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NEW:
— INDUSTRIAL HEMP
— NOTRE DAME-ROME
— RAINTREE COUNTY
— BABY ANIMALS
— BKW--NOTRE DAME
TOP STORY:
ARTIFACTS SEIZED-INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS — FBI agents on Thursday were still removing thousands of artifacts ranging from arrowheads to shrunken heads and Ming Dynasty jade from a house in rural central Indiana. A 91-year-old man amassed the vast collection over several decades, perhaps since he began digging up arrowheads as a child. By Charles D. Wilson. SENT: 540 words, photos.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:
HIGHWAY FUNDING
INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday announced plans to use $200 million in newly released funds to expand sections of Interstate 65, and a transportation department spokesman said project could reduced travel time for some commuters in the Indianapolis area. "If you're going to be the Crossroads of America," said Pence, citing Indiana's nickname, "You have to have the roads to back it up." By Summer Ballentine. SENT: 400 words.
AROUND THE STATE:
SEVERE WEATHER
ST. LOUIS — A band of severe weather stretched across a swath of the Midwest and South on Thursday, with hailstorms in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas following a small tornado in suburban St. Louis. Storms slammed the North Texas college city of Denton with hail as large as baseballs, leading to reports of broken windows and other damage. The National Weather Service in Tulsa noted reports of hail up to the size of ping pong balls and strong wind gusts. By Jim Salter and Jim Suhr. SENT: 460 words, photos.
INDIANA STORMS
INDIANAPOLIS — A day of heavy rains left highways and other roads closed across parts of Indiana on Thursday, necessitating the rescues of several motorists. SENT: 360 words, photos.
BLOOMINGTON-DEER CONTROL
BLOOMINGTON — Sharpshooters could be allowed to hunt deer in a Bloomington nature preserve under a proposal being considered by city officials. The plan's supporters say the deer herd needs to be thinned out at the 1,200-acre Griffy Lake preserve on the city's north side. SENT: 330 words.
BALL STATE-PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH
MUNCIE — The head of Ball State University's presidential search committee said it plans to interview five finalists seeking to become the school's new leader. The new president will replace Jo Ann Gora, who plans to retire in June after 10 years leading the 18,000-student university in Muncie. SENT: 300 words.
EXCHANGE-MARDIS BRAS-ARTISTS
EVANSVILLE — In one of Evansville's more risque fundraisers, local artists' creations in the forms of bras and bustiers will make their way down a runway Saturday, all in the name of raising funds for AIDS Resource Group. Mardi Bras, in its fifth year, will feature about 25 different art pieces by a number of local artists during the benefit. The pieces are made with a variety of materials, including pink Ruffies trash bags made by Berry Plastics, mini roulette boards that spin, feathers, beads and even newsprint for one artist's piece she is calling "Courier and Breast." By Abbey Doyle. Evansville Courier & Press. SENT: 450 words, photos.
EXCHANGE-NFL DREAMS-WANNABES
INDIANAPOLIS — Marcus Spann was making his appointed rounds Monday, hopscotching between Anderson and Muncie in his DirecTV van. There were TV installation orders to fill. "Back to the grind," Spann said, smiling. "Driving around in my little minivan." Therein lies the delicate balancing act for Spann. On one hand, there are bills to pay, personal responsibilities to deal with. But football tugs. Hard. Over the weekend, Spann was among about 500 pro wannabes who converged on the Indianapolis Colts' indoor practice facility for the NFL Regional Combine. By Mike Chappell. The Indianapolis Star. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
EXCHANGE-WANG HALL
WEST LAFAYETTE — The long-delayed Seng-Liang Wang Hall, a $38 million Purdue University building on Northwestern Avenue, will open in August. Initially envisioned as heavy mix of commercial business and the new home for School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the four-story, 147,000-square-foot facility will now be leased mostly to Purdue engineering programs, plus the Purdue Federal Credit Union and a few restaurants on the ground level. By Eric Weddle. Journal & Courier. SENT: 650 words, photos.
EXCHANGE-ABSENTEE BALLOT FEARS
TERRE HAUTE — In the warm sunlight bathing the front porch of Margaret Taylor's South 14th Street home, faint boxes are barely visible on her absentee ballot for the May 6 Democratic Party primary. Voters must fill in the boxes across from the names of the candidates they support. However, when Taylor stands up and takes her ballot into her home, the reduced lighting makes the lightly shaded boxes nearly invisible. "I have a lot of trouble seeing it. You gotta really look hard," Taylor said. By Arthur Foulkes. Tribune-Star. SENT: 700 words, photos.
IN BRIEF: INDUSTRIAL HEMP, NOTRE DAME-ROME, RAINTREE COUNTY, BABY ANIMALS, WINTER COSTS, KOKOMO-BODY IN TRASH, LAFAYETTE-FATAL FIRE, FARM POND DROWNING
SPORTS:
BC-BKW--NOTRE DAME
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame began believing this season would be something special after a big comeback win and keeping an opponent from getting a big comeback win. By Tom Coyne. UPCOMING: 700 words by 3 a.m.
BKW--FINAL FOUR-GUIDE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Undefeated teams, Hall of Fame coaches, star players — the women's Final Four has them all. By Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. SENT: 600 words, photos.
BKC--HOUSTON-SAMPSON
HOUSTON — Houston introduced Kelvin Sampson as their men's basketball coach on Thursday, confident that he can bring the once-proud program back to prominence and undeterred by his past improprieties with the NCAA. Sampson committed numerous NCAA violations regarding impermissible calls to recruits at both Oklahoma and Indiana, resulting in a five-year show cause order from the NCAA in 2008 which effectively barred him from coaching in college. That order expired last year. By Sports Writer Kristie Rieken. . SENT: 600 words.
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