Around The Region

Cinergy is warning customers to beware of anyone claiming to be an electric company employee who asks to enter their homes. \nThe company received a report March 8 that a thin, white man in his late twenties asked a Franklin resident to enter his home to check the fuse box. The man was carrying a pocket badge that included his name and the word, "Cinergy." The resident called Cinergy to ask about the man, but when he returned the man had disappeared. \nValid Cinergy badges include a photo, the company logo, name, date and employee ID number, said Sharon Acton, Franklin district manager.\nAny suspicious contact should be reported to the police department and Cinergy at 1-800-521-2232.\nSeminar to inform citizens about earned income tax credits\nA free seminar today will let people know if they are eligible for receiving money back through the federal earned income tax credit. The workshop will be at 10 a.m. today in the City Council Chambers.\nSpeaker Katherine McKnight is a senior tax specialist with the Internal Revenue Service. It is sponsored by the Community and Family Resources Department and Indiana Legal Services.\n"Our goal is to make sure everyone knows the earned income tax credit is an option," Mayor John Fernandez said. "This tax credit can make a big\ndifference for working families trying to make ends meet."\nTaylor student dies in fall during trip to Ireland\nUPLAND, Ind. -- A Taylor University student who was taking part in a semester-long Irish studies trip died Saturday in Ireland when she fell during a hike.\nKimberly Irvine, 20, of Willowbrook, Ill., was hiking at Glendolaugh in Wicklow, Ireland, when the sophomore slipped on a rock and rolled down a hill, said Joyce Wood, a Taylor University spokeswoman.\nShe did not know what injuries Irvine suffered.\nThe accident occurred about 1 p.m. Indiana time Saturday as she was taking part in a group field trip. Wood said students involved in the Irish studies trip routinely hike to Glendolaugh to explore the ruins of an old monastery.\n"I've talked to others who know that area, and it isn't particularly mountainous," said Wood.\nShe said Irvine's death seems to have been a tragic accident.\nIrvine, an English major, was one of about 20 students housed at Coolnagrenia, a YMCA conference center. The students are scheduled to return in early May.\nTaylor University's Upland campus is located about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis.\nHead-on collision kills four in Steuben County\nANGOLA, Ind. -- Investigators are searching for clues to explain what caused a head-on collision that killed four people over the weekend.\nSaturday evening's crash on Interstate 69 occurred when Michael L. Walter, 39, of Angola inexplicably crossed the median into southbound lanes, crashing his pickup head-on into another pickup.\nThe driver of the southbound pickup truck, Yolanda C. Alejo, 44, of Fort Wayne, and both of her passengers, Daniel Alejo, 43, and Cerda Z. Apolonia, 73, both also of Fort Wayne, died at the scene.\nWalter also was pronounced dead at the scene.\nWitnesses told police that Walter was speeding just before the crash.\nThe initial results of Walter's autopsy did not reveal what caused him to cross the median, said Steuben County Coroner Barb Julian. She said it was not clear Sunday whether Walter had a medical condition that could have contributed to the crash.\nToxicology tests results are expected in about two weeks, she said.\nFour casinos fined for not stopping underage patrons\nINDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Gaming Commission has fined four Ohio River casinos for failing to stop patrons under age 21 from entering the boats.\nCaesars Indiana in Harrison County, Belterra Casino near Vevay, Casino Aztar in Evansville and Trump Casino in Gary were fined a total of $10,600 on Friday for failing to enforce Indiana laws that prohibit underage patrons from entering a casino and gambling once inside.\nThe actions marked the third time in the last year that the commission has imposed fines against four boats at a single meeting for such violations.\nIndiana casinos generally do a good job of watching for underage patrons and turning them away in advance, Jack Thar, the commission's executive director said.\n"Typically, a boat will go for a period of time and not have any violations," he said. "Then, bang, bang, bang, they have a rash. We're not seeing a constant flow of underage people, but it does happen."\nUnder gaming commission regulations, casino staff and security crews must stop anyone who looks younger than 21 from boarding a boat. They check identification, and the patron's hand is stamped if he or she is at least 21.\nA casino's first violation carries a $1,500 fine. The fine increases $1,500 for each additional violation after that, said commission spokeswoman Jennifer Arnold.\nFormer FBI agent brings security experience to Westfield\nWESTFIELD, Ind. -- A former FBI agent who led the investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing has accepted a job as the city's first public safety and human resources director.\nDennis White started in the position Monday. The town council voted to hire him March 4.\n"I love working with people, and I love working on large projects," White said. "This is the type of work I love to do."\nWhite led more than 100 FBI agents in the three-month investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. He retired from the bureau in 1998 and began working for Dycor USA, a security consulting firm.\nOne of White's last projects for Dycor was a safety study for Westfield.\n"I really fell in love with the town, and thought it would be a great place to live and work," said White, who is a native of Indiana.\nAs the public safety director, White will work with the town's police and fire chiefs handling emergency management. He also will develop universal employment policies and review procedures for all town departments.