Here’s What’s Going on in the Headlines this unseasonably cool Tuesday in the city…
IMPD is encouraging the public to become mentors as a way to reduce violent crime, here in Indy. In a post on the police department’s Facebook page, Sergeant Kendale Adams wrote, “Unfortunately, a lot of the youth don’t have mentors. They don’t have the adults that teach them the right way.” Adams says at-risk teens in violent neighborhoods are going to be influenced one way or another; either by a street gang or by someone who may have experienced that and was able to come out of it.
We’ve now learned that the home break-in suspect who was shot and killed by the homeowner in the 3100 of North College, was a local teenager. The Marion County Coroner’s office has identified him as Brandon Ford, 17. Fox 59 is reporting that police records said the 27-year-old homeowner is a member of the Indiana National Guard and has been the victim of prior burglaries. The latest break-in at that residence was on Christmas Eve. The homeowner exchanged gunfire with the would-be burglars on Sunday afternoon when Ford was killed and two others fled. Read more on this story HERE.
Police have now charged a woman in connection to the body found last week in a Hancock County cornfield. Yesterday, authorities arrested and charged Amanda Gonzalez, 27, in connection to the death of Katrina Miller. You may recall, Miller’s body was found last week by a couple of kids off Hancock County Road with a bullet wound to the head. Investigators say two men were with Gonzalez when Miller was killed, but those suspects have not yet been identified.
We also now know more about the victim in that Carmel murder-suicide. Shannon O’Malia Hall was a second grade teacher. She was the daughter of the long-time president of O’Malia’s Food Markets which were sold to Marsh Supermarkets back in 2001. David Hall was her ex-husband who shot and killed her before turning the gun on himself at the home of her parent’s Danny and Rita O’Malia. The Indianapolis Star reports the couple divorced on July 1st. Read more about the latest developments on this story, HERE.
State officials are reminding all Hoosiers that there’s unclaimed money and property out there that could be yours. They say there’s $148 million in lost and forgotten funds in central Indiana alone, and $72 million in unclaimed property in Marion County. They’re trying to help people reclaim what’s theirs through the “Indiana Unclaimed” website. Check the website to see if you have money or property waiting for you, HERE.
Indianapolis city officials want your opinion on a tax raise to hire more police officers. The proposal tops tonight’s meeting agenda of the City-County Council. The proposal would cost about $100 per year for the average Marion County taxpayer. Officials say it would pay for about 400 more cops on the street.
The battle over same-sex marriage in Indiana will head to a federal appeals court next month. A three judge panel from the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago is scheduled to hear arguments concerning the constitutionality of Indiana’s gay marriage ban beginning August 26th. Last month, a U.S. District Court judge overturned the ban, setting off a flurry of marriages, but the ruling was stayed three-days later.
As the Ebola crisis in Liberia and Nigeria worsens, Indiana University medical school graduate Dr. Kent Brantly is now fighting for his own life. Brantly, a 33-year-old married father of two, is the director of a charity group working on fighting Ebola in Liberia, where he went last year after completing his hospital residency training. He’s said to be in isolation and receiving treatment. He’s listed currently in stable but very serious condition. Ebola is a highly contagious virus considered one of the deadliest in the world. There is no known cure for the disease.
Israel is pounding dozens of targets in Gaza today as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Jewish state needs to prepare for a long fight against the Palestinian group Hamas. At least 40 people are reported killed in Gaza. Israel says five of its soldiers were killed in a battle with Hamas militants who crossed into Israel through a tunnel near the Gaza border.
Sports:
The Colts are waiving running back Chris Rainey, but it’s not because of his performance on the field. Coach Chuck Pagano says the decision was prompted by Rainey’s off-the-field actions, but no details were given. While playing for the Steelers in 2013, Rainey was arrested for allegedly slapping a woman in the face.
There’s lots of discussion of penalties for bad behavior around the National Football League. The Indianapolis Star’s Bob Kravitz, in light of the drunk driving charges facing Colts owner Jim Irsay, begs the question, “will the penalties fit crimes?” Read more about it, HERE.
The Indiana Fever dropped another game on the road. Tamika Catchings had 16 points in the effort, but the Fever lost 77-73 to the Sparks Monday night in Los Angeles. Erlana Larkins added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which fell to 12-and-14 on the season. The Fever are back in action Thursday against the Storm in Seattle.
Tuesday’s Weather:
A few isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon with a High of 77 degrees.
Make it a great day as you listen to us all day on “Your Station for Today’s R&B and Old School”, 106.7 WTLC and here online at tlcnaptown.com.
I’m Kim Wells. 
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072914 Twitter: @kwellscomm
