Tristate Regional News, Monday 5/07

Indianapolis Summary: Gas Prices Dropping a Little (Indianapolis) -- Gasoline prices are coming down a little. In Indianapolis, most stations are still selling regular unleaded gas at 3-dollars-19 cents a gallon. Some other stations are selling the same for 3-dollars-09 cents a gallon. Analysts say prices will be coming down for awhile, then back up as the summer travel season arrives. --- Arrest Made In Weekend Shooting (Indianapolis) -- Police say they have made an arrest following Indianapolis latest known murder. Investigators have taken 17-year-old Quinn Lange into custody, charging him in the death of Marcus Green. He was shot in the head after an argument. Witnesses told police they heard numerous shots fired at the time of the attack. --- Man Shot, Police Look For ex-Girlfriend And New Boyfriend (Indianapolis) -- Police in Indianapolis say a man shot last night was hit in the chest, not the shoulder. He is in serious condition as police search for the attacker. Investigators say they are looking for the mans ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. They believe the new boyfriend was the one who allegedly fired the shot that wounded the 22-year-old Robert Pinner. The shooting happened at 34th Street and Sherman Drive on the east side. The victim has undergone surgery at Wishard Hospital.. --- New Albany Man Sentenced To 30 Years (New Albany) -- A former Republican Party chairman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife. Edward Stoess 1/81/8 STESS 3/83/8 admitted to shooting his wife Deena in the chest, face and back last May, although she survived the shooting. The "Courier-Journal" reports the Stoesses were married for almost 17 years and had four children. Stoess is a former Bellarmine University employee. He now faces charges of burglary and murder in the death of his wifes boyfriend, James Shuttler in Oldham County. --- Indianapolis Child Mauled By Pit Bull (Indianapolis) -- An Indianapolis child was mauled by a pit bull over the weekend. Police say that three-year-old Raven Crawford was playing in a neighbors yard when the dog attacked her. The girl received 200 stitches to her face, and her father says Raven may have to undergo reconstructive surgery. The pit bulls owner faces fines of several hundred-dollars. --- Purdue University Set To Unveil New President Today (West Lafayette) -- Purdue University will have its next president by the end of the day today. The Purdue University Board of Trustees is set to vote this afternoon on the next president of the university. Current President Martin Jischke announced plans last year to step down at the end of June to pursue other projects and spend more time with his family. The "Lafayette Journal and Courier" says University of California-Riverside Chancellor France Cordova and Purdue provost Sally Mason are two of the finalists for the job. A reception is set to take place at the Purdue Memorial Union following this afternoons vote. Chicago Summary: Joliet Patient Didnt Die From Ambulance Crash (Joilet) -- The death of a Joliet heart patient wasnt caused by the crash of the ambulance in which he was a passenger. The Will County coroner says David Powers later died in the hospital as a direct result of his heart ailments. But 40-year old Eric Perry still faces serious charges. Perry allegedly ran a red light and crashed into the ambulance early Saturday. The Seattle man is charged with aggravated DUI. The crash involved two other vehicles and injured five other people. --- Charges Filed Against Teen Accused Of Killing Chicago Traffic Aide (Chicago) -- The South Side teen accused in the death of a Chicago traffic aide last month is facing reckless homicide charges. Four much more minor traffic charges were originally filed against 17-year old Joseph Cruz. 39-year old Angela Jaynes was killed April 16th on Ashland Avenue. Police say Cruz allegedly ignored her signal and collided with a truck. His van then flipped over and landed on top of Jaynes, killing her instantly. CBS2 1/81/8 WBBM 3/83/8 reports Cruz is currently in police custody. --- Family Of Missing Woman Search For Clues (Plainfield) -- Family and friends of a missing Plainfield woman took to the streets Sunday in search of clues to help solve her mysterious disappearance. 37-year old Lisa Stebic has been missing since last Monday, when she told her husband she was going to work out with someone she had met on-line. Dozens gathered Sunday in Plainfield to form search parties and hang fliers. CBS2 1/81/8 WBBM 3/83/8 reports neither Stebics credit cards nor her cell phone have been used since her disappearance. --- Thousands Turn Out To See Religious Leader (Chicago) -- Thousands came out to Chicagos Millennium Park Sunday to see one of the worlds most important religious leaders. The Dalai Lama offered humility and even humor during his three hour speech. The Buddhist leader covered many topics, but it was his words concerning war that seemed to generate the most interest from the crowd. ABC7 1/81/8 WLS 3/83/8 reports the 71-year old religious icon said "War...is outdated." Chicago was the last stop of the Dalai Lamas 12-day U.S. tour. --- Sixty-Three Hundred Police March (Chicago) -- Sixty-three hundred Chicago police officers were out in dress uniforms Sunday, paying homage to their colleagues who died in service. This year, the Chicago Police St. Jude marchers unveiled a new police memorial near Soldier Field. Chicago boasts a police force numbering about 13-thousand. --- Gas Leak Forces Evacuation At Suburban Church (Batavia) -- Members of a West suburban church were forced to evacuate during Sunday services because of a carbon monoxide leak. ABC7 1/81/8 WLS 3/83/8 reports four people at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia were taken to hospitals for treatment after being overcome. The priest at Holy Cross moved services outside while crews fixed the problem. --- Obama Requests Flexible Fuel Car From Secret Service (Santa Monica, CA) -- The Secret Service, already committed to providing a security detail for presidential candidate Barack Obama, is considering a request from the candidate for a "flexible fuel vehicle." Government officials are said to be scrambling to come up with an alternative to the standard "gas guzzling" campaign cars which are usually provided. Obama is set to deliver a speech to the Detroit Economic Club today. Detroit automakers have long resisted federal pressures to improve fuel efficiency. Obama is expected to apply more of the same pressure in todays Motor City address. --- Bitter Rivals Contend For Teachers Union President Post (Chicago) -- Chicago is only days away from an election that could be the hardest-fought in the city this year. The citys teachers will be voting for a union president on May 18th. Incumbent Marilyn Stewart and former President Deborah Lynch will again be vying for the position. The two bitter rivals made headlines as they battled for the post in 2004, when Lynch was the incumbent. Stewart beat Lynch by a slim margin, but her victory was overturned amid allegations of voter fraud. Then, the unions parent organization dismissed the allegations and declared Stewart their choice. Stewart and Lynch have continued to wage their war of words for the past three years and it has intensified as election day draws nearer. --- New Survey Ranks Chicagoans Last In Sun Protection (Chicago) -- A new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology places Chicago in a bad light. The city ranks dead last among 32 metropolitan areas in sun protection. The survey shows Chicago residents are less worried about getting skin cancer and more likely to get sunburned. Indications are that Chicago residents believe the regions cooler, northern climate makes them less likely to get skin cancer, but doctors say thats not true. They say harmful sun exposure can occur, even in 40-degree temperatures. Less than one-third of Chicagoans taking part in the survey said they ever use sunscreen Two-thirds say theyve never been screened for skin cancer. --- Family Distraught As City Mistakenly Puts Cat To Sleep (Chicago) -- Chicago officials are admitting they made a mistake in killing a familys beloved pet cat. Stephen and Margaret Korosa, an elderly Southwest Side couple, had been cited for multiple codes violations, mainly due to the 30-cats that had overrun their house. The couple agreed to allow the city to pick up all but one of the cats, a beloved 15-year old family pet named Felix. But city workers made the mistake of not only picking up Felix without the familys knowledge, but proceeding to put her to sleep. City officials admit the mistake was made, and the "Chicago Sun-Times" reports fair restitution will be offered to the Korosa family. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-05-07-07 0703CDT