Tristate Regional News, Wednesday 5/09

Indianapolis Summary: --- Marion County GOP Head Says Special Election May Be Necessary (Indianapolis) -- Some Marion County Republicans say a special election may need to be held to allow voters to properly cast their ballots in the wake of widespread voting problems yesterday. Marion County Republican Party Chairman Tom John says yesterdays primary may need to be held again because of closed polling places, ballot errors and a lack of precinct workers. Dozens of precincts opened late yesterday after up to 200-precinct volunteers failed to show up to work. At least three precincts failed to open at all. John blames Democratic Marion County Clerk Beth White for yesterdays botched primary. White yesterday admitted not planning enough for the election and apologized for the problems at the polls. --- Democratic Marion County Clerk Apologizes For Botched Primary Election (Indianapolis) -- The first election for Marion Countys recently-elected Democratic County Clerk didnt turn out as she had planned. Some voters were turned away yesterday after dozens of precincts failed to open on time and other polling places dealt with ballot and staffing problems. At least three precincts failed to open at all yesterday. County Clerk Beth White apologized yesterday for the problems. Marion County Republican Party officials blasted White for failing to properly administer the election. More than 150-precinct employees failed to show up for work yesterday as well. --- Secretary of State Pledges To Look At Marion Countys Voting Problems (Indianapolis) -- The state may take a look at what went wrong yesterday in Indianapolis primary. Secretary of State Todd Rokita spent much of yesterday in Lake County, where he and other election officials monitored the primary in East Chicago and elsewhere. He says his office will look at Marion Countys voting problems, but he says the blame ultimately lies with local election officials. At least three precincts failed to open at all yesterday while dozens of other polling places either opened late or experienced problems with machines, ballots or a lack of poll workers. Rokita says the states pilot-project to install voting centers in Tippecanoe and Wayne counties appears to have been a success. The voting centers allowed people to cast ballots at any center in the county. --- One Killed In Fire In Downtown Crawfordsville (Crawfordsville) -- One person died yesterday in an early morning fire in downtown Crawfordsville. Investigators say the victim is a male, and are trying to find his identity and his exact cause of death. The fire destroyed almost an entire city block. Crawfordsville Fire Chief Todd Barton says they received the first call around 3:35 a.m. with reports of a fire in the 100 block of South Washington Street. Silver Dollar Bar employee Robin Bauman told authorities that she was working cleaning up the bar, when her and another person smelled smoke. "We checked the kitchen area and did not see anything, but still smelled smoke. We opened up the back door and saw flames racing up the back side of the building. We called 911." Barton said when they arrived on the scene they immediately saw occupants of the upstairs apartments trying to get out of the windows. He said, "We rescued five or six individuals from the window and helped another down the stairs." Others affected by the fire and smoke at the scene were treated and signed medical waivers. The Silver Dollar Bar was completely destroyed. In addition, the building on the corner of Pike Street and South Washington was also destroyed. The cause of the blaze has not been determined. --- Dogs Attack Indianapolis Man (Indianapolis) -- A pair of dogs attacked a 61-year-old Indianapolis man yesterday. Police say Jesse Stanley was a victim of a vicious assault. Stanley suffered bites on both legs and was treated at the hospital. The attack on the east side left one of the dogs, a pit bull, dead after police say they had to shoot the animal when it attacked them. Neighbors watched helplessly as the dogs attacked and 911 was called. Police say Stanley was walking around observing the back of his house at 822 North Gray Street when he was attacked. --- Northwestern Indiana Prepares For 17-Year Cicada Surge (West Lafayette) -- Millions of cicadas will rise from the ground in northwestern Indiana later this month. Purdue University entomologist Cliff Sadof says Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties should prepare for the 17-year resurgence of the cicada population as the insects crawl out of the ground and molt into adults. He says the female insects will lay their eggs into slits cut into trees. The eggs will hatch into nymphs in about six weeks and fall back to the ground, where they will spend the next 17-years feeding on tree roots. Sadof says the periodical cicadas do not bite humans or kill trees. The cicadas shrill mating calls can be heard from up to a quarter of a mile away. --- Dozens Of Indiana University Dental Students Punished Following Massive Cheating Incident (Indianapolis) -- Dozens of dental students have been punished after they hacked into an email-based test and got an early look. Indiana University School of Dentistry Dean Lawrence Goldblatt says about half of the schools second-year class has been punished after the cheating incident came to light in late February. He says the students figured out the password to an email-based test and got a look at the questions and pictures ahead of time. Goldblatt says the students used an Internet-based encryption decoder to figure out the password. He says nine students have been dismissed, 16 have been suspended and another 21 have been reprimanded for not reporting the cheating incident after they learned about it. Goldblatt says the school has since changed its technology to prevent students from using code-cracking software to cheat on future exams. Kentucky Summary: Lower Surplus Predicted (Frankfort, KY) -- The state is predicting a lower revenue surplus. According to the "Courier Journal," Budget Office is now predicting a 216-million-dollar surplus, back in January the surplus was predicted at 232-million-dollars, while in November the prediction was for 279-million. A Budget Office official, Bob Cox says individual income and corporate income taxes have not performed as well as expected. Record Number Registered To Vote (Frankfort, KY) -- A record number of Kentuckians are registered to vote in the May 22nd primary. Secretary of State Trey Grayson says almost two-million-800-thousand people are on the election rolls. This surpasses the previous record set in the 2004 General Election. Grayson says, quote, "Now the registration books are closed, we must work diligently to see that every registered Kentuckian votes in the primary." Sign Removed From GOP HQ (Frankfort, KY) -- A sign for the "Farmer for Agriculture" campaign has now been taken down from in front of Kentucky Republican Headquarters in Frankfort. Party officials say they didnt authorize anyone to put up the sign and Farmers opponent Don Stosberg asked them to take it down. Stosberg tells the "State Journal" its important for the party to remain neutral during primaries. Acting state party chairwoman Gail Russell says party leaders will create a policy in a few weeks to deal with the issue in the future. Ragland Trial Moving (Lexington, KY) -- The second trial of Shane Ragland will be held in Louisville. A Fayette judge granting a change of venue in the highly publicized case. Ragland charged in the 1994 sniper style slaying of UK football player Trent DiGiuro. Someone fatally shot DiGiuro as he sat on the porch of a house near the University of Kentucky celebrating his 21st birthday. Ragland was convicted in his first trial, but the Kentucky Supreme Court ordered a new trial after problems were discovered in the testimony of a ballistics expert. Realistic School Shooting Exercise In Lincoln County (Stanford, KY) -- Heavily armed police crept down the halls of Lincoln County High School searching for shooters, as part of large school shooting exercise. Kentucky State Police and a number of other emergency personnel took part in the training, students screamed and yelled and some played the part of wounded students. Officials say the drill had been planned for months but some parents raised concerns because of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech. A Kentucky State Police spokesman tells the "Herald Leader," quote, "We have to prepare for this. It just wouldnt be a good situation if something like this happened and we werent prepared." Funeral Saturday For Kentucky Soldier (London, KY) -- Funeral services will be held Saturday for a Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq. The services wills will be conducted for Staff Sergeant Christopher Neil Hamlin at the London Funeral Home, Saturday afternoon at 1. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Friday evening. The 24-year-old Laurel County man was fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad last Friday. Cause Of Versailles Fire Under Investigation (Versailles, KY) -- Investigators are looking for the cause of a fire that extensively damaged a building in downtown Versailles. Fire Chief Frankie Shuck says the fire started on the second floor of the brick building on Broadway at Green Streets, but just how it started remains under investigation. The buildings has been many things over the years, but now contained an apartment on the upper floors and several business on the lower floors. There were no injuries. Chicago Summary: Husband Refuses To Take Polygraph (Chicago) -- Authorities say the husband of a missing Plainfield mother is refusing to take a polygraph test. The Plainfield Police Department says Craig Stebic was "offered the opportunity" to take the test, but he declined on Tuesday. Stebic has come under the watchful eye of officials recently, as family members of his missing wife Lisa said she was a victim of abuse and had sought treatment at a battered womens agency. He has not been charged with any crime. Lisa Stebic has been missing since April 30th. A 20-thousand-dollar reward has been posted for her return, and more information and photos are available at www-dot-lisastebic-dot-com. --- Daley To Propose OPS Reform Plan (Chicago) -- Mayor Richard Daley will reportedly address the city council today, unveiling his plans for overhauling Chicagos Office of Professional Standards. Among OPS duties is investigation of claims of police misconduct. The mayor wants to move the office completely out of the police department, making it a separate agency reporting directly to the mayor and the council. Daley says he hopes the aldermen will approve his plan by the end of the month. At least one citizens group in the city is asking the council to reject the mayors plan because they say it doesnt go far enough. They say the board in charge of oversight should be made up primarily--or even completely--of civilians --- Cook County Commissioner Fires Back In Ethics Controversy (Chicago) -- Fireworks are expected Thursday as Cook County Commissioners are set to meet to talk about finance and ethics. Commissioner Bill Beavers has accused fellow Commisioner Tony Petraica of violating ethics by accepting contributions from those who do business with the county. On Tuesday, Petraica accused Board President Todd Stroger of doing the same thing. The "Daily Southtown" reports that both Stroger and Petraica have stated they will return any contributions that violate ordinances. --- Olympic Committe Back In Chicago (Chicago) -- The United States Olympic Committee is in Chicago for the first time since giving the city its blessing for the 2016 games. The "Chicago Tribune" reports committee members are in town for strategy sessions as the city looks to become the International Olympic Committees selected city two years from now. The city has begun fleshing out its 2016 "bid team", adding staff, searching for a chief operating officer and raising funds. --- Former Business Partner Back On Stand In Conrad Black Trial (Chicago) -- Conrad Blacks former business partner was back on the stand Tuesday, testifying against the one-time Hollinger International executive. David Radler gave details on how he and Black pocketed tens of millions of dollars which should have gone to shareholders. Radler also confirmed that he misled former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, who was acting as a financial watchdog inside the company. Radler has cut a deal with prosecutors. He has paid millions in restitution and will likely spend less than three years in jail, in exchange for his testimony. --- Suburb Asks Cline for Gang Help (Cicero) -- Hes resigned as Chicagos top cop, but at least one suburb is already seeking his help in dealing with its gang problem. The "Chicago Tribune" reports Cicero officials have spoken with Superintendent Philip Cline about the matter, but havent discussed specifics. Cicero spokesman Dan Proft said Cline "would add additional expertise to the Police Department." Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the 57-year-old Cline has been approached by other organizations since announcing his resignation in April. Cline stepped down after two videotaped instances of civilians being beaten by off-duty Chicago police officers. Hes expected to continue in the position until the city chooses a replacement. --- West Nile Virus Appears In DuPage County (Naperville) -- The West Nile virus has made its first appearance in the state in 2007 with a discovery this week in DuPage County. Officials say thats a little earlier than in past years. West Nile is carried by mosquitos. About 20-percent of those bitten will develop fever and headaches. But severe cases can result in encephalitis or meningitis. --- Student Who Wrote Controversial Paper Could Become Marine After All (Chicago) -- The Cary-Grove student who wrote an essay which got him arrested and a rejection by the Marine Corps may have a military future after all. The "Northwest Herald" reports school officials, prosecutors and police will meet Friday to determine what to do about disorderly conduct charges pending against 18-year old Allen Lee. If the charges are dropped, Lee will be allowed to re-apply for the Marines delayed entry program. Lees essay disturbed many with its references to school shootings and sex with dead bodies. He is due for a court appearance on the disorderly conduct charges on May 17th. --- Settlement With Basketball Fans May Be Near In Police Brutality Case (Chicago) -- Nine years after the teams last championship, a settlement may soon be reached with Chicago Bulls fans who claim they were injured by police officers during a victory celebration. The "Daily Southtown" reports a city council committee voted Tuesday to recommend a two-million-dollar settlement with the five litigants, and a full council vote is expected today. Officers claimed they were acting in self-defense back in June of 1998 when they fired 25-bullets at a car coming toward them. Eleven young people were in the car and several were wounded. Two of the plaintiffs have already settled their cases separately. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-05-09-07 0346CDT