Regional Summary, Wednesday 6/18

Indiana Summary --- Gas Prices Drop Below Four-Dollars (Indianapolis) -- Gasoline prices have dropped below four-dollars a gallon in Indianapolis. Some stations are selling regular unleaded gasoline for three dollars-97 cents a gallon. Recently, the price of oil dropped. --- Marine From Richmond Killed In Afghanistan Explosion (Richmond) -- A 22-year-old U.S. Marine from Richmond has died while on duty in Iraq. Lance Corporal Layton Bradley Crass was the victim of a roadside bomb attack on Saturday. He graduated from Richmond High School in 2005. Crass had been in Afghanistan in April and was helping to train police forces. He was assigned to the Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment in Twentynine Palms, California. --- Indiana Democrats Complete Slate With State Superintendent Candidate (Indianapolis) -- Indiana Democrats will complete their slate of statewide candidates today when Dr. Richard Wood starts his campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Events are scheduled in Lafayette and Indianapolis to introduce Wood. He recently retired after spending 19 years as superintendent of the Tippecanoe School Corporation. The district added about 45-hundred students under Wood and now has a total enrollment of nearly 12-thousand. Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Bennett is the Republican nominee for the election this fall. Democrats will make all their nominations official at the partys state convention on Saturday. --- Here Are The Latest Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Midday: 4-1-7; Daily Three-Evening: 5-6-0; Daily Four-Midday: 6-8-5-3; Daily Four-Evening: 6-5-6-6; Lucky Five-Midday: 15-18-22-27-31; Lucky Five-Evening: 10-21-27-34-36; Mix & Match: 5-20-27-31-45. Kentucky Summary (Louisville, KY) -- Chemical maker Rohm and Haas has announced a scale back in production. Officials say 220 jobs will be cut from the companys Louisville plant because of rising costs for materials. The move will amount to about two-thirds of the 353 workers at the plant. Officials say the move is also because of the weaker demand in energy. (Louisville, KY) -- A Middletown man is facing a murder charge after the death of his wife. James Simpson was indicted for the incident that left Katherine Simpson dead of a gunshot wound. Police say they first ruled that Katherine had killed herself, although a Jefferson County grand jury indicted James at a later date in connection with her death. Simpsons bond was set at 100-thousand dollars full cash on Monday. He is due back in court next month. (Jeffersonville, IN) -- A Jeffersonville man that is facing 58-counts of sexual abuse against a minor will ask a judge later today to reduce his bond. Charles Sparks is scheduled to appear before for a bond reduction hearing later today in Clark County Circuit Court. This is the 2nd time Sparks has asked for a bond reduction. Last month his bond was reduced from 100-thousand dollars to 90-thousand dollars. Sparks is accused of sexually abusing his three foster daughters, who were placed in his home after they were sexually abused by their biological father. Sparks is a former employee of the Greater Clark County School System. (Louisville, KY) -- The Thoroughbred Safety Committee recommended three changes in race training and racing yesterday. The committee recommended regulating steroids, banning a style of horseshoes called toe grabs and reforming rules on whips. The committee was formed just after the 2008 running of the Kentucky Derby when filly Eight Belles had to be euthanized after breaking down on the track. The shoeing rules apply to front shoes and are recommended as soon as possible or by December 31st. (Floyd County, IN) -- Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of a Floyd County Police officer who was shot while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Officer Frank Denzinger was killed by a teenager who then turned the gun on himself. The Indiana Fallen Officers Campaign and the American Red Cross will hold a blood drive today in Officer Denzingers honor. The blood drive will be held today at the Greenville Elementary School from 2 until 7 p.m. (Louisville, KY) -- The Louisville Zoo will hold a pirate beach party on Friday. The event will take place at the Zoos Calistoga Splash Park at Glacier Run on Friday from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. Admission will run five-dollars after 5 p.m. and zoo members will be allowed to enter free as part of the membership. The event will include games, music, prizes, and giveaways. Kids will also be invited to enjoy a "treasure" hunt. Anyone wanting more information can contact www.louisvillezoo.org. (Lebanon Junction, KY) -- Police have arrested a man for allegedly stealing grave markers in Bullitt County. Officials say Jeffery Walker is facing at least 19 charges of receiving stolen property after police found tombstones and markers in his front yard near Lebanon Junction. Police believe the tombstones are worth nearly 15-thousand dollars and were stolen from monument companies in Lebanon Junction and Franklin, Kentucky. Officials say at least three other people may be involved in the case. Jeffery Walker was lodged in the Bullitt County jail on a 25-hundred dollar full cash bond. Police say more arrests are likely. (Radcliff, KY) -- Radcliff Police continue investigating a weekend shooting that injured two men. One of the shooting victims has been released from the hospital, while the other remains in stable condition at University Hospital in Louisville. The shooting happened early Sunday morning at an apartment on Pioneer Court. According to the "News Enterprise," the names of the victims are not being released. Illinois Summary --- Suburban Waters Slowly Receding (Antioch) -- It appears the worst flooding is over for Chicagos suburbs, but the water hasnt disappeared just yet. The Fox River has crested near the Wisconsin border, and will do so near Algonquin later this week. The Chain OLakes will also crest as soon as tomorrow at about a foot above flood stage. Both bodies of water are closed to boaters. Hundreds of homes and properties in McHenry, Kane and Lake Counties have been damaged by rising waters. Business owners are getting frustrated with the third round of flooding in one-years time. Several in Fox Lake, Antioch, and Grant Township have simply shut their doors and are hoping to re-open once the water recedes. --- Chicagos Traffic Third Worst, According To Survey (Chicago) -- Chicago has the third-worst traffic congestion in the nation and three of the fifteen worst bottlenecks according to a new study. The INRIX company, which provides real-time traffic information for GPS devices, found that only Los Angeles and New York have worse traffic than Chicago. The study also says the Eastbound Eisenhower Expressway at Mannheim is the regions heaviest bottleneck. Other heavy trouble spots are the Northbound Dan Ryan Expressway at Canalport and the Southbound Dan Ryan at Roosevelt Road. In all, INRIX says Chicago congestion jumped two-percent since 2006. And if you want a quick commute, its probably best to travel on Friday between 9 and 10 a.m., but youll want to avoid the roads on Friday evenings, between 5 and 6. --- Report: Illinoisans Tried To Vote In Indiana Primary (Crown Point) -- A leading Indiana Republican claims Illinois voters tried to vote in the Indiana primary on May 6th. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports East Chicago and Whiting Republican chairman Raymond Lopez told the Lake County elections board yesterday that "busloads" of Illinoisans and downstate Indiana students showed up. When asked why, the Illinoisans allegedly told poll workers, quote, "we were told to vote here." None of the Illinoisans was allowed to cast a ballot, and theres no indication of who may have sent the voters across state lines. Lopez also claims some poll inspectors just let Indiana residents who werent in the poll books cast regular ballots, instead of provisional ballots, because of the high turnout. Lake County was the target of national scorn when it failed to report any election results for several hours after the primary polls closed. Supervisors blamed a high number of absentee and early-voting ballots. --- Autopsy: Elderly Woman Strangled (Chicago) -- Chicago Police held an outdoor roll call in the citys South Shore neighborhood last night. The show of force was part of the departments response to the strangling death of 71-year-old Dorothy Brown Taylor. She was found dead Monday afternoon in the basement of her apartment building in the 72-hundred block of South Coles Avenue. Besides the evidence of strangling, medical examiners officials say Taylor was hit on the head. Her poodle was also killed. Police are promising round-the-clock neighborhood patrols, and are advising senior citizens not to open the door to strangers. Authorities also arent connecting Taylors death with two high-profile killings in April 2006. Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a one-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to an arrest. --- Wrong-Way Driver Crashes, Closes Ryan Express Lanes (Chicago) -- A wrong-way driver was killed when his pickup crashed on the Dan Ryan Expressway early this morning. State Police say the driver was headed south in the northbound express lanes of I-90/94 near 47th Street when he crashed shortly before 1 a.m. His pickup hit two vehicles, including a parked construction truck, but no one else was hurt. Theres still no word on why the man was headed the wrong way, and police are not releasing his identity. The express lanes reopened about four hours after the accident. --- Two Charged With Murder In CHA Stabbing (Chicago) -- Two women are now charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Blue Island man. Authorities say 44-year-old Jacqueline McKnight of Blue Island and her sister, 46-year-old Regina Williams of Chicago, attacked 56-year-old Walter Jones. It happened during a Monday night party in the Chicago Housing Authoritys Cabrini-Green development. Police say McKnight and Jones, who were dating, got into an argument. McKnight allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed Jones several times in the neck and chest, while Williams is accused of beating Jones. Both McKnight and Williams are expected in bond court today. --- Apartment Complex Files Civil Rights Suit Over Police Checkpoint (Rolling Meadows) -- The owners of a Rolling Meadows apartment complex have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the northwest suburb and its police department. Since last week, police have barricaded 12 of the 13 entrances to the 12 Oaks at Woodfield, and placed uniformed officers at the one open entrance. The officers have been stopping residents to give them tips on crime prevention. An attorney for the complex says the village of Rolling Meadows has no right to "barricade a neighborhood just to hand out fliers." And he adds that police took action "without holding a hearing or informing anyone." Rolling Meadows Police Chief contends that theyre simply trying to control the "rapidly rising crime rate" in the area. --- Tollway Officials Take Steps To Reduce Spur Ramp Accidents (Chicago) -- The Illinois Tollway Authority is taking steps to improve safety on the Tri-State/Edens spur, the scene of two recent deadly accidents. The eastbound spur is now reduced to one lane from the Toll Plaza to the curve that leads onto the Edens Expressway. And both directions of the roadway will see a reduction in the speed limit, from 55 to 45-miles-an-hour. Authorities agree that the recent accidents have been caused in part by truckers who clear construction on the Southbound Tri-State, speed up on the Spur, and then are unable to adjust once they hit backups due to roadwork on the Edens. --- Daley Favors Hospital Site For Athletes Village (Chicago) -- Mayor Daley says that if Chicago lands the 2016 Olympic Summer Games, he would prefer building the athletes village on the site that now holds Michael Reese Hospital. The mayor said Tuesday that building there would cost much less than building over the truck yards near McCormick Place, a site that had been previously suggested. Daley administration officials have reached an agreement in principle with the owners of the hospital, which is slated for closing later this year. A 2016 bid spokesman would only say that the Michael Reese site was being considered, and that no definite plans had been made. --- Six-Year-Old Issued Credit Card (Aurora) -- An Aurora six-year-old has a brand new toy -- a credit card with a 600 dollar limit. Bennett Christiansens mother Amy got fed up with Bank of Americas repeated credit card offers, some of which were addressed to the young boy and his even younger sister, Lindsay. So she decided to annoy the company, by filling one of the applications out with her sons name and social security number. The "Aurora Beacon-News" reports Mister Bennett Christiansen received a shiny new Visa from Bank of America about six weeks later. A Bank of America spokesperson blames human error, and says soliciting minors is against company policy. The Christiansens plan to cut up the card. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-06-18-08 0639CDT