for the initiative.   Additional meetings will be held throughout the state in the coming months.

It‘s called “a potentially dangerous trend among college students that involves getting intoxicated on an empty stomach.

A study from the University of Florida reveals Drunkorexia occurs in up to 40 percent of students.

Whether it‘s an effort to avoid the freshman 15 weight gain , or getting drunk faster, Scott Watson with Indianapolis-based Heartland Intervention, says it‘s putting these young people at risk for risky behavior and/or serious health consequences.

Watson says one of the best skills college students can learn is moderation is key to staying safe and healthy.

The nation‘s trucking industry is dealing with a shortage of qualified drivers.

Indiana Motor Truck Association President Gary Langston says trucking companies are dealing with higher federal standards, insurance rates, safety procedures and other issues.

He says those factors are making it more difficult to find drivers to haul freight.

Langston says vendors also don‘t want to deal with companies that may not hire drivers with relatively clean records.

He says the IMTA is working with Indiana colleges that have trucker training programs in an effort to hire more qualified drivers with good records.

Week three in the David Bisard trial opens today in Allen Superior Court in Fort Wayne.

After receiving testimony Friday from a toxicology expert that blood evidence is 100 percent accurate and reliable Judge John Surbeck has allowed the blood to be admitted as evidence. Throughout the case, defense has challenged the blood as being mishandled and collected improperly.

Those tests showed Bisard with a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit.

The suspended Indianapolis police officer is accused of a fatal drunk driving crash that killed one and seriously injured two others.

The murder case against David Camm ended last Thursday with his acquittal — but not all the former state trooper‘s legal battles are over.

Kim Camm had two life insurance policies totaling nearly a half-million dollars, with David Camm as the beneficiary.

The acquittal means a state law barring a murderer from profiting from his victim‘s death no longer applies. But attorney Nick Stein says Kim‘s parents, Frank and Janice Renn, will argue Camm‘s guilt under common law, in essence retrying the murder case in civil court.

The burden of proof is lower in a civil case, requiring the Renns only to prove Camm‘s guilt more likely than not, rather than beyond a reasonable doubt.  Stein says the Renns don‘t need the money, but “can‘t stomach” the thought of it going to Camm.

He says they remain “wholeheartedly” convinced of his guilt despite the acquittal. The estates of Kim Camm and their children Brad and Jill, totaling about 160-thousand dollars, are also in dispute.  The money has been in escrow while Camm pursued his appeals.

With the criminal case now over for good, Stein estimates it‘ll take a year or two to bring the civil case to trial.