Tristate Regional News, Thursday 2/21

Indianapolis Summary: Salt Shortage Being Faced By Some Indiana Counties (Boone County) -- Winter isnt over and theres not enough salt needed to finish the season in some counties, it appears. Snow, ice and sleet remain in the forecast and Indiana counties are looking at a shortage of elements to fight the elements. The Boone County Highway Department is one of them. Lisa Ping of the Department says that one more snowfall and theyre done. She says that if they get lucky and the storm moves south, theyll be fine, otherwise, its going to be tough to keep the routes clear. In Marion County, the Department of Public Works says that its salt barns are still full enough and that they are not expecting to run out of salt any time soon, but again, it depends on whats still out there. Hendricks County is another one where officials hope their supplies hold out until winter ends. --- Indiana Man Guilty Of Massive Mortgage Fraud (Danville) -- As a result of a partnership between Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita and Hendricks County Prosecutor Patricia Baldwin, Indianapolis resident Jason Keigley has been found guilty in Hendricks County Superior Court of swindling money from seniors through a fraudulent investment and mortgage scheme. Keigley worked as a loan originator for an Indiana Mortgage company in 2004, and during his employment, he also operated his own business, 1st Place Mortgage. The Secretary of States office found that Keigley convinced a Hendricks County couple to invest in his company which, unbeknown to them, was an unregistered security. He also told them their investment was in an interest-bearing account, available to them upon request, while at the same time establishing a reverse mortgage for the couple. Some time after Keigley brokered the reverse mortgage loan and the couple had bought Keigleys investment, the couple requested their investment funds and only a small portion was returned. An account could never be located, and Keigley could not account for any of the missing funds. In addition, the victims were hit with foreclosure on their home as a result of Keigleys obligations of the reverse mortgage. --- Floyd County Homebuyers Can Check For Meth (Floyd County) -- Future homebuyers in Floyd County, Indiana can now check the meth history of their future house. The Floyd County Health Department will now open records so buyers can see if meth was ever manufactured at the site. The department if keeping a file of meth labs found by the Indiana State Police, according to the "Courier Journal." People who are preparing to buy a house can check the files during regular business hours. Anyone wanting more information is asked to contact the Floyd County Health Department. --- James Leads Cavs Over Pacers (Indianapolis) -- LeBron James posted a triple-double with 31 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Cavaliers to a 106-97 win over the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. Daniel Gibson scored 15 points off the bench for the Cavs before having to be helped to the locker room midway through the third quarter after suffering a leg injury. Zydrunas Ilgauskas 1/81/8 zih-DREW-nas ill-GAUS-kas 3/83/8 chipped in with 14 points and 17 boards as Cleveland snapped a two-game skid. Danny Granger netted 30 points to lead Indiana, which has lost three in-a-row. Troy Murphy contributed 20 points and Jeff Foster pulled down a team-high 15 boards in defeat. --- Here Are Wednesdays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Midday: 1-5-0; Daily Three-Evening: 4-8-0; Daily Four-Midday: 6-5-7-1; Daily Four-Evening: 3-1-3-0; Lucky Five-Midday: 24-29-30-32-34; Lucky Five-Evening: 6-8-14-20-33. Louisville Summary: (Louisville, KY) -- The National Weather Service is warning of some bad winter weather today. The weather service says the system has the potential to bring significant ice accumulations to the entire area tonight and early tomorrow morning. The winter storm watch has now been changed to a ice storm warning, which will remain in effect until 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Meteorologists say freezing rain is expected to develop this afternoon, and continue off and on through early Friday morning. There may also be some sleet and snow. The precipitation is expected to transition over to mostly light rain for the Friday morning commute though, as temperatures start to rise above freezing. (Louisville, KY) -- Jefferson County Public School officials say the recently recalled beef products have been destroyed. The destroyed beef was taken to the Waste Management Landfill on Outer Loop. The beef was removed by representatives from Waste Management. 1/81/8note nature3/83/8 (Clark County, IN) -- The trial dates have been set for three of the five teenagers charged in the alleged rape, robbery, and beating a 16-year-old girl behind Parkwood Elementary School in Clarksville. Anthony Redd, Jacobier Hamilton, and James Hollister, all 17-year-olds, face three felony charges. Each of the charges has a sentence of 20 to 50-years in prison. The other two accused teenage boys are being held at the Juvenile Detention center in Clark County, but because they are being charged as juveniles their names and ages are not being released. The "Jeffersonville Evening News" reports that a 50-thousand-dollar cash-only bond was set for both Hamilton and Hollister. Redd is being held on a 75-thousand-dollar court-cash bond. (Louisville, KY) -- A woman who was attending an Iraq deployment ceremony for the Kentucky Army National Guards 223rd military police company was arrested yesterday, after police discovered she was carrying a gun onto school property. Holly Lafavers of Russel Springs, Kentucky was charged with possession of a gun on school property. The ceremony was held in the gymnasium at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and was held after school hours. A witness notified security who called the police. The incident happened just hours after two other Jefferson County Public Schools went into lockdown after a student reported seeing someone in the Fern Creek High School with a gun. Police say Lafavers suffered a panic attack before being booked into Metro Corrections. (Louisville, KY) -- The Louisville Metro Community Action Partnership has helped more than seven-thousand residents with their winter heating bills. The move is part of the Crisis Component of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps restore heat to residents homes. Officials say a total of one-point-three-million-dollars was pledged to help Louisville families stay warm. Applications are being taken Monday through Friday at the Urban Government Center along Barret Avenue and Monday through Thursday at the Newburg Community Center. 1/81/8note nature3/83/8 (Jeffersonville, IN) -- Southern Indiana Police say a convicted offender has struck again. Officials say John Wilburn has been lodged in the Clark County Jail after a recent incident with a 12-year-old relative. Police say he has been charged with molesting the relative. In 2003, Wilburn pled guilty to molesting a 13-year-old, but his sentence was reduced because of good behavior. Two-years ago, Indiana enacted a law stating sex offenders also have to complete special treatment classes before they get any time cut from their sentences, although the program was enacted after Wilburn was in jail. (Louisville, KY) -- An Oldham County landscaper was sentenced to five-years probation for employing illegal immigrants. Dean Hedges, owner of Hedges Landscape Specialists Incorporated was sentenced after pleading guilty that he knowingly employed at least 12 illegal immigrants to work for his business. Officials say one employee told Customs officers that Hedges was paying the illegal immigrants "under the table" for the work they performed. The case was prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorney and was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Hardin County, KY) -- Hardin County Schools will destroy eleven-thousand-pounds of beef that is part of a nationwide recall, after reports of animal abuse at a California slaughterhouse. School officials say children have eaten the meat until late last month, and there have been no reported illnesses as a result of the beef. The school district is storing the recalled beef in freezers and will eventually be destroyed in front of a USDA agent at the county landfill. The USDA will reimburse Hardin County Schools for the cost of the meat, which is more than 20-thousand-dollars. (Louisville, KY) -- Louisville city leaders are criticizing a plan to sell a backup police helicopter. A metro council committee told police officials during a recent meeting that the city needs to second police helicopter. Mayor Jerry Abramson and Police Chief Robert White had proposed selling the helicopter because of the city budget woes. Some council members are concerned that public protection will suffer and that the city could be caught off guard in the event of a disaster. Blagojevich Budget Includes Tax Credit For Children (Chicago) -- Governor Blagojevich has proposed his new 58-billion-dollar state budget which includes a 300-dollar per child tax credit for next year. The Blagojevich Administration estimates about one-point-three-million families would be eligible for the tax credit which would be available to taxpayers making 75-thousand-dollars or less per year or 150-thousand-dollars or less for those filing jointly. The new budget also includes a multibillion-dollar state construction program and expanded health care. The Governor also wants a 300-million-dollar increase for schools, paid for by raising taxes on casinos and with proceeds from selling the states tenth casino license which is currently not in use. --- Moment Of Silence, Funerals Held For Two More NIU Victims (DeKalb) -- A moment of silence will be held today on the campus of Northern Illinois University, one week after the shooting deaths of five students. NIU President John Peters is scheduled to make a short statement at 3 p.m., then five-minutes of silence will begin at 3:06 p.m. as bells on campus and throughout the community toll in remembrance. About 15-hundred people attended a ceremony last night at Glenbard North High School honoring one of last weeks victims, 20-year-old Gayle Dubowski of Carol Stream. Earlier Wednesday, 32-year-old Julianna Gehant was buried in Mendota, Illinois with full military honors. Gehant served in the U.S. Army for 12-years. --- College Parents Advocate Speaks Out About Campus Safety (Chicago) -- Many parents of area college students are expressing concern about campus safety in the wake of last weeks deadly shootings at Northern Illinois University. "College Parents of America" president James Boyle says parents shouldnt hesitate to find out as much as possible about a universitys security arrangements. Boyle says most campuses have some sort of restricted access to certain buildings, and he believes that trend will continue, but also says its impossible to create a situation where every building on a campus has restricted entry. --- High School Student Charged For Statements Referencing NIU Attack (St. Charles) -- An Aurora teen is facing charges after he allegedly posted internet statements related to the February 14th shootings at NIU. Prosecutors say a 15-year-old East Aurora High School student made two postings that led to an investigation by the Kane County Sheriffs Department and the Aurora Police Department. The teen is charged with three-counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and two-counts of misdemeanor electronic harassment. The boy is being held at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center until his trial on March 12th. --- Chicago Police To Help Distribute Fliers Of Tinley Park Sketch (Chicago) -- Chicago Police will be helping out in the investigation into the shooting deaths of five women in Tinley Park by handing out copies of the composite sketch of the suspect at Union Station on Thursday afternoon. A billboard truck with the sketch of the suspect in the February 2nd shootings will also be on display. Police are working with Crime Stoppers and participants in CAPS 1/81/8 Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy 3/83/8 in handing out the fliers starting at 2:30 p.m. --- Police Car Involved In Crash, Several Injured (Chicago) -- Six people, including two Chicago Police officers, are recovering from injuries after a collision between a civilian vehicle and a Chicago Police car on the citys Southeast Side last night. Police say it happened just before midnight in the 92-hundred-block of South Paxton Avenue. The officers were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while the civilians were taken to several hospitals. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The accident is still under investigation. --- Naperville Man Convicted Of Four Murders (Wheaton) -- A DuPage County jury is scheduled to meet this morning to begin deciding if Eric Hanson is eligible for the death penalty. Yesterday, jurors found the Naperville man guilty of murdering his parents, his sister and her husband in 2005. The 31-year-old Hanson was also found guilty of two counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of identity theft. Prosecutors alleged Hanson committed the murders because his family discovered he was stealing thousands of dollars from them. --- Elderly Couple Found Dead At Glencoe Home (Glencoe) -- Autopsies are scheduled Thursday morning for a couple found dead in their North Shore home. The bodies of 93-year-old Julius Bogolub and his 87-year-old wife, Jane, were discovered around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at their Glencoe home in the 500 block of Dundee Road. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say there is no sign of foul play. --- Rezkos Lawyer Says Jail Conditions Horrible, Must Even Share Underwear (Chicago) -- A lawyer for political fundraiser Tony Rezko says his client is living in very poor conditions at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago and even has to share underwear with other prisoners. Rezkos defense team is trying to get Rezko out of jail and have him instead be monitored at home by a private security company. Rezko, who has raised money for Governor Blagojevich and also has links to Illinois Senator Barack Obama, is scheduled to go on trial early next month. Hes accused of taking kickbacks from companies wanting to do business with the state. --- Frozen Confines, Blackhawks Request For Outdoor Game Involves Wrigley Field (Chicago) -- Will Wrigley Field faithful one day sing, "Take Me Out To The Hockey Game?" The Chicago Blackhawks not only want to host the NHLs next outdoor game, they want to play it at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs. The "Daily Herald" reports Blackhawks officials have discussed the idea with members of the Cubs organization. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the Blackhawks request was interesting and intriguing. The Hawks do face stiff competition from another Original Six team to host the leagues next "Winter Classic." The New York Rangers are asking for the outdoor game in the last year of Yankee Stadiums existence. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-02-21-08 0410CST