Tristate Regional News, Thursday 4/26

Indianapolis Summary: House Speaker Thinks Lawmakers Will Be Able To Finish Work This Weekend (Indianapolis) -- State lawmakers are looking ahead to a busy weekend as work continues on many issues in the final days of the legislative session. House Speaker Pat Bauer says he thinks lawmakers will be able to agree on a budget along with ways to reduce property taxes and improve healthcare by the end of the day on Sunday. Lawmakers were told earlier this week that property taxes could rise an average of almost 24-percent this year alone if nothing is done to lower spending growth. The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns is pushing hard for legislation which gives them new ways to tax outside of property taxes, while a number of lawmakers have their own ideas about ways to reduce property taxes in the state. --- Arizona And Indiana Begin Riot Inquiry (Phoenix, AZ) -- Four investigators from the Arizona Department of Corrections are in Indiana to look into what caused a three hour riot on Tuesday. The riot was reportedly started by Arizona inmates transferred to Indiana, who were upset because prison rules and regulations in Indiana are more strict than in Arizona. Officials say 212 inmates, including 61 from Arizona, have been transferred from the New Castle facility to other prisons, while the investigation is ongoing. Since March, over 600 Arizona inmates have been sent to Indiana and the transfer of another 12-hundred inmates has been put on hold for the time being. --- Student Arrested For Making Fraudulent IDs (Bloomington) -- An Indiana University student has been arrested and accused today of making fake IDs. Police say they have arrested 21-year-old Nicolas Richardson of Carmel. Investigators say he sold the IDs in at least eight states. Indiana State Police excise officer, Lieutenant Ken Murphy, says police caught Richardson red-handed in his upscale Bloomington apartment. Murphy says Richardson confessed to him that he made the IDs and was ready to mail 75 IDs at 125-dollars a piece while numerous others were in production. Police say they suspect Richardson put himself through college with the profits. Richardson faces felony counterfeiting and felony drug charges. Detectives say they found marijuana and OxyContin in his apartment. --- Christian College Will Remember Victims Of Van Crash Today (Upland) -- A private Christian college will remember the victims of a horrific van crash in Indiana one-year ago that made national headlines when the identity of a woman killed in the crash was mixed up with a student who lived. Taylor University is holding a remembrance service tonight to pray for the four students and one staff member who died in the crash along an Indiana Interstate one-year ago. The identity mix-up led a Michigan family to care for someone they believed was their daughter for five-weeks until it became clear their loved one died in the crash and the person they had been caring for was another student. Whitney Cerak has since recovered and returned to school. A truck driver accused of falling asleep at the wheel and causing the crash is set to go on trial in August. --- Eighth-Grader Caught with Knife in School (Merrillville) -- An Indiana eighth-grader may be expelled after bringing a steak knife to school. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports the student at Pierce Middle School in Merrillville said he had the knife because he wanted to protect himself from bullies. The boys mother said teachers and school security were aware her son was being bullied, but didnt do anything about it. --- Grissom Air Reserve Base Reservists Headed To Turkey (Grissom ARB) -- Some soldiers with the Air Force Reserve are heading to Turkey to conduct air refueling missions. Grissom Air Reserve Base officials say the first wave of soldiers with the 434th Air Refueling Wing will leave for Turkey tomorrow. Soldiers will be deployed in a rotational schedule through June. The 434th Air Refueling Wing has the largest KC-135 Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. The giant Stratotankers will be used to refuel bombers, fighters and cargo aircraft in mid-air. --- Indiana Pacers Fire Coach Rick Carlisle (Indianapolis) -- The Indiana Pacers are now looking for a new head coach. Pacers President Larry Bird says Rick Carlisle has agreed to step down from the job he has held for the past four years. The team failed to reach the playoffs this year for the first time in a decade. The Pacers have also been plagued with a number of public relations nightmares in recent years due to the behavior of some players, including 2004s infamous brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Bird says Carlisle does have the option to remain with the team in another capacity. Bird says Carlisles decision not to return as head coach was a mutual decision. LouisvilleSummary: Marshalls Arrest Louisville Fugitive In Mexico (Louisville, KY) -- U.S. Marshalls have arrested a man who fled custody after undergoing tests to donate a kidney to his son. Byron Perkins was temporarily released from jail in January 2006 for the testing, but authorities say he failed to return to custody. Perkins and his girlfriend, Lea Ann Howard, were arrested in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico and were flown to Los Angeles for an extradition hearing. Perkins was serving time on a weapons charge when he fled. Perkins son Destin received a kidney from an anonymous donor and says he thinks his father should be behind bars. City Leaders Upset With State Transportation Officials (Louisville, KY) -- Louisville city leaders say they are upset that state transportation officials tried to hide two designs from them for a bridge over the Great Lawn. State officials claim the designs were too expensive to show, but board members are heated at the fact the images were kept private. The bridge would be part of a redesign project for Spaghetti Junction and the project will cost the state an estimated one-point-seven-billion dollars. Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson says they have asked to see the options of the bridge and state transportation officials refused to share them with the public. State officials say the images of the bridge would have cost 100-million dollars more than needed. City officials voted during a board meeting Wednesday night to conduct an engineering study of the design to see if the predicted figure of the design was correct. Bullitt County Teens Arrested For Threatening Student (Shepherdsville, KY) -- Police say two North Bullitt High School students are accused of threatening to kill a middle school student. The two teens were arrested after allegedly calling and leaving threatening messages on the victims cell phone. Investigators say one of the teens had posted photos of himself holding weapons on his MySpace page. They say they believe the incident was because of a girl. One Person Killed In Fatal Crash (Munfordville, KY) -- Kentucky State Police say one person was killed overnight after a fatal crash. The incident happened along I-65 near Munfordville and closed portions of the highway. Police say a semi-truck hit a bridge around 11:30 p.m. in the southbound lane near mile marker 65. Police still had the road closed off earlier this morning after the crash. New York Man Charged In Tax Scheme (Louisville, KY) -- A Federal Grand Jury in Louisville charged a New York tax preparer earlier this week with a fraudulent tax preparation scheme. Officials say Timothy Mitts has been charged with 18-counts of willfully aiding and assisting in false preparation and filing of tax returns. The indictment alleges that Mitts willfully prepared false tax returns on at least 18 different locations. The indictment also alleges Mitts provided numerous false statements to the IRS, including false charity donations, medical expenses, and business losses to avoid taxes being owed. If convicted, Mitts could face up to 54-years in prison, and over 1-million-dollars in fines. Mitts will be back in court on May 2nd. Soldier Charged After MySpace Meeting (Fort Knox, KY) -- A Fort Knox soldier is facing charges of unlawful transaction with a minor after police say he tried to arrange a meeting with some underage girls he met on MySpace. Benjamin Watford was arrested Saturday after parents complained to police he allegedly asked the two girls to, quote, "party" with him. The "News-Enterprise" reports police arrested Watford when he arrived at a Vine Grove gas station to meet the girls, age 12 and 13. He could face up to a year in prison if he is convicted on the charges. Watford faces misdemeanor charges now, but could be charged with a felony if he is proven to have solicited sex from a minor, under a law passed in 2006. Haun Selected To Lead Burkhead Elementary (Elizabethtown, KY) -- A former student and teacher from Hardin County Schools has been selected to return to the area as principal at G.C. Burkhead Elementary School. Curt Haun was named the next principal of the districts largest elementary school earlier this week. Haun has held administrative positions at high schools in three counties in Kentucky, and is currently principal of Carroll County High School. Haun graduated from West Hardin High School in 1984 and his father was superintendent of Fort Knox Community Schools from 1976 to 1994. He says its nice to come home to be close to family, and looks forward to the challenge of the opportunity. Second Veterans Cemetery Nearing Completion (Radcliff, KY) -- The second of five state veterans cemeteries planned for across the state is wrapping up the last stages of construction. Workers plan to move into the administration building at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central in Radcliff on May 4th. The cemetery will have a dedication ceremony June 1st and the first internments are scheduled for June 4th. The cemetery will serve a 75-mile radius, and has received around 18-hundred applications for interment. The entrance to the cemetery will be adorned with a golden eagle memorial valued at 60-thousand dollars, paid by donations. Last minute details are being completed, and a turn lane into the cemetery is being added off North Dixie Boulevard. ChicagoSummary: Chain Reaction Accident Kills Eight On Indiana Toll Road (Bristol, IN) -- Eight people are dead after a chain reaction crash on the Indiana Toll Road near the town of Bristol this morning. The crash has shut down all westbound lanes of the Toll Road at mile marker 102. Three semi-tractor trailers and three vehicles were involved in the crash. Its going to be sometime before the Toll Road is reopened. --- Suspect In Custody In Boys Murder (Chicago) -- Chicago police are questioning a suspect in the murder of two boys on Chicagos South Side. The person in custody once had a relationship with the mother of the victims. Two boys were found stabbed to death this morning in the closet of their home near 79th Street and Ellis Avenue. Authorities also say a 13-year-old girl was transported from the same residence with stab wounds to Jackson Park Hospital. She also said she had been sexually assaulted and now is in stable condition. The boys, ages 14 and 12, were discovered around 3:30 a.m. There are reports that all three victims are related. The mother was reportedly at work when the crime happened. --- Court Hears Luna Confession (Chicago) -- The defense is expected to begin calling its witnesses in the trial of one of the Browns Chicken murder suspects. Luna blamed the shootings on co-defendant James Degorski. Prosecutors contend both defendants killed the two owners and five workers at the Palatine restaurant in 1993. Degorski will be tried later. --- Bus Monitor Accused Of Choking Boy (Joliet) -- A school bus monitor is accused of choking a four-year-old Joliet boy as he drove him home from school on Monday. ABC-7 Television 1/81/8 WLS 3/83/8 reports the incident was captured on videotape. The female monitor has been forbidden to have contact with any children while the incident is under investigation. The Joliet Police Department has also gotten involved with the case. --- Midlothian Crash Kills One (Midlothian) -- Midlothian Police are investigating an accident that left an 18-year-old man dead. Authorities say on Tuesday around 8:30 p.m., a Ford Thunderbird collided into a tree and erupted in flames at 147th Street and Homan Avenue. The passenger of the vehicle, 18-year-old Stephen Hayes of Midlothian, was killed and the driver escaped with minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. --- Man Found Murdered In West Side Alley (Chicago) -- The search is on for a killer after a man was found shot to death in a West Side alley. News Affairs Officer David Banks said the body was found around 11:30 p.m. in the 53-hundred block of West Chicago Avenue. He had been shot in the back multiple times. Detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. --- Writing About Violence Gets Student Arrested (Chicago) -- A student from a northwest suburban high school is charged with disorderly conduct and suspended from school after writing a school essay described as violent and disturbing. Allen Lee, an 18-year-old senior, was arrested on Tuesday even though authorities say the essay didnt threaten any specific person or location. Lees father told the "Chicago Tribune" that he understands such a reaction considering the shooting deaths of 32 people last week at Virginia Tech but said his son was doing what his teacher asked by writing an essay expressing himself. --- Ebert Attends Film Festival Despite Illness (Champaign) -- Roger Ebert made his first public appearance last night since he underwent surgery last summer to remove a cancerous growth from his salivary gland and right jaw. He attended his very own "Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Fest" at the Virginia Theater in his hometown of Champaign. Ebert took the stage not being able to speak pending further surgery, so his wife Chaz spoke for him. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-04-26-07 1102CDT