Regional Summary, Thursday 12/6

Indiana Summary: --- Deep Cold Grips Indiana (Indianapolis) -- Deep cold is gripping Indiana after a day of snow. In some areas of the state, temperatures have dipped into the single digits. The low has hit 12-degrees in the Indianapolis area. The freeze comes after a day of snow fall in Indiana that left anywhere from around an inch to three to four-inches and lots of accidents and slide-offs. Road crews continue to travel routes dropping the melting mix. Drivers are advised to take care and watch the speed and breaking. More snow is in the forecast for the state, with an additional two to three-inches possible for central Indiana. --- Police, Family Searching For Missing Man (Indianapolis) -- A 91-year-old Indianapolis man is missing. Police say he was on a mission to make deliveries when he disappeared. Police and family are seraching for Jack Obenchain. Hes a part-time courier for Mears Machine in Avon in Hendricks County. He was last seen on Monday afternoon in another state. His employer, Darrel Mackey, is offering a five-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to his whereabouts. --- Review Says BPs Permitted Discharge Levels Not Harmful (Indianapolis) -- An independent review says increased discharge levels permitted at oil giant BPs Whiting, Indiana refinery will not threaten drinking water or aquatic life. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports the study, commissioned by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and compiled by Indiana University professor James Barnes, supports what both the state and BP have been saying all along. However, the report also criticizes the five-year grace period state regulators gave the company for meeting more stringent mercury standards. BP had come under fire this summer for suggesting it would need to increase the amount of chemicals the Whiting plant dumps into the lake as a result of a three-point-eight-billion-dollar expansion. Company spokesman Scott Dean said he was "pleased" by the findings, and maintains the refinery has always followed the letter of the law. --- Police Imposter Sought After Woman Stopped In Bartholomew County (Columbus) -- Police are searching for someone who wants to be one of them, a police imposter in this case. The Bartholomew County Sheriffs office says they are warning the public after someone who claimed to be a police officer stopped a woman in their county. The woman was stopped while on her way home near Columbus early Monday night. Investigators say the woman told them that a car with flashing red lights came up behind her. The woman says she thought that it was an undercover police officer, so she pulled off to the side of the road. Thats when the impersonator approached her vehicle. He was wearing a ball cap and a shirt that appeared to have some type of medals on it. The suspect asked the woman for her drivers license, then returned to his car. He returned to her car to tell her that her license had been suspended, and told her to get out of the car. Thats when she asked for his identification. He then returned to his car and left. --- Melinda Loveless Will Ask To Have Her Sentenced Vacated (Madison) -- A woman convicted of a 1992 murder will ask a Jefferson County, Indiana judge today to have her sentence vacated. Melinda Loveless is serving a 60-year prison sentence for the murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. The murder happened when Loveless was a teenager. Three other girls were convicted after Sharer was found beaten, stabbed and burned. Loveless is serving her sentence at the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. --- Vandalism Under Investigation At Jewish Student Center In Bloomington (Bloomington) -- Investigators today are looking into vandalism that was done recently at the Jewish Student Center in Bloomington. Some people are calling it a hate crime, an act of anti-Semitism. Religious and community leaders are troubled. This week is Chanukah, the festival of lights. Besides recent damage to the center, someone threw a bottle through a window of Chabad House, IUs Jewish student center in October. After that, someone stripped away the word Jewish from the building. Police ask that anyone with information on the case that could lead to arrests to call them. --- Police Continue Looking For Suspects In Car Fires In Indianapolis (Indianapolis) -- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police today continue to search for the persons responsible for setting cars on fire. Several cars were torched on Tuesday night. At least five-cars southeast of downtown in a ten-block are were targets. There have been no injuries. Police ask for help from citizens in solving the crime. Kentucky Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- Inauguration day is now less than a week away, and the governor-elect is still assembling his administration. Today Governor-elect Steve Beshear is announcing more appointments, possibly of several cabinet secretaries. Still to be filled is secretaries of the Public Protection Cabinet, Personnel Cabinet, Commerce Cabinet and Health and Family Services, executive director of the office of homeland security, a deputy chief of staff and chief legislative liaison. (Lexington, KY) -- Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani made two fund raising stops in Kentucky. Giuliani said "youve goy to raise money" and its one of the most time consuming parts of a campaign. The former New York City mayor was in Lexington last night to attend a fund raising event. The Kentucky Republican Party hosted a reception. A party official says 75-people paid one-thousand-dollars each to spend some time with the former New York City mayor. Earlier in the day Rudy attended a noon fund raiser at a Louisville restaurant. (Frankfort, KY) -- Attorney General Greg Stumbo isnt ready to announce his political plans. Stumbo says he will decide by the middle of the month if hes going to challenge Senator Mitch McConnell and run for the Democratic Senate nomination. Stumbo also acknowledges that he is considering a run for his old state House seat. Democrat Brandon Spencer says hes running for re-election. Stumbo says Spencer is doing a good job. But he held the seat for more than 20-years, and might run for it again. (Morehead, KY) -- Morehead Police are searching for whoever stole a gold tabernacle from the alter at St. Claire Regional Medical Center. Police says that someone pried the tabernacle loose from the alter, then passed it out a window. The tabernacle is an ornamental receptacle reserved for the Eucharist. (Berea, KY) -- Thieves have taken a statue from a display of Bereas founding. A bank security camera has captured the images of two-men prying loose and carrying off the bronze statue of a young girl. Officials say it will cost 20-thousand-dollars to replace the statue. The City of Berea is offering a 500-dollar reward. (Frankfort, KY) -- Masked robber holds up Capitol city KFC. Frankfort Police are looking for an armed robber who held up the KFC on Versailles Road this week. Police say the robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of money, there were no injuries. (Frankfort, KY) -- Its a popular time of year for telephone charity solicitors, people are in a giving mood. Now Kentuckian Attorney Generals Office of Consumer Protection says people can check out registered active charitable campaigns online. After checking out who much of the donation actually goes to the charity and other information, people can make an informed giving decision. The website can be accessed at ag.ky.gov/charity. (Frankfort, KY) -- State offices will be close on Tuesday, state workers have the day off. Its inauguration day, and workers have been given a holiday. Illinois Summary: --- Chicago Company Owns Nebraska Mall Where Deadly Shooting Happened (Chicago) -- The Omaha, Nebraska shopping mall where a deadly shooting took place on Wednesday is owned by a company with headquarters in Chicago. General Growth Properties, at 110 North Wacker Drive, issued a statement after the shooting which took the lives of nine people, including the gunman, saying the shooting, quote "...has been a horrific event for the entire community. Our number one priority has been to ensure the safety and well-being of the shoppers and employees of the mall..." The shopping center where the shooting spree occurred, the Westroads Mall, is said to be the largest in Nebraska. General Growth Properties, GGP, has ownership interests in or management responsibility for a portfolio of approximately 200 regional shopping malls in 45 states. --- Clinton Fires Staff Member Over Obama Email (Des Moines, IA) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has fired a member of her staff who sent out erroneous emails about her rival, Illinois Senator Barack Obama. The "New York Post" reports political organizer Judy Rose sent the email claiming that Obama is a radical Muslim bent on destroying the country. Clintons campaign manager called the email "outrageous and offensive," adding that "there is no place in our campaign" for this kind of politics. The "Post" reports Obama is a member of the Church of Christ and as a child he once attended a Muslim school in Indonesia that has been falsely labeled as a radical madrassa. --- OHare Ranks Second In Near Collisions (Chicago) -- A new government report says Chicagos OHare International Airport has some serious safety concerns. The Government Accountability Office report says OHare had the second highest number of near-collisions on runways between 2001 and 2006. The report also says OHare tied with Los Angeles International Airport for most severe runway incursions, which are instances in which an aircraft, vehicle or person are incorrectly in an area where aircrafts take off or land. There were 43 incursions at OHare between 2001 and 2006. --- Corrections Employee Fatally Shoots Wife, Kills Self In Front Of Children (Chicago, IL/Lansing) -- An Illinois Department of Corrections employee shot-and-killed his wife during a custody exchange late yesterday afternoon in south suburban Lansing and then killed himself. Police say 52-year-old Chicago resident Herbert B. Poleate Junior, shot-and-killed 47-year-old Janet P. Poleate, of Calumet City, around 5 p.m. outside a tire store. He then shot himself in the head. The children were not hurt but reportedly witnessed the shootings. --- Father Of Murdered Girl Says He Fabricated Part Of Confession (Chicago) -- The father of a three-year-old Wilmington girl who was murdered in 2004 says he purposely made incorrect statements during his confession, hoping they would eventually be proven false. Kevin Fox continued testifying Wednesday in his federal civil rights lawsuit against Will County authorities. Fox and his wife Melissa claim detectives coerced him into making a false confession that he killed his daughter, Riley, and fabricated evidence against him regarding the investigation. The little girls killer has never been found. --- Police Targeting Specific Items In Peterson Case (Bolingbrook) -- Authorities may be narrowing their focus in the investigation of missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson. A search warrant served this week on her husband Drew Peterson targets specific physical evidence, including potential weapons and objects which might contain traces of blood and bodily fluids. Police are also reportedly looking at the GPS system that was on Drew Petersons SUV. Meanwhile, dive teams searched for Stacy in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Lockport and Romeoville Wednesday. Police consider Drew Peterson a suspect in his wifes disappearance, but he has not been charged with any crime. --- Woman Sexually Assaulted After Accepting Ride (Chicago) -- Chicago Police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a woman on the citys Northwest Side. Police say the incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. November 27th near the intersection of Cicero Avenue and Erie Street. The offender offered the victim a ride to get her out of the cold weather. After the victim accepted, she was sexually assaulted. The offender was driving a silver or champagne-colored, newer four-door SUV with three-row seating, a gray cloth interior and chrome rims. --- Boy Mauled By Pit Bull (Chicago) -- An eight-year-old boy is hospitalized after being mauled by a pit bull on Chicagos South Side. The attack happened shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday in the 101-hundred block of South State Street. The boy was listed in serious condition at University of Chicagos Comer Childrens Hospital. Police say the boys family was watching the dog for a family friend. --- Thursday Night Football: Bears Play In Washington, Game Shown Locally (Washington, DC) -- The Bears will be in action tonight, as they try to keep their fading playoff hopes alive against the Redskins in Washington. The Bears still have an outside chance at reaching the postseason as they and the Redskins are two of five teams in the NFC with a 5-and-7 record. The rare Thursday night game will be carried nationally on the NFL Network, but Chicagoland fans will also be able to see the game on Channel 50 1/81/8 WPWR 3/83/8. Kickoff tonight is shortly after 7 p.m. Central Time. --- Suburban Schools Want To Boycott "Golden Compass" (Chicago) -- One of the most anticipated movies of the holiday season continues to be a source of controversy. The "Daily Herald" reports some Christian schools in Chicagos suburbs are warning students not to go see "The Golden Compass," which opens this weekend, saying the fantasy movie starring Nicole Kidman is offensive to Christians. Others have previously said that Phillip Pullman, who wrote the trilogy of books the movie is based on, expresses atheistic and anti-Christian views in his books. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-12-06-07 0656CST