Peru Teen Dies in Crash

A one-vehicle crash in northern Miami County killed a 16-year-old Peru girl last night. Police say Whitney Carpenter lost control of a Jeep while on U-S 31. It rolled over twice, throwing her from the vehicle. Police say Carpenter was not wearing seatbelts, which would have prevented her from being ejected.

Guilty Verdict in Killing of I.U. Student

A jury in Bloomington has convicted 31-year-old John Myers the Second of the southern Indiana town of Ellettsville in the murder of an I-U student. Jill Berman was 19 years old when she was killed in May of 2000. A judge set sentencing for December first, when Myers could get between 45 years and 65 years in prison.

Trooper Charged with Forgery, Fraud

Police arrested an Indiana State Trooper yesterday on charges of forgery and fraud on a financial institution. The 53-year-old trooper is an Angola resident assigned to the Toll Road. A probable cause affidavit accuses the trooper of forging his ex-wife’s signature on a loan application.

Huntington Man Faces Bomb Charge

A 29-year-old Huntington man appeared in court yesterday to face a charge of making homemade bombs. Neighbors had complained about frequent explosions from small bombs made of plastic bottles and other ingredients.

Wabash Body Identified

The Wabash Police Department announced this afternoon that a forensic dentist has confirmed the identity of a homicide victim whose body was found in the basement a downtown Wabash building last month. The victim was Michael Wagner, who police believe was 21 years old when he died. According to a news release from the Wabash Police Department, someone shot Wagner in the back of the head, probably in October of 2002. Wagner had been in Wabash for a short time after leaving the U.S. Army. Police say the man who owned the building at the time of Wagner’s death and that man’s brother are both persons of interest in the homicide investigation. Both men are currently incarcerated on federal charges of bank robbery.

G-O-P State Reps. Promise Action on Gay Marriage

Indiana House Republicans promised yesterday to take the next step toward a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. Such an amendment would have to pass the legislature in 2007 or 2008 before Hoosiers could vote on it during the 2008 election.

Man Sentenced for Wolf Lake Bank Robbery

An Avilla man who admitted robbing a bank in the Noble County town of Wolf Lake got a 14-year prison sentence yesterday. 20-year-old Jacob Sizemore robbed the Community State Bank on U-S 33 last May.

Ft. Wayne Foundry Fire Ties up Traffic

A large fire damaged the Fort Wayne Foundry on the city’s northwest side yesterday. Because of the molten aluminum in the business, firefighters had to let the fire burn itself out, which took about three hours. The fire forced police to close part of Lima Road for a while.

Remonstrance Fails, Carroll H.S. Expansion Continues

Opponents of an expansion at Northwest Allen County’s Carroll High School have failed to stop the plan with their remonstrance. The Allen County Auditor’s office informed the school system yesterday that more than 75-hundred property owners signed petitions in favor of the expansion, compared to fewer than 19-hundred against.

Crash Ends Woman's First Driving Test

In the northwestern Indiana city of Portage, a 20-year-old woman had nearly finished her first driving test and was parking her car when she hit the accelerator instead of the brake and crashed into the license branch. The crash did not injure the driver or the examiner, but a person in the building suffered a minor injury. Needless to say, the young woman failed the test.

Woman Attacks Burglar with Kitchen Pot

In Muncie, a woman in her nightgown ran from her bedroom, grabbed a 10-inch pot from her kitchen and used it to attack a man who was trying to steal stuff from her enclosed front porch. The woman clobbered the guy in the head and shoulders until police arrived an arrested him for allegedly trying to steal a set of golf clubs.

GOP State Reps Propose Longer Prison Time

Indiana House Republicans say they want violent offenders to serve 85 percent of their prison sentences, rather than getting a day off for every day of good behavior. That’s one of several anti-crime proposals that the G-O-P lawmakers announced yesterday.

Semi Crash Closes S.R. 5 Near Cromwell

State Police say State Road Five will be closed most of the day near the Noble County town of Cromwell. Last night, a semi truck collided with a power pole, bringing down power lines. The highway will remain closed until NIPSCO can complete repairs to poles and lines.

Wabash County House Catches Fire

Three fire departments responded to a house fire southeast of Wabash this morning. The call came in from the area of County Roads 200-East and 400-South just before 3 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Man Sentenced in Columbia City Robberies

A judge in Columbia City has sentenced a 20-year-old man to six years in prison and two years of probation for robbing two people at a downtown business last month. Elricky Sanchez had pleaded guilty to armed robbery. On September third, he robbed two men at knifepoint at the Allied Star Computer store.

Four-Day School Week Idea Dies

The idea of a four-day school week in Huntington County appears to be dead. Last night, the Huntington County Community Schools board voted to have the superintendent study scheduling alternatives, with the exception of a four-day week.

Grocery Chain Announces Free Prescriptions

Meijer Incorporated has announced that its pharmacies will fill prescriptions for seven generic antibiotics without charge. The closest stores to the Q101 area are in Goshen and Fort Wayne.

Couple Caught, Amber Alert Ends

An Amber Alert that affected the Q101 area ended last night, with arrests in Illinois. Officials say they found a Kentucky couple in a town near Saint Louis and the nine-month-old baby they allegedly kidnapped is O-K. Police say the child’s mother and her boyfriend took the child from a social worker, who was found dead in the couple’s home Monday. The mother had lost custody of the child when he was only 13 days old, due to a neglect charge. Police found the couple hiding in a camper, where they had sought shelter after the car they were driving apparently broke down and got stuck in some mud. When the Amber Alert first came out Monday, police suspected the couple might have headed for our area.

Syracuse Boat Factory Pays Air Pollution Fine

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says a Syracuse factory that makes aluminum boats will pay a 45-thousand-dollar fine for violations of air pollution regulations. The E-P-A had charged Godfrey Marine with releasing excessive amounts of a hazardous air pollutant during 2004 and 2005. The E-P-A says the factory has changed its operations and now complies with regulations.

Syracuse Grocery to Close

The Arthur’s Fresh Markets store in Syracuse is one of 16 stores Marsh Supermarkets will close. None of the other 15 stores are in the Q101 area. The company says the stores that it is closing are underperforming. New owners recently bought the supermarket chain, which has been experiencing financial problems.

Former ISP Investigators Charged with Cover-Up

Police in southern Indiana have arrested two retired Indiana State Police investigators. A grand jury indicted the men on perjury charges for allegedly covering up evidence in a 1988 murder case.

Tower Climber Gets Stuck 300' Up

In the central Indiana city of Frankfort, a worker spent most of yesterday stuck 300 feet up on a cellular telephone tower. The man had climbed the tower to do work on an antenna but became too exhausted to climb down by himself. It took firefighters from Frankfort, Lafayette and Indianapolis 17 hours to gather, plan and safely carry out his rescue.

Report: Wal-Mart to Bring Drug Program to Indiana

Reports indicate that Wal-Mart is about to offer some generic prescriptions for four dollars in its Indiana stores. The company will reportedly announce today that it is expanding to Indiana a program that started in Florida. Critics say Wal-Mart’s program is a stunt to draw in business and a grab for a bigger share of the drug business.

Bond Reduced in Taylor University Crash

A Marion judge has reduced a Michigan truck driver’s bail bond from 135-thousand dollars to 75-thousand. The 37-year-old man faces five counts of reckless homicide and four counts of criminal recklessness in a crash involving a Taylor University van. The trucker’s lawyer says it’s unlikely that the man’s family will be able to come up with the 75-hundred dollars a bail bondsman would charge.

Panel Suggests Meth Offender Registry

A state legislative study committee has recommended that the General Assembly create a registry of methamphetamine offenders. The registry would be available to the public via the Internet. It would include anyone who is convicted of manufacturing meth, financing its production or delivering the drug.

Search Continues in Amber Alert

Police have not yet found the 10-month-old Kentucky boy who is the subject of an Amber Alert. They believe the boy is with his 33-year-old mother and her 23-year-old boyfriend. Police say the couple was last seen yesterday in Illinois. Officials took the child from his mother when he was 13 days old because of neglect.

Taylor U. Family Moves Toward Suing Grant Co. Coroner

The family of a Taylor University student has taken the first steps toward suing the Grant County coroner… for misidentifying their daughter as another woman who died in last spring’s crash on I-69. A tort claim filed by the family of crash survivor Whitney Cerak seeks unspecified damages for emotional trauma.

Voter ID Law to be Argued

Democrats plan to urge a federal appeals court today to overturn a state law that requires Hoosiers to show photo identification before they vote. The state attorney general’s office will ask the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to uphold the law. Democrats claim that the law unfairly affects the poor, minorities, people with disabilities and the elderly who may struggle to obtain a photo ID. Republicans say the law is designed to prevent voter fraud.

Restrictions on Whitley Lake Development to be Proposed

People who own property on Whitley County’s Tri-Lakes plan to ask for new restrictions on development. At tonight’s Plan Commission meeting, representatives of the Tri-Lakes Property Owners Association plan to propose a change in the county’s zoning ordinance that’s designed to prevent funneling. The amendment is based on one approved in Kosciusko County last month. It stops developers from giving lake access to people who don’t have lakefront property.

Girl Gets Rabies from Bat

A 10-year-old Marshall County girl has the state’s first human case of rabies since 19-59. Health officials say an infected bat bit the girl. Rabies is almost always fatal, but at last report the girl was in stable condition in an Indianapolis hospital. Health officials are taking the opportunity to warn Hoosiers to stay away from bats.

Police Seek More Leads on Runaway Wabash Co. Teen

Wabash County police say they still need the public’s help to find out what happened to a 15-year-old girl who ran away from her southern Wabash County home last month. Kayla Ousley has not been seen since September 22. Detective Captain Rick Monce of the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department tells Q101 news that the department is exhausting the tips it received and none have led them to the girl. Monce says police have also interviewed Kayla's friends in Wabash and Miami Counties to no avail. He says they have no reason to suspect foul play is involved in her disappearance. Monce says he hopes someone still has good information on where she might be. If you have information about Kayla, call Detective Captain Rick Monce or Detective Sgt. Mike Davis at the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department, (260) 563-8891 or 1-866-288-3882.

Amber Alert: Area Police Search for Couple, Abudcted Child

Police in the Q101 area and throughout Indiana are searching for a Kentucky couple who allegedly abducted a 10-month old child yesterday. They issued an Amber Alert after a 33-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man reportedly kidnapped the woman’s son. Police say the couple might have stolen the car of a social worker who was visiting their home. The social worker was found dead there. Police say one of the suspects has family in the Fort Wayne area. While the Amber Alert remains in effect, you can get more information at www.amberalertindiana.com.

Warsaw Council Considers Deer Hunt

Warsaw City Council heard a plan last night to allow archers to hunt deer in part of the city. City officials say the Spring Hill area of the city has too many deer and that’s not healthy for the environment, for humans or for the deer. Council plans to decide November sixth whether to allow an archery hunt to reduce the deer population.

Three-Semi Fatal Crash Closes U.S. 6

A fatal crash involving three semi trucks closed U-S Six just east of Butler early this morning. Police expected the road to remain closed until as late as noon today.

Trucker in Taylor U. Crash Requests Lower Bond

The Michigan truck driver who faces reckless homicide charges in the crash that killed four Taylor University students and one staff member last spring asked a judge to reduce his bail yesterday. The judge did not rule on the request. The 37-year-old man is currently held in lieu of a 135-thousand dollar bond.

Hoosier Marine Reserve Dies in Iraq

An explosion in Iraq killed a Marine Reserve from Evansville over the weekend. Sergeant Brock Babb was 40. He was a member of a unit based in Terre Haute.

Biomet Announces Warsaw Expansion, 260 New Jobs

Warsaw orthopedic company Biomet announced this afternoon a 21-million-dollar two-phase expansion that will bring approximately 260 new jobs to Warsaw.

The first phase of the expansion will involve converting a 30-thousand square foot building northeast of the Biomet campus to a facility capable of housing the manufacturing operations for the production of spinal implants. Biomet expects this phase to create more than 100 manufacturing jobs. The second phase will involve the construction of a 60-thousand square-foot addition to the southwest portion of the existing Biomet facility. Phase two will create at least 160 manufacturing jobs.

Phase one will be completed within two years, while phase two will take approximately four years to complete. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Biomet more than two-point-four million dollars in incentives to expand in Warsaw, rather than at the company’s New Jersey location.

Trial to Begin in Killing of I.U. Student

The trial of a man accused of killing an Indiana University student is scheduled to begin today. Lawyers expect testimony in the trial of the southern Indiana man to last three weeks. The victim, 19-year-old Jill Behrman, disappeared from Bloomington during a morning bike ride in May of 2000. Hunters found her skeletal remains about 15 miles north of Bloomington in March of 2003.

Indiana Resident Becomes Saint

A French nun who provided education to pioneers when Indiana was part of the western frontier was among four people the pope named as saints yesterday. Mother Theodore Guerin established St. Mary-of-the-Woods College for women in Terre Haute in 1841.

Governor to Make Announcement in Warsaw

Governor Daniels' office has announced that the governor will join Biomet executives and state and local officials for an economic development announcement Monday afternoon, October 16 at the Biomet offices on Bell Drive in Warsaw.

Fiery Crash Kills Churubusco Man

A 25-year-old Churubusco man died in a fiery one-car crash on U-S 33 near the Whitley-Noble County line yesterday. Police say Jason Crance’s body was so badly burned they had to use dental records to identify him. No one else was hurt.

West Nile Afflicts Whitley Resident

A Whitley County resident is one of the latest people to become ill from the West Nile Virus. And health officials say a LaPorte County resident has become the third Hoosier to die from the disease, which is carried by mosquitoes.

Leesburg School Earns State Honor

Leesburg Elementary School north of Warsaw has become one of only two schools in the state to be named a Title One Distinguished School. The award is available to schools that have a poverty rate of 35 percent or higher, yet demonstrate high academic achievement and exceed state standards for two ore more consecutive years.

State Closes Public Access to Rochester Lake

The state has closed off public access to Lake Manitou near Rochester. It’s part of a plan to keep a non-native, invasive weed from spreading. Only people who live on the lake or rent a pier there will be allowed to boat on it.

Natural Gas Price Decrease Expected

If you heat your home with natural gas, it looks like you’ll get a break this winter. NIPSCO says it expects prices to fall as much as 30 percent. The utility says wholesale gas prices are lower because last winter was warmer than normal and because no hurricanes have disrupted gas production this year.

Four-Day School Week Idea Presented

The Huntington County Community School board heard a presentation last night on the possibility of a four-day school week. The board took no action on the issue.

West Noble Expansion Gets Preliminary Approval

The West Noble School Board gave preliminary approval to a 14-million-dollar expansion project last night. The project would add about 60-thousand square feet to three of the district’s four buildings.

Body of 15-Year-Old Found

Searchers have found the body of a 15-year-old boy in a wooded area in New Carlisle, a town west of South Bend. Chad Hultgren had been missing since Saturday. Police say the cause of death remains under investigation this morning.

Syracuse Girl Injured, Plymouth Boy Killed in ATV Mishaps

A 17-year-old Syracuse girl suffered a separated shoulder and possible concussion after she lost control of an all-terrain vehicle near New Paris Saturday. Conservation officers say the A-T-V rolled on top of the girl after she lost control of it as she drove it down a small hill. It was the weekend’s second A-T-V accident. Friday night, a 10-year-old Plymouth boy died after he lost control of an A-T-V.

Former Zimmer Exec. Sentenced for Electronic Voyeurism

A former top executive at Warsaw orthopedic company Zimmer got four years in prison yesterday, for hiding a video camera in a 15-year-old girl’s bedroom and making recordings of her undressing. 48-year-old James Simpson had pleaded guilty to two charges of child exploitation. Simpson was a senior vice president at Zimmer until he resigned last spring.

Warsaw Pastor Gets Prison Time

A Warsaw pastor got six years in prison and two on probation yesterday for sexually abusing a teenage boy. As part of a plea agreement, 41-year-old Mark Johnson pleaded guilty sexual misconduct with minor, in exchange for the prosecutor dropping three other charges. When police arrested Johnson in December, he was the senior pastor at Pentecostal Church of Refuge in Warsaw.

N. Webster Man Sentenced for Sex with Teen

A judge sentenced a 47-year-old North Webster man to four years in prison yesterday for having sexual contact with a girl who was younger than 18. Rickey Swope had pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor as part of a plea agreement. In return, the prosecutor dismissed charges of child seduction and child molesting.

Indiana to House California Inmates

Up to 12-hundred prison inmates from California will soon travel to Indiana to serve their time. The two states have made a deal that will have Indiana using unoccupied portions of the New Castle Correctional Facility to incarcerate the California prisoners. Governor Daniels says the deal means 200 new jobs and more than six million dollars a year in income for Indiana.

Grant to Increase Indiana Port Security

The state's Department of Natural Resources has received a one-point-two-million-dollar federal grant to beef up security at ports along the Ohio River and the Lake Michigan shoreline. The DNR's law enforcement division will use the money from the Department of Homeland Security to buy four 27-foot powerboats and trucks to tow them. The boats will be equipped with heat-sensing and side-scan sonar devices.

DNR Postpones Plans to Kill Swans

The state Department of Natural Resources has announced that it has postponed plans to kill pesky mute swans on northern Indiana lakes. The D-N-R says it will try non-lethal methods to control the swan population for at least a year. At some locations, the swans attacked boaters last summer.

Huntington Woman Charged in Stabbing

A 30-year-old Huntington woman faces a charge of battery this morning for allegedly stabbing a man in a Huntington home. Police say the stabbing apparently happened during an argument.

Wabash Police Await DNA Tests of Bones

Wabash police say they’re waiting for D-N-A test results to confirm the identity of a person whose fully-clothed skeleton was discovered in a downtown building. Police say the person was definitely the victim of a homicide.

Columbia City Man Sentenced for Sexual Misconduct

A Whitley Superior Court judge gave an 18-year-old Columbia City man 40 days of weekend jail time yesterday for a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl. Kyle Rucks had pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor.

Soldier from Hammond Dies in Iraq

Another Hoosier serviceman has died in Iraq. The military says small arms fire Tuesday killed 27-year-old Staff Sergeant Jonathan Rojas, of Hammond.

Oil Dumping Shuts Down Angola Sewage Treatment

Someone dumped at least 50 gallons of fuel oil into Angola’s sewer system, forcing the city to shut down its sewage treatment plant for most of the day yesterday. Officials say they think they know where the oil came from and hope to recover the costs of cleaning it up.

Governor Denies Thoughts of South Shore Privatization

Governor Daniels says he has no interest in privatizing the South Shore commuter railroad, which runs from South Bend to Chicago. An official of the rail line says it’s looking into privatization at the suggestion of the Daniels administration.

Fire Departments Receive Federal Grants

Two fire departments in the Q101 area have received grants from the U-S Department of Homeland Security for operations and safety expenses. The Columbia Township Fire Department in Columbia City got 25-thousand dollars and the Huntertown Fire Department in northwestern Allen County got more than 78-thousand.

Man Denies Knowledge of Marion Woman's Death

The fired nursing home employee who took a wheelchair-bound resident to the river where she drowned says she was fine when he left. The man told the Marion Chronicle Tribune that he has no idea what happened to Tonia Johnson. He says Johnson had asked him for a ride to meet relatives. The Grant County coroner says an autopsy confirms that Johnson drowned but he says it’s too early to rule on whether her death was an accident.

Public Punishment of Delinquent Dad

A judge has ordered a 33-year-old Wabash man who has failed to pay child support to spend his days sitting in a county building's lobby under a sign reading "I don't support my kids." Wabash Circuit Judge Robert McCallen III says he imposed the sentence not as a special punishment, but to avoid adding to the overcrowding of the county jail.

Police Seek Missing Wabash County Teen

The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help finding a missing 15-year-old girl. According to a news release, Kayla L. Ousley of southern Wabash County ran away from home September 22 and has not been seen since. Kayla is five feet, five inches tall and weighs 105 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown shoulder length hair. Police say Kayla’s last known whereabouts were in the Wabash and Peru areas. If you have information about Kayla, call Detective Captain Rick Monce and Detective Sgt. Mike Davis at the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department, (260) 563-8891 or 1-866-288-3882.

Correction: Event to Provide Information About Military Academies

Note: Due to an error in information provided by Congressman Souder's office, earlier versions of this story incorrectly reported that the event would run from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The correct ending time is 11 a.m.

Residents of the Third Congressional District will have an opportunity Saturday to learn about the nation's military academies. Academy Day runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. October 7 at the Indiana Air National Guard Base located near the Fort Wayne International Airport. The event is intended for middle and high school students, their parents, teachers, and guidance counselors. U.S. Rep. Mark Souder's office has announced that that young men and women interested in applying for nominations to the U.S. Air Force, Merchant Marine, Military, and Naval Academies should submit an application package to his Fort Wayne office no later than December 1.

Wheelchair-Bound Woman Found Dead in Marion River

Marion police are trying to figure out how a wheelchair-bound nursing home resident ended up dead in the Mississinewa River. 41-year-old Tonia Johnson’s body was discovered yesterday. Police say a former employee of the nursing home where Johnson lived took from the home Sunday. Police have questioned the man, who the nursing home fired last week. They say he told investigators that he took Johnson to the Charles Mill Dam at her request to meet family members.

Columbia City Man Sentenced for Child Molesting

A 35-year-old Columbia City man got six months of home detention and three-and-a-half years of probation yesterday, for fondling a 13-year-old girl. 35-year-old Scott Maggard had pleaded guilty to child molesting.

West Nile Kills Two Hoosiers

State Health officials say two Hoosiers have died of the West Nile virus. One was a resident of Allen County and the other lived in Porter County. They are the first Indiana residents the mosquito-born virus has killed since September of 2005.

Elkhart Marine Dies in Iraq

The military says a Marine from Elkhart died over the weekend when his unit came under sniper fire in Baghdad. 23-year-old Corporal Aaron Seal was serving with a South Bend-based Marine Reserve engineering company.

Fire Destroys Mishawaka Church

Fire destroyed the Albright United Methodist church in Mishawaka last night. Firefighters say they believe lightning caused the fire.