Trooper Killed

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Daniel Barrett. The 25 year old trooper for the Indiana State Police died Sunday when his squad car went off a highway in Fulton County and struck a tree. Investigators aren't sure what happened.
Barrett was a 2002 graduate of Logansport High School. He joined the State Police after graduating from the police academy in July of last year. This is a picture of Barrett helping at a Shop With A Cop program.



Funeral services for Trooper Daniel Barrett will be held at 11:00a.m. Friday at First Assembly of God Church. It's located 831 Burlington Avenue, Logansport. Viewing is Thursday from 2:00p.m.-8:00p.m. at the church. Memorial contributions can be made to: Indiana State Police Alliance "Cops for Kids." In Memory of Trooper Daniel Barrett, 1415 Shelby Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46203.

The Junior Achievement Bowl-a-thon is this weekend. The event is a major fundraiser for Junior Achievement. This is a look at last year's WLFI-TV team.

This year JA is trying something new. It is offering a Friday (Feb 1st) session. Teams can knock down the pins at 5:00p.m. at Star Lanes or on Saturday (Feb 2nd) at 10:30a.m. & 2:00p.m. There may be room for more teams. Contact JA at (765) 449-1630 if you are interested. Teams are made up of 5 bowlers and the amount of money you need to raise depends on when you bowl.

Lafayette Politics

This isn't an elephant and donkey, but I couldn't resist posting this cute picture.

Candidates can now file to get their names on the May primary ballot. The deadline to file is February 22nd. Watch our news for updates on who has filed. In addition, check out our political page. There's a link at the top of our home page or go to http://www.lafayettepolitics.tv/

We currently have a couple contested primary races. Republican Les Meade faces a challenge from attorney Bruce Graham for Superior Court 5. Rumblings around the courthouse indicate some people are not happy with Meade's performance on the bench. This race could be as hotly contested as it was six years ago, when Meade beat Laura Zeman. After the election, Zeman said 'disgruntled defendants spread misconceptions about her courtroom.'

There's also a contested Republican primary for Tippecanoe County Council. Four people are seeking three seats on the council. Kathy Vernon and Kevin Underwood are seeking reelection.
Gary Neal is a former Lafayette city councilman and bank executive. He said it's important to have people in government who are willing to work with the Governor's plan to streamline government. Jeff Holmes is a political newcomer. (But has family that has been active in local government) Holmes does marketing for Artistic Media Partners.

The Volatile Market

The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates after a major market decline. Our reporters have been talking to different people about what all these changes mean. Bison Financial Managing Director Dave Vorbeck says the rate cuts significantly affects the local economy. "Because that cut in federal funds will probably follow into your mortgage rates and will bring mortgage interests rates down," said Vorbeck. "It will bring consumer interest rates down on credit cards and automobile loans. "

Bison is sponsoring a town hall meeting on Thursday (January 24th). Two Purdue professors will talk about the possibility of a recession and fluctuations in the market. The forum starts at 7:00p.m. at the Big Four Depot in downtown Lafayette. Watch for our report on this meeting and future stories on our economy.

Flood Relief

It's wonderful to see how many people have responded to help flood victims in our area. The latest count from the America Red Cross says nearly 900 homes have been affected by the flooding.

The cost of the disaster relief in 17 counties is expected to run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Tippecanoe County Chapter of the Red Cross is the lead agency. It is requesting monetary donations, no matter how large or small, to aid in the disaster relief effort.

Donations to the Disaster Relief Fund can be made by sending a check to The American Red Cross, 615 N. 18th St., Suite 101, Lafayette, IN 47904. For more information, contact the Red Cross at (765) 742-6975 or visit our website at http://www.tippearc.org/.

The flood also affected dozens of animals. Some owners were forced to abandon their pets. A lot of the people did not have flood insurance so they don't have homes to go back to and they're having to live in apartments that don't allow pets and some of the mobile homes and trailers will not allow pets. The animals are now available for adoption. For more information you can reach Pet Savers at 742-2200.

New Purdue Football Coach

Purdue announced today that Danny Hope, the coach at Eastern Kentucky, will take over the Boiler football team when Joe Tiller retires. Hope will be an assistant next season. He'll work alongside Tiller, who will retire after the 2008 season. The 49-year-old Hope was an offensive line coach on Tiller's staff at Wyoming, then Purdue, before leaving the Boilermakers after the 2001 season.
I've been a big fan of Joe Tiller, and his wife Arnett. They are great people. I remember how down to earth Joe was at the Rose Bowl. He really turned around the Purdue football program. And, Arnett has done a lot for our community, including helping to collect donations for Food Finders Food Bank. She also helped arrange a meeting between my young son and Purdue Pete during a home football game.

Wabash Starts To Recede

Road closed signs may soon start coming down. The Wabash River crested at 22.6 feet around 9:30a.m. Thursday. This is a picture from South River Road near the Grandville Bridge. High water was also covering most of Fort Ouiatenon and affecting several homes to the north of the park.

Flooding Continues

Indiana State Police provided these pictures of an area near the Oakdale dam and the Oakdale bridge. Emergency Management officials report 250 homes affected by flooding in White County, 200 in Carroll County, at least 70 in Jasper County, and 50 in Tippecanoe County. Governor Daniels toured the flooded areas near Monticello and Winamac. He told us it may be a week before we know the extent of the damage and whether Indiana will seek a federal disaster declaration.

In Tippecanoe County the Wabash River is expected to crest Thursday morning. TEMA director Mark Kirby says water started covering the Granville Bridge around 5:00p.m. Wednesday evening.

If you are wanting to help flood victims you can make a donation to the American Red Cross. Do Not send food or clothing items. Donna Depew, my guest during the noon news, says the organization cannot handle those types of donations. She says monetary donations are being accepted. That money is given to people who need assistance in the form of vouchers (for food and clothing). If you want to donate, send a check to: The American Red Cross, Disaster Relief Fund (designate which county if you like), 615 North 18th Street, Suite 101, Lafayette, IN 47904.

Flooding

Melting snow and heavy rains, more than 5 inches in some areas, caused heavy flooding in areas north of Lafayette. More than 100 people were evacuated from one trailer park in Remington. One man told us the river rose almost 2 feet in ten minutes. He is staying at a shelter set up at a church. Nicholas Messer also told us he helped get about 20 people out of Lake Arthur Estates. He says one man was stranded in his truck. The water was almost up to the door when they got him out of the vehicle.

Tippecanoe County may see some major flooding this week too. TEMA Director Mark Kirby was my guest on the noon show. He says the National Weather Service is predicting the Wabash River will crest between 20-24 feet. Flood stage is at 11 feet. The river is already at 13 feet. Kirby says the flooding could be similar to what we experienced in 2003, when the river covered State Road 43, the golf course, and high water covered part of the Williamsburg Apartments in West Lafayette. Stay tuned for the changing road and weather conditions.

In Loving Memory

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers through this difficult time. My mom, Barbara Scott, passed away Saturday after a six month battle with Pancreatic Cancer. I need to be with my family, so you won't see me on the air for awhile. Thank you to my News Director Chris Morisse, Co-anchor Jeff Smith, and others for stepping up their efforts while I'm gone. Thank you--you are my second family.

My mom was a hard-working farmer's wife, who could drive a tractor and bake the best apple pie. She also claimed she could fix anything with duct tape and WD 40.

One of the most difficult things I've had to do was to tell my 7 year old son that his Grandma (who he adores) had died. Later that day, I tried to explain why my sister and I needed to leave to make the arrangements. He said he knew what a funeral was. "That is where you go and tell someone good bye," said Brett. Then, as I was ready to leave, Brett said, "Tell Grandma Scott I said Hi." My jaw dropped and my heart sank. I responded, "Grandma Scott is dead. She can't hear us." My son leaned close to me and whispered, "Mom, angels can hear you all the time."