Tristate Regional News, Wednesday 3/12

Indiana Summary: Carson Becomes Second Muslim Elected To Congress (Indianapolis) -- Democrat Andre Carson has claimed victory in a special congressional election to replace his late grandmother representing Indiana in the House of Representatives. With the victory, Carson becomes only the second Muslim ever elected to serve in Congress. The 33-year-old is a member of the Indianapolis City Council who converted to Islam about ten-years ago. He will take the Seventh District seat created when Julia Carson died in office last December. She won election six times to the district that represents most of Marion County. The younger Carson joins Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota as the only Muslims in Congress. --- Jeffersonville Annexation Case Facing Appeal (Jeffersonville) -- A Clark County judge has delayed Jeffersonvilles annexation of the Oak Park Conservancy pending an appeal. Circuit Judge Daniel Donahue announced the decision yesterday and also ruled that the neighborhoods residents do not have to post a bond for the delay. The "Courier Journal" reports that Donahue denied the request by residents that asked for him to reconsider his ruling last month. Donahue says the appeal could be decided on in as quickly as 30-days. Donahues ruling last month dismissed a challenge because the signatures of property owners in the area were not filed on time. --- Police Charge Three In ATM Theft (New Albany) -- Floyd County Police have charged two men after they were caught stealing from an ATM machine. Robert Mowry, Scott Timmonds, and David McClure were both arrested over the weekend in Clarksville. Officials say surveillance video from January 7th showed four men with crowbars breaking through the front door of the Great Escape movie theatre in New Albany. Police say the four made off with an ATM that investigators believed weighed nearly 15-hundred-pounds. Authorities are still searching for Robert Compton. All four face charges for battery, theft, and possession of stolen property. --- Butler Wins Horizon League Tournament (Indianapolis) -- Mike Green matched his career high with 24-points and set a career best with 13 rebounds as 10th-ranked Butler beat Cleveland State 70-55 in the Horizon League championship game in Indianapolis. Matt Howard added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who upped their mark to 29-and-3 and secured an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Its Butlers first conference tournament title since 2001. JNathan Bullock tallied 21 points and nine boards for the Vikings, who slipped to 21-and-12. Starter Cedric Jackson was lost to an ankle injury early in the second half and finished with just four points and six turnovers in the setback. --- Tuesdays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Midday: 6-6-9; Daily Three-Evening: 3-1-6; Daily Four-Midday: 2-8-8-4; Daily Four-Evening: 7-2-2-3; Lucky Five-Midday: 5-6-8-11-31; Lucky Five-Evening: 4-7-21-23-30 Mix & Match: 11-25-39-46 Kentucky Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- A lot of new pain at the gasoline pump as gasoline prices are soaring. Kentucky gas prices.com reports prices as high as three-45 in Covington, three-39 in Hazard, three-34 in Lexington and three-36 in Somerset. Some experts expect prices to go even higher in coming weeks. (Frankfort, KY) -- Passed out of committee, the full House will now begin consideration of the budget bill. Representative Arnold Simpson of Covington says the budget is "hurting" for money. The proposed budget includes a 25-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax. The budget does restore many of the budget cuts proposed by Governor Beshear. (Frankfort, KY) -- The Senate has passed a bill to toughen rules for amusement ride operations and licensing and increases the fines for violations. The bill was prompted by the accident at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, when a cable broke on the Superman Tower of Power ride and a teenage girl lost both feet. (Frankfort, KY) -- The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill to create an address confidentiality program. It allows victims who have recently relocated to keep that address confidential by providing them a substitute for local and state agencies in addition to protected records service. The bill now moves to the House. (Pineville, KY) -- Jury selection is to begin today in the trial of a man charged with murdering a former Harlan County sheriff. 61-year-old Raymond Harris is charged in connection with the March 2002 murder of Paul Browning Jr. Browning was running for Harlan County sheriff, a position he had formerly held, when his burned body was discovered in his truck in Bell County. An autopsy revealed he had been shot in the head. (Sand Springs, KY) -- Authorities have discovered over 100 dogs living at a Jackson County home in what are described as deplorable conditions. 40 animals were dead. Its expected charges will be filed against three people. Some of the dogs will have to be euthanized because of their physical condition. The courts may permit some to be adopted. (Frankfort, KY) -- The portraits of three Kentucky women will join those of 53 others on the wall of the west wing corridor in the capitol. The portraits are part of the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit. The three newest portraits are of Sally Shallenberger Brown, Jacqueline A. Noonan, and the late Lyda "Gertrude" Ramey. Ramey opened the Ramey House in Boyd County for abandoned and neglected children. Noonan worked as a pediatric cardiologist and researcher. Brown was an advocate for the environment and environmental preservation. (Frankfort, KY) -- Kentuckians can help raise awareness of the need for more adoptive families by reserving a new specialized vehicle license plate. The plates carry the logo "Be a forever family "adopt." The state needs at least 900 commitments by February 1st, 2009 to start production of the plates. Cost of a specialized plate is 28-dollars to be paid at the time of application, plus the standard 15-dollar renewal fee. Chicago Summary: Teens Urged To Put Down Weapons (Chicago) -- The call for increased gun control is growing ever louder in the wake of last weeks shooting outside Chicagos Crane Tech High School. Mayor Daley and others held a rally urging teens to put down their weapons yesterday. It followed a court appearance for 15-year-old DeVonte Smith. Hes charged as an adult with the murder of 18-year-old Ruben Ivy last Friday near Crane. Friends and classmates of Smith and Ivy confronted each other outside the courthouse, but no further violence occurred. A five-thousand-dollar reward is being set up for anyone who gives police information about the shooting of a minor. And Police Superintendent Jody Weis is assigning special police patrols for challenged schools and those with a history of violence. --- First Rezko Wiretaps To Be Played Today (Chicago) -- The first of several government wiretaps will likely be played in political fundraiser Tony Rezkos corruption trial today. Rezko is accused of demanding campaign contributions for Governor Blagojevich and others from companies who wanted state business. Yesterday, a quiet moment at an Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board meeting was discussed by two witnesses at political fundraiser Tony Rezkos fraud trial yesterday. The meeting in question took place in April of 2004, as the board prepared to vote on the controversial Mercy Hospital in Crystal Lake. One-time board lawyer Anne Murphy and health department official Donald Jones testified that the vote authorizing the hospitals construction appeared to be in danger. But then Chairman Thomas Beck got up and whispered privately with board member Stuart Levine, who immediately talked with a third member, Imad Alamanseer. All three, who prosecutors allege were appointed to the board at Rezkos urging, then voted for the hospitals construction. Levine has already pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the federal government. Beck has been granted immunity from prosecution and is expected to take the stand today. Mercy Hospital was never built. --- City Urges Firing Of Officer Taped In Bar Attack (Chicago) -- Chicagos police review authority wants Anthony Abbate fired. Hes the officer who was allegedly caught on tape beating a female bartender while off-duty last February. The review authority says Abbate has embarrassed the Police Department. He was expected to enter guilty pleas to at least some of the 15 felony charges against him yesterday, but that deal fell through. A status hearing is set for late April. --- Gary Chief Resigns, Civil Lawsuit Filed (Gary, IN) -- Four alleged victims of police brutality by the Gary, Indiana Police Chief and two colleagues are now suing both the officers and the city. The victims say Gary Mayor Rudy Clay condoned the conduct by not suspending the three immediately. But Clay says he waited until yesterday to try and help the transition of power go smoothly. Clay also says former chief Thomas Houston, Deputy Chief Thomas Branson, and Sergeant Thomas Decanter are innocent until proven guilty. The three allegedly searched the homes of three plaintiffs, assaulted them, held them without probable cause, and lied to FBI agents. A break-in at Houstons home allegedly started the incident, and criminal charges have been filed against the officers. Houston retired from the chiefs post yesterday. Branson and Decanter are being re-assigned. --- Man Falls To Death From High-Rise (Chicago) -- Chicago Police are conducting a death investigation after a 23-year-old man fell from a Gold Coast high-rise building late Tuesday night. News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said the unidentified victim fell 15-to-18 stories from a building at 215 East Chestnut Street around 11:30 p.m. A spokesperson for the Cook County medical examiners office said he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for today. --- Seven Corpses Burned In Funeral Home Fire (Chicago) -- A fire at a funeral home on Chicagos South Side yesterday morning burned seven bodies, including one of a toddler. The blaze at A-R Leak and Sons Funeral Home in the 78-hundred block of South Cottage Grove broke out around 6 a.m. Owner Spencer Leak Senior told the "Chicago Tribune" the fire happened in a room used for body preparation. Chicago Fire Spokesman Larry Langford says there is considerable damage to the rear of the building, but there were no injuries. All the affected families were notified and have agreed to have closed-casket funerals. Their funerals and cemetery costs are being waived. The cause of the fire is under investigation. --- Illinois New 14th District Congressman Sworn In (Washington, DC) -- Geneva Democrat Bill Foster is officially the U.S. Representative from Illinois 14th District. Foster was sworn in on the floor of the U.S. House yesterday, just three-days after he defeated Republican Jim Oberweis in a special election. Foster is finishing former House Speaker Dennis Hasterts term. He and Oberweis will face off for a full two-year term in Novembers general election. Foster vowed to push for middle-class tax cuts, expanded health care programs, and a "new direction" in Iraq. --- Five Smokers, Two Bar Owners Cited For Lighting Up (Joliet) -- Random checks for smokers at Will County bars and taverns led to seven citations on Friday. Joliet Police Chief Fred Hayes says officers found the smokers at Paulies Pub on Jefferson Street and Woodys on Washington Street. Both establishments were issued 250-dollar-tickets. Five-smokers also got citations. They face fines of at least 100-dollars. Illinois indoor smoking ban went into effect on January 1st. --- License Records Could Become New Weapon Against Vehicle-Sticker Violators (Chicago) -- City investigators may soon be able to use state drivers license records to check for vehicle-sticker violators. A City Council committee Tuesday advanced a new measure that would authorize investigators to use those records to determine if a vehicle without a sticker is registered in the city. Currently, only license plate information is authorized, but officials say that allows some motorists to sidestep the law by registering their plates using a suburban business address. Officials say drivers license info would be a more accurate determination of whether a vehicle owner lives in Chicago. Fines for failing to have a city sticker are 120-dollars. City Clerk Miguel del Valle said he could not estimate how many more violators could be caught with the new method. --- Amusement Park Ride Fall Kills Worker (Gurnee) -- A Wisconsin man fell 50-feet to his death from the Six Flags Great America amusement park ride he was dismantling yesterday morning. The Lake County Coroners office says 46-year-old Thomas Lee of Pleasant Prairie hit his head during his fall from the Splash Water Falls ride. He died at a Libertyville hospital at about 9:45 a.m. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating. Last September, OSHA officials found 38 safety violations at Great America. The theme park is currently closed for the winter. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-03-12-08 0659CDT