Season's First Winter Storm Watch Issued

The first winter storm watch of the season covers the Q101 area this morning. Senior Meteorologist Sam Lashley of the National Weather Service Northern Indiana office says a developing system is already dropping quite a bit of snow on the Texas panhandle. "There’s a decent chance some of that snow could impact our area and also mix with some sleet and possibly freezing rain, so that’s why we have the watch out now for these possible conditions." Lashley says there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty and the forecast will become more accurate throughout the day. But slippery roads are a possibility for tomorrow morning’s commute.

Daniels Announces Benefit Privatization Plan

Governor Daniels announced yesterday a plan to pay IBM and other private companies more than a billion dollars over the next 10 years… process applications for food stamps, Medicaid and welfare. Daniels says the goal of the plan is to improve service to clients, reduce waste and fraud and move people more quickly off welfare rolls and into jobs.

No Reduction in Trucker's Bond

The Michigan truck driver who was involved in last spring's fatal crash with a Taylor University van has lost his bid for a lower bail bond. During a hearing today, a judge denied the man's request to reduce the bond amount from 75-thousand dollars to 44-thousand. The man's lawyer says the trucker cannot afford a 75-thousand-dollar bond, but Grant County residents had donated 44-hundred dollars, which would have been enough to purchse a 44-thousand-dollar bond. The judge says the 75-thousand dollar bond is fair. Four Taylor students and one staff member died in the crash in I-69.

Miami County Girl Appears in Court

The Miami Circuit Court conducted a closed hearing today for a 12-year-old Southern Miami County girl who faces juvenile charges of arson and the attempted murder of her mother. The judge ordered authorities to continue holding the girl at a juvenile detention center in Kokomo until a fact-finding hearing December 20. In the juvenile justice system, a fact-finding hearing is analogous to a trial. The girl's attorney described her today as "very upset." Earlier this week, the girl allegedly set her mother's bed on fire as her mother slept and then put her younger siblings in her mother's car and drove away.

Investigators Make Progress with Huntington Explosion

Fire investigators say they’re getting closer to documenting the cause of last week’s fatal explosion at a house in Huntington. Yesterday, they found the hole in a gas line that apparently led to the explosion. But they say they still can’t prove what caused the leak or what ignited the gas. The explosion killed two people, leveled one house, damaged an adjacent house beyond repair and significantly damaged a third.

Privatization Announcement Planned

Governor Mitch Daniels reportedly plans to announce a decision today on whether to pay private companies to determine who's eligible for food stamps, Medicaid and welfare. The state Family and Social Services Administration currently performs that task.

Prosecutor to Charge Miami County Girl as Juvenile

Miami County Prosecutor Eric Huneryager says he will charge a 12-year-old girl as a juvenile for allegedly setting her mother’s bed on fire while the woman slept. Huneryager says he won’t charge the girl as an adult because of her age and because she has no criminal history. Huneryager says the juvenile justice system will provide services to determine why the girl acted out the way she did and to make sure it doesn't happen again. A juvenile detention center is holding the girl on preliminary charges of attempted murder and arson. The Miami Circuit Court in Peru has scheduled the girl’s first court appearance for tomorrow. Police say that after the girl set fire to her mother’s bed, she put her eight-year-old brother and six-year-old sister in her mother’s car and began driving down U-S 31. The mother awoke in time to extinguish the fire and was not injured.

Coroner: Whitley Jail Inmate Died of Heart Disease

An autopsy has determined that Whitley County Jail inmate Larry Walkup died of heart disease Sunday. According to a news release from the Indiana State Police, a medical examiner found blockages in some of Walkup’s coronary arteries. Jailers discovered the 57-year-old man’s body in his cell block Sunday morning and asked state police to investigate his death. Walkup was serving time for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from senior citizens.

Miami County Girl, 12, Allegedly Tries to Kill Mother

A 12-year-old Miami County girl faces charges of attempted murder and arson this morning. Police say the girl set fire to her mother’s bed while her mother was sleeping, put her eight-year-old brother and six-year-old sister in her mother’s car and began driving down U-S 31. The mother woke up in time to put out the fire, but not before the children were gone. Police say they reached the 12-year-old girl on her mother’s cell phone while she was driving and convinced her to stop. Police say the girl claimed that an abductor had forced her to drive away while he followed in another vehicle, but they determined that story was false.

Whitley Jail Inmate Dies

Indiana State Police announced yesterday afternoon that they’re investigating the death Sunday of a Whitley County jail inmate. According to a news release, jailers found 57-year-old Columbia City resident Larry Walkup dead at about 10 o’clock Sunday morning. Police say their preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play. They’re waiting for an autopsy to determine how Walkup died. Walkup was serving a sentence for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a number of senior citizens in northern Indiana.

Governor to Announce Kindergarten Plan

Governor Daniels plans to announce his proposal for full-day kindergarten next week. Daniels says he wants to get started on full-day kindergarten during the upcoming legislative session and take no longer than three years to make it available to all students.

Statewide Graduation Rate Appox. 76%

The state Department of Education released new data yesterday that shows about 76 percent of Indiana students graduate from high school. The calculations are based on a new formula that’s designed to more accurately reflect the number of students who drop out. Data on individual schools won’t be available until sometime next month.

Hunington Single-Gender Classes Deemed Successful

The Huntington County Community Schools board heard last night that its pilot program of single-gender middle school classes is producing positive results. Teachers told the board that students in single-gender language arts classes are getting better grades than students in mixed-gender classes at the same school.

Hoosier Marine Dies in Iraq

The Defense Department says a roadside bomb in Iraq has killed a Marine from central Indiana. Lance Corporal James Davenport of Danville was 20 years old.

Crash Kills Huntington Man

A one-car crash in western Huntington County killed a Huntington man yesterday evening and seriously injured his wife. It happened on State Road 16 near County Road 750-West at about six o’clock. Police say 23-year-old Lawrence Donaldson died after the car rolled over several times. They say Donaldson’s wife, Casey was at the wheel and it appears she overcorrected after the car went over a rise in the road.

Reports: Comcast Worker Caused Huntington Gas Leak

Reports indicate that a Comcast employee pierced a gas line in Huntington Monday and that’s what probably led to a fatal house explosion. The Comcast worker reportedly called gas company Vectren to report the leak. The explosion happened shortly after Vectren employee R. Alan Dalrymple arrived to investigate. The blast killed Dalrymple who was 50 years old and Emilie Wilson, a 75-year-old resident of the home. The explosion also injured Wilson’s husband, Jack and the Comcast employee, whose name has not been released. Both men were in critical condition at last report.

State Senate, House, Get New Leaders

Both houses of the state legislature have new leaders this morning. During yesterday’s organizational session, the Senate swore in Fort Wayne Republican David Long as president pro tem and South Bend Democrat Patrick Bauer returned to the position of Speaker. Long replaced Republican Robert Garton of Columbus, who lost the primary election this year. Bauer had been Speaker previously, but lost the seat when Republicans became the majority party in 2005.

Long says he wants to continue the decorum that has distinguished the Senate, which includes members treating one another with civility and respecting the rules.

Bauer says the top priorities for Democrats during the next legislative session will be property taxes, affordable health care, education and privatization.

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Allen County

State officials say the emerald ash borer has spread to Allen County. That means the insect is now present in at least 12 counties, including Huntington County. The Department of Natural Resources plans to implement a quarantine that will ban the removal of ash products and some other wood products from Allen County.

DNR Director Resigns

Governor Daniels’ office has announced that the director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Kyle Hupfer, has resigned. Daniels has appointed Robert Carter, Junior to succeed Hupfer. Carter currently heads the department's law enforcement division.

Kosciusko County Men Become State Troopers

Two Kosciusko County men have joined the ranks of the Indiana State Police. 33-year-old Jeff Wampler of Warsaw is a former member of the North Webster Police Department. As a trooper, Wampler will patrol Kosciusko County. 38-year-old Tim Capenter of Claypool was part of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department. I-S-P has assigned Carpenter to Elkhart County.

Utility Worker Missing in Fatal Huntington House Explosion

The search continues this morning for a utility worker was investigating a natural gas leak at a house in Huntington, when the house exploded. Officials have found no sign of the Vectren Energy employee and they assume he’s dead. The explosion and fire also killed an elderly woman who lived in the house and it injured her husband and a Comcast employee who was doing work there. It happened just after five o’clock yesterday afternoon and fire officials say the house collapsed minutes later. The blast and fire also did extensive damage to the houses on either side of the one that exploded, but no one was hurt in those homes.

Fire Does Extensive Damage at Warsaw U-Store

Warsaw fire officials are calling the U-Store Mini Warehouses at 419 East Winona Avenue a total loss this morning. And they say last night’s fire destroyed about half of the belongings people had stored there. Dispatchers got the call just after 10:30. It took firefighters from Warsaw and three other departments to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation this morning, but Captain Ed Kipker says it looks like the fire started at the west end of the building.

Zimmer President Announces Retirement

The president and chief executive of Zimmer has announced plans to retire. 57-year-old Ray Elliott has been the Warsaw orthopedic company’s president since 1997. Elliott did not say exactly when his retirement will begin. Zimmer says it has hired an executive search firm to help it find both internal and external candidates to replace Elliott.

Former Bank Exec Avoids Criminal Charges

A former vice president of Markle Bank has avoided a criminal record by repaying 97-thousand dollars she allegedly obtained from the bank through fraudulent means. A special prosecutor has dropped a felony charge he had filed against the 56-year-old woman.

Illegal Immigrants Captured on Toll Road

State police reported yesterday that they captured 14 illegal immigrants Saturday when they stopped a speeding minivan on the Indiana Toll Road. The passengers were from Mexico and El Salvador. Police turned them over to immigration officials.

North Manchester Residents Robbed at Gunpoint

Two North Manchester residents reported being held up at gunpoint in their home yesterday. According to a news release from the North Manchester Police Department, the residents of East Fourth Street answered a knock on the door at about 10:12 yesterday morning and two men barged in. One man pointed a gun at the residents and demanded money. The robbers made off with cash and personal items. They left the area in an older red Chevrolet Celebrity that had loud exhaust. North Manchester police want anyone who has information about this crime to give them a call.

Silver Lake Barn Fires Requires Four Departments

Four fire departments responded to a big barn fire in southern Kosciusko County this morning. The alarm came in just after four o’clock from 10167 South County Road 450 West just west of Silver Lake. The Silver Lake, Burkett, Claypool and Henry Township (Akron) Departments fought the fire.

North Vernon House Fire Kills Four

A house fire in the southern Indiana town of North Vernon killed three adults and a baby yesterday. State Fire Marshal Roger Johnson says the one-story, ranch-style house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. A neighbor reported hearing a loud explosion and Johnson says investigators are looking into the possibility that the fire might have originated in the home's furnace, which had been serviced recently.

Crash Near Warsaw Kills Rochester Man

A one-car crash on Kosciusko County Road 100-South Saturday killed a 21-year-old Rochester man. Police say Jayson McCalla lost control of his car for an unknown reason and it collided with a tree. The Kosciusko County coroner pronounced McCalla dead at the scene.

Elkhart Mother Arrested in Deaths of Children

Police have arrested the mother of four Elkhart children for allegedly killing them. But police are providing no information about what evidence they have against the 27-year-old woman or exactly how her children were suffocated to death. The woman was found unconscious near the bodies of the children and is now under police guard in a hospital. Police won’t say why she’s in the hospital or what her condition is. But they say they expect her to recover. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for today.

Trucker in Taylor U. Crash Requests Another Bond Reduction

The Michigan truck driver who faces charges in the deaths of four Taylor University students and one employee has asked for another reduction in his bail. Last month, a judge reduced the 37-year-old man’s bail from 135-thousand dollars to 75-thousand. But the trucker still didn’t have enough money to buy a bail bond. His lawyer says local citizens have donated enough money to buy a 44-thousand dollar bond and that’s why he has asked the court to reduce bail to that amount. The Grant County prosecutor has objected to the request. The judge plans to hear arguments on the issue later this month.

Records: Pilot Lacked Commercial License

Federal Aviation Administration records indicate that the pilot of a plane that crashed near South Bend this week was not certified to fly passengers for money. An Iowa marketing company says it hired the 45-year-old pilot to fly four employees to South Bend and back. Company officials say they thought the man was a legal charter pilot. The pilot and all four passengers died when the twin-engine plane slammed into a LaPorte County field Monday.

Coroner: Elkhart Children were Homicide Victims

A coroner has ruled that four Elkhart children died of suffocation and were victims of homicide. But police say they still don’t know how or why the children were killed Tuesday night. The children were a two-year-old girl, at four-year-old boy, a six-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl. At last report, their mother was in critical condition in a hospital. Police say they have not been able to talk to her and there’s no indication she was involved in the death of her children. Police say they’re reviewing past calls they’ve received from the house, which involved a custody dispute between the mother and her ex-husband.

Senate Republicans to End Retirement Health Plan

Republicans state senators say they’ll phase out state health benefits for retiring senators. The senators made that decision during a caucus yesterday. Senator David Long says the Senate Retirement Health Care Plan has become too generous and needs to end.

Low-Cost Airline Plans Fort Wayne Service

Low-cost airline Allegiant Air announced Wednesday it will offer new nonstop jet service between Fort Wayne and Orlando beginning Feb. 16. To help kick off the new service, Allegiant will offer introductory fares as low as $69 each way. The new flights will operate twice weekly, with service Monday and Friday.

Children Die Mysteriously in Elkhart Home

Homicide detectives in Elkhart are investigating the deaths of four children who ranged in age from one to six years old. Their father told police he arrived at the Elkhart home to find the children’s bodies in the basement. The mother was unconscious and E-M-S took her to a hospital. No information on her condition is available this morning. Police are calling the situation suspicious and it’s not clear yet exactly what happened. An air test by firefighters ruled out carbon monoxide as the cause.

More Information on Pierceton Family's Death

Investigators say members of a Pierceton family had probably been dead for two days before they were found in a horse trailer in Missouri. As Q101 first reported yesterday, 40-year-old Jeffrey Cox, his 17-year-old daughter, Kayla and his 14-year-old son, Derrick, all died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. They had been sleeping in the front of a horse trailer while a generator ran in the back. A 39-year-old woman who was traveling with the Cox family was unconscious for most of the two-day period but apparently inhaled less of the poisonous gas, because she was sleeping in a higher berth. She eventually woke up enough to get out of the trailer and call for help. The group had gone to Missouri for a weekend horse sale.

Plane Crash Victims Identified

Police have identified the five people who died in a small plane crash near South Bend Monday night. The four passengers were all employees of an Iowa marketing company who had chartered the plane to visit a customer in the South Bend area. The fifth person aboard was the charter pilot. Investigators say all five died immediately when the plane spiraled into a LaPorte County field. The victims ranged in age from 23 to 45.

Police: Warsaw Buglary Outbreak Solved

Warsaw police have arrested two suspects in a series of 18 business burglaries and attempted burglaries. One man is 19 years old and the other is 20. They both have Warsaw addresses.

Viper Collection Discovered in Indy Home

Conservation officers say they found 15 poisonous snakes of several species in an Indianapolis man’s home. They raided the home after the 47-year-old resident sought treatment for a bite from the highly venomous green mamba, which is native to Africa. The man faces charges of possession of a dangerous reptile without a permit.

Pierceton Family Dies in Missouri

Three members of a Pierceton family have died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Missouri. Police say 40-year-old Jeffrey Cox, his 17-year-old daughter, Kayla and his 14-year-old son, Derrick all died in a horse trailer at a horse sale near Joplin. Police say it was a large horse trailer that had room for horses in the back and was a camper in the front. Police say the victims died accidentally, after they apparently brought a running generator into the back of the trailer. The local coroner pronounced all three dead at the scene. A 39-year-old Pierceton woman who was traveling with the family survived.

Plane Crashes Near South Bend, Five Die

A small plane has crashed near South Bend, killing all five people aboard. Aviation officials say it was a twin-engine Cessna that took off from South Bend Regional Airport at about eight o’clock last night. Air traffic controllers had no indication that anything was wrong, until the plane dropped off their radar screen when it was about 10 miles southwest of South Bend. Apparently, nobody witnessed the crash and it took about an hour for searchers to find the wreckage in rural LaPorte County. Officials say there was not much left of the plane, which had been on its way to Iowa.

Man Pleads Guilty in C.C. Bank Robbery

A South Bend man could get up to eight years in prison, now that he has admitted robbing a Columbia City bank. The 40-year-old man has pleaded guilty to holding up the Bank One branch two years ago. He also admitted being a habitual offender, which could add 12 years to his sentence.

New Jobs for Columbia City

About a hundred new jobs are coming to Columbia City. Micropulse, which makes medical devices, says it will expand its local plant and add the jobs over the next four years. The company currently has 130 employees.

BMV Worker Accused of Bribery

Bureau of Motor Vehicles officials say they have added security measures, now that police have arrested a worker at a South Bend license branch for allegedly selling fraudulent state identification cards to illegal immigrants. The 28-year-old woman made her initial appearance in court yesterday, to face five counts of bribery.

Wabash County Runaway Ousley Found

Wabash County Police say they have located a missing 15-year-old girl. Detective Captain Rick Monce tells Q101 they found Kayla Ousley in Peru yesterday and she admitted to being a runaway. Ousley had been missing since September 22.

Wabash County Police Seek Help Finding Teen Runaway

The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a runaway from Wabash County. Sometime in the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 16-year-old Brandi Garrison left her parent’s home in a 1987 gray Cadillac bearing license plate number 85B1823. Brandi is five feet, eight inches tall, weighs 210 pounds and has green eyes, and blonde hair. The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department requests that anyone who has information about Brandi call Detective Captain Rick Monce or Detective Sergeant Mike Davis at (260) 563-8891

Truck-Train Crash Kills Milford Man

Kosciusko County police say a 33-year-old Milford man was driving really fast last night, when his pickup truck crashed through a gate at a railroad crossing and slammed into the 41st car of an 80-car freight train. The impact ejected Darrell Doss from the truck and threw him about 80 feet, killing him instantly. The crash happened just before 6:30 on Old State Road 15 at Milford Junction, which is just north of Milford. The train dragged the truck about 15-hundred feet before damage to the train’s air hose caused it to stop.

Governor Proposes New Outer Beltway around Indy

Governor Daniels has proposed a new outer beltway to bypass Indianapolis. The highway would run from I-69 northeast of the city, around the east and south sides and up to Interstate 70 west of Indy. Daniels wants to have a private company pay for building the new highway and collect tolls for maintaining it. Daniels says the state would receive some of the toll income. He says a new extension of I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville would be toll-free.

Bus Crash Injures Middle School Students

Ambulances took 25 Southwest Allen County middle school students to a hospital yesterday after a chain reaction collision involving charter busses and a school bus. The injured children were on a charter bus on a field trip to a Toledo museum.

Acetaminophen Recalled

A drug company has recalled 11 million bottles of the over-the-counter pain killer acetaminophen. For the past three years, Wal-Mart, CVS and more than 120 other major retailers have sold the pills were sold under their own brands. The bottles might have been contaminated with small pieces of metal. To find out if you have one of the bottles, follow either of the links below: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/perrigo/perrigocustlist.html http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/perrigo/perrigobatchlist.html

Bauer Speaks of Plans for Democrat-Controlled Indiana House

Indiana House Democratic leader Patrick Bauer says now that his party has won a majority of House seats, changes in the state’s budget will be a top priority. Bauer says he wants the state to depend less on propterty taxes for its income. The South Bend legislator also says Democrats will probably try to create a nonbinding statewide referendum on daylight-saving time and time zones.

Nursing Home Fire Injures Five

In the southern Indiana city of New Albany, fire spread from a lamp cord to the bed of a nursing home resident last night. Workers rescued the resident, but she and four employees still required a trip to a hospital. A fire department official says none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

South Whitley to Discuss Festival Future

South Whitley’s Town Council will hold a special meeting tonight regarding the future of its annual fall festival. Council members hope many town residents show up to talk about ways to keep the festival alive. Over the past few years, festival attendance and participating by vendors has fallen considerably. Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30 in the town hall.

Democrats Win Indiana House

Speaker Brian Bosma has conceded that Democrats will regain control the Indiana House of Representatives. During this year’s legislative session, House Republicans held a 52-48 majority. But during yesterday’s election, Democrats beat four GOP incumbents, giving them at least 51 seats next year. For the past two years, Republicans have controlled the Indiana House, Senate and Governor’s office. Republicans have retained their 33-17 majority in the State Senate.

GOP Wins Local Congressional Races but Loses Majority in U.S. House

Republican losses here in Indiana and many other states have given Democrats control of the U-S House of Representatives. And there’s a chance they’ll take the Senate, too depending upon the outcome of races in Montana and Virginia that are too close to call. Here in Indiana, Republican incumbent Richard Lugar easily won reelection to his Senate seat. And Republican incumbents in the Q101 area held on to their U-S House seats, including third district Congressman Mark Souder and fifth distrcit Republican incumbent Dan Burton.

Q101 Election Results

Now, here are the rest of the elections results for the Q101 area. To save time, we will report only the names of the winners of contested races.

State Offices

State Representative, District 22 William Ruppel (R) (I)

State Representative, District 23 William C. Friend (R) (I)

State Representative District 50 “Dan” Leonard (R) (I)

Secretary of State Todd Rokita (R) (I)

State Auditor Tim Berry (R)

State Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R)

Kosciusko County

Kosciusko County Sheriff William Goshert (R)

Warsaw Community Schools Board Dist. 1 Ronald Yeiter (I)

Warsaw Community Schools Board Dist. 2 Delores Hearn

Warsaw Community Schools Board Dist. 5 Tamara Dalton

Wawasee Community Schools Board District 1 Michael Wilson

Wawasee Community Schools Board District 3 Rebecca Linnemeier

Whitley County

Whitley County Sheriff Mark Hodges (R)

Whitley County Assessor Angela Adams (R) (I)

Whitley County Commissioner District 2 Michael Schrader (D)

Whitley County Council District 1 John Barrett (R)

Whitley County Council District 3 Glen LaRue (R) (I)

Smith-Green Community Schools Board District 1 Tanya Young

Smith-Green Community Schools Board District 2 Keith Wyss (I)

Huntington County

Huntington County Auditor Kathy Juillerat (R)

Wabash County

No contests for any county offices

Some Indiana Counties Experience Vote Problems

There were some glitches during yesterday’s election, but reports indicate that none had anything to do with Indiana’s voter ID law. New electronic voting machines caused problems in Delaware, LaPorte and Marion Counties. And the F-B-I is investigating the actions of an election volunteer in southern Indiana’s Monroe County.

Warsaw City Council Approves Deer Hunt

Warsaw City Council voted last night to allow a deer hunt inside the city limits. By a vote of four to three, council approved a plan to reduce the number of deer in several neighborhoods. It would allow archers who have state licenses and who complete a city training program to hunt the deer. During last night’s meeting, seven residents spoke in favor of a hunt. They expressed concerns about deer eating plants around homes and about health problems associated with deer droppings. Four residents spoke against a hunt. They talked about safety and whether a hunt was a humane way to deal with the deer problem. The plan calls for the hunt to begin by the end of the year.

Dana to Close Andrews Plant

After years of reducing operations in the Huntington County town of Andrews, Dana Corporation has announced it will shut down the plant. In the past, 850 people worked at the auto parts factory, but the staff is down to 24 today. Dana says the plant will close by the end of the year.

Fulton County Police Investigate Alleged Murder

Police in Fulton County have reportedly arrested a 58-year-old Winamac man for allegedly shooting another man to death. The incident happened late Saturday night in a house about 10 miles west of Rochester.

Teen Shot in Goshen Gang Violence

Police are blaming gang violence for the shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Goshen. It happened at about 2 a.m. Sunday and sent the boy to an intensive care unit.

Details of Cass County Teen's Killing Revealed

Officials in Cass County have provided more information about the killing of a 16-year-old girl. A detective testified yesterday during a probable cause hearing that a 51-year-old man had confessed to killing Stephanie Wagner by strangling and stabbing her. The suspect was a dishwasher at the same restaurant where Wagner worked. He was on parole from Kansas, where he served 26 years in prison for killing a five-year-old boy in 1979. Police say the man told them he had car trouble on the way home from work and Wagner had stopped to help. Police say the man reported that a feeling came over him and he killed the girl. The man is held without bond while the prosecutor prepares charges. The court scheduled another hearing for today.

Grant to Reduce Arsenic in N. Webster School's Water

The Wawasee school system has received a state grant to remove arsenic from drinking water at North Webster Elementary School. The 30-thousand dollar grant will pay for a treatment system that will bring the drinking water into compliance with new, more stringent federal standards.

Biomet Confirms Preliminary Merger Talks

Warsaw orthopedic company Biomet has confirmed that it has had preliminary talks with a British company about a merger. But the Warsaw company says it has not made any decisions about engaging in such a transaction “with any third party.”

Bourbon Girl Dies of Rabies

A 10-year-old girl from the Marshall County town of Bourbon has died of rabies. Shannon Carroll had been in Riley Hospital in Indianapolis since early October, after being bit by a rabid bat last June. She had the first confirmed case of rabies in Indiana since 1959.

Southern Indiana Marine Dies in Iraq

The military says a Marine from the southern Indiana town of Owensville died in Iraq this week. 20-year-old Lance Corporal James Brown was killed by a single gunshot wound to his neck. He had been deployed to Iraq with a unit from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.