Destroyed building unexpectedly falls on top of pub\nSOUTH BEND -- A demolition crew tearing down a six-story building wanted it to fall down. But the crew didn't want it to fall on top of a nearby pub.\nThree employees were inside CJ's Pub when the former Gateway Center collapsed Wednesday afternoon. They were taken to a hospital to ensure they did not inhale toxic material, said Rick Medich, whose family owns the pub. No customers were inside at the time of the collapse.\nMemorial Hospital hired Warner & Sons of Osceola to demolish the downtown building.\n"They assured us it would be taken down in a safe, methodical manner," said Diane Stover, a vice president at the hospital. "It wasn't supposed to all come down at once."\nShe said she wasn't sure exactly what happened. A telephone message seeking comment was left Thursday by The Associated Press at Warner & Sons.\nMedich said the demolition company's owner was troubled by the accident.\n"He came over and apologized. He said he didn't know what happened," Medich said.\nThe collapse knocked a large hole in the roof at the west end of the pub. The pub is closed indefinitely.
Gubernatorial campaigns raise record funds\nINDIANAPOLIS -- Republican Mitch Daniels and Democrat Joe Kernan raised a total of $33 million for the 2004 governor's race, shattering the state's previous record for campaign spending.\nThe campaign was expected to topple records, but the total was surprisingly high to some.\nThe previous record for fund raising in Indiana came in the 2000 race for governor, when Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon and Republican David McIntosh raised a combined $19.9 million.\nDaniels, who took office last week, and Kernan also beat the record for individual fund-raising -- a mark Republican Stephen Goldsmith, who was the Indianapolis mayor, set in 1996 when he raised $11.6 million in his loss to O'Bannon. Daniels now holds the record.\nCampaign finance reports filed Wednesday show Daniels raised $13.1 million in 2004, after collecting $4.7 million in 2003.\nKernan raised $10.4 million during 2004 to add to the $2.59 million he raised in 2003. His campaign already had $2.25 million in the bank at the start of 2003.\nBoth men spent nearly all of their money during the hard-fought campaign, and much of that spending was on television ads.
Trial delayed for man charged with killing teens\nCROWN POINT, Ind. -- The trial of a man accused of killing three teenagers and burying their bodies in the basement of his Hammond home has been delayed until October.\nLake Superior Court Judge Clarence Murray on Wednesday granted a motion by defense attorneys for David Maust to delay the trial, originally scheduled to begin March 7, until Oct. 31 because of the volume of evidence to review. Defense attorney Thomas Vanes said he could not be prepared to go to trial in March because prosecutors did not have an estimate on when its evidence analysis would be finished.\nSeveral of the victims' family members sat weeping in the gallery as Deputy Prosecutor Peter Villareal formally objected to the delay even though he said "counsel gave a valid argument."\nMaust, 50, has pleaded innocent to killing Michael Dennis, 13; James Raganyi, 16 and Nicholas James, 19, all from Hammond. Police arrested Maust in December 2003 after finding Dennis' body buried in concrete in the basement of the house where Maust rented a second-floor apartment.\nThe judge set a Feb. 14 and 15 hearing date on the defense motion to throw out the 13-page statement authorities said Maust gave to police investigators.
Company says magnesium fire was not toxic\nANDERSON, Ind. -- The company that owns a factory where burning magnesium prompted the evacuation of thousands of people last week said the fire never posed a threat to nearby residents.\nAdvanced Magnesium Alloys Corp. officials sent a letter to area residents Wednesday, a day after one of them sued the company.\n"The fire was contained in the west warehouse building," the company said in a copy of the letter obtained by The Herald Bulletin. "There were no toxic substances stored in that area, and although concentrated amounts of magnesium oxide that was contained in the fire's smoke may have been an irritant, it was not toxic."\nAuthorities evacuated some 8,000 people within a 1-mile by 2-mile area around the recycling plant after the fire broke out Friday. Environmental officials at the scene sampled air quality to help determine when it was safe for residents to return home.\nThe lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Madison Superior Court on behalf of resident Alton Brown, who lives less than a mile from the plant.\nAttorney Tom Hamer said he would seek to have the lawsuit certified as a class action, a move that could allow all those evacuated to join in seeking compensation for hotel and cleanup costs and losses to property values.\n"The company should be held accountable for any damages in the area," Hamer said. "We have received additional information from people whose lives have been disrupted."
LaPorte County deputy shoots self inside squad car\nLAPORTE, Ind. -- A LaPorte County sheriff's deputy underwent six hours of surgery after accidentally shooting himself in the leg while he was off duty, authorities said.\nDeputy Paul Adams, 38, was on his way to the LaPorte County shooting range Wednesday when his gun discharged. He radioed police dispatch to report that he had been shot, LaPorte County Sheriff Jim Arnold said.\nArnold told the Herald-Argus the wound Adams suffered was accidentally self-inflicted and that the incident was still under investigation. Arnold said investigators had to wait until Adams' condition stabilizes further before finding out exactly what happened.\nAdams was hospitalized in critical condition but was in stable condition Thursday, Arnold said.\nAfter being shot, Adams turned on the lights and sirens of his squad car and tried to drive himself to the hospital in the city about 25 miles west of South Bend, but struck a parked car.
Summer art fair applications being accepted\nCraftsmen and artists are welcome to register for space at the 2005 "A Fair for the Arts," which takes place on the second Saturdays of May through October during the Farmers' Market season, according to a press release. Criteria for selecting artists for this year's fair include style, quality and price of work, variety of artists and previous participation in the fair.\n"We are delighted with the increasing popularity of 'A Fair of the Arts' with both exhibitors and visitors," said Leslie Kaiser, community events coordinator with Bloomington Parks and Recreation. "We had a large number of applications last year, and we anticipate receiving a large number this year."\nFull consideration will be given to applications postmarked by Feb. 11. For more information about the fair or to receive an application, artists are encouraged to contact Leslie Kaiser at 349-3738 or e-mail real@bloomington.in.gov.
