Day of Caring

Employees at LIN Television rolled up their sleeves on Tuesday. It was the LIN TV Day of Caring. Some employees at a station in Buffalo, New York painted a school. Others in Terre Haute, Indiana cleaned graffiti. And, here in Lafayette, we helped build a home for a family in need.

About 30 people from our station helped frame the future home of Eloy and Clara Chavez in the Bristol Park Subdivision. The happy couple is expecting a baby girl in December. Eloy says he is very thankful for everyone who is helping to make their dream come true.

With the help of members of Kappa Sigma fraternity, we framed much of the house. What my father taught me about swinging a hammer came in handy! I used to help him with various building projects around the farm.

We kept Mike Prangley away from the power tools. Gina Quattrocchi handled some duties at the saw. Gage Butterbrodt was teased about not having the right kind of hammer for a 'lefty.' Gage and Kelly Greene did a great job nailing the walls up. Some of us do volunteer work for various not-for-profit groups throughout the year. It was really neat to have so many of us working as one team, for one day, on one project.

Viewer Tip Leads To Arrest

Lafayette Police say they have caught the person responsible for scamming some elderly people. This man would pose as a store manager offering to help with senior citizen discounts. In the end, the man would steal a credit or debit card. The arrest comes after a tip from a News Channel 18 viewer who saw surveillance video photos on the news.
It's people like that who are helping police solve crime on a daily basis. Our segment 'Fugitive Search' has resulted in the arrest of dozens of people who have eluded authorities for weeks, months, even years. 'Fugitive Search' is a regular feature on Thursdays at 6pm & 11pm.

Every little bit of information helps investigators piece together what happened and who is responsible. It is good to help when you can. You never know--some day you might be the victim of a crime and need someone else to speak up.

Election Season Begins

A candidate forum at the Hanna Community Center kicked off the city election season. The event featured the candidates for Lafayette Mayor (Democrat Tony Roswarski and Republican Dan Auxley) and the candidates for West Lafayette Mayor (Democrat Jan Mills and Republican John Dennis). You'll see the stories tonight at 5pm and 6pm.

Most of the candidates were polite and soft spoken. Roswarski spoke with a lot more enthusiasm, defending his accomplishments in office. His comments came after Auxley spoke. Auxley used to work for the city as head of the traffic improvement department. Auxley said as mayor he would "focus on traffic problems that have been ignored the last four years." Auxley would like to see major improvement to State Road 26.

Dennis spoke in generalizations about leadership and planning. Mills defended her administration, citing job creation at the Purdue Research Park and several road and sidewalk improvements.

I suspect the debate will get more heated as we get closer to the November election. Stay tuned!

Get Well Wishes

Bob Vizza from K-105 radio recently had hip replacement surgery and is about to have his third kidney transplant. I am sure many country music listeners miss hearing Bob's voice. I worked with Bob several years when I did news at WKOA-WASK radio. Bob is a very caring person, who has a wonderful sense of humor. He could always make me laugh, no matter what kind of day I was having. The radio station has a place on its website where you can send Bob a message. If you are a listener, send him a note. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. www.wkoa.com

Hensel Funeral Arrangements

Services are set for a Logansport soldier who died in Iraq. Shawn Hensel, 20, died West of Baghdad on August 14th. The visitation will be Noon-8:00p.m. on Friday at the First Assembly of God Church at 831 Burlington Ave., Logansport. The funeral will be at 11:00a.m. on Saturday at the same location. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Legion Post #60, V.F.W. Post #3790, or to the Fishers House Foundation. The Gundrum Funeral Home also asked me to pass along that online condolences may be sent to the family from our website at http://www.gundrumfuneralhome.com/

The family has invited WLFI to cover the services. So watch for our reports. In addition, there will be a memorial ceremony at Little Turtle Waterway at 7:00p.m. on Tuesday.

New Monument in Frankfort

Veterans are being honored in Clinton County with a new monument. 5 vertical tablets with the names of local military men and women who have died in war are located on the south side of the Clinton County Courthouse in Frankfort. Veterans Service Officer Joe Root (my guest during the noon news) says it was a project about 2 years in the planning.
A dedication ceremony is planned at 10:00a.m. on September 15th.

Children's Safety Fair

Our noon guest today is LFD inspector Pat Grimes. He will share information about the annual Children's Safety Fair Day. It's Saturday (August 18th) from 10a.m.-2:00p.m. at Fire Station #5, at the corner of Creasy and Union Street. Several businesses and organizations are participating. It's a fun way to get your child thinking about safety. Youngsters can meet police officers, crawl through the smoke trailer, and try on a firefighter's gear. Grimes says the PHI medical helicopter will be landing at 11:00a.m.

Local Soldier Dies in Iraq

Our hearts go out to another local family who has lost a loved one in the war in Iraq. The Army says Shawn Hensel, 20, of Logansport was killed Monday when he got caught in crossfire. Hensel left for Iraq in early April. He attended Logansport High School before joining the Army.
Watch for our report on Hensel tonight. And, we will share the funeral arrangements as soon as we get them.

Back To School

The first day of school proved to be a little bumpy for some families in the Tippecanoe School Corporation. A bus was involved in an accident on State Road 26 East near Monitor. The bus was hit by an SUV that was pushed into the bus by a car that hit the SUV from behind. Police say the injuries (one student on the bus and a passenger in the SUV) appear to be minor. This is a reminder to all drivers to be extra careful as the school year begins for area students. The buses are carrying some precious cargo!

I think I handled the first day of school today better than I did last year. When Brett started Kindergarten, I followed the bus to school and walked him to class (and tried not to cry in front of the bus driver or teacher). This year, I waited at the bus stop with Brett. He had his new Star Wars backpack filled with new school supplies. He assures me he's a 'big boy' now and didn't need me to escort him to his new class. Ah-- independence. Like most moms, I have mixed feeling about that!

MDA Goodwill Ambassador

Georgana Nichols is one of our MDA Goodwill Ambassadors for North Central Indiana. The 8 year old is from Crawfordsville. She and her 4 year old brother James have the same neuromuscular disease. Georganna is honored to be an ambassador. She hopes people will donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Labor Day telethon. It's money she hopes will help researchers find a cure.

Learn more about Georgana and her family in my report at 6:00p.m. on Friday.

Hay, Hay

Driving through the country you can see fields dotted with bales of hay. It brings back memories when I was young growing up on my family farm in Illinois. Believe it or not, I used to drive the tractor pulling the baler. That was probably one of the coolest jobs to have when baling hay. After the mix of clover, alfalfa and timothy was packed into square bales, I had one of the hottest jobs. I stacked the hay in the barn. I remember having to wear jeans and a long sleeve shirt in the hot, moggy hayloft. My dad says this hard work was necessary to not only feed my horse, but it 'built character.' Years later, I guess I agree.