Regional Summary Friday 3/28

Indiana Summary Clinton Returns To Indiana For Two-Day Campaign (Indianapolis) -- Senator Hillary Clinton brings her presidential campaign to Indiana for the second time in as many weeks today. Clinton has a 10:45 a.m. rally at Mishawaka High School town hall meeting before making appearances in Hammond, Ft. Wayne, and Muncie. Former Indiana Secretary of State Joe Hogsett says Clintons attention to the state shows its importance in the race. Clinton will hold a town hall rally at Ben Davis High School on Saturday morning. The campaign will have at least 12 local offices open in Indiana by Monday, according to Hogsett. Clintons rival for the Democratic nomination Barack Obama picked up support from 25 members of the state legislature on Thursday. State Senator Earline Rogers of Gary said the endorsements for Obama are from all regions in the state. Clintons backers include House Speaker Pat Bauer. --- Presidential Candidates TV Commercials Start Running Today (Indianapolis) -- Television commercials for the Presidential candidates start running today. Spots for Barrack Obama started running on Indianapolis TV stations this morning, while those for Hillary Clinton and John McCain are expected soon. The "Indianapolis Star" says one possible stop under consideration by Obamas campaign along with those of Clinton and McCain, will be at an Indianapolis park for the April 4th commemoration of the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. It was at that site on the evening of April 4th, Senator Robert Kennedy, running for President, gave a speech that helped calm the furor over the killing of King that led to riots in other cities. --- Marion County Prosecutor Brizzi Says Hell Not Run For Attorney General (Indianapolis) -- Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi says he will not run for Indiana Attorney General after all. The Republican said earlier he was interested in the race after two-term Attorney General Steve Carter announced he would not run for another term. Brizzi says he will stay on as Prosecutor. Other Republicans who say they have interest in the Attorney General job include Carters chief deputy, Greg Zoeller 1/81/8 Zeller 3/83/8 and Indianapolis attorney Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the State Election Commission. Democrat Linda Pence says she has interests in the position. --- Woman Who Left Baby In Toilet Gets Four-Year Sentence (Noblesville) -- A Carmel woman who put her newborn baby in a toilet received a four-year prison sentence yesterday. Twenty-one-year-old Kyle Peterson is to spend one-year in Hamilton County Community Corrections for neglect of the child who is now three-years-old. Peterson gave birth to the girl in February 2005 in a home in the 14-thousand block of Admiral Way North Drive in Carmel. Petersons mother found the child in the toilet and started efforts to get the baby breathing. Peterson was an 18-year-old Westfield High School senior at the time. Authorities say she had repeatedly denied allegations from family and friends that she was pregnant. Her attorney Robert Hammerle says Peterson suffers from bipolar disorder. Hammerle urged Judge Judith Profitt to take Petersons condition into consideration when giving the sentence. The child is now in the fathers custody. --- Greenwood Man Charged In Trooper Accident (Indianapolis) -- An Indiana State Police trooper continues to recover from an accident during an Interstate traffic stop. Trooper Michael Elands cruiser was hit from behind while he was sitting in the front seat. Eland was treated for head and neck pain and then released from the hospital. The lights on top of Elands cruiser were on when the accident happened. Sergio Cuautle of Greenwood is charged with four misdemeanors for allegedly causing the crash. The accusations against Cuautle include operating while intoxicated. --- Pacers Go After New Jersey Tonight (Indianapolis) -- The Indiana Pacers go after New Jersey tonight. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at Conseco Fieldhouse. New Jersey outscored them 124-117 Wednesday at the Meadowlands. The Blue and Gold take on Miami next. That contest is Monday night at 7 p.m. Kentucky Summary (Frankfort, KY) -- The casino amendment is dead and wont be brought up for a vote. Governor Steve Beshear says there are not enough votes to pass the measure. Governor Beshear who campaigned on the casino issue and was a strong advocate of expanded gambling says, quote, "The biggest disappointment, obviously to me is the revenue we could have generated from expanded gaming in a time when we need it very desperately." The governor says he expects the issue to come up again in the future. (Madisonville, KY) -- Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Kentucky tomorrow. She will attend a late afternoon rally at DuPont Manual High School in Louisville, then the annual Ruby Laffoon Dinner tomorrow evening at Madisonville North Hopkins High School. Laffoon was a Kentucky governor. (Frankfort, KY) -- Secretary of State Trey Grayson says nearly nine-thousand registered Kentucky voters wont be able to vote in the May primary, because they switched their party affiliation since the beginning of the year. Grayson says thats the law. He reminded voters who have moved to update their registration information. The deadline for registration for voting in the May primary is April 21st. (Louisville, KY) -- Louisville Police are working to determine why two-children were shot to death. Their mother 37-year-old Gail Coontz is charged with their murder. Louisville Police discovered the bodies of ten-year-old Nikki Coontz and 14-year-old Greg Coontz in the familys Okalona home. University of Louisville Police asked the Louisville PD to check on the children after they took Gail Coontz in to custody. Coontz a full-time U of L student held a counselor at the U of L Health Services center at gunpoint. There were no injuries in that incident. Police have charged Coontz with the murders of her children. (Ashland, KY) -- Officials broke ground for the new Veterans Riverfront Park in Ashland. The first phase of the park will include a river walk with a stage, boat dock and park space. Work on the park will begin after the conclusion of Summer Motion in July. (Shelbyville, KY) -- Health department officials are trying to determine why over one-hundred-people who dined at a popular Shelby County restaurant on Easter Sunday became ill. Meanwhile, Claudia Sanders Dinner House remains closed while the investigation proceeds. Investigators believe the illness may have stemmed from heat resistant bacteria in ham. (Olive Hill, KY) -- Volunteers from nine-states with a love of caves are heading to Carter Caves this weekend. Its the annual cave restoration project sponsored by The Esso Group, a group of cavers from Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The volunteers will remove graffiti from caves, work above ground on trails and work on restoring the caves to their natural state. Illinois Summary --- Man Shot Outside West Dundee Mall, Investigation Continues (West Dundee) -- A 19-year-old man is in critical condition after being shot yesterday in the parking lot of a suburban mall. The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. outside the Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee. Fire officials say the unidentified victim was able to walk into a Kohls department store inside the mall to get help. He was taken to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where he underwent surgery for a single gunshot wound to the chest. Police say two men who reportedly ran from the scene may have been involved. --- Teen Charged With Halloween Murder Of Mother Caught In Crossfire (Chicago) -- A deadly shooting from last fall may have been solved as a Chicago teenager is charged with killing a pregnant South Side woman in front of her three kids last Halloween. Eighteen-year-old Orlando Avila is expected to appear in bond court today, charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder for the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Leticia Barrera. Police say Barrera was shot on the 48-hundred block of South Seeley Avenue near her home in the Back-of-the Yards neighborhood as she was returning home from taking her kids trick-or-treating. --- West Side Fire Leaves Elderly Woman Critically Injured (Chicago) -- Chicago Fire Department officials are trying to determine the cause of a fire that left an elderly woman critically injured early this morning. The fire broke out around 3:40 a.m. in the 800-block of North Drake Avenue. Authorities say three Chicago Police officers pulled the 70-year-old woman from the burning building, then firefighters went back in to rescue her dog. The woman was hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation. --- Legendary Radio Host Wally Phillips Dies 1/81/8Note use of station call letters3/83/8 (Chicago) -- One of Chicagos most beloved radio personalities has died. Wally Phillips, the longtime WGN Radio host died at the age of 82 after a five-year battle with Alzheimers disease. Phillips retired in 1998 after a career that started at WGN in 1956. Phillips show was the top rated morning radio program in Chicago from 1968 until 1986 when he moved to afternoon drive. Mayor Daley says Phillips program was, quote:"...a vehicle for bringing people together." Phillips was a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Funeral arrangements are pending. --- Convicted Killer Brian Dugan Attacked At DuPage County Jail Brian Dugan, the Aurora man convicted of killing two people and awaiting trial for killing a Naperville girl, is being kept away from other inmates after being attacked at the DuPage County jail. The "Daily Herald" reports the 51-year-old Dugan was attacked by a fellow inmate this week but wasnt seriously hurt. Dugan has been serving life terms since 1985 after pleading guilty to killing two people including a seven-year-old girl. Dugan is still awaiting trial for the 1983 murder of ten-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville. --- Doctor In Savio Case Faces Grand Jury (Will County) -- The forensic pathologist who determined Drew Petersons third wife was murdered spoke to a Will County grand jury on Thursday. The "Chicago Tribune" reports Doctor Larry Blum appeared before a special grand jury investigating the death of Kathleen Savio and the disappearance of Petersons fourth wife, Stacy. In November, Blum ruled that the death of Savio, who was found dead in her bathtub in 2004, was a homicide by drowning. Drew Peterson has not been charged with any crime. --- Basketball Coach Accused Of Abusing Students (Chicago) -- Bail is set at 275-thousand-dollars for a former basketball coach accused of abusing two students at Walter Payton College Prep High School on Chicagos North Side. Authorities say 45-year-old George Turner is charged with criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse. Prosecutors say Turner sexually assaulted one 15-year-old girl and molested another. He was fired effective February 29th. --- Former Youth Pastor Sentenced For Sexual Assault (Downers Grove) -- A former youth pastor at Downers Grove church is facing prison time for sexually assaulting a minor. Prosecutors say Edward Greene, who worked at Marquette Manor Baptist Church, has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of criminal sexual assault. The punishment against the 37-year-old stems from allegations that Greene engaged in sexual activity with an underage female parishioner and student at the church in 1998. --- A Winter To Remember (Chicago) -- The winter of 2007-2008 has made Chicagos top ten list. The Department of Streets and Sanitation says the latest snowfall means Chicago has endured close to 60 inches of snow this winter making it the seventh snowiest winter in Chicago history. This is also the most snow in the Chicago area in 27 years. Chicago had 75 snow truck crews on duty last night but they were sent home at midnight with a normal overnight crew of 14 trucks staying on duty for touch-up work. Yesterdays snowfall led to more than 200 flights being cancelled at OHare Airport. --- Northwestern Study Says Danger Has A Smell All Its Own (Chicago) -- Can you "smell trouble?" A new study conducted at Northwestern University says that humans are quickly able to distinguish between nearly identical odors if they learn that one of the smells is accompanied by danger or pain. The study, published in the journal "Science," found that people were quickly able to tell the difference between similar odors if one of the odors was accompanied by a light electric shock. The studys authors say the experiment shows the human nose has a great capacity to adapt in ways that likely helped human ancestors know when they were safe and when they should run, like being able to tell the difference between the smell of a lion and that of a small cat. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-03-28-08 0636CDT