Brotherhood claims lead as Egypt vote count begins

CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood quickly staked a claim Thursday for its candidate to advance to a runoff vote, saying its exit polls showed him leading in Egypt’s landmark presidential election to succeed ousted leader Hosni Mubarak. As vote-counting began, exit polls by several Arab …

Gregg, Simpson take Dems’ gubernatorial campaign to NWI

Two days after announcing State Sen. Vi Simpson as his running mate, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg introduced her to supporters Thursday afternoon in Hammond. It was the second stop on a fly-around tour of the state that included Lafayette, South Bend and Fort Wayne. …

Court: Families cannot sue over loan discount fee

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that three families cannot sue a mortgage company for allegedly charging them a loan discount fee without giving them a lower interest rate. The high court’s decision tosses out lawsuits filed in 2008 against Quicken Loans …

Lawmakers to study auto plates, child protection

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers will spend the summer reviewing some of the thorniest issues that tripped them up during their 2012 session. Panels of state senators and representatives will review rules for issuing specialty license plates, troubles at the Indiana Department of Child Services, …

Truck driver killed when semi crashes into Calumet City house

A Georgia truck driver was killed early Thursday after crashing into a house in south suburban Calumet City. The accident happened about 12:52 a.m. near the intersection of Michigan City Road and Torrence Avenue when a semi truck crashed into a building, an area dispatcher said.

Painting by famed Hoosier artist found behind canvas

BELMONT (AP) — Art experts are hoping to figure out more about the origins of a previously unknown painting by noted Indiana impressionist T.C. Steele that was found hidden behind another canvas. The unusual find occurred after the Indiana State Museum shipped one of its …

Pending GED changes a challenge for some adults

KOKOMO (AP) — Trisha Smith dropped out of high school nearly 25 years ago when she got pregnant with her son, and now, even simple multiplication is difficult for her. She enrolled in GED classes recently through the Literacy Coalition of Howard County so she …

Critics claim state withholds mentally ill kids’ care

MARTINSVILLE (AP) — Indiana is treating its mentally ill children like criminals, locking them up in juvenile detention centers instead of providing the care they need, court officials claim. While a shortage of providers and a confusing maze of state agencies are issues, critics largely …

911 panel backs new taxing district to pay for new dispatch center

Homeowners may be looking at higher property tax bills to pay for the state-mandated consolidation of emergency dispatch service in Lake County. Members of the Lake County Public Safety Commission unanimously agreed on Thursday to ask the Lake County Council to consider the creation of …

Kokomo, Carmel students state’s Mr. Science, Math

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A senior at Northwestern High School in Kokomo is this year’s Indiana Mr. Science and one at Carmel is the state’s Mr. Math. Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office says Mr. Science John Tyler Barnes was named Indiana’s Top Young Scientist at the state …

$18.5 million settlement in ‘Transformers 3’ accident

An $18.5 million settlement has been reached in the case of a movie extra who was left permanently brain-impaired by an accident during the filming in northwest Indiana of “Transformers 3.”

Joplin remembers deadly tornado, 1 year later

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — A year after a massive tornado tore through Joplin, reminders of the storm’s fury are plentiful — from the glaring absence of century-old trees in the city’s central neighborhoods to the ghostly shell of St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Residents, hospital …

Defense says Muslim soldier never built bomb

WACO, Texas (AP) — A Muslim soldier was stopped just hours before completing assembly of a bomb that he planned to detonate at a restaurant full of Fort Hood troops, prosecutors said during opening statements Tuesday at his federal trial. After Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo …

Bail set for five in attack at Tinley restaurant; two victims also charged

Authorities charged five Indiana men Monday stemming from a weekend attack in which a group of masked assailants wielding bats and batons stormed a Tinley Park restaurant in broad daylight, beating diners they believed were connected to a white supremacist group.

Two of the people …

Top Senate Dem to GOP: Rich must be taxed more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate’s top Democrat says Republicans will have to accept higher taxes on the rich and drop efforts to reshape Medicare if they want a deal on cutting the debt. In a letter to GOP senators, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is …