From the Associated PressIndiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is offering payments of $300,000 to the families of the seven people who died after a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair, with more available for those who were hospitalized for days before their deaths. Zoeller says the rest of the money from the state's $5 million tort fund will go to those injured in the collapse. The payments announced today were set in consultation with claims expert Kenneth Feinberg and with victims' lawyers based on medical expenses submitted to the state. The offers must be accepted or rejected by Monday. The state's liability for the Aug. 13 collapse before a Sugarland concert is capped by law at $5 million. Some victims are challenging that cap and an Indianapolis lawmaker says he wants it changed.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.