Regional Summary, Monday 2/25

Indiana Summary --- Pilot Of Small Plane Lands On I-70 Near Greenfield (Greenfield) -- The pilot of a small plane had to set down along I-70 near Greenfield over the weekend. Pilot Babar Suleman says he had no choice but to land amid car and trucks where motorists were taken by, to say the least, surprise. Suleman says he experienced engine trouble and contacted air traffic control about his situation. He was flying at seven-thousand-feet when it happened. Suleman says he spotted a break in traffic along eastbound 70 and made a landing. He says he saw two trucks and two cars behind them. He put the plane in between the two cars. The Hancock County Sheriffs Department helped with the problem and with enough room. Suleman and his plane safely flew out and away to where he landed at Eagle Creek Airport. --- Weekend Filled With Traffic Accidents, Three Of Them Fatal (Indianapolis) -- It was a deadly weekend on roadways in Indianapolis where accidents left three persons dead and nine injured. Those killed included 35-year-old Viella Johnson, 23-year-old William Gooch the Third and 24-year-old Andrew Merrick. Forty-three-year-old Julius Dobbins was arrested in one of the incidents. --- Firefighters Find Man Dead In Eastside Blaze (Indianapolis) -- Firefighters found the body of a man as they extinguished a blaze on the Indianapolis eastide over the weekend. The fire happened around 6 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 32-hundred block of Shick Road. The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Johhny Watkins. The cause of the fire and the amount of loss are still to be determined. --- Here Are Sundays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Evening: 2-7-6; Daily Four-Evening: 2-0-4-3; Lucky Five-Evening: 11-14-34-35-36. Kentucky Summary (Corbin, KY) -- A fight between two brothers led to gunfire. One is hospitalized in critical condition. The Laurel County Sheriffs Department deputies responded to a house in North Corbin. They discovered Glen Ray Taylor and his half-brother, David Hollingsworth, wounded. Both were taken to the UK Medical Center. Hollingsworth was treated and released. Taylor is in critical condition. Investigators believe Taylor wounded Hollingsworth then turned the gun on himself. (Greenup, KY) -- The Greenup County Coroner may release more information about two victims of a weekend fire today. The bodies of two people were discovered after a fire in a Greenup County mobile home. The bodies have been taken to Frankfort for an autopsy. Authorities are working to make positive identification. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (Hazard, KY) -- Students and faculty return to Chavies Elementary School in Hazard today with heavy hearts. This is the first they have been together since eleven-year-old Josh Williams died. The boys body was discovered over the weekend in an oil pit on the familys property. Its believed he drowned, but autopsy results are pending. Visitation will be tonight with a funeral tomorrow afternoon at the Engle-Walker Funeral Home in Hazard. (Frankfort, KY) -- Three Fort Campbell-based soldiers have died in Iraq after an IED goes off near their vehicle. The three were Sergeant Conrad Alvarez from Texas, Corporal Albert Bitton of Chicago, and Specialist Michael Benson Matlock Jr. of Maryland. Governor Steve Beshear has directed flags on all state office buildings be flown at half-staff for the three. (Frankfort, KY) -- The Kentucky Senate and House are to go back into session today. Both took Friday off with the threat of an ice storm. The General Assembly is now into its second half. The "ice day" has prompted lawmakers to modify their calender. The session is still to end on April 15th but some internal deadlines have been staggered by one day. (Benton, KY) -- Nine people died when their B-29 crashed in Marshall County on July 1st, 1945. Now there is an effort to remember those men. One man parachuted to safety. WPSD-TV reports Marshall County Planner Josh Tubbs is organizing a memorial. Hes contacting the families of those who died and raising money. He hopes to have a memorial designed and built by September. (Radcliff, KY) -- Radcliff Police are searching for a police impersonator. A woman says lights on a police car flashed on an SUV and she pulled over. She says a man wearing a uniform shirt and badge asked to inspect her childs safety seat. The man then sent the woman on her way. The woman became suspicious and called police. They say it wasnt one of their officers and are searching for a suspect. (Lexington, KY) -- A bank robber so bold he made no attempt to cover his face held up the Traditional Bank in Lexington over the weekend. The man presented a demand note to a teller then escaped with an undisclosed amount of money. Police have distributed surveillance video with a very clear image of the robber to local television stations. Illinois Summary --- NIU Community Holds Service Honoring Shooting Victims (DeKalb) -- Classes resume at Northern Illinois University today, eleven-days after the Valentines Day shooting rampage that claimed the lives of five students. Hundreds of counselors will be at the DeKalb campus, both in and out of classrooms. But Cole Hall, where the shootings happened, will remain closed. Over ten-thousand members of the NIU community gathered at the schools Convocation Center and surrounding buildings last night to honor the victims lost. University President John Peters says NIU has seen a tremendous outpouring of love and support. Five students were killed and more than a dozen injured when 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak 1/81/8 kaz-MERE-chek 3/83/8 opened fire on a classroom. --- Winter Storm Heading For Chicago Area (Chicago) -- By the afternoon rush, this weekends nice weather will likely be nothing but a memory. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entire area beginning this afternoon. Between 4:00 a.m. today and noon on Tuesday, forecasters expect Chicago and its suburbs to get about half a-foot of snow. Further west, in Rockford or even Aurora, as much as nine-inches of the white stuff is possible. Forecasters say the precipitation will start as a wintry mix, but quickly change to heavy wet snow. Blowing snow is also likely. --- Up To 20K Stolen From Chicago Hotel Fashion Show (Chicago) -- Two armed robbers stole as much as 20-thousand-dollars last night from a fashion show at the Hilton Chicago hotel on Michigan Avenue. Chicago police say the men, at least one of whom had a gun, stole admission fees and other proceeds from the entrance to a third-floor ballroom. Authorities say some people were bound with duct tape, but no one was hurt. The robbers apparently fled south on Michigan past 8th Street. No one is in custody. Authorities are hoping video surveillance cameras from both the Hilton and nearby buildings will be able to help in the search. --- Hospital Head Drives County Car To Michigan For Family Visits (Chicago) -- Cook Countys hospital chief routinely drives a county-issued car more than 300-miles to his Michigan home. The "Chicago Sun-Times" reports Doctor Robert Simon heads home on weekends, often using the county car and letting government pay for his gas. Simon admits he occasionally uses the car to see family, but insists he pays for the cars maintenance and is working to reimburse the county for gas costs. Simon makes nearly 400-thousand-dollars a year. Better Government Association spokesman Jay Stewart says the use of the car is an example of waste that should be cut before county officials look to raise taxes. --- Lemont Native, Former Stripper Cody Wins Oscar (Hollywood, CA) -- Lemont, Illinois now has a hometown Oscar winner. Diablo Cody, the former exotic dancer-turned-screenwriter, took home the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for her film "Juno." Its Codys first screenplay. She was born Brooke Busey, and graduated from Benet Academy in Lisle. The Oscar caps off a string of writing awards for the 29-year-old. --- Dropout Rate At Chicago Schools High, But Falling (Chicago) -- Incoming freshmen attending Chicago Public High Schools have only slightly more than a 50-50 chance of graduating. A report scheduled for release today found that 49-percent of students who started studies in 1995 did not graduate by 2000. The reports says that number has been improving, but only slightly. It finds that 44-percent of the districts 2001 freshmen did not graduate by 2006. The "Chicago Tribune" reports school officials plan to launch "on-track labs" to study the problem at six district high schools. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the study. --- College Prep Principals Could Hand-Pick Freshmen (Chicago) -- Principals at the Chicagos eight top college prep high schools could soon be allowed to hand-pick some of their incoming freshmen. Right now, the rules for admission are strict and involve test scores, grades, and attendance. But under a new plan, the so-called elite-eight Chicago Public School principals would get to choose some students who fall just short. The program is designed for star athletes, top musicians, kids in disadvantaged families, those who have lost a parent, or have other extenuating circumstances. School officials will vote on the plan Wednesday. --- Two Shot In Back Of The Yards Neighborhood (Chicago) -- A 31-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were shot Sunday morning in Chicagos Back of the Yards neighborhood. Police say they didnt learn of the shootings until witnesses had already dropped the two off at Stroger Hospital. The shooting happened near 43rd and South Wood Streets. Both victims remain in serious condition. Police say theyre still investigating the shootings. --- Fire Displaces 22 Apartment Residents (Arlington Heights) -- An apartment fire displaced 22 residents from their homes near Arlington Heights yesterday afternoon. Long Grove Fire Protection District officials say the blaze at the Nicholas Road building started in a third-floor apartment. Only that apartment and a shared attic above were damaged by the fire, but other parts of the building sustained smoke or water damage. No one was hurt in the fire, and authorities have not released a cause. --- Funeral Services Set For Chicago Soldier Killed In Baghdad (Chicago) -- Funeral arrangements are set for a Chicago soldier who was killed in Iraq. A memorial service for 20-year-old Albert Bitton is scheduled for one p.m. Tuesday at Congregation Adas Yeshurun, located at 3050 West Touhy Avenue. His burial follows at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie. Bitton was serving as a medic in the First Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He died last Tuesday after his Humvee was hit by an explosive device in Baghdad. The West Rogers Park native joined the Army in 2005 after finishing high school at Ida Crown Jewish Academy. Bitton married Melissa Handleman last August, then left for Iraq in October. Bitton was scheduled to return home in January of 2009. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-02-25-08 0606CST