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Get In the Know With Kim’s Thursday #WTLCIndyNews & Sports Headlines
In Local News…
Police will continue their investigation today into why a staffer at Wabash College shot and killed his niece and her four-year-old son before killing himself. Right now they believe Lucius Hamilton III, 61, killed Katherine Giehll, and little Raymond Giehll IV on Wednesday morning strictly for financial gain because he was after a substantial family trust fund. Hamilton then fled to a downtown Indianapolis hotel where he holed up. When police arrived, that’s when he fatally shot himself. Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen called the murders the most “heinous and heartbreaking” in his 32 years in law enforcement. Investigators towed a white van away from the Hilton hotel where Hamilton took his life. He had been driving that van, which was missing from the college. Police hope to get a search warrant to go through its contents. Meanwhile, counselors have been brought into the school where the young victim attended pre-school a couple days per week. Those counselors are on-site at Traders Point Christian Academy today to assist with the student’s and school community’s grief.
Democrats at the Indiana Statehouse have a question. Why did GOP State Board of Education officials change a critical ISTEP report that showed poor scores? The Dems say there’s something to the report that Republicans on the Board of Ed did this. Former Democratic House Speaker, and candidate for governor, John Gregg says the State Board changing the report raises serious questions about politics in Indiana schools. Governor Pence is downplaying the report.
The vendor behind Indiana’s ISTEP test is eliminating local jobs. Pearson Education is laying off a portion of its Indianapolis workforce, but it’s unclear how many people will be affected. The layoffs are part of a national plan to downsize the company by ten-percent. Pearson Education confirmed the local cuts to The Indianapolis Star.
The developer looking to renovate Indianapolis’ old international airport terminal says they’re talking with pro teams to come to town, but they’re not saying which teams or which sports. The Athletes Business Network Holdings plan is for a 20,000-seat stadium or arena. Founder Craig Sanders says he’s had serious discussions with pro teams about coming to town, but he’s not offering specifics.
In National News…
Apple’s battle against the FBI over a cellphone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters is being backed by some pretty-big names. The CEO of Google joins former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in supporting Apple’s refusal to follow a federal court order to help the FBI unlock the phone. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to comply with the FBI’s efforts.
The AFL-CIO remains the biggest prized endorsement for a presidential candidate and the union has now decided not to hand that prize out next week as expected. Accpording to an email from Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, that was recently obtained by The Huffington Post he told members of the AFL-CIO executive council that the body won’t be holding a vote on whether to endorse Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders at its annual winter meeting. He said, “there is broad consensus for the AFL-CIO to remain neutral in the presidential primaries for the time being and refrain from endorsing any candidate at this moment. Many are taking this as a blow to Clinton and a win for Sanders. Read more on this story HERE.
Republican and Democratic presidential candidates will be all over two cable news networks tonight. The second part of a Republican town hall event happens on CNN. It will feature Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and John Kasich Meantime, MSNBC will host a town hall with Democratic hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tonight.
President Barack Obama will make a monumental visit to Cuba within the next month. An official announcement is expected to come today. The visit will be part of a Latin America trip in March and will mark the first time a sitting U.S. President has visited the island nation since 1928.
President Obama may be going to Cuba but he’s not going to attend Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral on Saturday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says Obama will visit the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC on Friday where Scalia will lie in repose to pay his respects a day early. Vice President Joe Biden keep Scalia memorial duties on lock. The Veep will lead the official delegation for funeral services on Saturday.
The military is having a hard time providing treatment for active-duty troops suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. A study released today finds that only a third of active-duty personnel with PTSD and fewer than a quarter who are clinically depressed are getting the minimum number of therapy sessions after they’re diagnosed.
Fewer Americans are filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits. The Labor Department says 262,000 new claims were filed last week. That’s a drop of 7,000 from the previous week and the lowest reading since November. Illinois, Tennessee and Pennsylvania reported the largest drop in new claims. Texas, Rhode Island and Florida had the biggest increase in first-time filings for weekly benefits.
Speaking of employment in Florida, a teenager there allegedly was very crafty in creating his own job. Eighteen-year-old Malachi Love-Robinson is accused of impersonating a doctor and is also now also facing additional charges including forgery and grand theft. An 86-year-old patient is accusing Love-Robinson of stealing her checkbook during one of his house calls and emptying her bank account. Check out more on this story and the teen’s love of ‘air quotes’ below:
Sports…
A Colts linebacker is in hot water. Jonathan Newsome is facing drug charges after an early morning arrest Wednesday. Zionsville police say their officers found marijuana inside his apartment and took him into custody. The officers were called to his home when someone complained about loud music coming from inside. Newsome was drafted out of Ball State University in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Indianapolis Weather…
Cloudy and warmer on this Throwback Thursday. Today’s High: 44 degrees.
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