Get In the Know With Kim’s Wednesday News & Headlines
INDIANAPOLIS HEADLINES:
The man who drove his damaged truck to the city county building with a woman inside who’d been shot multiple times, will be in court this morning for her murder. William Smith said someone opened fire on his truck severely injuring Azya Knowles, who died a few days later. Police investigated finding no evidence of his story and said he shot her inside multiple times in the head on February 11. They confiscated $30,000 cash and a handgun from Smith on the day of the incident.
Did your kids go to school this “Hump Day” morning with a full belly to fuel their brain power? Hope so. Why?—Because, roughly half-a-million students across the state are beginning their ISTEP exams. The assessment window for part one begins today. To shorten a 12-hour exam, schools have been instructed to give students only certain parts. On Monday, Governor Pence signed legislation into law that cuts the testing time down to nine hours.
An Indianapolis mother accused of sleeping while her five-year-old son wandered outside in dangerously cold temperatures is under investigation. Metro police say the child’s two-year-old brother locked him out of the house Monday evening without a coat or shoes. IMPD officers pounded on the door until the mother woke up and when she opened the door, the officers said they could smell marijuana. IMPD says the Department of Child Services already had an open investigation into the family and the children weren’t supposed to be with their mother.
IMPD is questioning a man who caused a security scare for part of downtown Indy, including Lucas Oil Stadium. Investigators say the man left his truck running at the back dock of the main post office Tuesday, then went inside and asked people to pray with him. The man left and was later found by police at the Indiana Convention Center. The truck was searched, but nothing dangerous was found.
A bill to end the state’s 80-year-old ban on Sunday alcohol sales is now dead. Representative Tom Dermody pulled it Tuesday because he said it didn’t have enough support to pass. Groceries and pharmacies lobbied against the bill because it would have required them to keep alcohol in one area of the store and liquor behind a counter so only a clerk could retrieve it. That requirement calls for remodeling and increased labor costs in many cases. Dermody says it’s possible that the discussion might come up again in the future.
Also in the statehouse, Indiana’s “religious freedom” bill is heading to the House floor after passing the state Senate. Supporters say it’s to protect religious business owners who don’t want to provide services for same-sex weddings. Critics say it would legalize discrimination against gays.
A $20 billion lawsuit is being filed against Comcast, Time Warner, the Reverend Al Sharpton, the NAACP and others. It accuses Comcast of discriminating against black-owned businesses and paying people like Sharpton to make it look like diversity is being promoted when it isn’t. Entertainment Studios founded by black producer Byron Allen and The National Association of African-American Owned Media also accuse Sharpton, his National Action Network, the NAACP and the National Urban League of signing bogus diversity agreements with Comcast in exchange for donations, knowing it would engage discriminatory practices.
The family of slain teenager, Trayvon Martin, is reacting to news the U.S. Justice Department will not file civil rights charges against his killer George Zimmerman. Martin’s family issued a statement saying it’s disappointed with the decision but thanked the department for its “extensive and thorough investigation” into the killing of their son. The unarmed teen was shot and killed by Zimmerman in 2012 after purchasing Skittles and an Arizona Tea at a nearby store and attempting to walk home through his dad’s Florida sub-division. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday the evidence did not meet the “high standard” for a federal hate crime prosecution. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in 2013 in a case that sparked nationwide protests.
The former chief of staff to President Obama and incumbent mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, is headed to a runoff. Despite sitting in the seat and a stuffed war chest, Emanuel wasn’t able to get more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election and will face challenger Jesus Garcia, a Cook County commissioner, in a runoff in April. Late Tuesday night, Emmanuel’s campaign finally conceded, noting there would be a runoff on April 7. Emanuel got over 45-percent of the vote. Garcia pulled in about 34 percent in another election with reported low turnout.
Life in prison is the sentence for the man accused of killing “American Sniper” Chris Kyle. Eddie Ray Routh was found guilty Tuesday of murdering Kyle and friend Chad Littlefield at a Texas gun range. Defense attorneys unsuccessfully argued Routh was insane at the time of the killings. Kyle’s story of military hits was documented in the film “American Sniper” where he was portrayed by Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper.
Do you have an American Express card in your wallet? Well, the company is raising interest rates on its credit card. Bloomberg News reports AmEx is raising rates for more than a million cardholders. Annual rates will go up to at least 12.99-percent. This is the first hike for AmEx in more than five years.
SPORTS:
The Oklahoma City Thunder busted the Pacers’ three-game winning streak Tuesday night on the road. The score was 105-92. Up next for the Pacers—LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be here, in Indy and in action on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Speaking of LeBron-bron…Congratulations to him. He is now the NBA’s all-time leader in assists by a forward. James had 11 assists in Cleveland’s 102-93 win over the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night to pass Scottie Pippen atop the all-time list. James, who now has 6,142 career assists, broke Pippen’s record just two days after passing Allen Iverson for 22nd on the league’s all-time scoring list.
WEDNESDAY’S INDIANAPOLIS WEATHER:
A mix of clouds and sun early today, followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. The High…31 degrees.
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