Regional Summary, Wednesday 1/9

Indiana Summary: Two Face Charges In Kidnapping Of Indiana Mom, Daughter (Hammond) -- Two men are charged with kidnapping an Indiana woman and her ten-year-old daughter at gunpoint, then taking the woman to Chicago to rob her employer. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports Ralph Scott and Lamar Sanders were each charged Monday with kidnapping in U.S. District Court in Hammond. Scott is in custody, while Sanders remains at large. Police say the 34-year-old woman and her daughter were leaving their Portage apartment around 7:45 Saturday morning when the men allegedly abducted them. One allegedly ordered the woman to go with him to her mothers business, a Currency Exchange in the 200 block of East 83rd Street, while the other remained with the girl inside the apartment. The woman used her cell phone to call her mother. She alerted Chicago Police, who finally arrested Scott before he could escape with 51-thousand-dollars taken from the stores safe. No one was hurt, and the money was recovered. --- Three IMPD Officers In Court Same Day On Separate Cases (Indianapolis) -- Three Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers appeared in court yesterday, all facing separate charges in separate cases. Shannon McComas is looking at charges involving murder. The case stems from a shooting at Durty Nellies Pub early on New Years Day. Investigators say McComas was at the club where he had partial ownership, and supplied a gun to a man involved in a fight that had broken out. The suspect in the murder is accused of firing the weapon that killed the bouncer of the club. Four other people were wounded, but not seriously in the incident. The alleged shooter has been arrested. Another matter deals with Adam Chappell. The officer is accused of using unnecessary force during an arrest during last years Black Expo, when 17-year-old Brian Jeter was arrested. Investigators say Jeter was kicked by the officer during the arrest. One other arrest was made at the event. Geoffrey Barbieri was in court after registering a blood alcohol level of point-09 during a traffic stop. --- Tuesdays Winning Hoosier Lottery Numbers Daily Three-Midday: 9-2-5; Daily Three-Evening: 9-4-8; Daily Four-Midday: 5-2-8-5; Daily Four-Evening: 3-1-9-0; Lucky Five-Midday: 14-15-20-23-27.; Lucky Five-Evening: 3-6-11-34-36; Mix & Match: 2-27-31-35-36. Kentucky Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- A legislative task force appointed by House Speaker Jody Richards to study expanding gambling meets today as the administration work on a proposal to put a constitutional amendment to permit casino gambling before voters. Speaker Richards says despite the grim financial projections, quote, "Were not going to raise taxes." Richards says despite talk of an increased cigarette tax he doesnt foresee any new taxes. (Frankfort, KY ) -- Democrat Sannie Overly defeated Republican Bryan Beauman in the 72nd House District. She won by 700 votes. Republican Alecia Webb-Edgington defeated Democrat Dan Wolff in the 63rd House District. She won by about 300 votes. (Frankfort, KY) -- Results of a WHAS 11/ Survey USA poll on the performance of Governor Steve Beshear is being released. The telephone survey shows 62 percent approve of the governors performance. The poll also shows 27 percent disapprove and eleven percent are undecided. (Lexington, KY) -- James Zerhusen is serving as acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern Kentucky. Former U.S. Attorney for Eastern Kentucky Amul Thapar has taken the oath and is now on the bench as the U.S. District judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. (Bowling Green, KY) -- A plane touched down short of the runway at the Bowling Green-Warren County Airport. Airport officials say the plane landed about 25-hundred feet short after being diverted to the airport after reporting engine trouble. There were no serious injuries. The identities of the three people on board have not been released. (Whitesburg, KY) -- Kentucky has recorded the first mining fatality of the year and the first mining fatality in the country for the new year. 29-year-old Roy D. Sturgill of Isom was fatally injured while driving a truck at a surface mine in Letcher County. Natural Resources officials say he backed his truck over a slope while unloading. State and federal investigators are investigating the accident. (Frankfort, KY) -- One-hundred-65 donors gave 766-thousand-dollars for the inauguration of Governor Steve Beshear and Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo. 53 of the donors gave 10-thousand-dollars. The Governors Office acknowledges that so far over 300-thousand-dollars has been spent on the festivities, and over 400-thousand remains in the bank, but says not all bills have been paid. (Frankfort, KY) -- Thirteen people donated 91-thousand-dollars to former Governor Ernie Fletchers legal defense fund. Among the donors, his running mate Robbie Rudolph and his wife Lisa donated 24-thousand-dollars. Illinois Summary: --- Clinton Wins New Hampshire Primary; Obama Close Second (Manchester, NH) -- Polls and pundits took a back seat to actual votes yesterday in New Hampshire. Despite polls showing New York Senator Hillary Clinton trailing Illinois Senator Barack Obama by several votes in that states primary, Clinton won the nomination. She received 39-percent of the vote. Obama, thought to be surging after his impressive win in the Iowa caucus, finished close behind. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards finished third among the Democrats. Edwards had finished second in Iowa last week. Just hours before the New York Senators stunning victory, rumors were swirling in political circles about a possible shakeup in Clinton campaign leadership. Pundits say the Clinton win signals a long and bruising battle for the Democratic nomination for president. --- Flooding Saturates East-Central Illinois (Kankakee) -- It could be a few nervous days for east central Illinois residents watching or waiting for flood waters. Much of the state between I-57 and the Indiana border is dealing with the aftermath of heavy rains Monday night. Rescuers had to sweep across rural Iroquois and Ford counties to help people get out of the mess Mother Nature created. Its the same story in Kankakee. Officials there are trying to keep drivers off of flooded roads in and around town. Emergency management officials say Kankakee got plenty of rain, but so did parts of western Indiana, and all that rainwater could end-up on the streets if rivers and streams in the city cant hold it all. --- Meteorologists Determine Illinois Tornado An EF3 (Chicago) -- The tornado that tore through Boone and McHenry Counties Monday was an EF3 storm. National Weather Service officials say the tornado traveled more than 13 miles on the ground, from about a mile north of Poplar Grove to about three miles northeast of Harvard. Its top sustained winds were greater than 140 miles an hour. Five people sustained non-life threatening injuries. The storm toppled a semi-trailer on Highway 14 and knocked over several trees and at least one house. It also blew twelve railroad cars off the track near Lawrence, including one containing hazardous material. Lawrence was evacuated as a precaution, but residents were allowed back home Tuesday afternoon. It was the earliest tornado in a calendar year in Illinois history. --- Cleanup Continues After Wisconsin Tornado (Wheatland, WI) -- Wisconsins first January tornado in 40 years destroyed more than two dozen homes, but caused no deaths. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle spent yesterday in Wheatland touring Monday nights devastation. He says its a miracle that everyone got out alive. About 15 people did suffer minor injuries. A total damage estimate is expected later this week. National Weather Service meteorologists have determined the storm was an EF3 tornado with top winds reaching 150 miles an hour. --- Transit Solution -- Or Two -- May Pass House Today (Springfield) -- Governor Blagojevich on Monday again called for legislators to pass some sort of funding solution for Chicago-area mass transit. Today, the state House could pass two. Speaker Michael Madigan expects both a 400-million-dollar gas tax diversion and a regional sales tax bill to be called for votes in his chamber. And he tells the "Chicago Tribune" both will likely pass. That would put pressure on the State Senate and the Governor to accept one of the proposals. Downstate Senators are wary of moving the gas tax money to CTA, Metra and Pace because of the huge hole it would leave in the states already struggling budget. And the governor has often said he will veto any legislation calling for a sales tax hike, though Monday Blagojevich suggested he might try to "improve" the bill if it reaches his desk. Bus and train fare hikes, layoffs and service cuts are scheduled for January 20th. --- Early Curfew Pushed In Chicago (Chicago) -- Mayor Daley is calling for an earlier teenage curfew to try and curb gun violence. A Uhlich Childrens Advantage Network survey shows that one in three teenagers know someone who has been shot. It also shows that 40-percent of young girls and Hispanics are afraid of being shot. Fifty-nine-percent of African-American teenagers are scared of that possibility. Daley wants curfew for those under 17 to start at 10 on weeknights and 11 on weekends. Gun violence has rocked the Chicago Public Schools hard this school year. The districts ninth shooting victim since September was killed on Monday. Daleys proposal was met with mixed reviews by aldermen, with at least one questioning how the new curfew would be enforced. --- Finance Committee Clears Police Victim Settlements (Chicago) -- A proposal to settle lawsuits with victims of three police-related incidents for one-and-a-quarter-million-dollars will head to the full Chicago City Council. The Councils Finance Committee voted Tuesday to settle the three cases. According to the "Chicago Tribune," 700-thousand-dollars would go to the family of Dan Young, a man who had murder charges against him dropped after spending 12 years behind bars. He died in a car accident last year. Another 250-thousand-dollars would go to a man hurt by police during a 2005 incident, while a couple injured in an accident with a car being pursued by police in 2004 would receive 300-thousand-dollars. --- Double Murder Charges Filed, But Suspect Still Loose (Wheaton) -- The Villa Park cabdriver police believe murdered his parents is now formally charged, even though police cant find him. Thirty-three-year-old Artur Shehu is still on the loose. Hes charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of 66-year-old Syrja and 67-year-old Safo Shehu. They were found shot in the head at their home Monday morning. Theres no word of a motive for the killings. Anyone with information is asked to call the Villa Park Police Department at 630-834-7447 or local police department. --- Obama Secret Service Presence Increased (Manchester, NH) -- His win in the Iowa caucus prompted authorities to increase Barack Obamas security detail. The "Washington Times" reports Secret Service protection for the Illinois senator now rivals that of the president. Princeton University political science professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell said many blacks fear that as Obama draws closer to a possible presidency his odds of assassination increase. Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton are the only two presidential contenders with Secret Service detail. Clinton is entitled to the protection because of her husband, former President Bill Clinton. --- Museum Plans "Green" House (Chicago) -- Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry is adding a bit of architecture to its repertoire. The museum has announced plans to build a fully functioning, three-story house on its east lawn. The so-called "Smart Home" is designed to incorporate the latest in environmentally-friendly technology. It will be powered by the sun and the wind, and will feature a system that redirects sink water to toilets. The home is being constructed in six segments at an Indiana factory. When its assembled in May, the museum will charge an extra ten-dollar fee to head inside. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-01-09-08 0604CST