Tristate Regional News, Thursday 4/3

Indianapolis Summary: Sixth-Grader Saves Neighbors From Fire (Hammond) -- A 12-year-old boy is being praised for saving a family, including a four-year-old boy, from a burning apartment Tuesday morning in Hammond. The "Northwest Indiana Times" reports sixth-grader Ben E. Dilworth was home sick from school at the familys apartment near 169th Street and Kennedy Avenue. The buildings leasing agent says Dilworth heard the boy yelling for help from a neighboring apartment, saw the smoke, and eventually pulled the frightened boy from danger. A father and his infant child also escaped the flames. Dilworth then ran up and down the hallways, alerting other residents. Officials say at least ten-apartments suffered significant smoke and water damage. The cause is under investigation. --- Couple Killed In Southeast Indiana Crash (Switzerland County) -- Two people are dead after a traffic crash this morning in Southeast Indiana. Police say 65-year-old James May slammed into the back of a trash truck that was stopped on Route 250. He and his wife Charlene were both killed. Neither were wearing seat belts. Police say the truck had stopped after losing a wheel. --- Police Continue Search For Bank Robber/Shooter (Fishers) -- Police today continue their search for a bank robber who fired a shot at a man yesterday in the Fishers area. The suspect is wanted for the hold up of the National City Bank branch at 7876 East 96th Street just after 9 a.m. Police say the bandit fired a shot at a man who was coming out of a nearby Wendys restaurant. The man was not seriously hurt as the bullet struck glass in his car window. Police used K 9 and other methods to search for the bandit. --- Here Are Wednesdays Winning Numbers From The Hoosier Lottery Daily Three-Midday: 7-2-3; Daily Three-Evening: 6-4-8; Daily Four-Midday: 9-7-6-5; Daily Four-Evening: 7-6-1-5; Lucky Five-Midday: 3-4-7-8-33; Lucky Five-Evening: 4-6-9-17-34. Louisville Summary: (Frankfort, KY) -- The state budget for 2008-10 won final approval from the House and Senate last night and will now go to Governor Steve Beshear. The 19-billion dollar state budget was passed 73-21 in the House and 35-3 in the Senate. House Democrats claimed projects funded by coal severance taxes were stripped from the budgets and that programs, including human services and education, were getting cuts. Representative Jimmie Lee, of Elizabethtown, announced that the budget was "iffy" yesterday. He claimed he wished the budget included an extra 130-million dollars in tax increases. 1/81/8 watch for updates 3/83/8 (Louisville, KY) -- Police have arrested a juvenile for calling in a bomb threat. Officials say the threat forced the evacuation of Mt. Washington Elementary School. Classes resume today unless something changes. Investigators say they will continue a sweep of the facility until school starts this morning. Officials say buses will run normal although children who get to school early will be affected. Students who normally go to the YMCA will need to be dropped off by their parents at Pleasant Grove Elementary School at 6415 Highway 44E. (Louisville, KY) -- Gasoline prices rose to three-dollars-40-cents a gallon yesterday in the Louisville area. Prices posted by residents in the area online averaged out at three-dollars-37-cents per gallon. (Louisville, KY) -- Former Louisville First Lady Kathy Sloane, a real estate agent in New York, is under investigation for allegedly failing to file New York state income taxes. Officials say Sloane is one of 31-real estate brokers under investigation for allegations of failing to report income. Five of those brokers have already been charged. Sloane will be arraigned if her lawyers are not able to work out a deal on the charges. Sloanes husband, Harvey Sloane, was Louisville mayor from 1973 to 1977 and again from 1982 through 1985. (Lexington, KY) -- The University of Kentucky will hold a public memorial tonight at Rupp Arena for Bill Keightley. Keightley, the basketball teams long time equipment manager died Monday evening at a Cincinnati hospital after being stricken while attending the Cincinnati Reds opening games. Former coaches, players and team managers are expected to attend the service scheduled to last from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The 81-year-old Keightley had been with the UK basketball program for 48 seasons, and a became familiar figure sitting on the sidelines for hundreds of games. (Indianapolis, IN) -- Indiana University reached an agreement earlier this week Tom Crean to be the schools next mens basketball coach. The university introduced Crean as the new coach yesterday during a press conference. Crean takes over for Kelvin Sampson, who resigned amid allegations of NCAA violations during this past season. Crean has spent the last nine years at Marquette. (Louisville, KY) -- Recipients of the 2008 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Awards will discuss their winning works at the University later this month. The awards are handed out each year for outstanding ideas in music composition, world order, psychology, education and religion. Albert Bandura, who won the psychology award, of Standford University will speak on April 16th in the Floyd Theatre. Edward Zigler and Walter Gilliam of Yale, along with Stephanie Jones of Fordham University, will all speak on April 16th as well. The three-won the education award for advocating universal preschool. Margaret Farley of Yale will speak on April 16th at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She won the religion award for her book maintaining that justice is an essential part of sexual ethics. (Louisville, KY) -- University Hospital is seeking the next of kin for Glenn LeBlanc. The Hospitals Social Services Department says LeBlanc died yesterday of natural causes. He lived in the 12-hundred block of South Third Street. Anyone with information is asked to contact the hospital. (Ft. Knox, KY) -- The second in command at Fort Knox is up for an Army promotion. Colonel Peter Bayer is expected to take over this summer as chief of staff for I-Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington. Bayer said, quote, "The assignment is an exciting move and we look forward to it, but, it will be hard moving so far away from our new home in Kentucky." According to the "News Enterprise," Bayer arrived at Fort Knox in July of 2007. Chicago Summary: Key Witness In Rezko Trial Expected Back On Stand Today (Chicago) -- An eighth day of testimony is expected today for prosecution witness Stuart Levine in the fraud trial of political fundraiser Tony Rezko. Yesterday, Levine described plans in 2004 to extort kickbacks from businessman Tom Rosenberg. Levine testified that he and Rezko, along with fellow ex-fundraiser Chris Kelly, demanded a two-million-dollar bribe or a one-point-five-million-dollar donation to Governor Blagojevichs campaign in exchange for an investment. Blagojevich has not been charged. --- Mayor Daley Plants Seed For Raising Property Taxes To Help Schools (Chicago) -- Mayor Daley says he may have to raise taxes to pay for schools. The Mayor says he wants 180-million-dollars from the state for Chicago schools. Reportedly, Governor Blagojevichs current budget calls for 60-million-dollars more for city schools under a statewide increase in education funding. The mayor says the Board of Education may have to raise property taxes to account for the shortfall. --- ATA Out Of Business; Midway Flights Cancelled (Chicago, IL/Indianapolis, IN) -- All ATA flights out of Chicagos Midway Airport are cancelled, as the airline says it is discontinuing all operations. The announcement follows years of restructuring efforts after bankruptcy. In a press release issued this morning, the company cites the unexpected cancellation of a key military charter agreement as a primary factor in the decision. All travelers are advised to seek alternative flight arrangements and the airline says other carriers that service ATA destinations have been asked to provide assistance. --- Rollover Accident Near Lemont Burns Truck Driver, Closes Ramp (Lemont) -- A 46-year-old truck driver is hospitalized with third-degree burns after his tanker truck rolled over and caught fire on Interstate-55 near Lemont yesterday afternoon. The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. on the entrance ramp from Lemont Road onto the southbound lanes of the expressway. The fire lasted for nearly three-hours before it was finally put out. The crash caused all Lemont Road ramps to be closed for some time, and the northbound exit ramp was closed overnight and was expected to be closed for much of today. --- Train Hits Car In Indiana; Two Dead (Gary, IN) -- Two-people are dead after their car was struck by an Amtrak train late last night in Northwest Indiana. Officials say train number 48, traveling from Chicago to New York City, hit the car at the intersection of County Line Road and U.S. Highway-12. The car was pushed about a half mile by the impact. Amtrak says no one on the train was injured, but the train was delayed. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. --- Bones Found In Southwest Suburban Woods (Chicago) -- Police say they do not believe that remains found in Lemont Township are related to any current, high-profile missing persons case. Cook County Forest Preserve Police say the bones found in Black Partridge Woods near Bluff Road yesterday afternoon are believed to have been there for more than a year. Authorities say they did not find a complete skeleton. An investigation continues. --- Investigators Want To Keep Stebics Guns, Pick-up Truck (Joliet) -- The husband of missing Plainfield mother Lisa Stebic can now use one of his cars that was once confiscated by authorities. Will County prosecutors have decided to return Craig Stebics 2004 Saturn after it was held during the investigation of his wifes disappearance. Lisa Stebic went missing nearly a year ago. Authorities say the state opposes the return of Stebics two-dozen weapons and his pick-up truck. --- More Chicago Police On The Streets This Summer (Chicago) -- Chicago police are preparing for an anticipated increase in violence this summer. Police say they will deploy more officers from administrative duty to sites where random shootings or gang retaliations are likely to occur. District Commanders will also be working weekend nights. --- Suburban School Holds Spanish Spelling Bee (Vernon Hills) -- Fourth and fifth graders at a Vernon Hills elementary school participated in a spelling bee of a different kind on Wednesday, as the words werent from the English language. About three-dozen students competed in a Spanish spelling bee at Hawthorn Townline Elementary. Spanish language spelling bees are gaining popularity in schools across the U.S. Some people say competitions in any language can help students spell in English. --- Lets Play Two! And Spell It Properly! Banks Sculpture Fixed (Chicago) -- The Cubs have yet to win a game this season, and neither have the White Sox, but at least the Ernie Banks statue is on the right track. The statue of the Cubs legend outside Wrigley Field no longer has a typo. Fans who came to see the seven-foot bronze monument Wednesday saw the Hall of Fame sluggers signature phrase, "Lets Play Two," written correctly with an apostrophe. When it was unveiled during Opening Day ceremonies on Monday, it was discovered that the sculptor left out the apostrophe in the word "Lets." (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-04-03-08 0646CDT