Regional Summary, Tuesday 2/5

Indiana Summary: --- Fatal Crash Kills Two In Morgan County (Morgan County) -- Two people were killed late yesterday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash in Morgan County. Investigators say that 45-year-old James Hoskins and 40-year-old firefighter David Sherfick were dead at the scene. Sherfick was riding in an ambulance, on a run, when the ambulance and Hoskins Jeep collided along State Road 144 and Mann Road. Fog appears a factor in the crash. Fog is blamed on a number of serious accidents yesterday. --- Carbon Monoxide Gas Leak At Apartment Complex (Indianapolis) -- A carbon monoxide gas leak at an apartment complex in Pike Township has left several people affected from the fumes. Four were actually taken to Methodist Hospital. The incident occurred in the 5700 block of West 38th Street and firefighters are trying to figure out exactly where the carbon monoxide came from. Authorities say one possibility is that one of the apartments was using an oven in order to heat their home, but theyre still investigating the exact source of the leak. --- Mother Defends Her Sons Accused Of Brutally Beating Teen (Indianapolis) -- Brothers Michael and Allen Blankenship are behind bars today, after being accused of a brutal beating. Now, their mother is coming to their defense. According to investigators 18-year-old Robert Nalley and a group of people showed up at Blankenships southside apartment on Friday afternoon where the fight broke out. According to witnesses they say Michael Blankenship, the younger of the two brothers, swung an aluminum baseball bat at Robert, striking him in the head and knocking him down. Thats when investigators say both of the brothers began stomping on him. According to their mother, she says, "My two sons did not beat this boy just to beat him." She also says they were simply defending themselves. IMPD Sergeant Paul Thompson says Nalley suffered blunt trauma injury to the head. He later died at the hospital. The prosecutor is reviewing the case. The brothers are facing felony battery charges, but those charges could be upgraded to murder. --- Here Are Mondays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Evening: 8-6-1; Daily Four-Evening: 7-5-3-4; Lucky Five-Evening: 12-16-19-29-34. Kentucky Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- The National Weather Service says severe storms with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible tonight. A cold front will move across the state with a squall line of thunderstorms. The risk from Western Kentucky to Central and Eastern Kentucky runs from slight to moderate. Forecasters say there was a similar set up one week ago when storms caused damage in several communities. (Lexington, KY) -- Farmers going into the fields this spring will find the ground in good shape, maybe even too wet. University of Kentucky agricultural meteorologist Tom Priddy says winter rains have ended the drought that spread across Kentucky this past summer and fall. Priddy says except for a small corner of Southeastern Kentucky, the Bluegrass State is poised to enter the spring planting season with plenty of water. (London, KY) -- A Whitley County Sheriffs deputy was seriously injured in an accident on the Hal Rogers Parkway in Laurel County. Deputy Josh Wolfe was on his way home after dropping off a prisoner at a Hazard hospital when his cruiser collided head-on with an SUV. Kentucky State Police say speed was a factor in the accident. Deputy Wolfe is being treated at the UK Medical Center for a broken neck. Deputy Wolfe has just been back on the job for several months, after serving in Iraq with the Kentucky Army National Guard. The driver of the SUV was also injured. (Madisonville, KY) -- A Providence, Kentucky couple says their daughter is the sole survivor of a shooting at a Chicago-area Lane Bryant store that claimed five lives. The couple says they retired to Kentucky from Illinois two years ago. Their 33-year-old daughter is a student and was working part time at the store. Police have put the sole witness to the shootings under police protection. (Frankfort, KY) -- Governor Steve Beshears proposed budget contains a 60-million-dollar cut in social services. Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Janie Miller says to minimize the impact the cabinet plans to cut administrative staff by 17 percent through attrition. Representative Jimmie Lee, chair of the House Human Services Budget Committee, calls the cuts "damaging." (Frankfort, KY) -- Second Street Elementary School in Frankfort, and Millard Middle School in Pike County have been classified as National Title 1 Distinguished Schools. The two Kentucky schools among 70 schools across the county called out for special recognition under the No Child Left Behind Program. (Lexington, KY) -- Lexington Police say by summer they will have a new tool to search for lost persons and track fugitives. A federal grant will enable Lexington Police to equip their primary helicopter with special "thermal imaging" equipment. It enables police to find and track people in the dark of night. Tactical Flight Officer Sergeant Pat Murray says fugitives "have no place to run and no place to hide." Illinois Summary: --- Polls Open In Illinois Primaries (Chicago) -- The polls are now open. Illinois is one of 24 "Super Tuesday" states where Republican or Democratic voters will cast votes for President. But there are other important local races as well. Republicans will choose a candidate to go up against incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Voters in the 14th Congressional District will choose nominees for a special election to finish former House Speaker Dennis Hasterts term. Republicans in the states 8th, 11th, and 18th Congressional districts will choose general election candidates, and Democrats in the 3rd and 10th Districts will do the same. In Cook County, six Democratic candidates are vying for a chance to become states attorney. There are also many contested primaries for state representative and state senator. Turnout is expected to be high due to the Presidential races. --- Four To 12 Inches Of New Snow Expected (Chicago) -- If youre planning to vote today, you should probably do so before nightfall. The National Weather Service has upgraded a winter storm watch to a winter storm warning for most of the area. It lasts from 6 this evening through 6 Wednesday night. Some southern counties are under a winter weather advisory. Forecasters are expecting anywhere from four inches to a foot of snow to blanket the region. The highest totals will come north of the Interstate 88 corridor, to the Wisconsin state line. The city of Chicago and points south will see as much as half a foot of snow. High winds could also cause snow to blow and drift. --- Gunman May Have Made Sexual Advances Before Tinley Shootings (Tinley Park) -- A published report says the gunman who killed five women during a robbery-gone-wrong at a Tinley Park store over the weekend made sexual advances on at least one victim. The "Chicago Tribune," citing a law enforcement source, reports the gunman went into the store and chatted with some victims before announcing a hold-up. He may have faked a delivery before the attack. The newspaper also reports authorities are searching security video from nearby establishments for both a man fitting the gunmans description and a red vehicle allegedly seen in the area at the time of Saturdays shooting. The gunman is described as a stocky, clean-shaven black man between 25 and 35-years-old and weighing about 230 pounds. The suspect had a receding hairline, with his hair pulled back in braids. At least one of those braids had green beads attached. --- Prosecutors Hope To Use Armed Robbery Charges For Other Means (Chicago) -- Authorities dont have enough evidence for murder or attempted murder charges against a reputed mob hit man, so theyre trying to pin three robberies on him. The armed robbery trial of 47-year-old Anthony Calabrese began yesterday. He is accused of orchestrating the robberies of three suburban businesses. But authorities are really after answers in the 2001 Chicago area mob hit and 1997 attempted murder of a Naperville woman. Calabrese faces over 50-years in prison on the robbery charges. Officials hope they can use that as leverage to find out who hired Calabrese for the other crimes. Calabrese has not been charged in the other crimes. --- Editorial Board Editor Resigns Over "Sun-Times" Endorsements (Chicago) -- The editorial page editor of the "Chicago Sun-Times" has resigned. Cheryl Reed told her staff she was "deeply troubled" that people outside of the editorial board edited the newspapers primary endorsements. The choice of candidates did not change -- the newspaper backed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain for president. But Reed says the changes patronized those who wrote the original endorsements. She alleges that "white men" rewrote pieces written by "an African-American, a Latino, and two white women." Publisher Cyrus Freidheim Jr. says the changes were made to strengthen the message, and says other allegations are not accurate. The paper has named Tom McNamee its new editorial board editor. --- Northwest Suburban Furniture Company Files Chapter Eleven (Wheeling) -- Wheeling-based Wickes Furniture Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In court papers, Wickes estimated its liabilities between 50-million and 100-million-dollars. The company said its assets are between ten-million and 50-million-dollars. Wickes is owned by Sun Capital Partners, Incorporated of Boca Raton, Florida. --- Accused Murderer And Rapist Wants Tapes Excluded (Wheaton) -- The legal team for a twice-convicted murderer charged with raping and murdering a young Naperville girl 25 years ago wants to keep a psychologist from testifying against their client. Brian Dugan is serving two life sentences for sex-related slayings, and is charged in the kidnapping and killing of ten-year-old Jeanine Nicarico 1/81/8 nih-KAIR-ih-co 3/83/8. In 1986, Dugan took part in a state police psychologists study of sexual predators, and prosecutors want to use those recordings against Dugan in the Nicarico case. Dugans lawyers are saying that the psychologist, Robert Thorud, is a "fraud". They cite a 2004 "Daily Herald" report questioning his credentials. A hearing is scheduled for next week. --- Nationwide Identity Theft Suspect Caught In Illinois (Tinley Park) -- One of the Secret Services most wanted fugitives was arrested in suburban Tinley Park this weekend. Federal officials allege 29-year-old Esther Reed stole the identity of a missing South Carolina woman to attend college. Authorities say she used the ID to get more than 100-thousand-dollars in student loans. She then attended California State University at Fullerton, Harvard, and Columbia. An alert police officer spotted her car in a hotel parking lot. Reed will face fraud and identity theft charges in South Carolina. --- Sex Assault Suspect Tries To Take Daughter And Run (Crystal Lake) -- Police say a Crystal Lake man tried to flee the area with his two-year-old daughter after learning of sexual assault charges filed against him. Authorities arrested 36-year-old Zdizlaw 1/81/8 ZID-iss-law 3/83/8 Papuga at a friends home in Bolingbrook Saturday morning. Papuga allegedly molested a child younger than 13 twice in 2006. That child is not Papugas daughter. He remains in the McHenry County Jail charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. The girl is with family members. --- 40-Dollar Vehicle Sticker Proposed In Cook County (Chicago) -- Cook County residents who dont like County Board President Todd Strogers proposed sales tax increase probably will try to put the brakes on another plan being pushed by some commissioners. The "Chicago Tribune" reports that Democratic Commissioners Joseph Mario Moreno and Roberto Maldonado are proposing that all Cook County residents buy a 40-dollar sticker for each vehicle they own. The so-called "wheel tax" already applies to Cook County residents living in unincorporated areas. Moreno and Maldonado want to expand that fee to all county municipalities, including Chicago. The sticker would be an added charge on top of local city or village stickers. For motorcycles, the fee would be 25-dollars. Moreno says county officials are already working with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White on an agreement under which the license of a vehicle registered in Cook County would not be renewed unless the owner paid the tax. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-02-05-08 0617CST