Post-Tribune

Senators seek to name bison ‘national mammal’

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:02 -0500

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Western lawmakers want to elevate the Plains bison to a status similar to that of the iconic bald eagle with legislation to declare the burly beasts America’s “national mammal.” Bison advocates launched a “vote bison” public relations campaign Friday to coincide with the bill. The National Bison Legacy Act introduced in the Senate is backed by lawmakers from Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Rhode Island. The largely symbolic measure would provide no added protections for the estimated 20,000 wild bison in North America. And the bald eagle would still hold …

Lawsuit alleges school officials ignored signs of coach-student sex

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:01:56 -0500

LAPORTE — The family of a teenage girl who had sex with her volleyball coach more than 20 times is suing the LaPorte school district for $18.7 million, claiming school officials ignored signs that the two were involved in a relationship. Former LaPorte High School junior varsity volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft was sentenced to 21 years in prison last July on charges of sexual misconduct and child seduction. LaPorte schools Superintendent Glade Montgomery declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday, saying he couldn’t discuss pending litigation. The lawsuit was filed Thursday. Ashcroft met the girl in 2007 when she was …

Memorial Day events

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:03:26 -0500

CEDAR LAKE American Legion Cedar Lake Post 261 Memorial Day parade: 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 28; 10 a.m. parade line-up at Dairy Queen, 9917 W. 133rd Ave., procession concludes at 131st and Fairbanks. Dedication of new Obadiah Taylor headstone plaque: 11 a.m. Monday, May 28, 131st and Fairbanks Potluck, meet and greet: 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 28, Obadiah Taylor Memorial Park, 155th and Barman. Call Polly Freyman at 663-2249. CROWN POINT Memorial Day Services: 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 28, Memory Lane Memorial Park, 6305 W. Lincoln Highway, with a full honor and color guard, 21-gun salute, military personnel and field …

How they voted

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:45:42 -0500

WASHINGTON — Here’s how U.S. Reps. Joe Donnelly and Peter Visclosky, Democrats, and U.S. Sens. Richard Lugar and Daniel Coats, Republicans, voted last week. House RIGHTS OF MILITARY DETAINEES: The House approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310). The amendment would state that Americans detained by the military have full constitutional rights, including the writ of habeas corpus, and also require presidential administrations to notify Congress of such military detentions within 48 hours. A supporter, Rep. Jeffrey M. Landry, R-La., said the amendment protects the liberty of Americans by ensuring …

House Republican leaders plan summer tax cut vote

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:01 -0500

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top House Republican says his chamber will vote this summer on continuing the tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush. In a memo Friday to fellow GOP lawmakers, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia said the House will vote on extending those tax cuts before its August recess. Unless Congress acts, tax rates on wages, dividends, capital gains and other items will rise Jan. 1. House Speaker John Boehner had said the House would vote on the tax extensions before the November presidential and congressional elections. The announcement by Cantor shows Republicans want a vote …

Dragon arrives at space station in historic 1st

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:01 -0500

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The privately bankrolled Dragon capsule made a historic arrival at the International Space Station on Friday, captured by astronauts wielding a giant robot arm. SpaceX is the first private company to attempt such a feat: the first commercial cargo delivery into the cosmos. “Just awesome,” said SpaceX’s billionaire maestro, Elon Musk, of PayPal fame. U.S. astronaut Donald Pettit used the space station’s 58-foot robot arm to snare the gleaming white Dragon after a few hours of extra checks and maneuvers. The two vessels came together while sailing above Australia. “Looks like we’ve got us a …

Romney running mate search enters audition phase

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:20:19 -0500

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney’s vice presidential search has entered a new phase: auditions. As his campaign evaluates potential running mates, Republicans with a possible shot at the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket are starting to engage in unofficial public tryouts for the traditional vice presidential role of attack dog. Democratic President Barack Obama is “the most ill-prepared person to assume the presidency in my lifetime,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared in a speech in Kentucky this week. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told South Carolina Republicans that there hasn’t been such a “divisive figure in modern American …

Kokomo public library starts lending iPads

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:02 -0500

KOKOMO (AP) — Patrons are flocking to a north-central Indiana public library to borrow one of its new iPad2s. The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library began lending out the tablet computers on Thursday. Officials announced the program on Twitter and Facebook, and the Kokomo Tribune reports that the five iPad2s at the main library were gone by Thursday morning. Library officials say they expect a similar demand for the 10 devices available at the other branches. Library cardholders 18 years or older can borrow an iPad2 free of charge for two weeks as long as they have no unpaid library fines. …

Former Notre Dame leader Hesburgh turns 95

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:02 -0500

SOUTH BEND (AP) — Former University of Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh plans to go fishing on his 95th birthday. Friday is the Roman Catholic priest’s birthday. He tells the South Bend Tribune that he spends every birthday fishing in northern Wisconsin. Hesburgh says his health is fine except for faded eyesight due to macular degeneration. His advice is to “do as much as you can, as long as you can, as well as you can,” Hesburgh led the university in South Bend for 35 years. He was Notre Dame’s longest-serving president. He was born May 25, 1917. That was …

Indy speedway replaces stage following inspection

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:21:02 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A temporary outdoor stage set up to entertain race fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been replaced after it failed to meet new safety standards enacted by the state following last year’s deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. State building inspectors rejected the privately built stage Thursday, four days before the Indianapolis 500, after speedway officials couldn’t provide required technical documents, WTHR-TV reports. “They were unable to provide the necessary engineering wind and weight load. The speedway was very cooperative. We told them it was noncompliant. They understood, brought in another stage that is …

Dry spring causing concern for holiday weekend

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:03:05 -0500

SOUTH BEND — An abnormally dry spring has farmers worried about crops and the Indiana fire marshal concerned about fireworks, cookout and bonfires sparking fires during the Memorial Day weekend. Areas of Indiana are abnormally dry, particularly in the northeast and southwest. The National Weather Service reports it has been the driest spring ever in Fort Wayne, the eighth driest in South Bend and Evansville has received less than half its normal rainfall. Fire Marshal Jim Greeson is warning that the dry conditions can cause fires to spread quickly and is urging Indiana residents to use caution during the holiday …

Brotherhood claims lead as Egypt vote count begins

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:08:23 -0500

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 television stations also suggested the Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi was ahead of the pack of 13 candidates. The reliability of the various exit surveys was not known, and a few hours after the end of two days of voting, only a tiny percentage of the ballots had been counted. But the swiftness of the Brotherhood’s claim …

Gregg, Simpson take Dems’ gubernatorial campaign to NWI

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:02:37 -0500

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. Gregg and Simpson, arrived to applause inside the Carpenters Local 599 Hall and wasted no time in delivering a stump speech that was pro-union and pro-education, with plenty of red meat regarding their opposition — gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence and running mate State Rep. Sue Ellspermann. “I picked (Simpson) for a lot of reasons. No. …

Court: Families cannot sue over loan discount fee

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:20:36 -0500

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 Inc. in Louisiana by three families who claimed they paid the fees without receiving anything in return. The Freeman family paid $980 and the Bennett family $1,100 in loan discount fees but allegedly did not get lower interest rates in return. The Smith family allegations focus partly on a loan origination fee of $5,100, which …

Lawmakers to study auto plates, child protection

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:20:19 -0500

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, pieces of the 2011 education overhaul and other issues. Legislative leaders met Wednesday to sign off on the study groups. The summer study groups sometimes set the basis for action in the following session. The divisive right-to-work law approved this year was reviewed last summer in a series of study committee hearings. This year’s rejection …

Truck driver killed when semi crashes into Calumet City house

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:02:06 -0500

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.