Published: July 31, 2009 01:25 pm      

Obama to visit Elkhart on Wednesday

INDIANAPOLIS — President Barack Obama will visit Indiana for the first time since delivering the controversial commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame in May.

A White House official says Obama will visit the Elkhart area Wednesday but did not release other details.

Obama last visited Elkhart in February while making a campaign-style pitch for the massive economic stimulus bill. Elkhart County has been devastated by the collapse of the recreational vehicle industry and has an unemployment rate of nearly 17 percent.

Obama’s May 17 appearance at Notre Dame drew criticism from many Catholics and abortion opponents, who said the university should not have awarded him an honorary degree because of his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research.