Around Indiana

Businessman buys homeless shelter at tax auction

A businessman who bought a southern Indiana homeless shelter at a tax auction said he intends to keep it open.

The building that houses the Haven House was auctioned by the Internal Revenue Service after the operation fell behind in paying payroll taxes.

Kentuckiana Roofing Co. owner David Brown said he heard about the shelter’s plight from “a guy living in a box behind our building.”

Brown bid the $7,808 minimum price for the Jeffersonville shelter without competition at Tuesday’s auction.

The IRS said he also must pay about $81,000 in debts on the shelter within six months.

Shelter Director Barbara Anderson has said the organization didn’t have enough money to run the service and pay the taxes. She says running the shelter takes about $10,000 to $20,000 a month.

Inspectors shut down site of concert shooting

Building inspectors have closed a northwestern Indiana skating rink where nine teenagers were shot as they left a weekend concert.

Officials told the owner of World of Skates in Gary on Wednesday that it can’t reopen until a sprinkler system is installed. State fire and building code inspector Tom Stephens said outlets were overloaded, causing the potential for a fire.

Owner Andre Ivey estimated 800 teens attended the Friday night rap concert and said there were no troubles inside.

The shooting happened in the parking lot, where the youths ranging in age from 14 to 18 suffered various non-life threatening injuries. Police said the shooting remained under investigation.

Purdue sociologist studying breast milking

A Purdue University sociologist is recruiting Indiana mothers to take part in a study about breast-milk pumping in the workplace.

Associate professor of sociology Elizabeth Hoffmann is conducting a study on the issue to better understand the obstacles and challenges that women face.

She’s seeking mothers who used to pump at work, are currently doing so, started but had to stop or had planned to pump at work but were unable to do so.

Participants are invited to participate in a 30-minute confidential interview or a 20-minute confidential online survey. Anyone interested in participating in the interview or has questions should contact Hoffmann at 765-496-2225.