Prosecutor Plans Announcement on Taylor University Crash

Grant County prosecutor James Luttrull has announced plans for a news conference tomorrow regarding the April 26 fatal traffic collision that involved Taylor University employees and students. According to a media alert from Luttrull’s office, he will announce his legal conclusions and decisions based on his review and consideration of the Indiana State Police investigation of the accident. State police say a truck driven by a 37-year-old Michigan man crossed the median on Interstate 69 near Marion and struck a Taylor University van. Four students and a Taylor employee aboard the van died. One of the students who survived the crash was misidentified for five weeks as one of the students who died.

Man Arrested in Wabash County Shooting

The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department released additional information this morning about a shooting in the southern part of Wabash County. According to a news release, police have arrested a 60-year-old man on a charge of criminal recklessness with a weapon in the shooting of his 32-year-old son. The shooting occurred at a residence on Wabash County Road 950 South at about 2 a.m. The son was admitted to Wabash County Hospital with an apparent gunshot wound to his left thigh. Police say the shooting resulted from an argument between the two men.

Milford Residents to Meet Regarding Ethanol Plant

Milford residents plan a meeting tonight at which they’ll discuss concerns about an ethanol plant that a company might build in the area. The company has looked at property just outside Milford town limits. Some residents are worried that if the company builds there, the plant would drain the local water table, pollute the air in crease traffic and decrease property values. Tonight’s meeting begins at six o’clock at the Milford Community Center.

Shooting in Wabash County

Wabash County police are investigating a shooting this morning. The incident happened at about 2 a.m. in the southern part of Wabash County. Dispatchers say the victim was taken to Wabash County Hospital for treatment of a leg wound. Additional details were not available early this morning.

GOP Proposes BMV Changes

Republican state lawmakers proposed several initiatives yesterday they say would improve the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Among other steps, the legislators want transaction fees waived for any customer who waits more than 30 minutes to be served.

Injured Taylor Student Returns to Campus

19-year-old Taylor University student Whitney Cerak returned to campus yesterday, for the first time since being injured in a crash last April. Cerak is the Michigan woman who was mistakenly identified as another student who died in the crash. A university spokesman says Cerak has a light schedule this semester.

Decatur Tornado Confirmed

The National Weather Services has confirmed that a tornado touched down near Decatur Monday night. Meteorologists say it was an F-1 tornado, with estimated winds of 90 mph. It was on the ground for about two miles and did about 200-thousand dollars-worth of damage but did not hurt anyone.

Governor to Visit Huntington University

Governor Daniels plans to visit Huntington University today. He plans lunch with student leaders, followed by a question-and-answer session with students and faculty.

Possible Tornado in Decatur

Emergency officials say a tornado touched down in the Decatur area last night. So far, there are no reports of the storm hurting anyone, but the area saw a lot of damage. The storm damaged roofs, flipped over large trucks and blew down power lines. A representative of the local emergency management agency says a police officer shot video of a tornado on the ground. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service plan to survey the Decatur area today, to determine what the damage indicates about the storm.

Huntington Schools Approve Single-Gender Classes

The Huntington County Community Schools board has approved a pilot program to create separate middle school language classes for boys and girls. Teachers and administrators at Riverview Middle School will randomly select 25 sixth-grade boys and girls and put them in separate language arts classes. Officials hope the approach will improve the school’s ISTEP tests, especially among boys, who have been doing far worse on the test than girls at the school.

Wabash Police Make Arrest in Meth Case

Wabash police reported this afternoon that they have arrested a 21-year-old Wabash man on a charge of aiding in the manufacture of methamphetamine, among other charges. According to a news release, police got a call just before 10 o’clock last night from a woman who reported she had returned to her Wabash home to find an acquaintance and two other people making meth in her house. All three fled as the woman called police, but officers were able to locate and arrest one of the suspects. They continue to look for and expect to charge the other two.

Possible Meth Lab in Wabash

Police are reportedly investigating a possible illegal methamphetamine lab in Wabash this morning. Additional information was not yet available when Q101 last spoke with dispatchers.

Pizza Hut Customers Warned of Hepatitis

Health officials in Fort Wayne are offering free hepatitis A vaccinations to people who have patronized a Pizza Hut restaurant on the southwest side of the city. An employee at the Pizza Hut near the intersection of I-69 and U-S 24 tested positive for the disease last Thursday. Health Officials say anyone who patronized the restaurant between August 12 and August 19 might be at risk of developing the disease hepatitis. For more information, call the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health at (260) 449-7105.

No Tornadoes in NW Indiana: NWS

The National Weather Service says there were no tornadoes in the Michigan City and LaPorte areas Wednesday night. The area saw extensive damage, but meteorologists on the ground say it was all caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds of 80 to 100 miles an hour. Damage to the electric system was go heavy that as of last evening, 72-hundred customers still had no power.

BMV Commissioner Apologizes to Lawmakers

B-M-V Commissioner Joel Silverman apologized to state lawmakers yesterday for the problems the agency had with the installation of a new computer system last month. In comments before a legislative study commission, Silverman confirmed flawed testing, mismanagement and poorly performing contractors.

Severe Storm Hits Michigan City, LaPorte Areas

A severe thunderstorm clobbered the Michigan City and LaPorte areas last night. The National Weather Service says one reporting station measured a wind gust in excess of 100 miles an hour. In LaPorte County the storm caused at least some injuries, but details aren’t available this morning. The storm broke a lot of utility poles, leaving more than 20-thousand customers without power. It also blew over a lot of trees and blew at least one semi truck off of an area highway. And a harbor in Michigan reports boats damaged and missing.

Warsaw School Meetings to Present Building Needs

Warsaw Community Schools have announced a series of public meetings with an architecture firm regarding school overcrowding. Earlier this week, the school board hired Kovert Hawkins to present the need for a building project. The first meeting will be next Tuesday at Madison Elementary School. The complete list of meetings is available on the school corporation's web site.

Robbers Strike in Area Overnight

Police are investigating an armed robbery in Wabash County and a possible attempted robbery in Kosciusko County this morning. Wabash County police say that at about one a.m., two guys with guns held up a convenience store in Lagro. No one was hurt, but the gunmen made off with cash and cigarettes. Wabash County police would like you to call in if you know anything that would help investigators. Reports indicate that a few hours later, a similar crime was reported in Syracuse. When Q101 last spoke with Syracuse dispatchers, they would only say they sent officers to 902 S. Huntington Street, which a directory indicates is the location of a McDonald’s restaurant.

Council Approves Water Rate Increase in Col. City

Columbia City residents and businesses could see an increase in water rates in a few months. City Council approved an increase last night, but it still requires the approval of a state agency.

Police Die During Bike Ride for Charity

A group of police officers who were on a bike ride for charity were victims of a fatal crash yesterday. Two officers died and three others suffered injuries near Terre Haute, after a box truck slammed into the riders’ support van, pushing the van into the bicyclists. The bike ride was raising money for a charity that helps the families of fallen officers.

Mustang Driver Rams Police Cruiser During Chase

State police say a guy in a Mustang led them on a chase through parts of Miami and Wabash Counties last night, at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour. Police say at one point, the guy rammed the Mustang into trooper’s cruiser. The mustang finally crashed into a utility pole and the Mishawaka man who was driving faces a plethora of charges this morning.

Huntington Mother Peads Guilty in Infant Daughter's Death

An eight-week-old Huntington girl died of shaken baby syndrome. And as of yesterday, both of her parents have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with her death. The child’s mother, 23-year-old Jessica Bennett was about to go on trial yesterday, when she accepted a plea agreement. Bennett pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent causing death. The plea agreement calls for her to get up to 40 years in prison. It also calls for the state to drop several charges, including battery causing death and voluntary manslaughter. The child’s father, Tristan Bowling, is already serving a sentence for his role in her death.

Inmate Setenced in Bible-Drug Smuggling

The case of cocaine smuggled into the Huntington County Jail in Bibles has resulted in an eight-year sentenced for a jail inmate. 32-year-old Anthony Duckworth pleaded guilty to trafficking charges… for having his wife put the drug in the Bibles and deliver them to the jail. The court sentenced Duckworth’s wife, Amy, earlier this month.

Col. City Man Admits Child Molesting

A Columbia City man could get two to eight years in prison, now that he has pleaded guilty to fondling a 13-year-old girl. The court plans to sentence 35-year-old Scott Maggard next month on a charge of child molesting.

West Nile Virus Increases Dramatically

State health officials say they’ve seen a sharp increase in the presence of the West Nile virus. They say the virus has now shown up in mosquitoes or dead birds in 25 counties. So far, only one human has come down with West Nile disease this year.

Refurbished Governor's Residence to Open

A redesigned, redecorated and renovated Governor's Residence will open to the public this week after more than a year of work. Private donations paid for the $1.2 million-worth of work. The home will be open for public tours August 24th to the 27th.

Wabash County Unique in Heroin Use

Law enforcement officials in Wabash County are battling an unusually high incidence of heroin use. Police say residents regularly travel to Chicago, where they buy enough heroin for themselves, plus some extra to sell back home to cover their travel costs. A Fort Wayne clinic that treats people from throughout northeastern Indiana for heroin addiction says Wabash County provides as much as 15 percent of its clientele. Police in neighboring Kosciusko and Huntington counties say they haven't seen evidence of any significant heroin use in their counties.

Man Pleads Guilty in Child Sex Case

Court records indicate that a 46-year-old North Webster man has pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a girl who was younger than 16 at the time. The defendant, who has worked as a church pastor, entered a plea agreement through which he pleads guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor and the state dismisses charges of child seduction and child molesting. Police say the victim told them she had sex with the man for three years, beginning when she was 13. A judge scheduled sentencing for October.

House Burns in Southeastern Wabash County

Four fire departments responded to a house fire in southeastern Wabash County this morning. The alarm came in from the 61-hundred block of County Road 500-South at three a.m. There’ve been no reports of injuries.

Warsaw Woman Dies n SUV Rollover

We have more information this morning about the fatal accident in Warsaw we told you about yesterday morning. Warsaw police say 53-year-old Pamela Butz died after she was ejected from her S-U-V as it rolled over. The single-vehicle crash happened on U-S 30 near Parker Street at about six o’clock Wednesday evening.

Ice Cream Truck Drivers Charged with Lying about Hijacking

The hijacking of an Indianapolis ice cream truck about which Q101 told you yesterday morning turns out to be a lie. Police have charged the operators of the ice cream truck with making a false report. They allegedly stole money from the truck and then made up the hijacking story to cover the theft.

Police: Arson Connected to Gary Drive-By Killing

The Gary woman who allegedly drove her 15-year-old son for a drive-by shooting has become a crime victim herself. Police say it appears someone set fire to the woman’s home in retaliation for the shooting, which killed a popular man who had a mental disability.

Kosciusko Police Announce DUI Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies that participate in the Kosciusko County D-U-I Taskforce plan increased enforcement of drunken driving laws tomorrow night. Departments will have extra patrols on the road and they plan a sobriety checkpoint on State Road 13 near Wawasee Middle School.

Kosciusko Red Cross Chapter Honored

The Kosciusko County chapter of the American Red Cross has received a regional award for its work to support blood drives in the county. Officials of the Red Cross Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region presented the local chapter with a Chapter Partnership Award.

Warsaw Crash Fatal

A crash at the intersection of U-S 30 and Parker Street in Warsaw killed at least one person last evening and backed up west-bound traffic on 30. It happened at about 6 o’clock, but dispatchers say no other information is available yet this morning.

Huntington Man Jailed for Alleged Infant Abuse

Prosecutors in Huntington say a man slammed his 29-day-old son against a basinet, causing multiple skull fractures. Police have arrested the 26-year-old man on multiple charges of battery.

Police: Mom at Wheel in Drive-By Killing

Gary police say a 15-year-old boy shot and killed a 27-year-old man who had mental disabilities. Police say it was a drive-by shooting in which the teenager’s mother drove the car. No word this morning on what the motive might have been.

Indy Ice Cream Truck Hijacked

A man with a gun forced the operators of an ice cream truck in Indianapolis to drive him around for about half an hour yesterday. Then, he ordered the couple out of the truck and drove off with it. Police are still searching for the truck and the robber this morning.

St. Joe Commissioner Want Toll Road Taxes

A Saint Joseph County commissioner says he figures that the new operators of the Indiana Toll Road owe his county about three-point-six-million-dollars a year in property taxes. Commissioner Steve Ross the foreign consortium that leased the Indiana Toll Road now owns it and since it’s a for-profit company, it should pay property taxes on the 33-mile segment that passes through Saint Joseph County.

BMV Customers Recieve Personal Apologies

Governor Daniels and Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Joel Silverman have apologized to about 350 people who were upset by long lines at license branches. They’ve sent letters and e-mails and made occasional phone calls. It’s all a response to problems caused by a new B-M-V computer system.

Whitko to Open as Work Continues

Whitko Superintendent Jeff Hendrix says Whitko High School will be able to accommodate students when school starts Thursday, even though renovation work won’t be quite finished. Some work will continue after school starts, including laying carpet in some classrooms and installing lockers.

Daniels Supports Another Time Zone Change

Governor Daniels has announced his support for six counties that wish to change time zones again. Five of the counties are in southwestern Indiana and the sixth is Pulaski County in northwestern Indiana. Earlier this year, all six asked the federal government to switch them from Eastern Time to Central Time. Now, they all want to switch back to Eastern Time.

Michigan City House Fire Kills 4

A house fire in Michigan City killed four people early yesterday. State Fire Marshal Roger Johnson says about a dozen people lived in makeshift rooms in the two-story house and that some of them slept in closets. Neighbors told The Associated Press they believed most of the people who lived in house were Asian immigrants who worked at a local Chinese restaurant. Johnson says investigators do not yet know the cause of the fire. At last report, officials also did not know the victims' identities or ages.

Biomet Named in Anti-trust Lawsuits

Biomet Incorporated says two lawsuits for alleged violations of antitrust law name the company as a defendant. The Warsaw-based orthopedic company says the lawsuits are related to a subpoena the Justice Department delivered in June. Three other orthopedics companies also received such subpoenas.

Huntington Teachers to Propose Separate Classes for Boys, Girls

Teachers at a Huntington middle school plan to present a proposal to the school board tonight for separate language arts classes for boys and girls. Boys are doing much worse on the language arts part of the ISTEP test and the pilot program would be an attempt to address that.

Judge Sentences Teens to Bus Riding

In the northwestern Indiana city of Portage, a judge who got fed up with teenage traffic violators is hitting them where it hurts. She sentences them to the embarrassment of riding the school bus. Porter Superior Judge Julia Jent says she knew it was an effective punishment after a girl cried outside her courtroom. The judge says she's trying to save the lives of young drivers, or at least teach them responsibility.

Rural Warsaw Woman Charged in Attempted Murder of Infant Son

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department announced this afternoon that it has arrested a 23-year-old rural Warsaw woman on a charge of the attempted murder of her six-month-old son. According to a Sheriff’s Department news release, the woman allegedly deliberately interrupted the child’s respirations and he stopped breathing until he was resuscitated.

Biofuel Company Considers Milford Site

A second company might be thinking about building a biofuels plant in Kosciusko County. County Commissioner Bradford Jackson says American Milling Company is studying a site near Milford for an ethanol plant. Jackson says the Illinois company is interested in the Milford site because it has access to north-south and east-west railroad lines. American Milling has announced any plans to build in the area.

Columbia City Man Convicted in Thefts from Seniors

A jury in a Whitley County court has convicted a former financial planner from Columbia City of stealing thousands of dollars from senior citizens. The jury found 57-year-old Larry Walkup guilty of six counts of theft. Each count of theft carries a potential sentence of six months to three years in prison. The judge did not set a sentencing date. Walkup also faces felony charges of theft in Huntington County.

State Unveils "In God We Trust" Plate

Starting in January, you’ll be able to get a new license plate that features the American flag and the words "In God We Trust" on a blue background. The plate will not cost you any extra money. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles unveiled the design yesterday.

Mysterious Pranksters Return Taco Sauce

About a dozen people wearing masks walked into a Taco Bell in Marion and left behind six 40-gallon trash bags. The bags were full of packets of taco sauce. A note attached to the bags said the group had been accumulating the packets for the past three years. Taco Bell says that for safety reasons, it won’t use the returned packets.

Area Schools on Academic Watch

Several schools in the Q101 area are on “academic watch” this morning. That means their performance and improvement data has placed them in the next-to-lowest of five categories. Area school systems on academic watch include Warsaw Community Schools, Wawasee Community Schools and Manchester Community Schools. The next step above academic watch is “academic improvement.” Area systems in that category include Whitko Community Schools, Huntington County Community Schools and Whitley County Consolidated Schools. More information is available on the web site of the Indiana Department of Education.

N. Manchester to Get Historic Marker

The town of North Manchester is about to get its first state historic marker. The marker will commemorate the economic and social influence of huge gatherings of members of the Church of the Brethren. The meetings happened in 1878, 1888, and 1900. Officials will dedicate the marker tomorrow.

Arson Attacks Continue in Cromwell

For the fourth time this summer a mobile home park the western Noble County town of Cromwell became the scene of a suspicious fire yesterday. Investigators say an arsonist set fire to an unoccupied home in the Shady Acres mobile home park. The fire destroyed the mobile home. Investigators found evidence of an accelerant. That was also the case in three other fires at Shady Acres since June, all of which involved unoccupied mobile homes.

Another Death in Indy Crime Wave

Another killing in Indianapolis yesterday has raised the death toll in that city’s recent crime way to 13 in less than a week. The killings have continued even though police departments have assigned more officers to the streets and extended their shifts by two hours, with some officers working up to 12 hours a day.

Woman Who Beat Sons to Death Sentenced

A northwestern Indiana woman who beat her two young sons to death with a 10-pound weight got a 110-year prison sentence yesterday. Magdalena Lopez had said she killed her two-year-old and nine-year-old sons because she wanted them to be safe in heaven.

Penguins Die When Indy Zoo Truck Crashes

A truck carrying animals from the Indianapolis Zoo to another zoo in Texas overturned in Texas early yesterday. About two dozen penguins, an octopus and tropical fish were spilled along the highway, and four of the penguins were killed.

West Nile Activity Increases

State health officials reported today an increase in West Nile virus activity. One human case has occurred in Jackson County and labs have found the virus in mosquitoes and dead birds in 19 additional counties. Among those counties, the virus has been found in one dead bird in Kosciusko County. The virus has not yet been found in Whitley, Wabash or Huntington Counties. More information is available on the Indiana State Department of Health web site.

Syracuse Teens Charged in Bank Burglary

Four Syracuse teenagers face charges this morning in the burglary of a Syracuse bank. Police say the suspects broke a window in the back of First Federal Bank, went in and stole a large amount of coins. Surveillance cameras picked up all four suspects and a police officer recognized one of them. Police say all four suspects eventually confessed to the crime. Police say they got back all of the stolen money. Three of the suspects are 14 years old and the other is 16.

Woman Sentenced for Smuggling Cocaine in Bibles

A judge has sentenced a Huntington woman for using two Bibles to smuggle cocaine to her husband inside the Huntington County Jail. 28-year-old Amy Duckworth got 180 days in prison and three-and-a-half years of probation.

Former Fremont Bank Exec Sued

The former CEO of a northeastern Indiana bank faces a federal investigation and several lawsuits for allegedly failing to repay more than $6 million in loans. The holding company that owns First National Bank of Fremont fired Earl Ford McNaughton in 2004.

Lake Incidents Leave One Injured, One Dead

Weekend incidents at two northern Indiana lakes left a 14-year-old girl injured and a 20-year-old man dead. Yesterday, Christopher Miller of Etna Green was swimming at Yellow Creek Lake Camp in southwestern Kosciusko County. After Miller’s fellow swimmers noticed he was missing, they searched and found him unconscious in the water. Bystanders, police and paramedics performed C-P-R but they were unable to save Miller’s life. According to a news release from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Miller might have been under water for as long as 15 minutes. On Lake Maxinkuckee near the Marshall County town of Culver, a boat ran into a 14-year-old girl, cutting her lower back and both of her feet. Conservation officers say the girl had just fallen off an inner tube that another boat was towing and the operator of the second boat didn’t see her in the water.

Indy Crime Wave "Extreme Emergency"

The mayor of Indianapolis says violent crime in his city has become what he calls “an extreme emergency.” Friday night, shootings in Indy killed five people and injured four others. Earlier last week, there were six other murders. Among other responses, Indianapolis has increased the number of police officers on the streets.

Purdue President Announces Retirement

Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke announced today that he will step down on June 30, 2007. In a news release, Jischke says he believes the time will be right for both him and Purdue to move in new directions with the scheduled completion next June of both a strategic plan and the largest fund-raising campaign in Purdue history.

Warsaw Drive-By Shooter Sentenced

A drive-by shooting that happened last March in Warsaw’s Central Park has resulted in a prison sentence for one of two defendants. The shooting injured a 15-year-old girl in her lower leg. Yesterday, 18-year-old Warsaw resident Jonathan Aramburo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal recklessness. The judge sentenced Aramburo to four years in prison. Under the terms of a plea agreement, the state dropped charges of aggravated battery and dealing in cocaine. Police say another man was in the car with Aramburo at the time of the shooting. A case is still pending against the other defendant.

SUV Crash Kills Etna Green Woman

A one-vehicle crash in western Kosciusko County killed a 33-year-old Etna Green woman last night. Police say Nichole Brandon’s S-U-V left Old Highway 30 near County Road 800-West, struck some trees and ended up on its top. According to a news release from the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Brandon died of massive head injuries.

Warsaw Man Pleads Not Guilty in Child Porn Case

A 51-year-old Warsaw man entered a plea of not guilty yesterday to two felony charges of child exploitation. A cable installer allegedly found child pornography on the defendant’s computer while he was doing work on the defendant’s internet connection.

Gasoline Prices Jump

Gasoline prices jumped again in the Q101 area yesterday. By last night, prices at many stations were $3.19/gallon for regular unleaded. You can check the latest prices just about anywhere by following the link on our home page.

BMV Suspends Late Fees

People who don’t get their vehicle registrations renewed on time this month won’t have to pay a late fee. The Governor’s Office has ordered late fees waived for August and it has ordered the B-M-V to refund any late fees it has already charged this month. According to a news release, the Governor’s Office wants to make sure no one has to pay a late fee if the it’s the fault of the B-M-V’s new computer system.