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(01/10/08 5:00am)
When the first "National Treasure" film was released in 2004, its success snuck up on some people. \nIt seemed to be a watered-down, Disneyed-up "Indiana Jones" starring Nicolas Cage, who hadn't had a real box office hit since 1999's "Gone in 60 Seconds." The funny thing is that the film delivered exactly those weak results, yet went on to gross more than $300 million worldwide. Never discount the Disney hype machine. Now everyone's back for another adventure in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." \nWhile presenting his theories on the Lincoln assassination and the diary of Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth, Ben Gates (Cage) encounters Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who claims he holds a missing page of the diary that reveals that Gates' ancestor took part in the assassination. To clear his family's name, Gates rounds up his team to find a lost city of gold, which he believes is the reason his great-great grandfather's name appears in the diary in the first place. \nSimply put, if you enjoyed the first "National Treasure" film, it's almost certain you'll enjoy this one. Everyone involved did a good job in making sure that this film looks and feels much like its predecessor. \nThankfully, there wasn't a massive attempt to outdo the original film with the plot. Yes, there's a few more action sequences this time around, but in the unbelievable world that was created in the first film, the events of "Book of Secrets" flow fairly easily. One of the best action-set pieces occurs when the search for said book leads Gates to break into the queen of England's study and the Oval Office, each time dealing with secret compartments in desks. You know it could never happen, but it's still pretty cool.\nThe performances are exactly what you'd expect as well. Cage still hams it up as the supposed genius and Jon Voight still acts like a whiny idiot the entire film. New additions Helen Mirren and Harris fall into place as Gates' mother and Wilkinson respectively, but no one is really trying that hard here. One downside is the lack of Harvey Keitel's FBI Agent Sadusky and his sudden friendship with Gates. \n"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" isn't a great film, but it's not really trying to be. These films are made for entertainment (and money-making) purposes only, and in that respect the film succeeds. It's no better or worse than the first film, and due to the ending it sets up, the third film will probably be much of the same.
(01/10/08 5:00am)
Too bad the title "There Will Be Blood" was taken by that Daniel Day Lewis flick. In this shocking slasher film set to song, so much gore is spilled that the dripping red blood should get top billing.\nWhat might surprise some is that behind this murder and mayhem is a classic musical by Stephen Sondheim. But this is no "West Side Story," folks. The joyous story line and epic song styling of other musicals is absent in "Sweeney Todd," but with the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp for the nth time, it's no surprise that the dark humor and despair are done masterfully.\nDepp plays Benjamin Barker, a.k.a., Sweeney Todd, a barber convicted of a crime he did not commit. Sent away from London and his wife and daughter for 15 years, Sweeney has returned to Fleet Street, to the room above the meat-pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), to avenge the loss of his wife and daughter by any means necessary. The means just happen to be slashing the throats of his patrons. Oh, and there's something about the meat in those pies, as well.\nAs Mrs. Lovett, the baker of the worst pies in London, Carter is fair. Playing a weirdo with wacky hair seems to suit her quite nicely. Sacha Baron Cohen also makes a notable, if brief, appearance as a swindler and seller of magic hair tonic. But, as usual, it is Depp who commands the audience's attention. \nIn his complex channeling of Sweeney Todd, there are glimpses of the morose teenager he played in Edward Scissorhands, but Todd is far more sinister than I have ever seen Depp. Even as he carries the tunes beautifully and elicits laughter from the audience, a shroud hangs over his head that is at once disturbing and endearing -- making a movie that is worth your time and money, even if you aren't the "musical type."\nDon't be intimidated by the compositions. Aside from a few lame songs and a sappy side love story, you almost forget you're watching a musical, as the tunes are dark and humorous and Depp brings such a fantastic interpretation that this is a must-see and a no-brainer contender for Oscar gold.
(01/10/08 5:00am)
To anyone who cried foul over the first half of the third season of "Lost" -- what were you thinking? \nFrom its 2004 inception, "Lost" has evolved like an epic novel, with each episode acting as both a stand-alone chapter and an involving piece of an elaborate mosaic. No one, however, had the stones to balk at Season 3's concluding half. The ever-deepening mythology, biting humor and final fearless plunge headlong into the future witnessed during the show's March-to-May run still has fans and casual observers alike talking. With a temporarily shortened Season 4 about to begin, the excitement among those who have stuck with the show from the beginning is palpable.\nThe cast of "Lost" remains uniformly excellent, with Terry O'Quinn (Locke) and Michael Emerson (Ben) rising slightly above the rest. The season, which started away from the beach and deep amid the land of the mysterious "Others" (probably the reason some fans protested), eventually returned to the beach and ended up off-island in real time. It's some journey and, after all, that's what "Lost" has always been about: getting found. Where it goes from here is bound to polarize some, intrigue others and blow the minds of even serious fans.\nThe seventh and final disc of this set is chock-full of enough behind-the-scenes material and Easter eggs to keep die-hard "Lost" fans occupied for a full day. Along with featurettes on the lives of the mysterious "Others" and a host of never-aired flashback scenes for specific characters, there are also the traditional blooper reels and obligatory deleted scenes. Full-episode audio commentaries are sprinkled throughout the first six discs, but the meatiest material here comes in the form of multiple "Lost on Location" segments chronicling the macro and micro levels of production, as well as the exhausting "Lost in a Day" feature that documents a given 24-hour period when several different episodes go through various stages of creation.\nThe fourth season of "Lost" begins Jan. 31 after an eight-month hiatus, and with only eight of 16 episodes set to air pending the Writer's Guild of America strike's conclusion, fans may have to wait longer than expected for the remaining episodes. I'm thinking that being one of the best dramas in television history earns "Lost" and its creative team a pass on time.
(01/10/08 5:00am)
Through the strums of a broken-down acoustic guitar and chords from a baby-grand piano, the independently released feature "Once" took forth the opportunity to distance itself from the stereotypical musical film. \nGranted, this musical production never resembles other Broadway smashes such as "Rent" or "Phantom of the Opera," but the simplistic songs match its bland plot to strike a chord with anyone truly seeking a way to procrastinate in any point of the day.\nFor the sake of repetition, the plot that drives this film into action is pretty simple and, yes, boring. A struggling Irish musician moves back in with his aging father to collect himself and his personal ambitions. His world collides with a similar female protagonist who, aside from a flower-selling career, must keep her family together by raising her newborn daughter and aiding her aging mother. Both characters meet and help each other to inspire what's best in their lives through the music that they create.\nWhat lets "Once" stand alone on its own pedestal is its perception of the story through a home-video lens. No, there are no establishing shots or beautiful cinematography setting up the whole scene before the film actually begins. Instead, Carney dives the film into the protagonists' ongoing struggles not only as musicians but also as human beings. \nThe extras on the DVD prove to describe fully the artistic vision behind the actual film. Two commentaries are provided from either writer/director John Carney or actors/musicians Glen Hansard (Guy) and Marketa Irglova (Girl) as well as a rather comical prospective on one of the songs in the film "Fixer Sucker Guy." \nThe true gems of the bonus features, though, lay embedded in the making-of featurette and a look inside the two main protagonists of the story. Both provide great behind-the-scenes detail toward specific decisions on certain scenes from the film and an excellent wide perspective of the story and music as a whole ranging from its raw beginnings to its humbling end. \n"Once" supplies the often casual and yet overused coming-of-age plotline to tell the story of struggles and life after heartbreak. \nWhat seems to catapult this movie from an 86-minute snooze-fest to satisfying entertainment is the unassuming combination of music and plot. It's easy to believe the story actually occurred in life, and that's what makes "Once" worth watching more than just one time.
(01/10/08 5:00am)
Lupe Fiasco, who has been praised by many (including himself) as the savior of his genre, is not great because most of his songs deal with poverty, violence and the state of hip-hop. Plenty of mainstream rappers have tackled the same heavy themes with as much heart as Lupe and twice the swagger. (If you don't believe me, see Houston rapper Bun B's verse in the remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes.") What makes Lupe Fiasco an important voice in rap music is his mechanics.\nThe Chicago MC's sophomore effort is a condemnation of the false idols promoted by pop culture's definition of "cool." But here's the surprise: The album is actually fun to listen to, thanks to airy jazz grooves and Lupe's equally smooth flows. Fiasco is a wordsmith, and his raps are finely crafted throughout The Cool. He brags about it on "Go, Go, Gadget Flow" with an almost inhumanly precise delivery that lives up to the track's hokey hook. On the laid-back "Paris, Tokyo," Lupe kicks it like Tribe Called Quest before practically doubling his words per minute on the rapid-fire "The Die."\nLupe moseys again on "Superstar," pondering his newfound stardom and the struggles of fame with aloof nonchalance, but the album's best tracks are those that find young Lu less cool. On the chest-thumping "Little Weapon," an impassioned Lupe channels child soldiers in Africa, rapping in staccato breaths that mimic the tinny snare drum that marches underneath him: "Cute, smileless, heartless, violent / Childhood destroyed, devoid of all childish / ways. Can't write their own names / or read the words that's on their own graves." \nLu is quick to vary styles on The Cool — from the rock-infused and overly punctuated "Hello/Goodbye (Uncool)" to the lame for-the-ladies closer "Go Baby" - with mixed results. Still, it's hard to knock him too far off his pedestal. Lupe's advantage on his peers becomes crystal clear on "Hi-Definition," a collabo with the Doggfather himself, who, while Lu raps about AIDS and urban decay, offers this high-brow ditty: "Lupe, it's Snoopy. Let's go out / Tip toe through the door and do it doggy style." \nMaybe we need Lu more than we think.
(01/09/08 5:52am)
REMINGTON, Ind. – Storms that dropped more than 5 inches of rain on parts of Indiana amid record warmth pushed rivers and streams over their banks, killing at least one person and threatening to overwhelm a dam on the Tippecanoe River.\nA man was swept into floodwaters in Remington and drowned Tuesday morning as he was trying to get out of his house after Carpenter Creek flooded, said Karen Wilson, Jasper County Emergency Management director. Remington is about 90 miles northwest of Indianapolis.\n“The waters were moving so rapidly and so deep that he just went under and didn’t come back up,” she said.\nShe said up to 150 people were evacuated around Remington and up to 30 homes were affected by water that reached waist-high levels in some places. Evacuees were sheltered in local churches.\nIn nearby White County, where the National Weather Service had issued a flood warning, county emergency management director Gordon Cochran said boats had been called out to assist in evacuating hundreds of people in Monticello, Blue Water Beach and Diamond Point, which are all about 80 miles northwest of Indianapolis.\nCarroll County Emergency Management director Dave McDowell said 200,300 homes may possibly be flooded but that many are unoccupied summer residences.\nThe weather service reported near-record flooding at the Norway and Oakdale dams just north of Monticello, a city of 5,400 people about 30 miles north of Lafayette.\nMcDowell said officials are recommending that all residents south of the Oakdale Dam leave their homes.\nThe weather service said that neither dam was expected to fail but urged residents to closely monitor the situation along the Tippecanoe River, which was forecast to rise steadily into the afternoon. White County Sheriff John Roberts confirmed that the dams are holding, although water levels were high.\n“The water, either from wind or the flood, is coming over the top of the dam, but it’s minimal,” Roberts said.\nMaster Trooper Bill Brooks said the speed of the Tippecanoe River jumped to nearly 27,000 cubic feet per second at around 9 a.m. from nearly 23,000 cubic feet per second at about 7:15 a.m.\nU.S. 24 was closed for more than 20 miles between Reynolds and Interstate 65, Brooks said. The Indiana Department of Transportation said several other highways in northwestern Indiana also will be closed until floodwaters recede.\nSome roads had washed out in White County, including Indiana 16 east of Monon, which is closed.\nPaul Dyke, youth minister at First Christian Church in Remington, said about 150 evacuees were taking shelter at the church. The American Red Cross set up shelters in Lafayette, Delphi and smaller towns along the flood path.\nLafayette city officials were preparing in case the rain continues to raise the level of the Wabash River. At noon, the weather service issued a flood warning along the Wabash from Lafayette to Terre Haute.\nThe thunderstorms that dumped the heavy rains were accompanied by record warmth across much of the eastern half of the nation that pushed Monday’s high in Indianapolis to 68, breaking the old record of 64 set in 1907.\nNear-record highs were expected again Tuesday across much of Indiana, said Joseph Nield, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Indianapolis bureau.\n“We’ve been kind of sandwiched between high pressure to the east and strong low pressure to the west that’s brought southerly and southwesterly winds,” he said.\nNield said a cold front will pass across the state overnight, bringing cooler air, although even those readings, in the upper 40s, will be unseasonably warm. January’s average highs are in the middle 30s, he said.
(01/09/08 5:50am)
CROWN POINT, Ind. – A judge has dropped charges against a Gary man who sparked a police chase in which an officer died when two patrol cars crashed.\nBernard D. Watkins, 27, was released from the Lake County Jail on Monday. He had been charged with carjacking, resisting law enforcement, auto theft and misdemeanor battery in the Aug. 12 crash that killed 28-year-old Patrolman Benjamin Wilcher.\nLake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. granted the request to drop the case on Monday. In their motion, prosecutors said they were unable to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.\nWatkins’ live-in girlfriend told investigators that he was driving her car when he became upset and began punching her, court documents said. She said he kicked her, pulled her from the car, then drove off and said he would be back “to shoot everybody up.” The woman told police that Watkins was armed.\nSoon after, officers spotted the car and tried to pull him over but the driver sped away. Patrolman Arthur Lemme said the car drove through a stop sign, after which Lemme’s cruiser collided with Wilcher’s at the city intersection.\nWilcher died at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, Ill., several days later. Lemme suffered a broken foot and ankle and a serious arm injury, court documents said.
(01/09/08 5:46am)
MUNCIE – A homeowner foiled an armed robbery attempt at his house by grabbing the intruder’s rifle, smashing the weapon and holding the teenage suspect until police arrived.\nGarry Roberts, 54, said a teenager came to his door Sunday and asked to borrow a cup of sugar. When he returned from the kitchen, the youth had donned a ski mask and was pointing a .22 caliber rifle at Roberts, demanding money, he said.\n“If I gave him the money, I knew he would shoot me,” Roberts said.\nRoberts told authorities he placed the bowl of sugar in front of the gunman and offered him $10 out of his wallet. Then, as he continued talking, he moved close enough to grab the rifle when the teen turned away for a split second. He threw the weapon against the front door, breaking the gun, then took the suspect outside to a neighbor’s house and called police.\nDavid Anthony Alva, 17, was waived to adult court. He was being held without bond in the Delaware County Jail on Monday on preliminary charges of armed robbery, burglary while armed with a deadly weapon, pointing a firearm and residential entry.
(01/07/08 4:31am)
CHARLESTOWN, Ind. – State inmates soon could return to work as municipal firefighters, a state prison official said.\nThe program that uses the inmates to fight fires for the Charlestown Volunteer Fire Department during daytime hours was suspended last week amid concerns voiced by opponents.\nDetractors complained at a meeting that the inmates were not well supervised and had been allowed to go through residents’ homes while at fire scenes.\nRandy Koester, chief of staff for the Indiana Department of Correction, said the program has been suspended while allegations are being investigated. However, he said the investigation so far has found no wrongdoing, and the program could resume soon.\nState inmates are used across Indiana to help municipalities with garbage collection, road cleaning and other tasks, Koester said. The DOC supported the idea of using them as firefighters because it can help them develop valuable skills they can use once they leave prison.\n “We want to provide a good community service. At the same time, provide inmates with meaningful work,” Koester said.\nBut at a fire board meeting Thursday night, some residents complained about the program.\n“I really don’t feel comfortable calling 911 and having a criminal come to my home,” resident Carla Shields told the board.\nMaurice Jones, one of two firefighters who have been fired after opposing the program, said he took photographs of inmates watching television, playing pool, using computers and loafing around the fire house.\nHe said members of the fire department should have been allowed to vote on whether to allow inmates to fight fires.\nHowever, Fire Chief Lee Slaughter and the program’s coordinator, Mark Goodlett, said Jones’ allegations were unfounded and that the program has fared well.\nGoodlett, a city councilman, said the program began about a year ago. At first, inmates were used for tasks around the fire house such as cleaning fire trucks.\n“We decided to take it to the next level to see if we could use these guys to fight fires,” Goodlett said, adding that none of the firefighting inmates are sex offenders, violent criminals or arsonists.”\nHe said when the program was approved by the state, about 50 inmates were interested. The department had them take agility tests – something the regular firefighters don’t have to pass – and the top eight were selected.\n“They’ve been a tremendous help to us,” Goodlett said.\nHe said they are constantly supervised and are strip-searched when they return to the firehouse from a run.\nSlaughter said he was skeptical of the program when it was proposed.\n“It’s actually a lot better than what I thought,” he said.\nThe inmates are used during the day, when manpower is in short supply because volunteers are at their day jobs, Slaughter said.\n“What I ended up with was one heck of a fire department,” he said.
(01/07/08 4:25am)
UPLAND, Ind. – Two dozen quilts that a northern Indiana woman meticulously pieced together in the last months of her life have been donated to a group that provides handmade blankets and quilts to seriously ill infants and children.\nCarol Vore, who died of cancer at age 68 on Dec. 4, knew her time was growing short in August when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Having previously battled throat cancer, the Upland resident knew her prognosis was bleak.\nVore, who was a longtime quilter, felt a sense of urgency to get as many quilts as possible made while she still could sew, her relatives said.\nOver the last four months, her sewing machine had put in countless stitches as she pieced together colorful squares of flannel, cotton and fleece.\nWhile making them, she read on the Internet about Project \nLinus, a nonprofit group that provides handmade blankets and quilts to seriously ill, grieving or traumatized infants and children.\nVore decided to devote the rest of her days to making quilts for Project Linus.\nAnd the sicker she became, the more intensely she worked to complete more quilts, said her son, Steve Vore, who also lives in the Upland area.\n“She went crazy making quilts,” said Steve Vore, whose wife, Cheryl, and his sisters –even the grandchildren – also caught the Project Linus bug from Carol Vore.\nNow, the legacy of her last months will be wrapped around young sick children facing surgery, enduring chemotherapy or recovering from a major trauma in their lives.\nOn Friday, the Vores delivered 16 quilts to Project Linus’ Fort Wayne office. Another eight are on their way as soon as some finishing touches are made.\n“Her only regret is that she did not feel well enough the last month to complete more quilts,” Steve Vore said, adding that he plans to donate stacks of her fabric pieces.\nAt Thanksgiving, the Vores realized that, although she had always made quilts for others, she’d never made one for herself.\nSo the children and grandchildren secretly put together a special quilt – a soft green one – for their mother and grandmother.\nThat quilt was to be a Christmas gift, but Carol Vore’s health was rapidly declining and they gave it to her early.\n“It brought her a lot of comfort the last few days,” Cheryl Vore said of the quilt.\nAfter his mother’s death, Steve Vore sent an e-mail to Peggy Albertson, chapter coordinator of Project Linus in Fort Wayne, offering his mother’s quilts.\n“I’ve never received such a letter,” said Albertson, who remembers the emotions she felt when reading of Carol Vore’s love of quilting for others. “I know how much the blankets mean to these children, but they will never know the story behind them.”\nIn 2007, the Fort Wayne chapter of Project Linus delivered 11,761 quilts to northeast Indiana children. In 2008 and beyond, Carol Vore’s legacy will wrap love and care around scores of other youngsters.\n“How very honored we are,” Albertson said, “that she chose Project Linus for a project she poured so much of her heart into.”
(01/07/08 4:22am)
U.S. Representative Julia Carson of Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District died Dec. 15 of complications from lung cancer. She was 69.\nCarson announced that she had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer three weeks before her death. Several days later, she announced that she would not seek reelection in November 2008.\nCarson was the first woman and African American elected to represent the district. She served six terms in the House of Representatives, winning her first congressional term in 1996, replacing Rep. Andy Jacobs.\nHer congressional career was defined by her support of women’s and children’s issues and her efforts to reduce homelessness. She also opposed the Iraq war.\nThe seventh district seat remains open until there is a special election to fill it. Gov. Mitch Daniels must set a date for the election and suggested in a letter sent to the chairmen of both the Democratic and Republican state committees that the special election be held on Indiana’s primary election day, May 6.\nHowever, according to Indiana law, the governor must hold a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat at least 60 days after it becomes vacant.\nCarson was born Julia May Porter in 1938 in Louisville, Ky. She waited tables, delivered newspapers and worked on farms until she was able to attend Martin University in Indianapolis and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. She worked as secretary for the United Auto Workers Union until she was hired by her predecessor, Rep. Andy Jacobs, as a staff assistant in 1965.
(12/28/07 5:28pm)
INDIANAPOLIS- U.S. Rep. Julia Carson died Saturday following a battle with lung cancer.\nCarson, D-Ind., died at home, said family spokesman Vanessa Summers. She was 69.\nCarson had been away from Washington since she was admitted to an Indianapolis hospital September 21 for about a week. Her office had said at that time that she had deep infection in her leg, near a spot where a vein was removed in January 1997 when she underwent double heart bypass surgery just weeks after she was first elected to Congress.\nCarson announced Nov. 26 that she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and that she would not run next year for a seventh term representing the city of Indianapolis.\nShe had said in a statement that she expected to return to Washington after recuperation, but a doctor then diagnosed her with lung cancer.\n"It had gone into remission years before, but it was back with a terminal vengeance," Carson said in the statement.\nFuneral arrangements were pending.\nCarson also had suffered in recent years from high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes. She missed dozens of House votes in 2004 because of illness and spent the weekend before the 2004 election in the hospital for what she said was a flu shot reaction — but still won re-election by 10 percentage points.\nCarson, who grew up in poverty and attended an all-black Indianapolis high school, became the first black and first woman to represent Indianapolis in Congress when she won her first term in 1996.\nCarson was born to a single mother who worked as a housekeeper. She graduated in 1955 from Crispus Attucks High School, attending the segregated school at the same time as basketball star Oscar Robertson.\nShe began her political career in the 1960s, when then-U.S. Rep. Andy Jacobs Jr. hired the United Auto Workers secretary to work in his office. It was Jacobs who encouraged Carson to run for the Indiana Legislature in 1972 — the first of her more than two dozen victories in local, legislative and congressional elections.\nShe ran for Congress in 1996 when Jacobs decided to retire after three decades in the House.
(12/10/07 3:26am)
INDIANAPOLIS – A former church elder who pleaded guilty to child molestation charges has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.\nTerry Van Gorp, 59, offered a brief apology to the victim’s family but showed no remorse for his actions, said Hamilton Superior Court Judge Steve Nation.\nVan Gorp was arrested in June 2006 after he told family and other church members that he had molested the girl, now five years old, at his home in February 2006. Van Gorp pleaded guilty to a felony charge of child molesting, and two other felony charges were dropped in the plea deal.\nNation sentenced Van Gorp to 15 years, with 10 served in prison and five on probation. After being released from prison, Van Gorp will have to register as a sex offender and complete a court-approved sex offender treatment program. He will not be allowed to contact the victim, travel alone after 10 p.m. or use a computer with Internet access without permission from his probation officer.\nNation said those precautions will keep other children safe, but the victim’s family members still have concerns.\n“He deserves so much more (time in prison),” the victim’s father said. “But we didn’t want to have to put (the victim) through testifying in front of him again, when she had nightmares after the first time.”\nVan Gorp was an elder at College Park Church in Carmel, Ind. The victim’s family has since left the congregation.
(12/10/07 3:24am)
Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s why State Rep. Joe Micon is trying to pass a bill he says could reduce the number of deaths in Indiana by up to 40 percent.\nMicon wants to strengthen Indiana’s Graduated Driver’s License systems by raising the minimum age for unrestricted licenses, making the learner’s permit holding period longer, creating greater restrictions on passengers allowed to ride with probationary drivers and making tougher night driving restrictions. Micon also encourages the prevention of 16- and 17-year-old drivers from using cell phones while driving, all according to a press release.\nMicon said Indiana’s driver’s license system laws are lax compared to other states.\nIndiana’s laws now allow teen drivers to obtain a learner’s permit at age 15 and a probationary license at 16, followed three months later by a standard driver’s license.\nMicon says he wants to raise these age limits. If his bill passes, teens would be able to receive a learner’s permit at 15 1/2 if they pass driver’s education. They would then be required to hold that permit for six months and log 50 hours worth of driving experience. At 16 years and six months of age, teens would be allowed to take their driving test.\nMicon said if the teen does not pass driver’s education or neglects to take it, those age restrictions would be raised by six more months.\nTeens would be prohibited from driving between the times of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. with the exception of teens going to or from school, work or church activities.\nAccording to a study conducted from 1995 to 2004, 887 Indiana teenagers died in car accidents. Micon said nearly 6,000 teens were killed nationwide, in a press release.\n“(This bill) really resonates with me personally because I have a 17 1/2-year-old daughter,” Micon said. “I understand that young people want freedom and mobility. I also understand that many young people are just not physically or mentally prepared to begin the driving experience.”\nMicon said many states surrounding Indiana are stricter with their driving laws.\n“In Ohio, you can’t get a license until you’re 18 without driver’s education,” Micon said. “Indiana is 16 1/2.”\nMicon said this year there will be 30 states trying to pass similar legislation.\n“Legislators are realizing that they need to give this a lot of attention,” Micon said.
(12/06/07 7:44pm)
LAPORTE, Ind. – A man accused of stealing a twin-engine plane and driving it down the taxiway staged the stunt while he was drunk to impress his girlfriend, police said.\nMichael Santos, 38, was charged Friday with theft, criminal mischief and operating a vehicle after his driving privileges had previously been forfeited for life.\nSantos, who is being held in the LaPorte County Jail on $2,000 bond, is accused of driving to the LaPorte Municipal Airport despite a lifetime ban on his driving privileges.\nAccording to police reports, Santos was drunk when he took his girlfriend to the airport Sept. 9 to show her that he could fly a plane. They climbed into the plane and were heading down the taxiway when, Santos told police, flames began shooting from the left engine.\nHe said he turned off all the switches and veered into a soybean field.\nDamage to the aircraft was estimated at $160,000.\nPolice said the plane traveled a half mile along a taxiway before it missed the curve leading to the runway, chopping up soybeans with the propeller before getting stuck in the field.\nLaPorte Police Detective Tom Thate said an anonymous tip from someone who overheard a man claiming he tried taking a plane for a ride led police to Santos.
(12/06/07 4:30am)
LAFAYETTE – A winter storm that brought the first significant snowfall to much of Indiana left roadways snow-covered and slick Wednesday and caused numerous crashes, including one involving a Greyhound bus that spun out of control on Interstate 65, slightly injuring 21 people.\nThe storm also forced a Delta regional jet bound for Cincinnati to make an emergency landing Wednesday morning at the Indianapolis International Airport.\nThe pilot returned to Indianapolis shortly after takeoff when cockpit sensors detected ice buildup on the wing flaps at about 8:20 a.m., airport spokeswoman Susan Sullivan said. The plane landed safely seven minutes later.\nWednesday’s storm dropped 3 to 5 inches of snow on the state’s northern and central counties, prompting dozens of schools to delay the start of classes or close for the day.\nIndiana State Police posts across northern and central Indiana reported scores of weather-related crashes as the winter storm moved across \nthe region.\nThe bus crash along I-65 near Lafayette left 21 people injured, said Matthew Oates, spokesman for St. Elizabeth Regional Health in Lafayette. Each was released after treatment at one of two \nLafayette hospitals.\nLater, a second Greyhound bus collided with a pickup truck and left I-65 about 25 miles north of Indianapolis, state police said. Two of those 36 passengers complained of minor injuries, officials said.\nSgt. Kim Riley of the state police said the first snowfall of the season always produces a rash of crashes as motorists reacquaint themselves with winter weather \ndriving techniques.\n“It’s just stupidness. They’re trying to get somewhere faster than they can get there,” he said. “It takes a couple of snows for people to remember how to drive, before they realize it’s slick out there.” \nIn Marion County, police responded to 175 crashes, 14 of which caused some kind of injury, police said.\nThe National Weather Service reported 3 to 5 inches of snow fell across most of the northern half of the state. Some locations immediately east of Lake Michigan recorded snow depths of about 6.5 inches.\nVirtually no snowfall was reported over the state’s southern counties.\nWeather Service meteorologist Crystal Pettet said the weather system that delivered the snow was due to move out of the state by Wednesday afternoon, but falling temperatures and gusty winds would pose renewed threats to motorists as snow and slush on \nroads freeze.\n“Temperatures have already started going down and we also have some pretty decent winds. We’ve already seen gusts up to 30 miles per hour and that will continue this afternoon,” Pettet said.
(12/06/07 4:30am)
SOUTH BEND – A former South Bend police officer was sentenced Tuesday to six years in federal prison for extorting drugs and money during a traffic stop.\nHaven Freeman, 32, who remained free on $25,000 unsecured bond, was scheduled to begin his sentence Jan. 15. Freeman was also ordered to serve three years of probation following completion of his sentence.\nFreeman, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in March, pleaded guilty in September to charges of using his official position to unlawfully demand property from a person and to possession of heroin with intent to distribute.\n“Significant segments of the American public distrust police officers these days, and crimes such as Officer Freeman’s wound public respect for law enforcement officers even further,” U.S. District Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. said.\nFreeman could not be reached for comment because there was no telephone number under his name in published listings.\nIn his plea agreement, Freeman admitted that he stopped a drug supplier’s van in summer 2005 after a drug dealer told him it might be carrying a large amount of cash. He displayed his gun and took the supplier’s cash and drugs, telling the occupants he would not arrest them if they cooperated. Court documents indicate that Freeman also threatened to separate the occupants from a child in the van unless they relinquished the drugs and money.\nFreeman kept the $2,500 cash and gave the heroin to the dealer who had given him the tip, according to court records. When the dealer sold the drugs, Freeman received a cut of the proceeds.\nFreeman resigned in March 2006 after serving 3.5 years on the force.
(12/06/07 2:03am)
INDIANAPOLIS – The tax policy leader of the state Senate said Tuesday he has concerns about capping homeowner property bills at 1 percent of the home’s value, suggesting it could be too hard a hit on some local governments.\n“If we’re going to have a percentage cap on homeowners, what is a fair number?” Senate Tax Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said after a three-hour hearing on proposals to cap assessments. “Is it 1 percent ... or what other number is it?”\nUnder current law, bills on owner-occupied homes would be capped at 2 percent of their assessments beginning next year. Bills on other property, such as commercial and industrial parcels, would be capped at 3 percent of assessments beginning in 2010.\nWhen fully implemented, that originally was estimated to save taxpayers – and cost local governments – about $100 million in property taxes in 2010. But new estimates say local governments overall would get $380 million less in revenue. The Legislative Services Agency said it increased the estimates based on new data.\nGov. Mitch Daniels has proposed a plan that includes capping homestead bills at 1 percent of assessed value beginning in 2009, with 2 percent caps on rental property and 3 percent limits on business property. The caps are commonly referred to as “circuit breakers.”\nThe effect of those, when applied to other parts of Daniels’ plan that include higher homestead deductions and the state assuming some local levy costs, would save property taxpayers about $748 million. But they would leave counties and their taxing units as a whole with the same amount in projected revenue shortfall.\nEstimates show those shortfalls would be 5 percent or less in most counties, and the Daniels administration has said most local governments could make up the loss by simply cutting spending by 5 percent or less.\nBut the shortfalls in some counties would be higher. For example, the state projects that Delaware County and its government units would spend about $237 million in 2010, but the caps would reduce that revenue by about $27 \nmillion – an 11 percent shortfall.
(12/06/07 2:02am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana will nearly double the size of its network of rail-trail corridors with the purchase of more than 150 miles of abandoned rail line, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said Monday.\nThe agency has agreed in principle with owners of the former Penn Central Rail Line to buy the abandoned railroad corridors, it said in a news release.\nThe cost of the purchase and when it might conclude was not disclosed.\nThe 150 miles of new trail corridors are located in 39 counties across the state. Indiana currently has 173 miles of rail-trails.\n“The department’s plan is to give the land to local governments and not-for-profit groups for future trail expansions,” the agency said.\nCounties receiving portions of the trail will be Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Boone, Cass, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Decatur, Delaware, Fulton, Grant, Greene, Hancock, Henry, Howard, Jay, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, LaGrange, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Morgan, Noble, Owen, Parke, Pike, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, St. Joseph, Tipton, Vigo, Wabash, Wayne and Whitley.\nThe agency has also received $1.25 million from the Lilly Endowment for additional construction on five multi-use trails. The money will match $5 million in federal funds.\nThe sites receiving funding are the White River Greenway in Muncie, the Cardinal Greenway in five eastern counties, the Monon Trail in Westfield, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from Middlebury to the Elkhart/LaGrange County line, and the Nickel Plate Trail in Howard, Miami and Fulton counties.
(12/06/07 2:02am)
LAPORTE, Ind. – A sheriff’s deputy, who saw two fire trucks leave a station when there wasn’t any fire, caught a teenager who allegedly stole one of the trucks.\nPolice said they weren’t sure why the 17-year-old LaPorte boy, who was wearing full firefighter gear when he was arrested, stole the truck. He was being held at the LaPorte County Juvenile Services Center on Monday on juvenile charges of burglary and vehicle theft.\nA rescue truck was also stolen, but police have not apprehended a suspect in the crime.\n“It’s silly and crazy,” LaPorte County Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer said. “Something is wrong with them, that’s for sure.”\nLaPorte County sheriff’s deputy Steve Pearce was on patrol about 1:30 a.m. Monday when he saw a pumper truck and rescue truck leave the Center Township fire station with lights flashing and sirens blaring.\nPearce checked with dispatchers and found out there was no fire. He spotted the pumper truck at Pine Lake Cemetery in LaPorte and followed it until it veered off a road. He said the driver ran, but stopped after a few hundred feet.\nThe rescue truck was also abandoned at the cemetery, police said.\nPolice said the two suspects broke into the fire station through a window. Center Township Trustee Greg Smith, a retired firefighter, said fire trucks are not started like other motor vehicles, leading investigators to explore if the suspects are related to or know any firefighters.\nBoth trucks were back in service and suffered little, if any, damage, Smith said.\n“I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of anyone ever taking a fire truck,” he said.