Whitley Crash Kills Roanoke Motorcyclist

A 44-year-old woman from the Huntington County town of Roanoke died yesterday evening in a motorcycle crash in Whitley County. A release from the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department reports that Marcia Miller lost control of her motorcycle on State Road Nine south of Columbia City. Police say Miller was wearing a helmet at the time.

Girl, Non-Swimmer, Drowns at Lake Michigan Beach

An 11-year-old Michigan City girl drowned in Lake Michigan Saturday. Police say the child had been playing on a sandbar in chest-deep water at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when she disappeared. Police say they don’t know if the girl lost her footing on the sand bar, or if she was swept away by a riptide. But they say she did not know how to swim.

State Lawmaker Requests Gasoline Price Probe

If you wonder whether oil companies are gouging consumers with high gasoline prices, you’re not alone. Indiana House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer of South Bend has asked Attorney General Steve Carter to find out whether illegal price gouging is going on. Bauer says complaints from constituents prompted the request, along with reports that oil company profits are up more than 30 percent from a year ago.

Expert: Not Enough Money for Full-Day Kindergarten

An education expert says if the general assembly takes up the issue of full-day kindergarten next year, lawmakers will probably realize there’s not enough money to pay for it. Terry Spradlin of the Indiana University Center for Education Policy says if legislators do approve a program, they will probably phase it in over four years.

Warsaw Man Charged in Child Porn Case

Police hare arrested a 51-year-old Warsaw man child pornography charges. Police say a cable company worker noticed child pornography on the man’s computer while installing high-speed Internet service.

Flood Watch Cancelled

The National Weather Service cancelled a flood watch it issued for the Q101 area yesterday afternoon. The NWS cancelled the watch just before 4 a.m. today. Q101 meteorologist Tom Churchill says a large area of showers and thunderstorms that produced locally heavy rainfall and flooding last night has moved out of the area.

Flood Watch Issued

The National Weather Service in has issued a flood watch for all of the Q101 area through Friday morning. The watch includes Allen, Fulton, Huntington, Kosciusko, Miami, Wabash, Whitley counties. Q101 meteorologist Tom Churchill says heavy rainfall that is likely late this afternoon and tonight will increase the potential for flooding. Storms will produce very heavy rainfall in a short period of time and might move over the same areas, repeatedly causing rapid rises on area creeks and rivers. A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. Stay tuned to The New Q101 for later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. People who live in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Read the official flood watch statement.

KREMC Restores Power after Outage

Nearly 2,600 Warsaw-area customers of KREMC lost power this morning after traffic crash broke a utility pole. The outage occurred at 8:20 a.m. Power was fully restored by 10:12 a.m.

Flash Floods hit Columbia City, Fort Wayne

Flash flooding and power outages struck the Columbia City and Fort Wayne areas over night. Reports indicate that as much as four inches of rain fell in the area. Columbia City police say the water in some alleyways got as high as three feet. Workers at the Whitley County Four-H fairgrounds evacuated animals from some of the buildings there to protect them from the flash flood. And high water closed U-S 30 east of Columbia City, with traffic rerouted down Lincoln Way. Much of Columbia City had no electricity for several hours overnight. The Fort Wayne area also got clobbered with power outages and flooded streets. And high water closed two lanes of I-69 between the U-S 30 and Illinois Road exits.

Prosecutor: Argument Preceded Sniper Attacks

A prosecutor says the teenager who allegedly shot at vehicles along Interstate highways had gotten into an argument with family members just before the crimes. Jackson County Prosecutor Stephen Pierson says 17-year-old Zachariah Blanton had been hunting near Seymour when the argument happened, after which Blanton angrily left with his rifle. Blanton appeared in court yesterday to face charges of murder, attempted murder and three counts of criminal recklessness. The judge entered automatic not guilty pleas on Blanton's behalf and ordered him jailed without bond.

Columbia City Man Charged in Thefts

A 57-year-old Columbia City man faces charges of stealing more than 300-thousand dollars from investors. Prosecutors say the man’s victims include residents of the United Methodist Memorial Home in the Huntington County town of Warren.

Police: Teen Admits Sniper Attacks

A 17-year-old boy has reportedly admitted to Sunday’s sniper attacks along two Interstate highways. State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell said, "His cooperation was to such an extent that it was sufficient for probable cause and I would call that a confession if it was not penned." Whitesell says police found a rifle in Zachariah Blanton’s home that matches the type used in the shootings on I-65 an I-69. Blanton faces preliminary charges of murder, attempted murder and criminal recklessness this morning. He lives in northwestern Delaware County, not far from the scenes of two vehicle shootings on I-69. An acquaintance of Blanton’s made a tip to a reserve sheriff’s department officer that led police to the Blanton. Whitesell says Blanton apparently drove onto an I-65 overpass near Seymour, leaned across the trunk of his vehicle, shot at two pickup trucks and then drove about 100 miles north to the Muncie area where he shot at vehicles from two sites about a mile apart. Whitesell says he doesn’t know what Blanton’s motive might have been.

Stueben Crash Burns, Kills Six

Police in Steuben County say six people died yesterday after a sport utility vehicle crashed into a tree and burst into flames. Police say the bodies were burned so badly, it will take some time to identify them through dental records. The one-vehicle crash happened on a county road in a heavily wooded area near Fremont.

Police Confirm Arrest in Sniper Case

Indiana State Police have confirmed that they arrested a 17-year-old boy this afternoon on charges murder, attemtped murder, and criminal recklessness, in connection with Sunday's shootings on Interstates 65 and 69. State Police Superintenent Paul Whitesell says the boy is a resident of Delaware County. Whitesell says an acquaintance of the suspect mentioned him to a Delaware County Sheriff's Department reserve officer as someone who might have been involved in the shootings. Whitesell says police found a rifle in the boy's home that is the same model they were looking for. For more details on this story, listen to The New Q101 News tomorrow morning, between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Reports: Interstate Sniper Arrested

Three Indianpolis telelvision stations are reporting that police have arrested a 17-year-old Delaware County boy in connection with Sunday's shootings on Interstates 65 and 69. State Police plan a news conference at 5:30 this afternoon, at which they plan to announce a major development in the case.

Snipers Attack on Indiana Interstates

Police are investigating two sniper attacks that happened yesterday along Interstates 65 and 69 in Indiana. Below is a news release from the Indiana State Police.

Indiana State Police Hold News Conference Regarding Interstate Shootings

Seymour, Indiana – July 23, 2006 - This evening, at 7:00 p.m., the Indiana State Police conducted a news conference at the Seymour State Police Post to provide a review of the investigative efforts in progress as a result of the early morning shootings in the Seymour and Redkey areas of Indiana.

The two shootings in Seymour resulted in one death and one injured person. Killed was Jerry L. Ross, 40 of New Albany, IN. Treated and released for injuries in the second shooting was Robert Otto Hartl, 25 of Audubon, IA. The two shooting events in the Redkey area did not result in any injuries.

At this time it has not been determined if the Seymour and Redkey shooting events are connected with one another. Based on the gravity of these events, which has resulted in loss of life, the Indiana State Police will treat these incidents as being connected until proven otherwise.

To aid in this investigation the Superintendent of the state police, Paul E. Whitesell, PhD has assembled a state police task force that will lead this investigation with assistance from other federal, county and local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has committed resources from the Indiana National Guard as well as the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to provide any assistance as needed.

Assistance from the public will be a critical part of this ongoing investigation. Anyone with information relating to either of the shootings is asked to call the Task Force Hotline at 800-622-4962. People with tips calling from outside of Indiana should call 317-232-8250. All Indiana Highway Information Boards will have the following message displayed – “Report Suspicious - Overpass Activities – Call Police”. All police agencies across Indiana have received police computer related communication to direct these calls to the 800 number at the Indiana State Police Headquarters in Indianapolis. Anyone witnessing any type of future suspicious activity on Indiana’s interstate system is also asked to call this number as well as report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.

Additionally, the Indiana State Police are requesting that all businesses in Indiana adjacent to Interstates, especially along I-65 and I-69, with exterior and/or interior surveillance video at their business location, please maintain copies of footage since the evening of July 22nd. The Indiana State Police may be in contact with area businesses to review footage on a case-by-case basis.

State Reports First Case of West Nile Disease

Indiana health officials have reported this year’s first human case of West Nile virus. They say a resident of Jackson County in southern Indiana has contracted the disease. West Nile virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that have first been bitten by infected birds.

Governor Banks on BioFuel

Governor Daniels says biofuels will help Indiana make an economic comeback while they help the nation become less dependent on foreign oil. Daniels spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony for the state's first biodiesel production plant, in Hammond.

Thieves Take Rs from Signs

In the central Indiana city of Greencastle, this weeks’s crime wave is brought to you by the letter, “R.” Someone has stolen dozens of Rs from signs around the community. The thief has targeted gas stations, restaurants, repair shops and medical offices.

Body of Marion Canoeist Recovered

Searchers have found the body of a 21-year-old Marion woman along a river in an Ohio state park. Kara McCue was canoeing with her husband Monday when she fell into the river, which was dangerously higher and faster than normal.