Regional Summary, Thursday 4/10

Indiana Summary --- Ballard Focuses On Crime And Debt In Indy State Of City (Indianapolis) -- Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard focused on crime and spending during his first State of the City address on Wednesday. Ballard told an audience at Union Station that city departments have found nine-million-dollars in budget cuts that will not affect services. But the mayor added further budget evaluations are needed. Indianapolis has five-point-seven-billion-dollars in long-term debt, almost half of which is supported by property taxes. Ballard said he will ask the state legislature next year to allow Marion County to finish consolidation, quote, "in order to address long term spending." He added that a high-performance government team will be tasked with reviewing taxing districts in the county. According to Ballard, the city has created new offices to deal with abandoned houses and help ex-offenders re-enter society. The mayor also wants to improve what he called the "cultural flavor of Indianapolis" to help the city remain competitive in future decades. --- Obama Starts Indiana Tour With South Bend Rally (South Bend) -- Barack Obama has started a four-day bus tour through Indiana with a late-night rally in South Bend. Obama gave a 35-minute speech at Washington High School in which he hit on campaign themes of ending the war in Iraq and reversing tax cuts for high-income earners. The senator says he has seen support for those changes during the campaign. Obama cautioned it will take more than switching political parties in the White House to enact those policies. He also attempted to link John McCain to the current president, saying McCain is running for a third Bush term. Obama added he would invest in infrastructure, including broadband lines for rural areas. The senator also said he supports fair trade agreements that protect jobs of U.S. workers and the environment. Before the speech, South Bend Mayor Kevin Luecke 1/81/8 luckee 3/83/8 endorsed Obama. The senator holds town hall meetings in Gary and Lafayette today. --- Indiana Set To Host Obama And Clinton Campaigns (Indianapolis) -- Senator Barack Obama and supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton have a total of 15 campaign events in different Indiana towns through Saturday. Obama starts a four-day bus tour in South Bend before visiting Gary and Lafayette on Thursday. Former President Bill Clinton makes a fourth trip to the state, with five stops between Thursday and Friday. Retired General Wesley Clark will stump for Clinton in Indianapolis, West Lafayette, Sellersburg, and Scottsburg. The latest push comes with just over four weeks remaining until the primary. --- Moves Are Made To Prevent Construction Of Johnson County School (Johnson County) -- The state of Indiana has moved in to prevent construction of a Johnson County school. The action comes as a way to keep property taxes down that affect a particular group of homeowners. School administrators are not happy. The current plan is to build a new middle school close to Clark-Pleasant School Districts intermediate school. The project would cost 60-million-dollars and includes renovating other buildings that include the high school. The board has approved the project, but Indianas Department of Local Government Finance has turned it down based partly on current tax rates in the district. --- Valparaiso Mayor Announces Candidacy For Indiana Attorney General (Valparaiso) -- Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas is throwing his hat into the ring for Indiana attorney general. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports Costas announced his campaign for the Republican nomination Tuesday. Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita had expressed interest in the post, but he decided to step aside for Costas. The Valparaiso mayor said he began considering the idea three weeks ago, after Republican Attorney General Steve Carter announced he would not seek a third term. --- Police Chase Cover Four Counties, Ends In Indianapolis (Indianapolis) -- A police chase last night covered four counties and ended in Indianapolis. Indiana State Police say officers tried to pull over a speeding pick up truck in Wayne County, and the driver just kept going. Stop sticks were deployed and over the course of the pursuit, three tires were flattened and the truck continued to drive on the one tire, then the rim before being stopped in the capital city. The driver has been identified as twenty-nine-year old Kevin Vilbig from Texas. There were no injuries. --- Car Crashes Into Broad Ripple McDonalds (Broad Ripple) -- A car crashed into a McDonalds last night in Broad Ripple north of Indianapolis. Police say the woman driver told them her foot become caught under on the gas pedal and the car went into the building. There were some people playing bingo nearby and a few were injured but not seriously. No arrest was made. Kentucky Summary (Louisville, KY) -- The Clark Memorial-2nd Street bridge is closed this morning for Saturdays Thunder Over Louisville. The entire bridge will remain closed until 2 p.m. on Sunday. Thunder Over Louisville is the official kickoff for the Kentucky Derby Festival. This is the 19th year for the annual fireworks event. (Louisville, KY) -- A two-year-old is fighting for her life this morning after she choked on a grape at a Louisville day care on Monday. A Kentucky state agency is now investigating the facility where it happened. Family members say Elizabeth Brinson was eating lunch at Tylers Playhouse on Dixie Highway, when she choked on a grape that was in her fruit cocktail. The owner of the daycare said once the child starting choking teachers patted her back, and called an ambulance once the child turned blue. Officials say at the end of the investigation the daycare could either be cleared or cited. (Frankfort, KY) -- The Department of Public Advocacy has announced that it will cut 54 positions because of state budget cuts. Officials say the move could lead to poor people charged with crimes being left without a public defender. The Department of Public Advocacy saw two-point-five-million-dollars cut from its 40-million-dollars budget under a two-year spending plan that the General Assembly approved last week. Lawmakers say the department could challenge the move in court if the agency was unable to provide competent legal counsel to people charged with crimes. (Louisville, KY) -- A growing local coalition of peace, justice, immigrant support and faith-based organizations will hold a press conference at noon today to announce they plan to protest the military flyovers that are part of the Thunder over Louisville airshow. The group will meet at The Peaceful Skies Picnic at the Americana Center on Southside Drive. The group says they dont oppose the civilian portion of the airshow or fireworks, just the military planes that will be in the airshow, and the impact it will have on youth and the immigrant community. (Frankfort, KY) -- Governor Steve Beshear has signed four bills into law. The new laws include measures relating to corporation income tax and limited liability entity tax, changes relating to plastic container labeling, long term care- insurance and trauma care. The trauma bill will create an office of trauma care which will coordinate a trauma network. Governor Steve Beshear says, quote, "Many areas of Kentucky, particularly rural areas lack good trauma care, something that contributes to higher rates of death and permanent disability as a result of violent accidents? We now have legislation that can address this in a meaningful way." (Louisville, KY) -- Western Kentucky University forward and Sacred Heart graduate Crystal Kelly was the 31st selection in yesterdays WNBA draft. Crystal was picked in the third round by the Houston Comets. Shes the third Lady Hill-Topper to be drafted by the WNBA. (Louisville, KY) -- Brown Forman has donated 200-thousand-dollars to the University of Kentucky to help fight alcohol abuse. The Louisville distiller announced yesterday that it will provide the money over a three-year period to the schools Office of Alcohol and Health Education, according to the "Courier Journal." The money will help the college expand its "Question Authority" campaign to reach out to freshman during a time when they are vulnerable to excessive alcohol consumption. The program also helps provide information about the link between alcohol and genetics. (Louisville, KY) -- Officials with the Kentucky Derby Festival say there are fewer than 400 spots left for the Marathon and Mini Marathon on April 26th. Registration is nearing the cap of 12-thousand, and runners who are currently training are strongly encouraged to register to ensure a guaranteed entry. Entry fees for the Mini Marathon are 50-dollars, and for the Marathon the fee is 75-dollars. Festival officials say the numbers for the races have risen steadily over the past two years. (Frankfort, KY) -- There are less than two-weeks left to apply for disaster assistance for those who were affected by the storms in early February. The deadline to apply for assistance is April 21st. Residents in fourteen counties are eligible to apply, including those in Hardin, Meade, Hart and Shelby county. More information can be found at www.fema.gov. (Louisville, KY) -- The Coast Guard is telling boaters to stay off the Ohio River on Saturday for Thunder Over Louisville. Officials say the river is full of dangerous debris, after the recent flooding. Last year almost 200 private boaters were on the river to watch the annual fireworks celebration, but, with the river still out of its banks, and more rain on the way, officials say it could be dangerous. (Radcliff, KY) -- Radcliff Police say a man was arrested earlier this week for public intoxication among other charges. Authorities say they received a tip about someone possibly smoking marijuana behind a business along North Wilson Road. When they arrived police located three subjects, one of which took off and gave officers a chase. Officials say John Flores was later located inside the business and admitted to smoking marijuana. He has been charged with public intoxication, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as illegal possession of legend drug and theft of a legend drug. He was lodged in the Hardin County Detention Facility. Illinois Summary --- More Cancellations Of American Airline Flights (Chicago) -- Its another tough day for American Airlines and its passengers. The airline says as part of its ongoing inspection program of its fleet of MD-80 planes it is canceling another 900-flights today. According to information posted by Chicagos OHare Airport, more than 130 American flights either going in or out of OHare today have been canceled. More than 460 American flights were cancelled Tuesday and another one-thousand-plus were called off yesterday. --- Woman Charged In Crash That Killed Boy On South Side (Chicago) -- A 28-year-old Chicago woman is now charged in the hit-and-run death of an eight-year-old boy. Chicago Police say Theresa Alexander is charged with one-count of DUI, one-count of negligent driving and is also charged with operating a vehicle without insurance. Eight-year-old Tishuan Fields, who lived on the 17-hundred block of West 66th Street, was struck on the 56-hundred block of South Princeton Avenue around 10 p.m. Monday. --- Body Found In Lake Could Be Missing Man Accused Of Killing Parents (Chicago) -- Investigators say a man found dead in Lake Michigan on Tuesday night had been shot and could be the Villa Park cab driver suspected of killing his parents. Law enforcement officials reportedly say the body appears to be that of 33-year-old Artur Shehu. Investigators charged the son with the January killings of his parents and say they found a note in which he confessed. --- African-American Firefighter Museum Finds New Home At Notorious Location (Chicago) -- The Chicago Fire Departments African-American Firefighter Museum is headed for a new home that was once the scene of an embarrassing incident with racial overtones. Mayor Daley introduced an ordinance Wednesday authorizing a lease agreement for the former Engine Company 100 station at 68-43 South Harper Avenue. As the "Chicago Sun-Times" reports, that is the location where a retirement party was held in 1990 in which many white firefighters were videotaped drinking beer and using racial slurs. The videotape was shown repeatedly on Chicago TV stations and eventually led to the 1999 resignation of then-Fire Commissioner Edward Altman and discipline against several other firefighters. --- Police: Off-Campus Robber Locked Student In Bathroom (Evanston) -- Students on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University are being warned of an incident where a student was robbed at her off-campus apartment on Tuesday afternoon. The alleged offender forced the victim into her bathroom, then secured the door shut with an electrical cord. The woman was not hurt but says her wallet and several other items were taken. --- Drew Petersons Son Suspended From Force For Eight-Days (Oak Brook) -- Drew Petersons son will be serving a suspension from his job as an Oak Brook Police officer. Oak Brook officials handed down an eight-day suspension to 28-year-old Stephen Peterson last night for wearing his police uniform and driving a squad car to an appearance before a grand jury investigating the disappearance of his fathers wife. The incident happened several-months ago. Drew Peterson is a former Bolingbrook Police officer suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy. The grand jury also is investigating the 2004 drowning of Drew Petersons third wife, Kathleen Savio. --- City Council Approves Fuel Surcharge For Taxicabs (Chicago) -- If the price of gas stays high, its going to cost Chicagoans more to catch a cab. The City Council has approved a gasoline surcharge for cab drivers. A surcharge of 50-cents will be added to fares if the average retail gas price is between two-dollars-70-cents and three-dollars-20-cents for seven consecutive business days. It will increase to one-dollar if the price exceeds three-dollars-20-cents for seven-days. The surcharge will be lifted if gas falls below two-dollars-70-cents for seven straight business days. The ordinance starts April 28th. --- Application Introduced To Put Museum In Grant Park (Chicago) -- Mayor Richard Daleys controversial plan to put a new Chicago Childrens Museum in Grant Park is moving forward. The mayor says an application was introduced into City Council that would put the museum next to Millennium Park. Daley says the location would be ideal for the citys children and would protect Grant Park. Opponents say the move would skirt the law, that the State Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled the park must be "forever open, clear and free" of buildings and obstructions. --- Fugitive Surrenders To Chicago Police Department (Chicago) -- An alleged gang chief who has been a fugitive for almost four-years has turned himself in to federal authorities. The FBI says 40-year-old Donnell Jehan surrendered Tuesday night at Second District Police Headquarters on the citys South Side. He was the target of a nationwide manhunt since 2004 after being indicted on numerous drug charges with other gang members. Jehan had been tied to former 20th Ward Alderman Arenda Troutman, who was indicted last year on federal charges that she accepted bribes. --- Naperville Central Alum Goes To L.A. As Top Selection In WNBA Draft (Palm Harbor, FL) -- What a week this has been for Candace Parker. The former Naperville Central High School star led the University of Tennessee to its second straight NCAA womens basketball title on Tuesday night. Then yesterday, Parker was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, taken by the Los Angeles Sparks. The Chicago Sky held the second overall pick and chose LSU center Sylvia Fowles. The WNBAs regular season begins next month. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions)