Tristate Regional News, Monday 4/23

Indiana News Summary Shooting On Indianapolis Eastside Leaves Man In Serious Condition (Indianapolis,IN) -- A shooting early this morning has left one man in serious but stable condition. The shooting happened in the area of 44th and Emerson Avenue after the victim and a group of men argued at a gas station. Police say the victim was shot during a drive-by attack. No arrest has been made yet. --- Northwest Indiana Traffic Stop Turns Into Major Drug Bust (Lowell) -- Lowell police stopped a motorist for going six miles over the speed limit and wound up arresting him for transporting a quarter-of-a-million dollars worth of heroin. Francisco Solano, a Dominican Republic national living in Ohio, was stopped Friday afternoon on Interstate 65 near Lowell. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports officers noticed Solano appeared very nervous and that he contradicted his own stories several times. A subsequent search of the Ford Explorer he was driving turned up almost six pounds of black tar heroin. It has a street value of 250-thousand-dollars. Solano is facing felony drug charges and remains in the Lake County Jail. --- One Body Recovered In Indiana Helicopter Crash (Knox) -- Rescue officials will resume their search at a northwest Indiana lake early this morning, the site of a Sunday night helicopter crash. The body of an unidentified female victim was pulled out of Bass Lake in Stark County late last night. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Gene Davis says witnesses confirm the chopper went down in the lake at about 9 p.m. There is speculation that the helicopter may have been owned and piloted by a civilian from Chicago who frequents the area. --- Potential Rabies Treatment Fails, Two Children Die (Washington, DC) -- An experimental rabies treatment which has been successful in the past has failed two U.S. children. A ten-year-old Indiana girl and an eleven-year-old boy in California have both died after receiving a treatment which puts them in a drug-induced coma as they receive antiviral drugs. The treatment saved the life of a teenager in 2004 who received it a month after she was bitten by an infected animal. A team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used the tragedy to stress how important it is for parents and doctors to quickly recognize if their child has been exposed to rabies. Quick vaccination after exposure to rabies can save lives, but if a person shows symptoms -- which are sometimes vague -- it is usually too late. --- Winning Lottery Numbers Drawn Here are Sundays winning numbers from the Hoosier Lottery. Daily Three-Evening: 4-1-1, Daily Four-Evening: 2-6-2-1, Lucky Five-Evening: 4-7-11-13-36. Kentucky News Summary CATS Testing Gets Underway (Frankfort, KY) -- At schools across the state, KATS testing begins today. The Kentucky Accountability Testing System used to gauge school proficiency on the road to their goals. Testing runs through May 4th. Educators are urging parents to make sure their students get plenty of sleep and have a healthy breakfast. Domestic Partner Benefits Possible At UK (Lexington, KY) -- The second public university in Kentucky could approve domestic-partner benefits this week. According to the "Herald Leader," the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees meets tomorrow to consider the controversial benefit addition. A bill to prohibit public universities in Kentucky from providing domestic-partner benefits was passed by the Senate and defeated in a House committee. Domestic partner benefits are offered at two private colleges in Kentucky, Berea and Centre. Steelworkers Vote On ARH Contract (Lexington, KY) -- Twenty-four-hundred workers at Appalachian Regional Healthcare facilities will be voting on a new contract this week. This is the fifth week of a strike. According to WYMT-TV, union officials say they go over the tentative contract with workers tomorrow, then workers will vote on Wednesday. Union officials say the contract doesnt include everything they wanted, but does have improved wages, preserves pensions and contains health insurance costs. ARH officials says theyre hopeful workers will improve the pact. Virginia Tech Tragedy Prompts Suicide Prevention Reminder (Frankfort, KY) -- The Kentucky Suicide Prevention Group says speculation continues about possible mental health issues surrounding the Virginia Tech shootings. The group says it wants to stress that very Kentuckian needs to play an active role in suicide and violence prevention. The group says while the vast majority of people suffering from suicidal thoughts are not prone to violence against others, a small number of suicidal people may act out their distress in violence towards someone else. The group says there is National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK. Fire Fundraiser Called Success (Frankfort, KY) -- Organizers of a benefit to help those displaced by the St. Clair Mall fire believe they have reached their goal. The "State Journal" reports the total raised at the fund raiser may be released today. The goal was 10-thousand dollars to assist those affected by the March 4th fire. Conference On Women And Tobacco Usage (Frankfort, KY) -- More men than women smoke, but smoking has unique health implications for women, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services says tobacco companies use marketing techniques to specifically target women. Those are among the topics of the first Women and Tobacco Conference to be held in Lexington tomorrow. New UK Womens Basketball Coach (Lexington, KY) -- University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart is expected to present the schools new womens basketball coach this afternoon. WKYT-TV reports the new coach is Mathew Mitchell. Mitchell will be the first male coach of the UK womens program in its history. Mitchell was former assistant coach of the Kentucky women and returns after being head coach at Morehead State University. In two seasons at MSU, Mitchell had a record of 30-and-29. Illinois News Summary Major Changes On The Chicago Banking Scene (Chicago) -- Theres a major change today in Chicagos banking community as LaSalle Bank is sold to Bank of America. The "Chicago Tribune" reports the deal is worth 21-billion-dollars. The move would mean Bank of America would go from having less than a two-percent share of the market to immediately becoming Chicagos largest bank. Officials expect the sale will mean some layoffs. --- One Body Recovered In Indiana Helicopter Crash (Knox, IN) -- Rescue officials have resumed their search at a Northwest Indiana lake, the site of a Sunday night helicopter crash. The body of an unidentified female was pulled out of Bass Lake in Stark County late last night. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Gene Davis says witnesses confirm the chopper went down in the lake at about 9:00 p.m. There is speculation that the helicopter may have been owned and piloted by a civilian from Chicago who frequents the area. --- Reports Say Obama Has Long-Standing Ties With Indicted Fundraiser (Chicago) -- Senator Barack Obamas long-standing relationship with an indicted political fundraiser is getting more and more scrutiny. Tony Rezko has been charged with demanding kickbacks on state business deals. Many of Rezkos other past business dealings have been called into question. According to an article today in the "Chicago Sun-Times", Obamas campaign admits he did some limited legal work for Rezko and his associates some years ago. Obama had previously not admitted to any business dealings with Rezko. --- Tests Proves Mans Innocence In 26-Year-Old Rape Case (Chicago) -- A Chicago man who spent 26-years proclaiming his innocence of rape charges is to finally be exonerated today, thanks to DNA evidence. Cook County prosecutors are set to ask a judge to officially wipe the charges off Jerry Millers record. Millers exoneration based on DNA will be the 200th such case in the nation. The 48-year-old Miller says hes not bitter and says he has managed to successfully rebuild his life. --- Groups Claim Report On Chicago Police Torture Is A Waste Of Time And Money (Chicago) -- Two prosecutors who investigated reports of alleged torture tactics used by the Chicago Police Department should themselves be investigated, according to two legal groups. Allegations have long persisted that the department tortured suspects into confessions during the 20-year reign of former Police Commander John Burge, which ended in 1993. But the "Chicago Sun-Times" says a report due out Tuesday will state that torture only occurred in three of 148-cases reviewed by former Judge Edward Egan and attorney Robert Boyle. Two Chicago legal groups say the report is flawed, because of conflicts of interest and bias. The groups say the report represents a serious waste of seven-million-dollars and suggests that Egan and Boyle now be investigated. NOTE NATURE OF LANGUAGE IN FOLLOWING STORY3/83/8 --- City Transportation Supervisor Accused Of Making Racist Remarks (Chicago) -- An Assistant Project Director for the Chicago Department of Transportation has been placed on administrative leave amid allegations he made dozens of racist and sexist remarks. The "Chicago Sun-Times" reports the unnamed supervisor used the "n-word" to describe blacks and paraded around with a tablecloth over his head, mimicking the Ku Klux Klan. He also allegedly referred to female workers as "bitches." His accusers say this kind of behavior has been going for about five years. CDOT has launched an internal investigation. --- At Least One Dead, Several Injured In Northwest Tollway Crash (Chicago) -- One person is dead and five are hurt after a multi-vehicle crash early this morning on the Northwest Tollway near Rockford. The "Chicago Tribune" reports some of the injured are children. Police say the driver of a Ford Mustang lost control of his car, went across the median and struck a mini-van headed in the opposite direction. Witnesses say debris from the Mustang then struck a third vehicle. Its 29-year-old driver died at the scene. Its not known if alcohol was a factor. The Tollway was shut down for some two hours following the accident. --- Waukegan Teen Dies In Alcohol-Related Crash (Waukegan) -- A Waukegan teen who was a passenger in a car driven by a 14-year-old was killed Sunday in an what police believe to be an alcohol-related crash. 15-year-old Juan Castro died when the car crashed into a utility pole near Washington Street in Gurnee. The accident occurred at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday. The 14-year-old driver of the vehicle is also from Waukegan, but the "Chicago Tribune" reports police are declining to release his name. Charges have not been filed. --- Man Accused Of Killing Girlfriend (Chicago) -- Chicago Police have charged a 25-year-old man of killing his live-in girlfriend during a quarrel. Machon Anderson is accused of beating, strangling and suffocating 26-year-old Jocelyn Love. Her body was discovered at the couples apartment April 16th after family members told police they had not been able to reach her for several days. Anderson has reportedly told police he beat and suffocated Love after she drew a knife on him. The "Chicago Tribune" reports bail for Anderson has been set at 800-thousand-dollars. --- Father Of Indicted Alderman Got Rehab Deal (Chicago) -- A state loan obtained by the late father of Chicago Alderman Arenda Troutman is coming into question, 12-years after it was received. The 500-thousand-dollar loan was to be used to refurbish an apartment building owned by Benjamin Troutman. Troutman reported the building had ten units, but the "Chicago Sun-Times" reports there are only nine. A 1999 state inspection also revealed that Troutmans wife was living in one of the units without a lease. The building is surrounded by seven other buildings rehabbed by indicted businessman Tony Rezko. Arenda Troutman gave her support to all of the projects. She was indicted earlier this year for accepting a bribe from someone she thought was a developer who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-04-23-07 0740CDT