Soldier from northern Indiana dies in Iraq\nHIGHLAND, Ind. -- A soldier from northern Indiana died Tuesday in Iraq when his vehicle was struck by a bomb, the U.S. military said Thursday.\nArmy Pfc. Nathan E. Stahl, 20, of Highland died when his vehicle was struck by an "improvised explosive device," the Department of Defense said in a news release.\nA military spokeswoman said no additional information was available on Stahl's death, including where in Iraq he died. His death remains under investigation.\nStahl was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from Fort Lewis, Wash.\nHe is the 28th person from Indiana to have died in the Mideast since the buildup for the invasion of Iraq began in early 2003.
Workers at 3 Lake Michigan casinos threaten strike\nMICHIGAN CITY, Ind. Workers at Harrah's Casino in East Chicago and Majestic Star and Trump casinos in Gary have joined those at a Michigan City casino in authorizing a strike if contract negotiations fail.\nHospitality workers at Harrah's, Majestic Star, Trump and the Buffington Harbor Pavilion voted 423-33 on Wednesday to authorize a strike. Workers at Michigan City's Blue Chip Casino voted 140-17 on Monday to authorize a strike.\nUnite Here Local 1 union spokeswoman Clare Fauke said the casino workers were angry.\n"They are ready to make improvements on their contract. We understand now it may take a strike to do that," she told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville.\nThe union represents about 850 workers at the four casino boats.\nLow wages and the lack of affordable health insurance are the primary issues being raised by the union.\nA recent study by an IU-Northwest researcher showed that 17 percent of casino workers in the hospitality area with children had no health coverage for their children and 24 percent have enrolled their children in Hoosier Healthwise, a state-funded welfare program.\nMajestic Star general manager Troy Keeping has said he believed the study was misleading.\nHe cited a study by IUPUI's Center for Urban Policy and the Environment indicating the average casino salary, including tip, is $35,875. He said the negotiations were still in an early stage.
Oversized truck damages 132-year-old covered bridge\nCUTLER, Ind. -- A large truck driving through a 132-year-old covered bridge in Carroll County scraped the bridge's roof, ripping down its triangular endpiece and displacing a support beam.\nThe Adams Mill Bridge, built in 1872, remained closed Thursday, two days after the accident.\nThe bridge, about 20 miles east of Lafayette, has a 3-ton weight limit, but a truck weighing nearly 19 tons drove across it, police said.\nThe truck, which is used to drill wells, fit into one end of the 12-foot-tall covered bridge. But the road rises at the other end of the bridge, and the truck scraped the top of the ceiling.\nCarroll County sheriff's Cpl. Tobe Leazenby said most of the damage was caused by the backhoe of the truck, which was driven by an employee of Kokomo-based Ortman Water Services.\nLeazenby said the driver was not arrested at the scene of the accident but could still face charges of criminal mischief and for violating the county ordinance that enforces weight limits on bridges.\nThe bridge's endpiece, two support beams and the bridge's siding were damaged.\nThe bridge was closed in the 1980s and most of the 1990s after decades of neglect, but 10 years ago it was placed on the national registry of historic landmarks.\nAfter that, Cutler residents began raising more than $100,000 toward a nearly $700,000 restoration of the bridge before it reopened to traffic in 1999.
