Regional Summary Friday 2/15

Indiana Summary Warmer For A Few-Days In Indiana (Indianapolis) -- Some warmer days are forecast in Indiana. Its 38-degrees in the Indianapolis area this morning. Temperatures will drop some but not much today. No temperatures in the zero range are in the picture with lower 40s this weekend and rain. --- Franklin Police Search For Rape Suspect (Franklin) -- Franklin Police today are looking for a rape suspect after a woman was attacked in her home. Police are telling residents to be careful and call police if they see suspicious activity. Investigators say that a 47-year-old woman was raped in her home at the Franklin Lakes subdivision Tuesday afternoon. Police are trying to learn how the suspect got into the victims home and if he had a weapon. --- Police Make Arrests (Jeffersonville) -- Police have made three-arrests related to a brutal rape case in southern Indiana. Officials say Anthony Reed and two juveniles are in custody after an assault on a teenage girl. Reed has been lodged in the Clark County Jail and the two juveniles have been lodged in juvenile detention. Police say one of the juveniles claim that they had called the victim with the intent of robbing her but instead, lured her into a parking lot where they kicked and punched the victim, among other things. The victim eventually ran to a nearby store and police were called. Officials say they believe two other juveniles were involved in the incident. Anyone with information can contact 812-288-7151. --- Here Are Thursdays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Midday: 8-7-8; Daily Four-Midday: 0-9-6-1; Lucky Five-Midday: 2-8-9-22-24. Kentucky Summary (Frankfort, KY) -- Governor Steve Beshears expanded gambling proposal calls for 12-casinos in the bluegrass state. Under the proposal seven of the casinos would be licensed to race tracks, the other five would be free standing casinos located throughout the state. The racetrack licenses would produce 500-million-dollars. The governor says if the 12-casinos were built the commonwealth could receive over 599-million-dollars a year from wagering taxes and license fees. (Louisville, KY) -- Two area nursing homes have been listed on a national list of facilities ranked among the worst in the U.S. The Highlands Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Louisville and the Hillcrest Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Jeffersonville, Indiana were listed. The list was released by the Bush administration and names 131-facilities across the country. The facilities listed have not improved since their last inspections, according to the Senate Special Committee. 1/81/8 note station call letters 3/83/8 (Louisville, KY) -- A Louisville teenager who was born with no eyes and without the use of the legs will be featured on national television Sunday. The ABC television network show "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" was in Louisville a few-months ago and built the Hughes a new home. The home is completely wheelchair accessible, and also has a computer system that allows him to control things with his voice. The show will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on the ABC television network, which is WHAS-11 in the Louisville area. (Louisville, KY) -- The family of a missing Louisville woman is asking for the publics help. Officials say Pat Hubbard has been missing since Saturday and family members believe she might be in danger. The family filed a missing persons report with Metro Police on Sunday and claim Hubbard was last seen some time Saturday near her home off of Dixie Highway. Officials say Hubbard is five-feet-six-inches tall, weighs 130-pounds and was last seen wearing jeans and a pink sweater. Anyone with information is asked to contact 574-LMPD. (Louisville, KY) -- Councilwoman Madonna Flood and some local boy scouts kicked off the 2008 "Doing Our Part, From the Heart Campaign" yesterday. The campaign collects boxes of necessities and donations and sends them to soldiers serving overseas. Drop offs can be made to the Republic Bank on Outer Loop, the Okolona Fire Department, Interlink Counseling Services or Mortgage World, both located on Preston Highway. (Frankfort, KY) -- Officials say bridge construction will not begin until 2011 because the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will focus on remaking Spaghetti Junction. A total of around 600-million-dollars will be set aside for the project, which leaves a gap of nearly 845-million-dollars to be filled for both projects. Officials say a financial plan Kentucky and Indiana sent to the federal government estimated that 345-million-dollars needed to be spend in the fiscal year 2009-2010 on the bridge construction. Associate Director of River Fields says the amount proposed is nearly half of the amount that was expected. There are a number of other options still being discussed and that are still on the table. (Louisville, KY) -- Louisville native Larry Birkhead says Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville will sponsor construction of a new house to be dedicated in the memory of Anna Nicole Smith and her son, Daniel. The house will be called "Dannielynns House" and construction is to begin on the house on April 24th. Officials say a single mom and her three-daughters, two who have spinal bifida will buy the house when its completed. Birkhead is the father of the late Anna Nicole Smiths daughter, Dannielynn. Anyone interested in volunteering can email infolouisvillehabitat.org. (Louisville, KY) -- Officials say the group Earth, Wind, & Fire will be a featured performer in Louisville this year. The group will perform at the 7th annual Grand Gala, which will be held on May 3rd. The event is part of the Kentucky Derby festivities. Anyone wanting more information can visit www.grandgala.com. (Frankfort, KY) -- Kentuckians can now proudly display that their state is the birthday place of Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Bicentennial Committee unveiled a "Birthplace of Lincoln" license plate yesterday in Frankfort. The new speciality plate would cost 34-dollars initially, with a 21-dollar annual renewal fee. It features a drawing of the Lincoln family log cabin where the famous president was born. (Elizabethtown, KY) -- Hardin County residents will use a new method on May 20th when residents vote in the primary. Voters will simply mark a piece of paper, creating a paper trail to verify votes. Officials say local precincts have been using two types of machines with different cartridges to votes. The new process will allow voters to mark a paper ballot with a pencil and will then be dropped into an optical scanner using the same cartridges as the previous method. Illinois Summary --- Seventh NIU Victim Dies; Coroner Releases Four Identities (DeKalb) -- The number of deceased victims of Thursdays mass shooting at Northern Illinois University is now seven. The "Chicago Tribune" reports DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller has also released the identities of four of the victims. They are 20-year-old Daniel Parmenter of Westchester, 20-year-old Catalina Garcia of Cicero, 19-year-old Ryanne Mace of Carpentersville and 32-year-old Julianna Gehant of Meridian. The gunman, dressed entirely in black, entered an oceanography class at Cole Hall around 3:00 p.m., armed with a shotgun and two handguns and opened fire in what university officials described as a "brief, rapid-fire assault." In total, more than 20 people were shot, with several still in the hospital. The gunman shot and killed himself. The shooter has been tentatively identified as a 27-year-old former NIU graduate student who is now enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A motive for the attack is still unknown. Officials have scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. today on the school campus to release more information on the shooting. --- Blagojevich Declares State Of Emergency, Virginia Tech Offers Support (Chicago) -- Governor Blagojevich declared a state of emergency following Thursdays deadly shootings at Northern Illinois University. That action opens the Governors disaster relief fund for local units of government so that they can be reimbursed for expenses related to their response to the shooting. The Governor also says the state will provide whatever assistance is necessary to the school and investigators. Virginia Tech University President Charles Steger also offered his condolences and support. A gunman shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech last April before killing himself. --- NIU Turns Focus To Healing, Prayer Services Today (DeKalb) -- With victims of Thursdays shooting still in the hospital, officials at Northern Illinois University say their focus is now on healing. There was a prayer vigil on the campus at midnight and other activities are scheduled for today. A mass will be held at 12:05 p.m. at NIUs Newman Catholic Student Center. At 7:30 tonight, a prayer service will be held at the same location. Counselors have already been put on stand-by at the school in DeKalb. University officials canceled classes, and set-up hot lines so parents and students can get the latest information and dorms remained open. School wont be back in session until Monday, concerned parents are being directed to the list of hot line numbers on the schools web site. --- Police Preparing New Sketch Of Tinley Park Shooting Suspect (Tinley Park) -- Investigators are working on a new composite sketch of the gunman in the February 2nd shooting at a Tinley Park Lane Bryant store. Police say the new sketch would not replace the ones that were made public last week. Mayor Ed Zabrocki says the community will be holding a memorial service on Sunday, and he hopes to have the new sketch finished in time to hand out copies. Meanwhile, the story of the investigation into the Lane Bryant shooting will be featured this weekend on "Americas Most Wanted." Five women died in the shooting, another person was wounded and remains in protective custody. --- Mayor Plans To Spend Over 200 Million On CTA (Chicago) -- Mayor Daley has proposed a 227-million-dollar program to improve the safety and dependability of CTA trains and buses. The initiative would get rid of slow zones, speed up bus purchases, overhaul existing buses and trains, increase the safety of train doors and make lighting and structural repairs. The mayor is urging Governor Blagojevich to quickly approve a new state capital spending program that is needed to balance out federal funding for transit construction. --- One Dead, One Injured After Shooting On Northwest Side (Chicago) -- A shooting has left one man dead and a woman injured on Chicagos Northwest Side. Police say the shooting happened around 5:30 yesterday afternoon in the 17-hundred block of North Maplewood Avenue. An unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman was taken in unknown condition to a hospital. No one is in custody. Police are investigating. --- Autopsy On Chicago Baby Inconclusive (Chicago) -- Results of an autopsy on a four-month-old Chicago boy who police believe may have suffocated Wednesday morning are inconclusive. The autopsy was done Thursday on Tashawn Taylor, who was found unresponsive by officers responding to a call in the 16-hundred block of West Juneway Terrace. Police say it appeared the child was wrapped too tightly in a blanket in an attempt to keep him warm. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services continues to investigate the incident. --- Varying Accounts Of Hansons Whereabouts (Wheaton) -- The jury in the trial of accused quadruple-murderer Eric Hanson is hearing conflicting accounts of his whereabouts. At trial Thursday, a videotape was shown of Hanson telling Aurora police he left his parents Naperville home around 8:15 a.m. the day after they were killed, without ever speaking to them. However, an expert witness testified that the GPS on Hansons vehicle indicated he didnt leave until 9:43 a.m. that day, and rushed to Midway Airport to make a 10:24 a.m. flight to Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege Hanson was actually cleaning up his parents house after murdering them. The 31-year-old is also accused of killing his sister, Kate Hanson-Tsao, and her husband, Jimmy Tsao. He could face the death penalty if convicted. --- Driver Fatally Hit By Train In Des Plaines (Chicago) -- A man trying to drive around downed crossing gates is dead after his car was struck by a Metra train in Des Plaines last night. The victim, identified as 42-year-old Robert Wells the Third of Des Plaines, was hit around 6:00 p.m. on the tracks at Pearson and Miner Streets. A Chicago man was hit by Wells vehicle as he stood on the sidewalk waiting for the train to pass. He suffered minor injuries. --- Coors/Miller Could Bring Headquarters To Chicago (Chicago) -- Chicago could become home to the headquarters of a major new beer conglomerate. Miller and Coors Molson have announced a joint venture in the United States, to take on number-one beer maker Anheuser-Busch. Millers U.S. operations are based in Milwaukee, and Coors are based in Denver, but the "Chicago Tribune" reports the companies are reportedly interested in Chicago because its near Millers Milwaukee operations, its status as an airline hub and its ability to attract workers from all over the world. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-02-15-08 0655CST