Indiana Governor collapses in Chicago

CHICAGO - Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon was taken to a hospital Monday after falling ill at a Chicago hotel where he was attending a conference, officials said.\nThe Chicago Fire Department said O'Bannon, 73, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital about 9 a.m. Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Sullivan said O'Bannon was being treated and undergoing tests in the emergency room. She had no detail on his condition, but added, "I know it's a very serious situation."\nChicago television station WMAQ reported that O'Bannon was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital.\nO'Bannon was at the Palmer House Hilton, where he was attending a conference of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association.\nIn Indianapolis, the governor's office had few details.\nThe governor gets a yearly physical, and was deemed to be "as healthy as he could be," O'Bannon spokeswoman Mary Dieter said. "Clearly, something has occurred. But he has been very vibrant, very energetic."\nO'Bannon's wife, Judy, was en route to Chicago.\nO'Bannon, elected to his second four-year term in 2000, is barred by term limits from running again next year.\nLt. Gov. Joe Kernan also was at the conference. His office said he was on his way back to Indianapolis from Chicago.\nO'Bannon was elected to his father's seat in the Indiana Senate in 1970 and served 18 years. He first ran for governor in 1987, but when Evan Bayh got into the race, O'Bannon dropped his bid and became Bayh's running mate.\nAfter serving eight years as lieutenant governor, O'Bannon was unopposed when he sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 1996. He entered that race as an underdog to Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and campaigned largely on his down-home charm and Evan Bayh's record. Bayh, meanwhile, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.\nO'Bannon is also chairman of the board of O'Bannon Publishing Co., which publishes weekly newspapers in Harrison and Crawford counties.