Regional Summary, Monday 12/31

Indiana Summary: --- Greg Ballard To Take Oath Office New Years Day (Indianapolis) -- Greg Ballard will be taking the oath of office tomorrow, New Years Day, to become the latest mayor for Indianapolis-Marion County. The oath will be administered at 1 p.m. inside the Pershing Auditorium at the Indiana World War Memorial at 431 North Meridian Street. Over the weekend, Ballard chose former Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman to be his Director of Public Safety. Ballard has chosen the majority of his administration. After two terms, today is Bart Petersons final day in office. He says he has no immediate plans when it comes to political office. --- Decision Final In Muncie, McShurley Is New Mayor (Muncie) -- The decision is final and on Sunday, Sharon McShurley was sworn in as the new mayor of Muncie. She is the first woman to ever be elected mayor of the city. The controversy surrounded votes not counted that could have put Jim Mansfield in the winners circle. He is seeking a special election after the recount commission. --- Jeffersonville Mayor To Divide Work (Jeffersonville) -- Jeffersonvilles new mayor Tom Galligan says he is appointing four lawyers to handle business rather than just relying on one city attorney. The effort is to help control the citys legal costs. The "Courier Journal" reports Galligan says the four will work together as a team and each lawyer is expected to work from five to 15-hours a month on city business. Officials say if one of the lawyers needs extra hours for city work, then they must get approval from a three-member litigation committee. --- Clerk Fired For Alleged Theft Denied Pension (Crown Point) -- A one-time clerk in the Lake County Indiana Treasurers Office wont be able to get her pension until an alleged theft investigation is complete. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports county officials got a court order last week preventing Wanda White from accessing the money. She was fired last month. The county alleges White took nearly 70-thousand-dollars dropped off by residents settling tax bills. She has not yet been charged with a crime. --- Arrest Made In Indianapolis Womans Murder (Indianapolis) -- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police arrested 34-year-old Dereck Martin over the weekend in the death of 48-year-old Debra Furnish. Her nude body was found last week beneath the I 65 underpass at 12 Street and Central Avenue. Investigators say Martin has a prior record for murder. --- Her Are Sundays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Evening: 2-5-5; Daily Four-Evening: 0-2-7-1; Lucky Five-Evening: 8-13-16-18-23. Illinois Summary: --- New Years Eve Parties To Be Draped In Snow White is the trendy color for tonights New Years celebrations. The National Weather Service has issued a Snow Advisory for much of Northeast Illinois. The advisory takes effect at noon today for Cook, LaSalle, Kankakee, Kendall, Grundy and Will Counties in Illinois, and Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter Counties in Indiana. It expires at 6:00 on New Years Day. Anywhere from one-to-four inches of snow is expected, with the highest totals coming from Interstate 80 and South. Snow is also forecast further north, but only about an inch is expected. The National Weather Service has also upgraded and expanded a fog advisory for much of Northeast Illinois. A freezing fog advisory is now in effect for Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry and Will Counties until 9:00 this morning. Meteorologists say areas along and north of the Interstate 88 corridor are most likely to see widespread areas of dense fog, and parts south could see patchy areas of heavy fog. --- Government Services Close For Holiday (Chicago) -- Expect most public services to close or scale back their hours today because of the New Years Holiday. Postal facilities in the Chicago area will have shorter lobby hours but mail will be delivered. The larger banks in the area will observe regular hours but some smaller banks and credit unions may have scaled back hours or may be closed. The U.S. District Court will be closed but Cook County Criminal and Civil courts as well as City Hall will remain open. Public libraries across Chicago will close at 3 p.m. and road construction is suspended. It is not a parking meter holiday and mass transit will operate on a regular schedule. The CTA will offer an extended schedule tonight for New Years Eve celebrations and all rides between 8 p.m and 6 a.m. on January 1st will cost just a penny. --- Indoor Smoking Ban Begins Tomorrow (Chicago) -- Illinois new smoking ban goes into effect at midnight. It prohibits smoking in most public buildings, including bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and casinos. Chicago Health Commissioner Doctor Terry Mason says there wont be any "smoking police" watching to be sure nobody lights up, but any complaints from the public will bring fines. After three reported smoking incidents, an establishment will have to pay 25-hundred-dollars. Public health groups are offering suggestions on how to quit smoking. They suggest a combination of counseling, nicotine-replacements like gum or patches and medications. --- Arson Suspected In Oak Forest Apartment Fire (Oak Forest) -- Dental records will be needed to positively identify the two adults and a child killed in a Saturday night apartment fire that may have been started by arson. Fire Chief Jim Berger says the victims lived upstairs at the LeClaire Station Apartments complex in Oak Forest. Its still unclear if the three victims were related. The 36-unit building is considered a total loss and the Red Cross has helped more than a dozen families find shelter. Meanwhile, authorities spent yesterday questioning two men in connection with the fire. Police will only say that the men are in their 40s or 50s, and may live in Oak Forest. --- Husband Of Anu Solankis Claims Her Disappearance Was Planned (Wheeling) -- The suburban woman whose decision to run off with a friend prompting a week-long police search allegedly tried to convince her husband they had a good relationship before she disappeared. Anu Solankis husband Dignesh tells the "Chicago Sun-Times" she told him she wanted to have a baby the day before she disappeared. He thinks she was lying to cover up her future plans. Anu Solanki left the family car running near the Des Plaines River near Wheeling and ran off with Karan Jani. She told police they did not have a romantic relationship, but Dignesh Solanki doesnt necessarily believe that. He says he recalls "romantic" text messages from Jani just days after the Solankis married earlier this year. Dignesh Solanki says he is angry with Jani and says he hasnt talked to his wife since her return to the area. --- Emerald Casino Ending Fight To Get States Tenth Casino License (Rosemont) -- Last month, Emerald Casino officials vowed to keep fighting to get the states tenth gaming license back. Now, the company is ending that fight. The Illinois Gaming Board revoked Emeralds license earlier this decade after allegations of ties to organized crime and wrongdoing. The "Chicago Sun-Times" reports Emerald has decided to drop its long legal battle with Illinois. Illinois can now put the inactive license up for auction and the state Gaming Board Chairman says he wants to do so early in 2008. --- Liquor Store Shooting Injures Four (Chicago) -- An argument apparently spurred the shooting of four people at a liquor store on Chicagos South Side Sunday night. Chicago Police spokesman David Banks says the shooting happened just before 9:00 near 81st and Halsted Streets. All four victims were men in their early 20s. One of the men is in critical condition at a nearby hospital with multiple bullet wounds. The other three men are all in stable condition at various hospitals and were shot in the legs or feet. --- Elderly Couple Dies Nearly A Week After A House Fire (Chicago) -- An elderly Chicago couple has died nearly a week after a fire sent them to the hospital with critical injuries. Eighty-eight-year-old Ralph Griffin and his 86-year-old wife Vivian died Saturday. The fire broke out the night of Sunday, December 23rd at the Griffins home in the 100 block of East 89th Street near Wabash Avenue. Theres no word on what caused the fire. --- Two Inmates Still Hospitalized After Jailhouse Brawl (Chicago) -- Two Cook County Jail inmates remain hospitalized after a gang fight Saturday night. Authorities say the incident happened around 7 p.m. Saturday in the maximum security section of the jail at 31st Street and California Avenue. Two men were taken to the hospital in critical condition but they have since been upgraded to stable condition. One inmate has multiple stab wounds and the other has an upper torso injury. Four inmates were hospitalized in serious condition but they were treated and returned to jail. No guards were hurt. Charges have not been filed. --- Pension Withheld For Clerk Accused Of Theft (Crown Point, IN) -- A one-time clerk in the Lake County Indiana treasurers office wont be able to get her pension until an alleged theft investigation is complete. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports county officials got a court order last week preventing Wanda White from accessing the money. She was fired last month. The county alleges White took nearly 70-thousand-dollars dropped off by residents settling tax bills. She has not yet been charged with a crime. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-12-31-07 0534CST