Regional Summary, Monday 2/11

Indiana Summary: --- Frigid Start To Week (Indianapolis) -- Its a frigid start to the new week in Indiana this morning. Temperatures are now in the single digits with windchills around zero in many areas. In Indianapolis, the temperature holds around nine degrees. Warmer weather is returning this week. Highs are forecast in the 20s today and continue up into the 30s and low 40s near the weekend. --- Candidates, Voters Get Ready For Special Election In 7th District (Indianapolis) -- Three candidates, along with the voters, are preparing for a special election soon. They all vie for the seat left vacant by Julia Carson upon her passing late last year. Carson was congresswoman for Indianas 7th District. Today is the deadline for voters to register for the special election to be held March 11th. The election will determine who will fill the vacancy until the Primary and then General Elections are held. Republican Jon Elrod, Andre Carson, Julia Carsons grandson, and Libertarian Sean Shephard are vying for the position. --- First Female Police Officer From Muncie To Be Sworn In As Chief (Muncie) -- The first female police officer to serve as Chief will be sworn in today in Muncie. Deborah Davis will replace Chief Joe Winkle. He will remain on the Muncie Police Department serving as a sergeant. New Mayor Sharon McShurley says that Davis has the experience that is needed to lead the department. Davis is 50-years-old and has been on the police force for 28 years. --- Man Arrested In Death Of Girl In Indianapolis (Indianapolis) -- A suspect was arrested in Indianapolis over the weekend in connection with the shooting death of an eight-year-old girl on the northwest side. Police say that 26-year-old Emmanuel McClendon surrendered after meeting with his family and clergy at a designated location. Karissa Hitchings died after gunfire inside a house at 2317 White Avenue. The child was hit in the head by a bullet as she watched TV. She was a second-grader at IPS 44. --- Group Wants Gary Streets To Honor Late Civil Rights Leader (Gary) -- A Gary organization is trying to have several streets in that city renamed in honor of the late civil rights leader Malcolm X. The "Gary Post-Tribune" reports that New Roots, Incorporated has been submitting applications to the citys Plan Commission since 2002, but is having trouble being heard. The commission voted the groups idea down the first time, and now a zoning administrator says it would take a, quote, "substantial change in circumstances" in order for it to be returned to the agenda. Organization member Kwabena Rasuli says 35-hundred Gary residents have signed a petition in favor of the change. Gary Mayor Rudy Clay says he supports an honorary designation, similar to what has been done for other prominent community members over the years. Kentucky Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- Snow is forecast for Frankfort and Northern Kentucky, as the National Weather Service issues a Winter Strom Warning for two-to-five inches in the northern counties, a possible one-to-three inches in Central Kentucky with rain to the south. Its all to begin this afternoon. (Leatherwood, KY) -- A fire has taken at least one life in Perry County. The residence is along Highway-699. Officials believe at least one person lived in the old store converted to a house. The identity of the victim has not been released. (Berea, KY) -- Berea firefighters were unable to gain the upper hand on a fire that destroyed a log home in Berea. Firefighters tell say when they arrived, winds were feeding the fire and it was out of control. They managed to keep it from spreading, but the two-story log home was lost. The owner was away. (Bowling Green, KY) -- The Columbus Georgia Catfish may be headed for Bowling Green. According to the "Bowling Green Daily News," as part of a downtown development deal a downtown ball park is to be built and ready by next baseball season. Its being reported that investor Art Solomon has made an agreement to bring the Catfish from the South Atlantic League to Bowling Green. (Frankfort, KY) -- By the end of the week, Governor Steve Beshear is expected to have selected a lawmaker to sponsor is casino gambling amendment and the details of the amendment and its enabling legislation revealed. Early in the week, the governor is to meet privately with key lawmakers to outline his plan. The governor says casino gambling would return "several hundred millions of dollars" to the state in licensing fees, even before the first bet is made. (Frankfort, KY) -- Tomorrow afternoon the General Assembly will convene in the Old State Capitol Building. Kentucky lawmakers used the old capitol from 1830-to-1910. Its part of the official beginning of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial on the anniversary of birth. The proceedings will be streamed on ket.org. (Hodgenville, KY) -- National and state media will be focusing on Hodgenville, Kentucky tomorrow morning. First lady Laura Bush is part of the ceremonies to inaugurate the Lincoln Bicentennial. The program begins at 10:30 at the Lincoln birth site and is open to the public. Illinois Summary: --- Expect A Snowy Afternoon With Three To Six Inches (Romeoville) -- More snow is expected this afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued a snow advisory from 3 p.m. until midnight Tuesday. Forecasters say the precipitation will develop this afternoon and result in accumulations of three to six inches until it tapers off later this evening. Todays high will be 16 degrees, with lows falling below zero. --- Clinton Campaign Manager Dumped (Chicago) -- Patti Solis Doyle is out as campaign manager for White House hopeful Hillary Clinton. Senator Clinton released a statement yesterday saying that Solis Doyle has done an extraordinary job in getting the campaign to this point, within reach of the Democratic nomination for president. Longtime Clinton Adviser Maggie Williams takes over the leadership of the campaign. The move came a day after Illinois Senator Barack Obama defeated Clinton in the Louisiana primary and in the Nebraska and Washington state caucuses. Solis Doyle says she will stay on as a senior adviser to Senator Clinton and her campaign. --- Obamas Spiritual Leader Preaches Last Sermon (Chicago) -- The pastor of one of the presidential hopefuls has given his last sermon over the weekend. Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ preached for the final time before stepping down as the spiritual leader of the Chicago South Side Afrocentric church. Senator Barack Obama joined the church in the late 1980s and based his historic speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on one of Wrights sermons called "Audacity to Hope." The 66-year-old pastor led the more than 85-hundred member congregation and will now be succeeded by Reverend Otis Moss The Third. Moss is the son of civil rights legend Reverend Otis Moss Jr., who pastored with Dr. Martin Luther King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. --- Four-Year-Old Found Lifeless In Minneapolis Home (Chicago) -- A woman has been arrested in connection with the weekend death of a missing Chicago boy who was located in Minnesota. Police say they found the body of four-year-old Demond Reed in a Minneapolis home late Saturday night. Minneapolis Police are investigating the boys death as a homicide. Authorities say the woman in custody has not yet been charged and may have been an adult cousin who had been caring for the young boy. Reed was taken to a relatives home in Minnesota Wednesday so he could visit his father. But the childs dad was arrested January 21st on an unrelated matter, and the boy was left in the custody of the cousin. --- Suspect Charged In Fatal Knife Fight On Citys Southwest Side (Chicago) -- A Chicago man has been charged with murder for allegedly stabbing two men to death and wounding three others on Saturday in the Little Village community. Police say 26-year-old Ignacio Castellanos faces two counts of homicide and one count of aggravated battery with a weapon. The incident happened at an apartment building in the 27-hundred block of South Drake Avenue. The victims who were killed have been identified as Landa Ramirez and Rafael Villagrana. Both men had stab wounds in the head, chest and neck. Police believe a dispute over drugs may have sparked the argument, but do not believe the fight was gang-related. --- Man Charged In Salerno Death To Appear In Court Monday (Vilas County, WI) -- The man charged in the snowmobile crash which killed Chicago TV news anchor Randy Salerno is expected in court today. Forty-four-year-old Scott Hirschey of Crystal Lake is charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Prosecutors say Hirschey had a blood-alcohol level nearly three-times the legal limit when his snowmobile crashed and killed Salerno on January 24th near Eagle River, Wisconsin. Authorities say 44-year-old Scott Hirschey did not agree to a test until nearly four-hours after the accident, and that test was against his will. They say Hirscheys blood-alcohol level was point-two-two-five-percent. Wisconsins legal limit is point-zero-eight-percent. --- Five Left Injured Following Expressway Crash (Chicago) -- Chicago authorities say five people were injured after an overnight one vehicle crash on the Kennedy Expressway. The collision happened Sunday around 10:30 p.m. in the inbound lanes. Police say the SUV went off the expressway and flipped over near the intersection of Gregory Street and Melvina Avenue. Some of the occupants had to be extricated from the vehicle. The most seriously hurt were two teens who were ejected from the SUV. Both are undergoing surgery this morning. Meanwhile, the driver has been cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and improper lane usage. --- Power At North Side High Rise Remains Off Following Electrical Fire (Chicago) -- Residents of a Chicago North Side high-rise remain in the dark this morning following a fire on Saturday that led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Emergency crews emptied out the 31-story building at 3930 North Pine Grove Avenue after flames damaged electrical equipment in the sub-basement. The fire began in an electrical vault, sending smoke throughout the high-rise. No serious injuries were reported. --- Report: Couple Provided Teenage Prostitute Via Craigslist (Chicago) -- An Aurora couple could be facing a number of charges after allegedly arranging for others to pay for sexual encounters with a 17-year-old runaway through the popular classified ad website craigslist.org. The "Chicago Tribune" reports Jermel Pope and Mary Jefferson were charged Saturday with pandering and may face additional charges. The runaway, Trisha Jobe, has been charged as an adult with prostitution. The investigation was launched after an anonymous tip to police allegedly linked Pope to prostitution-related activities. --- Governors Office To Introduce Lottery Game (Chicago) -- Governor Blagojevichs administration plans to announce today it will unveil the first lottery ticket to benefit HIV/AIDS prevention. The promotion will be called Red Ribbon Cash. One-hundred percent of the proceeds are targeted towards the fight against HIV/AIDS. A news conference is set for noon on the 15th floor of the downtown Chicago Thompson Center. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-02-11-08 0614CST