But the region’s vast assortment of museums extends beyond the city limits.

In fact, one colorful destination – a museum unlike any other – is located in Northwest Indiana, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Chicago. The Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting was recently named the nation’s top pop culture museum by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers Choice Awards.

Described by the publication as a “charming museum,” the Mascot Hall of Fame pays homage to some of the most popular mascots in sports with interactive exhibits and plenty of memorabilia. The museum opened in 2018 with the goal of being “a leading institution that supports creative thinking using the backdrop of family fun and sports mascot entertainment,” according to its website.

Devoted Chicago sports fans can stop by and learn about some familiar figures like “South Paw,” “Tommy Hawk” and “Benny the Bull.” They’re just a few of the dozens of mascots that have been inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.

The museum celebrated the win in a social media post, writing in part, “Thank you for believing in the magic of mascots and for making us #1!”

“A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our incredible fans who rallied behind us! Your unwavering support helped us soar past 19 other nationally recognized museums and win the coveted USA TODAY 10Best award for Best Pop Culture Museum,” the post read in part. “This victory is as much yours as it is ours!”:

While the museum tops the list, it wasn’t the only Midwest establishment recognized by USA TODAY.

The others were the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio and the OZ Museum in Wamego, Kansas.

Nominees for the 10Best Awards were submitted by a panel of experts and then narrowed down to finalists, which were then voted on by readers.

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At around 9:45 p.m., officers were called to the refinery regarding the discovery of human remains, according to police in East Chicago, where a portion of the plant is located. Officers were escorted by security personnel through Gate 15 and to an area where maintenance was being performed on a pipe system.

While excavating, the crew discovered a human skull in the ground next to a garbage bin, officials said. The skull, which was encased in gravel, was handed over to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

The incident remains under investigation by the coroner and the Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force.

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Jose Perez, 66, and Miguel Rodriguez, 60, both of California, face multiple felony charges in relation to possession and dealing of cocaine.

According to officials, an Indiana State Trooper was patrolling I-70 in Greenfield on Sunday afternoon when a semitruck traveling eastbound caught the trooper’s attention.

Shortly before 1:20 p.m., the trooper stopped the semitruck and began to perform an inspection. Officials said the trooper is certified to perform Federal Motor Carrier inspections on commercial vehicles.

Part of the inspections include a review of the required paperwork and log book, which revealed a violation, authorities said.

Police said that while the trooper was interacting with the driver and co-driver of the vehicle, he grew suspicious of criminal activity and eventually asked for consent to search the vehicle, which was granted.

While searching inside boxes of onions and other produce found in the trailer, dozens of packages of what was later confirmed to be cocaine were discovered.

Both Perez and Rodriguez were then taken into custody and transported to Hancock County Jail while the vehicle was towed for further search.

There is currently no further information available.

The crash occurred at around 5:15 p.m. on the interstate near Burr Street in Gary. According to Indiana State Police, the driver of a 2009 Ford Escape was struck by gunfire and as a result crashed his vehicle into the median wall.

The driver was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The shooting is under investigation by Indiana State Police detectives.

Anyone with information on the incident or in-car video of what occurred is asked to call Detective Campione at 219-696-6242.

At around 2:10 p.m., deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department started pursuing the driver of a sedan for multiple traffic violations, sheriff’s officials said in a news release. The pursuit started in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 before continuing west on the Indiana Toll Road.

When the driver reached the Illinois-Indiana state line, officers utilized an unspecified manuever in an attempt to safely stop the vehicle. After getting away, the suspect drove into oncoming traffic and eventually struck another car head-on, police said.

The suspect, who was identified as a 20-year-old man from Waukegan, was taken to an area hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The four family members in the other vehicle were treated by paramedics on the scene.

An investigation was ongoing late Friday.

In a news release, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said 50 guardsmen will be sent to the southern border and provide assistance to the Texas National Guard. The soldiers will begin preparing for the missing immediately and will arrive in Texas in mid-March, the governor’s office said.

Holcomb and 13 other governors joined Abbott for a news conference on Sunday at the southern border and affirmed support for Abbott in an escalating showdown with the Biden administration over immigration.

“Federal negligence enforcing immigration law and the failure to secure our country’s border jeopardizes national and economic security, affecting every state, including Indiana,” Holcomb said. “We’ve worked too hard in Indiana attacking the drug epidemic for more Hoosier lives to be put at risk by a constant supply of killer drugs spilled over an open U.S. border. The only way to resolve this is to stop the historically high flow of illegal immigrants crossing the border.”

At least 14 states—including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming—have either deployed personnel or supplied resources to help with border security.

The soldiers, which are being deployed at Abbott’s request, will spend one week at Camp Atterbury for training before heading to Texas for 10 months. In a statement, Major General Dale Lyles, the adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, said its members “are uniquely trained, equipped and capable of mobilizing whenever and wherever we’re called.”

According to the city of Whiting, Indiana, a power outage on the property of the BP Whiting Refinery led to power issues at the refinery itself.

“As a result of this power outage, additional product is being burned which will cause additional flaring of the stacks,” the city said in a statement. “This flaring is a safety release to burn off the extra product and is a normal process during an event. BP is working to resolve the power outage as quickly as possible.”

BP told NBC Chicago it activated its emergency response team and evacuated office buildings “out of the abundance of caution.” Nearby roads were being shut down to assist with the evacuation.

“We are in the process of safely shutting down the refinery after a suspected power outage,” Christina Audisho, a spokesperson for BP, told NBC Chicago. “We have activated our emergency response team and evacuated refinery office buildings out of an abundance of caution. Local fire departments are assisting with the evacuation by closing nearby roads. The safety of refinery staff and the community are our highest priority.”

Whiting’s mayor, Steve Spebar, said the outage started sometime late Thursday morning or early afternoon.

As a result of the evacuations, the intersection of 129th and Indianapolis Boulevard was closed in the area. Indianapolis Boulevard was also closed to all traffic from 129th to Schrage.

“Please use Calumet Avenue to travel North or South,” the city said. “We will notify you as soon as the street has been reopened.”

No additional evacuations are expected as officials work to restore power.

A student from Burris Laboratory School in Muncie told The Associated Press that she and four other students were at the state Capitol on Tuesday to participate in a day of advocacy with Students Demand Action, an arm of Everytown for Gun safety. Alana Trissel, 17, said state Rep. Jim Lucas asked the students what brought them to the Capitol and began to defend gun rights.

Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, and the group then conversed outside the elevator and one of the students filmed the interaction, as was first reported by the Statehouse File, a student journalism news site at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana.

In the video, Lucas told the students that people have to protect themselves and referenced failures of law enforcement to prevent mass casualties during school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas.

In discussing places where firearms are banned, Lucas said people aren’t “truly free” unless they can defend themselves. A student off camera asked Lucas if he means carrying a firearm. Just over six minutes into the 10-minute video, Lucas said, “I’m carrying right now,” and holds open his suit jacket exposing a holstered handgun. It was not immediately clear what kind of gun Lucas was carrying.

“Nothing about someone carrying a gun makes me feel safe,” a student said off camera after Lucas lifted his jacket.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Lucas on Wednesday and left messages with his press secretary and at his Facebook page. Phone numbers in public records listed with his name were not connected.

In public Facebook posts on Tuesday night and on Wednesday, Lucas didn’t describe his actions. He said the conversation “was respectful, but it was clearly facts, reason and logic vs. plain emotion.”

“I fear for, and pity those that are being indoctrinated to fear that which is their best means of self-defense,” he added in a post Wednesday, in which he also linked to news articles about the Parkland and Uvalde killings in the comments section. “People are also being indoctrinated to depend on government for their ‘safety,’ even when shown that government has clearly ruled that government doesn’t have the duty to protect us.”

Trissel said that the conversation took a “turn for the worst” after he showed the weapon. When asked by a student why he feels the need to carry a gun, Lucas said “to be able to defend myself.”

Trissel disputed Lucas’ claim that the group’s argument was based on emotion, and she said she felt talked over.

“Since a state legislator had shown a weapon, I felt all the more powerless,” she said. “I felt scared. I felt alone. I was timid and almost petrified with fear.”

Indiana lawmakers and their staff are allowed to carry handguns in the Capitol and on complex grounds. A bill introduced this year would extend that right to some statewide elected officials and their staff.

The video shows Lucas telling the students to go to a gun range and learn how to shoot, before Trissel interrupts him and asks if he has lost anyone to gun violence. Lucas said he has defended his family twice with a firearm and did not elaborate.

Lucas eventually begins to walk away and asked, “Anybody else have any rational concerns they’d like to address?” When the conversation began again, he walked away.

Trissel said after speaking to Lucas and other state representatives about gun control, she left the Capitol feeling unheard.

Lucas was in the news last summer when he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving charges after police said he crashed his pickup truck through an interstate highway guardrail and drove away. Lucas, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2012, was allowed to keep his position; state law only prohibits those with felony convictions from holding elected office.

Lucas is a prominent supporter of loosening gun laws and sponsored a bill last year that established a state-funded handgun training program for teachers.

According to a report from The Republic of Columbus, Indiana, Lucas told students at an event in 2020 that gun control laws won’t prevent mass killings at schools and that he was carrying at the moment. He then asked if that scares anyone in the audience, the report says.

He has faced controversy several times in the past for what critics called racist social media posts.

The tractor-trailer caught fire about 2 a.m. along Interstate 69 in Grant County and a state trooper, a Grant County Sheriff’s deputy and a third person rescued the five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse by leading them off the smoked-filled trailer, said Sgt. Steven Glass with Indiana State Police.

Both officers were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and later released, but none the animals were injured, he said. The truck driver, a 57-year-old Sarasota, Florida, man, was not injured. All northbound lanes of I-69 were closed until about 6:30 a.m. once the area was cleaned up and the animals were taken away by another truck.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office posted photos and videos on Facebook of camels walking on the highway and later standing along its shoulder and its median with zebras and law enforcement officers. The posting included the message, “No harm to our furry friends.”

One video shows some of the zebras munching on grass in a surreal scene several miles east of the city of Marion, located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis.

“It’s not something we see every day,” said Deputy Brent Ressett with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

The truck was bringing the animals from Florida to Fort Wayne for four weekend circus performances in the northeastern Indiana city benefitting the Mizpah Shrine Circus, said Steve Trump, its circus director.

He said the performances are annual fundraisers for the Mizpah Shrine Circus to help pay for the upkeep of the Shrine Center in Fort Wayne to “allow us to use our other fundraisers for what we’re known best for, taking care of kids.”

Trump said the truck’s crew stopped the vehicle along the highway to check a problem with the vehicle and discovered a fire that quickly spread, threatening the animals in its trailer until they were rescued.

The fire destroyed the truck and a second truck was sent from Fort Wayne to pick up the animals from the highway and bring them to Fort Wayne’s Memorial Coliseum to await their roles in the weekend’s family-friendly circus performances, he said.

“I was thrilled that things worked out that way,” Trump said.

People, including children, were trapped by flames on the second floor Sunday evening, the South Bend Fire Department said.

Five children were pronounced dead. The sixth was taken to a hospital and later airlifted to one in Indianapolis.

An adult escaped with minor injuries, and a firefighter fell through the second floor, officials said. The firefighter was treated at a hospital and released.

The children ranged in age from 17 months to 11 years, Fire Chief Carl Buchanon told reporters Monday. The 11-year-old remained hospitalized.

The fire in South Bend, a city of over 100,000 just south of the Michigan state line, was reported about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and spread rapidly, partly because of wind, Buchanon said. Crews battled the blaze for about three hours.

The adult who escaped told firefighters how many people were inside and had tried to rescue some but was forced back by heavy smoke and flames, Buchanon said.

The cause of the fire was being investigated.

A northern Indiana man recounted the six angonizing days he spent trapped in his pickup hidden under a bridge, hoping someone would hear his cries for help.

Matt Reum, of Mishawka, Indiana, was traveling to a friend’s funeral on Dec. 20, when he swerved to avoid striking a deer along Interstate 94 in Portage.

“The guardrail basically just showed up on the left-hand side of my truck, and you know, after that it was all downhill,” he told NBC’s Dana Griffin in an exclusive interview.

Reum became pinned inside his truck — out of sight to the drivers who traveled on the interstate above. To complicate matters, he couldn’t reach his phone. It was wedged on the other side of the dashboard.

“I was just yelling, please somebody help me,” he said. “I could hear sirens, and I could hear voices out in the distance. And I would yell and nothing.”

It turns out that one key action may have been key to his survival.

“All of the water and stuff from the road above me would wash down and land right in my sunroof,” he explained. “And I would take my sweatpants where it would collect that water and I would basically suck the water out of my sweatpants.”

As the days went on, Reum lost his will to live and even considered ending his life.

“There was just my voice in my head of my best friend saying stop,” he said.

Finally, on day six, a father and son-in-law went out for a walk when they noticed Reum’s wrecked truck underneath the bridge.

“I didn’t know if he was alive or not, cause he was out at that moment,” good Samaritan Mario Garcia said. “His first thing is – are you real. ‘Yeah, I’m real.'”

Reum was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and later had to have his leg amputated.

Through it all, he gained a new lease on life.

“Matt before the accident suffered with anxiety, depression, so my mission going forward is I want to make people happier,” he said.

Reum had the chance to speak with Garcia and Nivardo De La Torre, Garcia’s son-in-law, on Sunday. The three were able to reunite in person a few weeks earlier.

“It changed my life meeting Matt,” De La Torre said.

“Hes like my son now,” Garcia stated.

Reum said “it’s always amazing to see them.”

“I don’t think in 20 years my thoughts on that will change,” he said.

Snow continued to pile up on across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana on Friday afternoon as a blast of winter weather, which was expected to continue through Saturday, pounded several communities.

As of 1 p.m., two feet of snow had been reported in LaPorte County’s Springfield Township, according to the National Weather Service.

In some parts, multiple inches fell ahead of the Friday morning commute, creating treacherous road conditions.

“Travel this morning is definitely treacherous for trucks and cars,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield told NBC Chicago Friday morning, as heavy, lake effect snow continued to pummel northwest Indiana, leading to white-out conditions in some parts.

In northeast Illinois, between two and four inches of snow fell. Those amounts were significantly higher in northwest Indiana, where heavy, lake-effect snow was expected to continue falling through Saturday.

Here’s a look at snow totals across the area as of 9 a.m., according to the NWS:

Indiana snow totals

LaPorte County

Westville: 12.4 inches

Union Mills: 12.5 inches

LaPorte: 18 inches

Chicago, Illinois snow totals

Lake County

Lake Villa: 2 inches

Libertyville: 1.5 inches

Cook County:

O’Hare International Airport: 1.5 inches

LaGrange Park: 1.5 inches

Midway International Airport: 1.4 inches

Kane County:

Elgin: 1

DeKalb County:

Maple Park: 1

DuPage County:

Naperville: 1.7

Will County:

Peotone: 1.8 inches

This story will be updated as more snow totals become available.

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Matt Reum’s miraculous rescue was made possible by two men.

On Monday, Nivardo De La Torre and his father-in-law, Mario Garcia, had a heartfelt reunion with the 27-year-old inside South Bend’s Memorial Hospital.

“I choked up a little bit,” said Nivardo. “He is such a strong person.”

“It is amazing to see him, and I was so happy to see him smiling and doing well,” said Mario.

On Dec. 20, Reum was driving on Interstate 94 near Portage when he lost control after swerving to avoid a deer, according to a police report.

His pickup truck landed into a shallow creek underneath the overpass, leaving him injured and pinned inside.

Reum said he yelled and screamed for help – but no one responded.

Help didn’t come until six days later.

Nivardo and Mario spotted the wreckage while searching for a fishing hole.  They made the call for help that led to Matt’s rescue.

Reum had to have part of one of his legs amputated, but has been in good spirits since the crash.

“”I’m now walker-bound with a wheelchair and I’m able to get around, which is amazing,” he previously told NBC Chicago. “There are so many things we take for granted in life. Now I can’t take it for granted.”

On his Facebook page, Reum recently talked about rehab and resuming his life.

“You see somebody in distress – you go there, do what you can do to help him out,” Garcia said. “I think about it all the time. It could have been my son, my daughter or someone else I care about. I would be very happy if somebody did the same thing for them.”

“We helped him out, yes we were part of it, but he has a strong will,” Nivardo said.

An online fundraiser to help with Reum’s medical bills has raised more than $98,000.

Matt Reum, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was driving his pickup truck along the interstate at around 11 p.m on Dec. 20, when he eventually barrelled down a ravine and came to rest under a bridge. According to a state police crash report, Reum was interviewed by troopers following the crash and explained that he swerved to the right to avoid striking a deer.

It wasn’t until six days later when Reum, who was seriously injured, was discovered by two fishermen. They quickly called 911, which brought first responders, including several members of the Portage Fire Department, to the scene.

They were immediately confronted with a rocky slope and rushing waters in their efforts to save the 27-year-old, who was pinned from the legs down in the truck.

“As we started essentially prying some pieces away, the patient would start saying ‘ohhh, I can feel that,’ or ‘it’s starting to pinch on me,” firefighter Jordan Bucy said. “Obviously, it’s like ‘okay now, we’ve got to reset and rethink what we’re doing.’”

Bucy said it took an hour to extricate Reum from the truck, but firefighters were able to do so successfully, allowing him to be airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.

Police said that no one would have been able to see the truck from atop the bridge as it carried Interstate 94 over the creek, but the vehicle’s location did have one advantage. According to firefighters, Reum was able to collect rainwater despite being trapped, and he used that to help hydrate himself enough to survive.

The Indiana man sustained multiple injuries, including a broken leg and a broken hand, and had to have one leg amputated. According to a hospital spokesperson, as of Thursday, Reum was upgraded to fair condition and transferred to the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation program.

Porter County Jan 4

Man rescued after being trapped for 6 days under highway overpass in Indiana shares encouraging update

Indiana Dec 27, 2023

Police reveal details on how driver survived several days in crashed truck in Indiana

Porter County Dec 26, 2023

‘It's a miracle': Good Samaritans describe finding wreck that led to rescue of man trapped for days in Porter County

“I’m now walker-bound with a wheelchair and I’m able to get around, which is amazing,” he said. “There are so many things we take for granted in life. Now I can’t take it for granted.”

Reum recently expressed his gratitude in a Facebook video, saying he is overwhelmed with all the support he has received since his rescue.

“You guys have made something that would be so hard for a normal person to go through and you’ve showered me with love,” he said. “You have shown me so much kindness. There’s no way I can ever start to repay you guys or say thank you enough.”

At around 4:45 p.m., troopers with the Indiana State Police were called to the 0.9 mile marker of Interstate 90 eastbound near the WestPoint Toll Plaza. According to authorities, a gray Nissan SUV possibly hydroplaned and struck the concrete barrier dividing the eastbound and westbound lanes.

A man driving a white Lexus saw the initial crash and pulled over to assist the driver of the Nissan, who asked that he call 911. While he was on the phone with dispatchers, the driver of the Nissan exited her vehicle and began to walk across the interstate toward the Lexus, at which point she was struck by a Ford F-250 pickup truck.

State police said the pickup was traveling eastbound approaching the crash scene, when the driver made a sudden lane change to avoid striking the crashed Nissan. In doing so, he struck the driver of the Nissan, who was outside the vehicle. The woman, who hasn’t been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

After hitting the pedestrian, the pickup struck the Lexus that had pulled over to assist with the initial crash. Two passengers in the Lexus were treated for non-life threatening injuries, police stated. The driver wasn’t injured.

State troopers noticed the driver of the pickup was exhibiting signs of impairment, which prompted them to begin an OWI investigation. The driver, identified as Scott Schuch, 55, of Porter, Indiana, agreed to a blood draw, which was completed at an area hospital.

He was booked into the Lake County Jail on preliminary charges of operating while intoxicated causing death, a Level 5 felony, operating while intoxicated endangering, a Class A misdemeanor, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor and operating while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.

NBC 5 Investigates found nearly half of those calls for service – or more than 200 – were for missing persons or runaway teens, a figure authorities acknowledge is likely an undercount.

As part of our investigation, NBC 5 Investigates requested and reviewed 10 years’ worth of police runs to the facility as well as 911 audio and several hours’ worth of body camera footage since Gary Police began using the cameras this summer.

The records revealed a recurring pattern of problems at the facility.

In 2023 alone, there were 24 reports of missing persons or runaways at the Crisis Center.

And the recordings themselves were telling – police can be heard voicing their frustrations on their body cameras – including one sergeant who called the Crisis Center “a pointless facility” and another officer who can be heard saying it was “rough.”

The Crisis Center accepts children ages 12 to 20 for both temporary and long-term care. According to its website, children can be referred to the facility from the Indiana Department of Child Services and the state’s juvenile justice system. Others there have problems at home or a history of running away.

During one conversation with workers, a Gary Police sergeant can be heard saying: “I’m not trying to be funny, but what is it that y’all do here?”

His remark came as officers were there to take a runaway report but workers were interested in having the officers lecture an unruly teen in the next room.

The police records raise questions about the activities inside the facility and how the children there are behaving and being watched.

While some police reports and body camera footage did make references to teens returning, the records did not make clear how often this happened, how quickly the teens were recovered or if there were instances in which children remained missing.

The facility’s executive director would not agree to an on-camera interview and did not answer those questions.

The Indiana Department of Child Services spokesman would not answer NBC 5 Investigates’ questions about if DCS was aware of how many children have eloped in the past decade. NBC 5 Investigates filed a public records request to find out. That request is still pending.

Online records show over the past decade the Crisis Center has inked contracts with Indiana state agencies like DCS worth a total of more than $5 million, according to the state’s online contracts portal.

The facility’s executive director Marion Collins did not answer NBC 5 Investigates follow-up questions about the sheer volume of incidents or what efforts the facility has undertake to address these incidents.

In an emailed statement, Collins said this:

“The Crisis Center is a non-profit organization located in Gary, IN. We have been providing youth services since the 1970s. We prioritize the safety and well-being, physically and emotionally, of our clients. The Crisis Center is an emergency shelter for at-risk youth. We provide shelter, food, care, therapeutic and educational services to at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 20 years of age who have either run away from home, been displaced from home or are removed from their homes by The Department of Child Services (DCS) or children that are placed through the Juvenile Probation System.

We are a licensed, open residential emergency shelter that provides an environment that is therapeutic and focused on trauma-informed care for our kids. As such, the kids are not in custody or detention at the Crisis Center. Our staff at the Crisis Center are certified in CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute). CPI is an evidence-based de-escalation and crisis prevention training. CPI is designed to change behaviors reducing conflict for the care, welfare, safety and security of our clients while utilizing a crisis prevention approach. It is our policy for the safety of our children if a child elopes from our shelter and leaves our property that we immediately call the local police to ensure they can be located as quickly as possible and returned safely to our facility.”

We cannot address specifics concerning any particular resident or situation to maintain the confidentiality of our clients.”

A mother’s concern

On Labor Day weekend, body camera footage from Gary Police shows officers looking – but not finding – a 17-year old runaway named Alexx.

In an interview during late September, Alexx’s mother, Crystel Myers told NBC 5 Investigates that her son walked away from the facility Labor Day weekend but was not discovered for three days.

And it was her family – and not police – who ultimately found Alexx wandering the streets of Gary.

“I was very upset and I was demanding answers and calling and calling and calling…” Crystel Myers said during her interview with NBC 5 Investigates.

(Reporter’s note: Crystel Myers died in November while NBC 5 Investigates was still conducting research for this story. Her family made it clear she wanted her story to be shared).

Alexx’s journey to the Crisis Center began after series of incidents back home in Greenfield, Indiana, which ultimately left him in the custody of Indiana’s Department of Child Services.

“He tried to stab me a year and a half ago at 15. So he had to stay with his dad. I understand again, my reality is not something that everyone understands. But again, I don’t have to endorse it, I just have to accept it,” Myers said at the time of our interview.

Myer’s sister confirmed she witnessed the incident and Greenfield Police acknowledge a run to Crystel’s house involving a juvenile in 2022 but did not provide further detail.

At the time of our interview, Crystel told us her son was missing for two days before she was notified, which is what prompted her family to drive more three hours from outside Indianapolis all the way to Gary.

Body camera footage also captured this – Gary police questioning why the facility waited nearly an hour to call them after Alexx had run away.

Gary Police Officer: “Why are you just now calling it in …”

Crisis Center Worker: “Because we normally give them 30 minutes before we call the police. (Because) half the time they are run, they go right there to the playground and on the premises when you’ll call, they be on the premises.”

 NBC 5 Investigates found this wasn’t an isolated.

During another incident captured on body camera footage, police discuss another teen who ran away 30 minutes after she was brought over from the Lake County juvenile detention center.

During the conversation, the Gary Police officer can be heard asking: “She was allowed just to walk out?”

The Crisis Center worker replied: “You said was she allowed to walk out?”

Another officer says: “Yeah. I mean she was on suicide watch??”

The Crisis Center worker replies: “She wasn’t on suicide watch here, she was on suicide watch there.  Not here.

“Did you do a suicide screen on her?,” the officer asked.

To which the Crisis Center worker said: “No, she wasn’t here long enough to do anything with her.”

NBC 5 Investigates obtained this footage through a series of public records requests that also uncovered the dozens of fights and disturbances.

NBC 5 Investigates learned Crystel’s son was moved to a more secure facility in Indiana where he continues to get treatment.

For months, we’ve been asking to the see billing records to understand how much in state Medicaid money is flowing back to the facility.

We’re told our request is still pending.

According to officials at Memorial Hospital, 27-year-old Matt Reum’s condition has been upgraded from critical to serious condition, just two days after two Good Samaritans found him pinned in his truck alongside Interstate 94 in Porter County.

Reum told his rescuers he had been trapped for six days, subsisting on rain water to stay hydrated.

On Wednesday, he thanked the public for their support, while also offering his first public comments since the crash.

“No matter how tough things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes in the least expected way,” he said.

A spokesperson for the hospital also relayed that Reum wanted to thank first responders, caregivers and the Good Samaritans that found him next Interstate 94 on Tuesday.

Reum has requested “time to process everything” he has endured since the crash, asking for privacy as he recuperates from the crash.

He was found alive, but with severe injuries after being stuck for an estimated six days inside a mangled truck crashed underneath a highway overpass in northwest Indiana, authorities said.

In the latest update surrounding the 27-year-old’s condition one day after a massive rescue effort, the union Reum works with, Boilermakers Local 374, said his left leg was amputated Wednesday morning from around his mid-shin down. He is currently in intensive care, according to union spokesperson Brad Sievers.

“We were able to speak with him last night, we are thankful the Matt is alive and grateful for the men who found him,” the union said in a statement. “Matt’s strong will and toughness speak volumes through this ordeal. Matt has been a Boilermaker since 2015 originally a member of Boilermakers Local 455 in Tennessee and transferred into Boilermakers Local 374 in 2021 when he moved to the South Bend area. He is a welder among many other things and very good asset to his trade. Since I have known Matt, he has always been a positive, kind, and energetic person. We will continue to pray and support our brother as he begins his recovery. We thank God that Matt is still with us.”

Authorities said Reum was hospitalized with “severe, possibly life-threatening” injuries, with a long road to recovery ahead.

A fundraising page set up by someone described as a “good friend” of Reum’s had previously said amputation was “more than likely.”

“He has several broken bones throughout his body,” the page read. “He is alive and that’s what we care about most.”

Reum’s truck crashed along Interstate 94 by the Salt Creek underpass in Porter County in an accident authorities believe happened on Dec. 20. He wasn’t found until Dec. 26, when two fishermen happened to notice the wreckage from the crash.

Indiana State Police said Reum, from Mishawaka, Indiana, was traveling westbound on the interstate when his 2016 Dodge Ram truck “left the roadway for unknown reasons.”

“The vehicle drove into the north ditch, missing a protective guardrail,” police said in a release. “The truck then overturned into the creek, coming to a rest under the I-94 bridge. The driver was pinned inside of the vehicle and was unable to call for help.”

Police said Reum “was able to drink rain water for hydration in order to survive for such a long period of time while being exposed to the elements.”

The good Samaritans who found him, Mario Garcia and Nivardo Delatorre, told reporters Tuesday evening that the sight of a vehicle in a rugged location beneath I-94 sparked curiosity while they searching for a fishing hole in the area at around 3:45 p.m.

As the two men approached the car, Garcia noticed a man’s body heavily constricted inside the vehicle.

After shifting the car’s airbag to get a better look, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The man inside the car immediately woke up and turned his head, shocking Garcia and Delatorre who were taken back by Reum’s responsiveness. They then called for help, leading to his eventual rescue.

“The will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary,” state police said.

Garcia told reporters Reum reacted with relief and gratitude upon being discovered.

“He was very happy to see us, I’ve never seen a relief like that,” Garcia said.

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Officials also said that the warmer-than-average weather of the past few days undoubtedly played to Reum’s benefit, with Tuesday’s rescue ahead of a colder stretch of weather even more imperative for his survival.

A family member of Reum was notified after his rescue, police said.

Matt Reum, 27, was found in his truck by two Good Samaritans on Tuesday afternoon, six days after he says he had crashed off the westbound side of the roadway.

Reum thanked the public for their support, while also offering his first public comments since the crash.

“No matter how tough things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes in the least expected way,” he said.

A spokesperson for the hospital also relayed that Reum wanted to thank first responders, caregivers and the Good Samaritans that found him next Interstate 94 on Tuesday.

The hospital says that he remains in critical condition, and that he has requested “time to process everything” he has endured since the crash, asking for privacy as he recuperates from the crash.

Reum was found alive, but with severe injuries after being stuck for an estimated six days inside a mangled truck crashed underneath a highway overpass in northwest Indiana, authorities said.

In the latest update surrounding the 27-year-old’s condition one day after a massive rescue effort, the union Reum works with, Boilermakers Local 374, said his left leg was amputated Wednesday morning from around his mid-shin down. He is currently in intensive care, according to union spokesperson Brad Sievers.

“We were able to speak with him last night, we are thankful the Matt is alive and grateful for the men who found him,” the union said in a statement. “Matt’s strong will and toughness speak volumes through this ordeal. Matt has been a Boilermaker since 2015 originally a member of Boilermakers Local 455 in Tennessee and transferred into Boilermakers Local 374 in 2021 when he moved to the South Bend area. He is a welder among many other things and very good asset to his trade. Since I have known Matt, he has always been a positive, kind, and energetic person. We will continue to pray and support our brother as he begins his recovery. We thank God that Matt is still with us.”

Authorities said Reum was hospitalized with “severe, possibly life-threatening” injuries, with a long road to recovery ahead.

A fundraising page set up by someone described as a “good friend” of Reum’s had previously said amputation was “more than likely.”

“He has several broken bones throughout his body,” the page read. “He is alive and that’s what we care about most.”

Reum’s truck crashed along Interstate 94 by the Salt Creek underpass in Porter County in an accident authorities believe happened on Dec. 20. He wasn’t found until Dec. 26, when two fishermen happened to notice the wreckage from the crash.

Indiana State Police said Reum, from Mishawaka, Indiana, was traveling westbound on the interstate when his 2016 Dodge Ram truck “left the roadway for unknown reasons.”

“The vehicle drove into the north ditch, missing a protective guardrail,” police said in a release. “The truck then overturned into the creek, coming to a rest under the I-94 bridge. The driver was pinned inside of the vehicle and was unable to call for help.”

Police said Reum “was able to drink rain water for hydration in order to survive for such a long period of time while being exposed to the elements.”

The good Samaritans who found him, Mario Garcia and Nivardo Delatorre, told reporters Tuesday evening that the sight of a vehicle in a rugged location beneath I-94 sparked curiosity while they searching for a fishing hole in the area at around 3:45 p.m.

As the two men approached the car, Garcia noticed a man’s body heavily constricted inside the vehicle.

After shifting the car’s airbag to get a better look, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The man inside the car immediately woke up and turned his head, shocking Garcia and Delatorre who were taken back by Reum’s responsiveness. They then called for help, leading to his eventual rescue.

“The will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary,” state police said.

Garcia told reporters Reum reacted with relief and gratitude upon being discovered.

“He was very happy to see us, I’ve never seen a relief like that,” Garcia said.

Porter County Dec 26, 2023

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Glenview Dec 21, 2023

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Officials also said that the warmer-than-average weather of the past few days undoubtedly played to Reum’s benefit, with Tuesday’s rescue ahead of a colder stretch of weather even more imperative for his survival.

A family member of Reum was notified after his rescue, police said.

In the latest update surrounding the 27-year-old’s condition one day after a massive rescue effort, the union Reum works with, Boilermakers Local 374, said his left leg was amputated Wednesday morning from around his mid-shin down. He is currently in intensive care, according to union spokesperson Brad Sievers.

“We were able to speak with him last night, we are thankful the Matt is alive and grateful for the men who found him,” the union said in a statement. “Matt’s strong will and toughness speak volumes through this ordeal. Matt has been a Boilermaker since 2015 originally a member of Boilermakers Local 455 in Tennessee and transferred into Boilermakers Local 374 in 2021 when he moved to the South Bend area. He is a welder among many other things and very good asset to his trade. Since I have known Matt, he has always been a positive, kind, and energetic person. We will continue to pray and support our brother as he begins his recovery. We thank God that Matt is still with us.”

Authorities said Reum was hospitalized with “severe, possibly life-threatening” injuries, with a long road to recovery ahead.

A fundraising page set up by someone described as a “good friend” of Reum’s had previously said amputation was “more than likely.”

“He has several broken bones throughout his body,” the page read. “He is alive and that’s what we care about most through this hard time he needs all the love and support he can get. He is the most kind hearted human I’ve ever met would do anything for you even if he barely knew you or at all.”

Reum’s truck crashed along Interstate 94 by the Salt Creek underpass in Porter County in an accident authorities believe happened on Dec. 20. He wasn’t found until Dec. 26, when two fishermen happened to notice the wreckage from the crash.

Indiana State Police said Reum, from Mishawaka, Indiana, was traveling westbound on the interstate when his 2016 Dodge Ram truck “left the roadway for unknown reasons.”

“The vehicle drove into the north ditch, missing a protective guardrail,” police said in a release. “The truck then overturned into the creek, coming to a rest under the I-94 bridge. The driver was pinned inside of the vehicle and was unable to call for help.”

Police said Reum “was able to drink rain water for hydration in order to survive for such a long period of time while being exposed to the elements.”

The good Samaritans who found him, Mario Garcia and Nivardo Delatorre, told reporters Tuesday evening that the sight of a vehicle in a rugged location beneath I-94 sparked curiosity while they searching for a fishing hole in the area at around 3:45 p.m.

As the two men approached the car, Garcia noticed a man’s body heavily constricted inside the vehicle.

After shifting the car’s airbag to get a better look, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The man inside the car immediately woke up and turned his head, shocking Garcia and Delatorre who were taken back by Reum’s responsiveness. They then called for help, leading to his eventual rescue.

“The will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary,” state police said.

Garcia told reporters Reum reacted with relief and gratitude upon being discovered.

“He was very happy to see us, I’ve never seen a relief like that,” Garcia said.

Porter County Dec 26, 2023

Driver trapped for days, saved from Indiana ravine after good Samaritans find him

Glenview Dec 21, 2023

Suburban police issue warning after ‘increase' of daytime carjackings at gas stations

news Dec 19, 2023

Tesla drivers had highest accident rate, BMW drivers highest DUI rate, study finds

Officials also said that the warmer-than-average weather of the past few days undoubtedly played to Reum’s benefit, with Tuesday’s rescue ahead of a colder stretch of weather even more imperative for his survival.

A family member of Reum was notified after his rescue, police said.

Indiana State Police said 27-year-old Matthew Reum from Mishawaka, Indiana, was discovered by two fishermen underneath Interstate 94 by the Salt Creek underpass in Porter County. Police believe the crash had occurred sometime around Dec. 20, but Reum wasn’t discovered until Dec. 26.

“Preliminary investigation shows that the driver was operating a 2016 Dodge Ram truck, and he had been traveling westbound on I-94 when it left the roadway for unknown reasons. The vehicle drove into the north ditch, missing a protective guardrail,” police said in a release. “The truck then overturned into the creek, coming to a rest under the I-94 bridge. The driver was pinned inside of the vehicle and was unable to call for help.”

The good Samaritans, Mario Garcia and Nivardo Delatorre, told reporters Tuesday evening that the sight of a vehicle in a rugged location beneath I-94 sparked curiosity while they searching for a fishing hole in the area at around 3:45 p.m.

As the two men approached the car, Garcia noticed a man’s body heavily constricted inside the vehicle.

After shifting the car’s airbag to get a better look, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The man inside the car immediately woke up and turned his head, shocking Garcia and Delatorre who were taken back by the man’s responsiveness. They then called for help, leading to the man’s eventual rescue.

Police said Reum “was able to drink rain water for hydration in order to survive for such a long period of time while being exposed to the elements.”

“The will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary,” state police said.

Garcia told reporters the man reacted with relief and gratitude upon being discovered.

“He was very happy to see us, I’ve never seen a relief like that,” Garcia said.

Porter County Dec 26, 2023

Driver trapped for days, saved from Indiana ravine after good Samaritans find him

Glenview Dec 21, 2023

Suburban police issue warning after ‘increase' of daytime carjackings at gas stations

news Dec 19, 2023

Tesla drivers had highest accident rate, BMW drivers highest DUI rate, study finds

Officials also said that the warmer-than-average weather of the past few days undoubtedly played to Reum’s benefit, with Tuesday’s rescue ahead of a colder stretch of weather even more imperative for his survival.

Authorities said Reum is currently hospitalized with “severe, possibly life-threatening” injuries, with a long road to recovery ahead for the man after an improbable rescue.

A family member of Reum was notified after his rescue, police said.

At around 10:50 a.m., Pulaski County dispatchers received a 911 call regarding a 1-year-old and 5-year-old who were struggling in a river behind a home on Stamper Drive in Winamac.

Family members pulled the kids from the water after hearing the oldest call for help, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The children were playing outside when they entered the nearby Tippecanoe River, according to DNR. Both children and two adult family members were transported to a local hospital for treatment, authorities said.

The 1-year-old was later transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and listed in critical condition.

The investigation remained ongoing by the Indiana DNR late Saturday.

Officers who reported hearing gunshots arrived around midnight at a large party and found a crowd leaving. Police found one victim who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nine other people, ranging in age from 16 to 22, were injured, according to police. They were all reported in stable condition. Police initially reported 8 wounded people but updated their count Sunday morning.

Indianapolis police said homicide detectives were investigating and have detained several people to “establish their involvement in this incident.” Several firearms were found at the scene.

No one has been charged.

“I am frustrated and angry at the news of young people shot at a Halloween party last night,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement Sunday morning. “There are far too many guns in the hands of those who have no business having them, and shocking violence is too often the result.”

A body found in Puerto Rico has been identified as missing Indiana teacher Amanda Webster, the Puerto Rico Forensic Sciences Institute said in a Thursday statement.

Webster, 44, was first reported missing Oct. 11 by her Airbnb host in the east coast town of Naguabo. The host found her bags and rental car at the home after she was supposed to have left.

Days later, Puerto Rico police said they found a body that “could be that of a woman” in a rocky area of a river in the Rio Blanco neighborhood. 

The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear.

Last week, Webster’s brother traveled to the area to help identify the body. Her dental records and a DNA sample were used during the investigation. 

On Thursday, the institute said it “corroborated through DNA analysis (Rapid DNA) that the body of a female found in Naguabo is that of tourist Amanda Webster.” 

A cause of death has not been determined and remains under investigation, the release said.

Webster landed in Puerto Rico the Monday before her disappearance. She was sending pictures and videos of herself on vacation to her friends throughout the trip, according to her friend of three years, Heather Clark. 

“She traveled a lot and usually on her own,” Clark told NBC late last week, after the remains were discovered. “She likes to get away sometimes and recharge… she told us she had a lot to share when she got home.” 

Clark said Webster had asked several of her friends earlier this year to join her on the trip, but said she planned to travel there whether they came, or not. 

On Tuesday morning she sent a video of a waterfall view on her Airbnb’s porch and her coffee sitting on the railing. 

“That was the last we heard in our group chat,” Clark said. 

On Thursday morning, Clark got a call from a mutual friend saying Webster was missing. 

Clark said she was in disbelief and decided to gather with the rest of their friend group to support each other. 

“A lot of us gathered together just, you know, sitting on her porch and… sharing stories,” Clark said. 

Webster, who “never met a stranger,” had an indelible impact on her life, Clark said. 

The two met at a tarot reading class where they became great friends. Webster loved kayaking, hiking, camping and coffee. 

She was also a supportive friend, known to stop in and check on the people around her.

That same nature brought her to teaching, Clark said. Webster was an art teacher at Thompson Crossing Elementary School in Franklin Township in Indianapolis, where she saw about 500 kids a week.

“They all just loved her,” Clark said. “She said sometimes it would take her 15 minutes to get out of the building because they all wanted to hug her.” 

Michelle Nance, who worked with Webster for five years at another Indianapolis school, said the teacher had that same impact on her coworkers. 

Nance said Webster encouraged her to go back to school and finish her teaching degree. 

“She was also our therapist,” Nance said. “We would call her if we had a personal problem and we could always go talk with her about things.” 

Nance reflected on the impact Webster had on her life and said she wishes she could thank Webster for being a supportive friend. 

“She did a lot for me,” Nance said. “We moved here in 2011. I was seven months pregnant, no friends, no family. So, she became like a big sister to me.”

Webster was first reported missing Oct. 11 by her Airbnb host in the east coast town of Naguabo. The host found her bags and rental car at the home after she was supposed to have left.

Puerto Rico police posted on Facebook on Saturday saying they found a body that “could be that of a woman” in a rocky area of a river in the Rio Blanco neighborhood.

A family member traveled to the area this week to help identify the body, The Puerto Rico Institute of Forensic Sciences told WTHR on Thursday. The relative believes the body recovered is that of Webster.

Webster’s dental records and a DNA sample were used during the investigation.

An autopsy on the body was performed last Sunday, WTHR reports.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the body found had been definitively identified as that of Webster.

Richard Allen, the primary suspect in the 2017 Delphi murders of two teen girls, is now without legal representation after his attorneys withdrew from the case at a hearing in Fort Wayne Thursday.

The hearing, in which Judge Francis Gull was slated to address both the defense and prosecution ahead of his jury trial, scheduled to begin on Jan. 8, 2024, according to WTHR.

Allen was transported back to the Department of Corrections, with the delay in Thursday’s hearing likely meaning his jury trial also gets pushed back.

According to WTHR, Allen’s former attorneys indicated that they will cooperate with successive counsel.

Below are the latest updates.

Court Docs: Killings part of ‘ritual sacrifice’

Court documents revealed horrifying new claims in the killings of two young girls in Delphi, Indiana, alleging the possibility that their deaths were actually part of a “ritualistic sacrifice.”

The new allegations were made in court filings by attorneys representing Richard Allen, the man charged with killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German in 2017, which asserted the girls died in a “ritualistic sacrifice” by white nationalists who practice a Norse pagan religion and said their client was not involved.

The girls were killed after a relative dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge just outside their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were found the next day in a rugged, heavily wooded area near the trail.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The killings have haunted Delphi, a city of about 3,000 where Allen lived and worked at a drug store.

Defense attorneys Andrew J. Baldwin and Bradley A. Rozzi revealed the shocking new claims in a 136-page memorandum, obtained by USA Today, which they said supports Allen’s request for a hearing to contest the validity of a search warrant. The filing asserted that several white nationalists practicing the religion Odinism “ritualistically sacrificed” the girls, and nothing linked Allen to Odinism or any religious cult.

Odinisim, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru — a religious sect that attempts to revive ancient Norse religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe. 

Evidence found at the crime scene consisted of symbols in the form of runes made up of sticks and fashioned with tree branches, which defense attorneys said were obvious signatures left behind by Odinites.

The Carroll County prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately reply to a Monday phone message seeking comment about the defense’s claims.

According to the filings, detectives previously obtained information that connected two groups of men who practiced Odinism to the murders, one in or near Delphi and another that lived in Rushville. Writing in the court documents, defense attorneys stated that a letter regarding the possible connection between the killings and the group practicing Odinisim in Rushville was withheld by the prosecution. The attorneys accused prosecutors, as well as multiple law enforcement officers, from hiding information about the Odinist connections to the murders, the documents revealed.

What happened on Feb. 14, 2017

The two girls were found dead near the Monon High Bridge on Feb. 14, 2017. An autopsy showed that they had been stabbed.

In a search warrant request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls’ bodies appeared to have been “moved and staged” at the crime scene.

Allen, 52, a drugstore worker who had been living in the same small community where the teens resided, was arrested on murder charges in October 2022. Insisting their client is innocent, the defense attorneys stated that it wasn’t plausible that one person was responsible for the murders of Libby and Abby, listing 92 reasons in support of their claim.

Early on in the investigation, authorities consulted with a Purdue University professor concerning what resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene, the defense attorneys wrote. But that angle was “essentially abandoned” after the professor told law enforcement “it was not Odinism or any type of cult worshipping or any type of group that would have conducted the crime,” as stated in the filing.

According to the memorandum, as of Sept. 7, the investigators claim they can’t identify who the purported professor is, have no reports from the purported professor and have indicated they may never be able to figure out who the person is.

Authorities failed to “arrest or even properly investigate” multiple “obvious suspects” who had connections to Odinism, attorneys stated in the documents.

“Yet, law enforcement in charge of the Delphi investigation seemingly, and quickly, abandoned the obvious correlation between the crime scene and Odinism, despite an obscene amount of evidence linking Odinism to the crime scene, and even in spite of powerful evidence linking specific Odinites in and around Indiana to the murders,” the attorneys stated in the filings.

The defense claimed in the memorandum that the Carroll County Sheriff lied about evidence to obtain a search warrant at Allen’s property and asked the judge to deem the search warrant “illegal” and to suppress what was obtained when it was executed.

Defense attorneys said no forensics, including DNA, and no electronic data extracted from computers or phones or from social media linked Richard Allen to the crime scene. Furthermore, he had no connection to the Odinist suspects, according to court documents.

“Richard Allen had nothing to do with this crime, but rather is an innocent man; a patsy for the police, arrested 26 days before an election,” the attorneys asserted.

Allen’s trial is scheduled for January 2024.

The man accused of killing two young girls in Delphi, Indiana in 2017 is expected to appear before a judge Thursday for a status hearing.

Richard Allen will appear in a Fort Wayne court room at 1 p.m. CT, WTHR reports. During the hearing, Judge Francis Gull will address both the defense and prosecution ahead of Allen’s jury trial, slated for Jan. 8, 2024, the report said.

NBC Chicago will stream the hearing in the player above once it begins.

Below are the latest updates.

Court Docs: Killings part of ‘ritual sacrifice’

Court documents revealed horrifying new claims in the killings of two young girls in Delphi, Indiana, alleging the possibility that their deaths were actually part of a “ritualistic sacrifice.”

The new allegations were made in court filings by attorneys representing Richard Allen, the man charged with killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German in 2017, which asserted the girls died in a “ritualistic sacrifice” by white nationalists who practice a Norse pagan religion and said their client was not involved.

The girls were killed after a relative dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge just outside their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were found the next day in a rugged, heavily wooded area near the trail.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The killings have haunted Delphi, a city of about 3,000 where Allen lived and worked at a drug store.

Defense attorneys Andrew J. Baldwin and Bradley A. Rozzi revealed the shocking new claims in a 136-page memorandum, obtained by USA Today, which they said supports Allen’s request for a hearing to contest the validity of a search warrant. The filing asserted that several white nationalists practicing the religion Odinism “ritualistically sacrificed” the girls, and nothing linked Allen to Odinism or any religious cult.

Odinisim, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru — a religious sect that attempts to revive ancient Norse religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe. 

Evidence found at the crime scene consisted of symbols in the form of runes made up of sticks and fashioned with tree branches, which defense attorneys said were obvious signatures left behind by Odinites.

The Carroll County prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately reply to a Monday phone message seeking comment about the defense’s claims.

According to the filings, detectives previously obtained information that connected two groups of men who practiced Odinism to the murders, one in or near Delphi and another that lived in Rushville. Writing in the court documents, defense attorneys stated that a letter regarding the possible connection between the killings and the group practicing Odinisim in Rushville was withheld by the prosecution. The attorneys accused prosecutors, as well as multiple law enforcement officers, from hiding information about the Odinist connections to the murders, the documents revealed.

What happened on Feb. 14, 2017

The two girls were found dead near the Monon High Bridge on Feb. 14, 2017. An autopsy showed that they had been stabbed.

In a search warrant request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls’ bodies appeared to have been “moved and staged” at the crime scene.

Allen, 52, a drugstore worker who had been living in the same small community where the teens resided, was arrested on murder charges in October 2022. Insisting their client is innocent, the defense attorneys stated that it wasn’t plausible that one person was responsible for the murders of Libby and Abby, listing 92 reasons in support of their claim.

Early on in the investigation, authorities consulted with a Purdue University professor concerning what resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene, the defense attorneys wrote. But that angle was “essentially abandoned” after the professor told law enforcement “it was not Odinism or any type of cult worshipping or any type of group that would have conducted the crime,” as stated in the filing.

According to the memorandum, as of Sept. 7, the investigators claim they can’t identify who the purported professor is, have no reports from the purported professor and have indicated they may never be able to figure out who the person is.

Authorities failed to “arrest or even properly investigate” multiple “obvious suspects” who had connections to Odinism, attorneys stated in the documents.

“Yet, law enforcement in charge of the Delphi investigation seemingly, and quickly, abandoned the obvious correlation between the crime scene and Odinism, despite an obscene amount of evidence linking Odinism to the crime scene, and even in spite of powerful evidence linking specific Odinites in and around Indiana to the murders,” the attorneys stated in the filings.

The defense claimed in the memorandum that the Carroll County Sheriff lied about evidence to obtain a search warrant at Allen’s property and asked the judge to deem the search warrant “illegal” and to suppress what was obtained when it was executed.

Defense attorneys said no forensics, including DNA, and no electronic data extracted from computers or phones or from social media linked Richard Allen to the crime scene. Furthermore, he had no connection to the Odinist suspects, according to court documents.

“Richard Allen had nothing to do with this crime, but rather is an innocent man; a patsy for the police, arrested 26 days before an election,” the attorneys asserted.

Allen’s trial is scheduled for January 2024.

She was first reported missing by her Airbnb host. The host found her bags and rental car at the home after she was supposed to have left, according to NBC Indianapolis affiliate WTHR. She was staying in the east coast town of Naguabo.

After a dayslong search, Puerto Rico police posted on Facebook on Saturday saying they found a body that “could be that of a woman” in a river in the Rio Blanco neighborhood.

The body was found face down in a rocky area of the river, the police department said.

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Webster’s family traveled to the Institute of Forensic Sciences in Puerto Rico on Monday to verify the body found was hers.

No additional information has been released as of Wednesday.

Webster, 44, was an art teacher at Franklin Township schools and worked with special education students.

“There’s hundreds if not thousands of lives she directly impacted. A lot of people are going to be feeling this loss,” Sharon Rickson, a friend of Webster’s, told WTHR.

Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

Coby White’s strong preseason debut of 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in a team-high 23 minutes moved beyond the box score.

The game continued to display the growth and confidence White has as a leader.

This process began last year, when White became a more boisterous personality inside the locker room in front of reporters and, behind the scenes, a more vocal presence.

“Being a young guy, you fall into this thing of, ‘I’m young.’ Especially on a team full of guys are older who have won, been in the playoffs a bunch of times. AC [Alex Caruso] has been a champion. You get that mindset of, ‘They have more experience than me. They know more than me. My opinion doesn’t matter,’” White said following Tuesday’s practice at the Advocate Center. “I didn’t know how much guys respected my opinion—and my connection with every guy on the team—until last year. I’m continuing to grow into it. And it feels natural for me at this point.”

It’s showing.

“I’m really happy with him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He always looks at himself internally with how he can get better. There’s a defiance to him. And I say that in the most respectful way. He’s not defiant to coaching. He’s not defiant to his teammates. He’s defiant to figuring something out.

“He’s never going to quit. He’s going to look at ways to improve. I think every aspect of his game, he’s gotten better. I think he’s gotten a lot more cerebral and has a better understanding than when he was a rookie, which is normal. And I think he has found his voice. He has no problem saying something when guys aren’t doing something the right way.

“My first year here, he was probably trying to figure things out and didn’t have a lot to say. Winning is important to him. Leading is important to him. If he continues to flourish in those areas, it will serve him and our team well.”

Beyond his natural maturation that happens when you enter the NBA as a teenager and now have four seasons of myriad experiences behind him, White credited assistant coach Chris Fleming and Zach LaVine for helping him find his voice.

“He’s been with me personally since I got drafted,” White said of Fleming. “He always believed in me no matter what. But he also didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear. He told me what I needed to hear. And he always pushed me to be more vocal.

“At the beginning, when he was saying be more vocal, I was thinking more (on the court terminology). But as I got older, it’s more about being a leader and commanding the team, talking to guys.”

White and LaVine represent the only two players the current managerial regime inherited from the previous regime. Both have signed new deals since the managerial change. So their bond is real.

“Zach has seen me grow up in the NBA. He’s been here since I got drafted. Me and him, our relationship goes beyond basketball. I’m grateful for that relationship,” White said. “He has always believed in me and pushed me and given me confidence.

“He sensed, since we’ve been here the longest, when I’m down or when I’m up. When things were tough for me, he would always come to me and say little stuff like, ‘Keep your head, bro. You’re good. Remember how talented you are and what got you here.’ He’s always been like a big brother to me and someone, honestly, that I look up to. Not only on the basketball court but how he lives his life—how he takes care of his son. He’s someone I can go to in a time of need.”

LaVine noted how White often is already at the Advocate Center on the nights LaVine returns for extra work.

“Hard work doesn’t fail. So you’re gonna see the progress,” LaVine said. “I think he’s just really confident right now. He’s playing well. He’s moving and acting like this is what I want to do. He’s confident in that role. And we’re supporting him.”

That role, at least in the preseason opener, is starting point guard. It’s a position White held before, during his second season in the NBA. That season featured growing pains, but White stayed the course.

And while the starting point guard competition is nowhere near over, White knows what claiming it would mean.

“I was talking to my brother the other day and it’s like, there aren’t many times you get multiple opportunities to become a starter in this league,” White said. “I started my second year and haven’t started since. For me, it’s just trying to take advantage of it and don’t take it for granted. It’s a blessing.”

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Michal Owens is known to create elaborate Halloween yard displays outside her Zionsville home. This year, she decided she couldn’t shake off the chance to commemorate Swift mania with a tribute to the “Karma” singer in her lover era.

“I’m a big Swiftie, we’re big fans. Every year, we try to do something funny, kind of pop culture-related. So, this year, we figured what’s bigger than Taylor Swift?” Owens told NBC affiliate WTHR.

The display features two 12-foot-tall skeletons and three small skeletons holding a “Swift 2024” flag.

The larger-than-life “Sk-aylor Swift” skeleton is decorated in a blond wig with bangs and a bejeweled blue dress, a nod to Swift’s album “1989,” known as the “blue album.” Swift is remaking each of her albums in an effort to own the master rights to all of her music. The “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” album remake is set to be released Oct. 27.

The Kelce skeleton is wearing a homemade Kansas City Chiefs jersey and donning a mustache.

Owens said the original plan was to just feature Swift in a dress with a “Swift 2024” flag.

“I kind of had a feeling I was going to end up making a Travis Kelce jersey, but I waited. After it blew up, I knew I had to make it,” Owens said.

Owens’ display has attracted visitors from the community and beyond.

“We’re on a busy road, and so we’ve had a lot of honking and slowing down. We try to tell people to pull in the [driveway] to get a picture because we don’t want anyone to cause a traffic issue,” Owens said.

In previous years, the Owens family Halloween displays included skeletons taking a selfie and skeletons participating in the viral milk carton challenge, WTHR reports.

The South Bend Community School Corporation said a student at John Adams High School, whose name or age hasn’t been released, received immediate medical attention at the school and was later transported to the hospital.

“Our hearts go out to the family as well as the staff and students at Adams High School. We are also grateful for our first responders,” the district’s statement read, in part. “While we are grieving, we are doing everything we can to support all students, as we know this will have a profound effect on the Adams student body.”

The school district said social workers will be available to help students as they grieve.

The family-owned chain announced Thursday that it will build 60 stores across the state over 8 to 10 years, beginning next year. Contracts have been secured for 16 locations in and near Indianapolis and in southern Indiana, according to the company.

Groundbreakings on those stores – which will be located in Clark, Dearborn, Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion and Wayne counties – will take place in mid-2024, with the first locations poised to be up and running by mid-2025.

Along with Indiana, Wawa is expanding its footprint to Kentucky and Ohio, where the company anticipates opening 40 and 60 locations, respectively. The first set of locations in each state is slated to open in mid-2025.

Wawa currently operates 900 stores in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

The southbound lanes of I-65 were shut down at the 254 mile marker, south of the 61st Avenue exit, at around 5 p.m. Traffic had resumed as normal by 8:10 p.m. Video captured by NBC 5 showed at least three vehicles appeared to have been involved, with one loaded onto a tow truck.

According to authorities, four vehicles were in the right lane on a hillcrest, slowed in heavy traffic, when a fifth vehicle, a Dodge Caravan rear-ended one of the cars, causing a chain-reaction crash. Joseph Llano, 39, of Merrillville, the driver of the Caravan, was distracted an didn’t see that traffic had slowed significantly ahead of him, police said.

The driver of a Chevy Malibu, a 40-year-old woman from Michigan City, was unable to exit her vehicle. She was extricated by firefighters and taken by helicopter to the University of Chicago Medical Center with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Another individual, who was driving a Ford Fusion, was taken to an area hospital with a compliant of pain. Three children riding in the Grand Caravan were also transported to a local hospital for complaints of pain.

Neither alcohol or drugs was suspected in the crash.

The dog stole the 32-year-old woman’s sandwich shortly before 11 p.m. when she was in a hotel room on the northeast side of the city with her sister and her children. 

She was trying to stab the dog in an effort to retrieve the sandwich, according to NBC Indianapolis affiliate WTHR. 

The 1-year-old’s mother was in a different room giving her son a bath when the girl was stabbed. She immediately called 911 and the suspect fled. 

When police arrived, they found the suspect in a nearby bush and arrested her for criminal recklessness after consulting with the county prosecutor. 

The girl was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but was later upgraded to “serious but stable” condition and is expected to survive. 

The 1-year-old has a fractured skull and needed stitches in her ear, WTHR reports. 

The dog was reportedly unharmed. 

Court documents revealed horrifying new claims in the killings of two young girls in Delphi, Indiana, alleging the possibility that their deaths were actually part of a “ritualistic sacrifice.”

The new allegations were made in court filings by attorneys representing Richard Allen, the man charged with killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German in 2017, which asserted the girls died in a “ritualistic sacrifice” by white nationalists who practice a Norse pagan religion and said their client was not involved.

The girls were killed after a relative dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge just outside their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were found the next day in a rugged, heavily wooded area near the trail.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The killings have haunted Delphi, a city of about 3,000 where Allen lived and worked at a drug store.

Defense attorneys Andrew J. Baldwin and Bradley A. Rozzi revealed the shocking new claims in a 136-page memorandum, obtained by USA Today, which they said supports Allen’s request for a hearing to contest the validity of a search warrant. The filing asserted that several white nationalists practicing the religion Odinism “ritualistically sacrificed” the girls, and nothing linked Allen to Odinism or any religious cult.

Odinisim, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru — a religious sect that attempts to revive ancient Norse religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe. 

Evidence found at the crime scene consisted of symbols in the form of runes made up of sticks and fashioned with tree branches, which defense attorneys said were obvious signatures left behind by Odinites.

The Carroll County prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately reply to a Monday phone message seeking comment about the defense’s claims.

According to the filings, detectives previously obtained information that connected two groups of men who practiced Odinism to the murders, one in or near Delphi and another that lived in Rushville. Writing in the court documents, defense attorneys stated that a letter regarding the possible connection between the killings and the group practicing Odinisim in Rushville was withheld by the prosecution. The attorneys accused prosecutors, as well as multiple law enforcement officers, from hiding information about the Odinist connections to the murders, the documents revealed.

The two girls were found dead near the Monon High Bridge on Feb. 14, 2017. An autopsy showed that they had been stabbed.

In a search warrant request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls’ bodies appeared to have been “moved and staged” at the crime scene.

Allen, 52, a drugstore worker who had been living in the same small community where the teens resided, was arrested on murder charges in October 2022. Insisting their client is innocent, the defense attorneys stated that it wasn’t plausible that one person was responsible for the murders of Libby and Abby, listing 92 reasons in support of their claim.

Early on in the investigation, authorities consulted with a Purdue University professor concerning what resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene, the defense attorneys wrote. But that angle was “essentially abandoned” after the professor told law enforcement “it was not Odinism or any type of cult worshipping or any type of group that would have conducted the crime,” as stated in the filing.

According to the memorandum, as of Sept. 7, the investigators claim they can’t identify who the purported professor is, have no reports from the purported professor and have indicated they may never be able to figure out who the person is.

Authorities failed to “arrest or even properly investigate” multiple “obvious suspects” who had connections to Odinism, attorneys stated in the documents.

“Yet, law enforcement in charge of the Delphi investigation seemingly, and quickly, abandoned the obvious correlation between the crime scene and Odinism, despite an obscene amount of evidence linking Odinism to the crime scene, and even in spite of powerful evidence linking specific Odinites in and around Indiana to the murders,” the attorneys stated in the filings.

The defense claimed in the memorandum that the Carroll County Sheriff lied about evidence to obtain a search warrant at Allen’s property and asked the judge to deem the search warrant “illegal” and to suppress what was obtained when it was executed.

Defense attorneys said no forensics, including DNA, and no electronic data extracted from computers or phones or from social media linked Richard Allen to the crime scene. Furthermore, he had no connection to the Odinist suspects, according to court documents.

“Richard Allen had nothing to do with this crime, but rather is an innocent man; a patsy for the police, arrested 26 days before an election,” the attorneys asserted.

Allen’s trial is scheduled for January 2024.

Attorneys representing Richard Allen, the man charged with killing Abigail Williams and Liberty German in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017, filed court documents on Monday asserting the girls died in a “ritualistic sacrifice” by white nationalists who practice a Norse pagan religion.

Defense attorneys Andrew J. Baldwin and Bradley A. Rozzi revealed the shocking claims in a 136-page memorandum, obtained by USA Today, which they said supports Allen’s request for a hearing to contest the validity of a search warrant. The filing asserted that several white nationalists practicing the religion Odinism “ritualistically sacrificed” the girls, and nothing liked Allen to Odinism or any religious cult.

Odinisim, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru — a religious sect that attempts to revive ancient Norse religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe. 

Evidence found at the crime scene consisted of symbols in the form of runes made up of sticks and fashioned with tree branches, which defense attorneys said were obvious signatures left behind by Odinites.

According to the filings, detectives previously obtained information that connected two groups of men who practiced Odinism to the murders, one in or near Delphi and another that lived in Rushville. Writing in the court documents, defense attorneys stated that a letter regarding the possible connection between the killings and the group practicing Odinisim in Rushville was withheld by the prosecution. The attorneys accused prosecutors, as well as multiple law enforcement officers, from hiding information about the Odinist connections to the murders, the documents revealed.

Allen, 52, a drugstore worker who had been living in the same small community where the teens resided, was arrested on murder charges in Oct. 2022. Insisting their client is innocent, the defense attorneys stated that it wasn’t plausible that one person was responsible for the murders of Libby and Abby, listing 92 reasons in support of their claim.

Early on in the investigation, authorities consulted with a Purdue University professor concerning what resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene, the defense attorneys wrote. But that angle was “essentially abandoned” after the professor told law enforcement “it was not Odinism or any type of cult worshipping or any type of group that would have conducted the crime,” as stated in the filing.

According to the memorandum, as of Sept. 7, the investigators claim they can’t identify who the purported professor is, have no reports from the purported professor and have indicated they may never be able to figure out who the person is.

Authorities failed to “arrest or even properly investigate” multiple “obvious suspects” who had connections to Odinism, attorneys stated in the documents.

“Yet, law enforcement in charge of the Delphi investigation seemingly, and quickly, abandoned the obvious correlation between the crime scene and Odinism, despite an obscene amount of evidence linking Odinism to the crime scene, and even in spite of powerful evidence linking specific Odinites in and around Indiana to the murders,” the attorneys stated in the filings.

The defense claimed in the memorandum that the Carroll County Sheriff lied about evidence to obtain a search warrant at Allen’s property and asked the judge to deem the search warrant “illegal” and to suppress what was obtained when it was executed.

Defense attorneys said no forensics, including DNA, and no electronic data extracted from computers or phones or from social media linked Richard Allen to the crime scene. Furthermore, he had no connection to the Odinist suspects, according to court documents.

“Richard Allen had nothing to do with this crime, but rather is an innocent man; a patsy for the police, arrested 26 days before an election,” the attorneys asserted.

Allen’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 2024.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Indianapolis federal court, marked Attorney General Todd Rokita’s latest attempt to seek disciplinary legal action against Dr. Caitlin Bernard. The doctor’s account of a 10-year-old rape victim traveling to Indiana to receive abortion drugs became a flashpoint in the abortion debate days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.

Rokita, a Republican, is stridently anti-abortion and Indiana was the first state to approve abortion restrictions after the court’s decision. The near-total abortion ban recently took effect after legal battles.

“Neither the 10-year-old nor her mother gave the doctor authorization to speak to the media about their case,” the lawsuit stated. “Rather than protecting the patient, the hospital chose to protect the doctor, and itself.”

The lawsuit named Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates. It alleged the hospital system violated HIPPA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and a state law for not protecting the patient’s information.

Indiana’s medical licensing board reprimanded Bernard in May, saying she didn’t abide by privacy laws by talking publicly about the girl’s treatment. It was far short of the medical license suspension that Rokita’s office sought.

Still, the board’s decision received widespread criticism from medical groups and others who called it a move to intimidate doctors.

Hospital system officials have argued that Bernard didn’t violate privacy laws.

“We continue to be disappointed the Indiana Attorney General’s office persists in putting the state’s limited resources toward this matter,” IU Health said in a statement. “We will respond directly to the AG’s office on the filing.”

In July, a 28-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for the child’s rape.

Indiana State Police released video of the encounter last month, showing what happened when a state trooper spotted a man driving a battery-powered Power Wheels Jeep near the southern Indiana city of Vincennes. The man, identified as 51-year-old John McKee, failed several sobriety tests at the scene and was taken to a local hospital for blood tests, police said. Once at the hospital, a shocked McKee learned he was being arrested for DUI and said, “Are you kidding me?”

While in the trooper’s patrol car, McKee explained that he has been riding the Power Wheels Jeep for the past nine months and that no one has taken him to jail.

“[You] may even get famous for that because no one else has done it,” he told the trooper.

McKee was charged with operating a vehicle with a prior conviction, which is a felony, and has since been released.

Gloriatte Evans-Dumas’ grandmother, who has dementia, has lived at Harbor Health and Rehab in East Chicago, Indiana, for about two years.

Evans-Dumas said the assault was carried out by a 90-year-old resident of the facility who is a convicted sex offender.

“I believe that the nursing home is trying to protect itself versus its residents,” Evans-Dumas said. “I had to take her to the emergency room to get an exam to make sure she was not penetrated.”

Evans-Dumas said she reported the incident to police. She said the man was not arrested, has not been charged and still lives at the facility where her grandmother resides.

Evans-Dumas filed a lawsuit against the nursing home and the alleged attacker.

Illinois and Indiana both allow people with serious criminal records to live in nursing homes as long there’s a plan in place to ensure they don’t endanger other residents, visitors or staff. On the Lake County Sheriff’s website, NBC Chicago found two registered sex offenders listed as living at the nursing home at 5025 McCook Ave.

In a statement, Harbor Health told NBC Chicago, “we promptly reported the incident to state and local authorities in full compliance with Indiana regulations, initiating a comprehensive investigation.”

East Chicago, Indiana, police told NBC Chicago that once witnesses are interviewed, the case will be forwarded to the Lake County prosecutor’s office for review.

According to the Gary Police Department, the Silver Alert for 11-year-old Damarion Dylan Martin was canceled shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The alert issued earlier Thursday morning police said Damarion was considered to be in “extreme danger and may require medical assistance.”

No further information form the Gary Police Department was provided.

Victor Glenn’s body was discovered at about 4:30 a.m. Friday, state police said.

Glenn, of Indianapolis, was serving a 2008 sentence for murder with a projected release date of June 15, 2066, online prison records show.

No further details about his death were released.

Glenn was convicted of fatally shooting Denika Radcliff and Jason Myers, both 28, during a drug-related dispute on the east side of Indianapolis in February 2007.

Officers were called about noon to Glenbrook Square Mall, where they found a male who had been struck in the leg by gunfire near a mall fountain, said Fort Wayne police spokesman Officer Daniel Nerzig.

He said the wounded person was taken to a hospital in stable condition and officers were searching for the suspect in the shooting, which he said led to mall to close for the remainder of the day.

“At this time we have a person of interest that we are seeking. However, we do not have all the details as to the why and how. All we know at this point is that there was some sort of altercation,” he told reporters outside the mall.

Nerzig said the person who was shot has not been “as forthcoming with information as we would like him to be” and officers were reviewing surveillance video from inside the mall to determine what happened.

Fort Wayne police did not immediately respond Friday to messages left by The Associated Press seeking more information on the shooting, the wounded person and the suspect.

Friday’s shooting was the second in less than two months at the mall in the city of about 265,000 residents that’s about 120 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis.

On July 8, a man was shot and wounded — also in the leg — at the mall, The Journal Gazette reported. A 27-year-old man was charged with battery with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness in that shooting.

Nerzig said Fort Wayne police have been in contact with mall management since the July shooting working with them to try to get more officers working security in the mall during its peak hours.

“Clearly I think we’re still stuck in this era where the only way to settle things is to shoot at each other,” he said.

Clark County Health Officer Dr. Eric Yazel said Clark Memorial Health had a “significant exposure” and has notified about 500 patients by letter that they were potentially exposed to TB at the hospital.

The county health department and the Indiana Department of Health held clinics earlier this month to test people who received those letters, the News and Tribune reported.

Yazel said no positive TB tests have been reported among any of the patients.

Clark Memorial Health said in a statement Tuesday to the News and Tribune that one of its employees had recently tested positive for TB and it was working closely with local and state health officials.

The hospital said it was following appropriate infectious disease protocols, including performing contact tracing to identify individuals who may have been exposed to TB at the hospital in Jeffersonville, an Ohio River city located just north of Louisville, Kentucky.

TB, which can be fatal, is an illness caused by bacteria that typically attacks the lungs. The bacteria mostly spread from person to person in the air, such as when an infected individual coughs or sneezes.

Albertson’s father, Todd, posted an emotional video on Ashlea’s Facebook page announcing her death to the racing community.

“She was a good kid, a better person and she just loved racing,” he said on Friday. “She loved the community and you all have done so much for her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“For those of you guys who go to the track this weekend and enjoy racing, please know that that’s all she ever wanted to do — put on a show, be entertaining, and be loved and respected by each and every one of you that followed her.”

Albertson was a passenger in one of the cars involved in the two-vehicle crash took place in Jackson County, Indiana, at around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, according to a release on Facebook from the Indiana State Police.

Police said video taken from a different vehicle showed a GMC Terrain, in which Albertson was a passenger, and a Chevy Malibu refusing to allow one another to pass as both cars accelerated.

When the driver of the Malibu started to change lines, the driver of the Terrain lost control of the vehicle, according to authorities. The Terrain spun out, crashed into the Malibu and rolled over, ejecting Albertson from the vehicle, police said. The Malibu exited the highway before coming to rest in a field.

Albertson and the driver of the Terrain, a 31-year-old Indianapolis man, were flown to the University of Louisville Hospital, police said. Albertson was pronounced dead at the hospital. Both drivers and a juvenile passenger in the Malibu were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said the driver of the Malibu, a 22-year-old Austin, Indiana, man, and the driver of the Terrain submitted to blood tests, with toxicology results pending. Following the police investigation into the crash, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office will determine if charges are to be filed.

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart mourned the death of Albertson in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, saying his late teammate died in a “road rage accident.”

“Today, I lost a teammate. @AshDogRacing had an infectious personality and could light up any room. She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life,” Stewart wrote on Friday. “In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by controlling what we can control on the highway. Losing her is a sobering reminder of how precious life is. Please join me in keeping her family and friends in your prayers.”

Albertson, a Greenfield, Indiana, native, was slated to compete in an All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets race in Shelbyville, Indiana, on Saturday. Her No. 4 racecar was displayed at the event in her honor, with people laying flowers and writing messages on it.

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Adrien Shelton was charged with cruelty to animals and dog bite liability — both Class A misdemeanors — and three counts of Class C misdemeanor dog bite liability, the Highland Police Department said in a news release. A second suspect, Luz Adorno, was charged with dog bite liability — a Class A misdemeanor, and three counts of Class C misdemeanor dog bite liability.

The attack in question occurred on Aug. 8 in the 3500 block of Jewett Street when around eight to 10 American Bully breed dogs escaped from a fenced backyard and attacked a woman and her Husky, police said. The woman, identified by her attorney as 28-year-old Amber Neyhart, ended up with 52 stiches.  Her dog, a white Husky named Coco, had to be euthanized due to the severity of injuries.

Several good Samaritans tried to stop the attack, and in the middle of the chaos, a man with a gun came over and shot and killed one of the dogs, according to witnesses.

Investigators said three other women who stepped in to help had injuries to their arms and legs from being bitten. According to a police report previously obtained by NBC Chicago, one of the witnesses told police this was not the first time that the dogs had gotten out. She said it occurred four or five other times, and in each instance, they were walked back home.

Highland police, in the news release issued Friday night, said an unspecified number of the dogs remained in the department’s custody and were declared as “dangerous dogs.” According to police officials, the owner has the right to contest the determination at a hearing before the Highland Metropolitan Board of Police Commission.

The Amber Alert issued for three missing children from Indianapolis was canceled on Monday afternoon, according to authorities.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told WTHR, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, that all three children had been found safe.

EARLIER:

An Amber Alert was issued by Indiana authorities on Monday afternoon in the search for three missing children from Indianapolis.

Dylan Dempsey, 8, Daiton Dempsey, 4, and Dalilah Sanders, 3, were last seen at 10 a.m. Monday and believed to be in extreme danger, according to the Indiana State Police. All three children were thought to be with Kevin Lamar Dempsey, 39, who may be driving a red 2014 Ford Mustang Convertible with the Indiana license plate KEVIN 5, police said.

Dylan, who is 8 years old, is 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white Champion T-shirt with gray basketball shorts and has black hair and brown eyes, police said. Daiton, meanwhile, stands 3 feet 11 inches tall, weighs around 42 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. At the time he was last seen, Daiton was wearing a graphic t-shirt.

The third missing child, Dalilah, is 2 feet 10 inches tall, weighs around 30 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, authorities said.

Anyone with information about their disappearance was asked to call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-6541.

Ashley Summers went boating over the Fourth of July weekend and got dehydrated, her brother, Devon Miller, said in a Facebook post.

“”On Tuesday she drank alot of water (at one point 4 bottles in less than 30 minutes),” he posted, in part, on July 7. “All this caused her brain tissue to start swelling. By Tuesday evening she was unconscious in the hospital and never woke up again.”

Miller later issued a warning to others in hope that something similar doesn’t happen to anyone else.

“With the extreme heat this week, please monitor the amount of water you drink,” he said. “And if you feel like you can’t get enough, try to have a Gatorade or other drink that replenishes your electrolytes.”

Summer’s death has led to questions about water toxicity, including what you can do to prevent it, how much water is too much and what to do if you do suspect severe dehydration.

Dr. Steven Aks, an emergency room physician and the chief of toxicology at Cook County Health, said while uncommon, water toxicity does occur. He explained that cases have been reported in those with psychiatric illnesses and people who’ve attended electronic dance music festivals and taken stimulants, which can lower one’s sodium level.

When a person drinks a large amount of water in a short timespan, it can dilute the sodium in their body, causing hyponatremia, a lower sodium level than normal, the doctor explained.

“It’s a very dangerous state to be in for your body, like a lot of basic functions and your body cannot go forward if your sodium gets driven down that low,” he said.

The Cleveland Clinic notes that “hyponatremia causes neurologic symptoms ranging from confusion to seizures to coma.” But there are other signs and symptoms to also watch for. Those include:

• Muscle cramps or weakness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Lethargy, or low energy.
• Headache.
• Mental status changes.

The key to preventing water toxicity, as well as severe dehydration, is ensuring you take frequent water breaks. Drinking electrolyte solutions, such as Gatorade, and eating foods that are rich in electrolytes and minerals can be helpful as well, according to doctors.

“If you’re drinking throughout your activity, or you know, your activities when you’re out in the sun, you really can stay in front of this and not get into that situation,” Aks said.

When it comes to how much water someone should drink, there is not a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

“I think you have to pay attention to your body,” Aks said. “If you’re gonna be working in a high risk condition, you got to drink more water… Six to eight glasses of water a day is a reasonable middle ground for for adults, but again, it’s different based on your size and your weight, and your medical conditions.”

You’ll also want to keep in mind that some people, including women and children are also more susceptible to hyponatremia because of their smaller body size, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

If you start feeling dizzy, experiencing a dry mouth or begin losing energy while taking in part in a physical activity, drinking more water might be a good idea. But if you suspect someone may be experiencing severe dehydration or water toxicity — and they start appearing confused — it’s important that they seek medical help.

“If you get to the point though, where you you know, you’ve been out and you’re like, really dehydrated and like you have symptoms where you’re exhausted where you’re lightheaded, you feel like you’re gonna pass out.. Well, you know, that’s a that’s a good time maybe to get medical attention,” Aks said.

Especially since the summer isn’t over yet, the doctor said it’s important to look out for one another and remember the signs of dehydration.

“It’s warm outside, you know, so people have to think about this is you know, this is a real thing and just and just stay on top of it,” he said.

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Angelica Carrasquillo, 25, of Griffith pleaded guilty Friday to an intimidation charge in Lake County Superior Court, court records show.

The terms of a plea bargain bar Carrasquillo from working at a school or daycare while on probation. It also requires court-monitored mental health treatment, and she is barred from contacting victims in the case, news outlets reported.

If she successfully completes probation, she can petition to reduce the conviction to a misdemeanor, under terms of the plea bargain.

Court documents say Carrasquillo communicated “a threat to commit murder” on Oct. 12.

Once officials at the school where she was employed, St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, learned of the threat, they immediately confronted her and escorted her from the building, the Diocese of Gary said in a message to parents.

When Carrasquillo was asked why she wanted to kill herself and others, she reportedly told school officials: “I’m having trouble with my mental health, and sometimes the kids do not listen in the classroom. I also have trauma caused when I went to high school.”

The threats came to light when a counselor overhead a fifth-grader say, “I heard Ms. Carrasquillo wants to kill herself and has a list.”

The student reportedly said Carrasquillo voiced the threat to him directly and told the student he was on the list.

The principal and an assistant principal said Carrasquillo gave them the name of one student on the “kill list,” but she did not reveal all the names, a court document said.

Carrasquillo allegedly told school officials “she was only joking about it all,” the court document said.

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in southern Indiana last week announced its intention to build “Good Gravy!,” a gravy-themed family roller coaster, which will be situated in the park’s Thanksgiving section.

Thrill-seekers will hop in a roller coaster train resembling a gravy boat and begin the journey at Grandma Gracy’s house — where they’ll face quite a predicament at Thanksgiving dinner. The family will suddenly run out of grandma’s Good Gravy, putting the dinner’s fate in the riders’ hands.

They’ll be tasked with the delicate mission of making more gravy, and it won’t be as easy as you might think. Riders will zoom through the 1,500-foot wild ride, travel forward up a 77-foot spike and then backward, according to the amusement park’s website.

Visitors will have to dodge gigantic kitchen accessories and ingredients along the way, including a chicken timer, whisk, rolling pin, a dairy bottle and stuffing. While thrill-seekers won’t want to miss out — Holiday World stated on its website that the ride will be gentle and smooth enough for both children and even Grandma Gracy.

“Good Gravy!” is set to open during the park’s 2024 season.

The world’s first theme park, Holiday World initially opened as Santa Claus Land, in Santa Claus, Indiana, about 60 miles east of Evansville. It has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the 17 Top Amusement Parks in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

The collision occurred at around 3:20 p.m. in North Bend Township, approximately 10 miles southeast of Knox.

A Starke County EMS ambulance was traveling eastbound on County Road 800 South with its lights and sirens activated, while on the way to an emergency call, according to a Facebook post from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office.

A vehicle traveling northbound on County Road 700 East entered the intersection, colliding with the ambulance and causing it to roll over. The driver of the ambulance, EMT Michael Wilcox Sr., was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff’s deputies said.

The paramedic onboard, Brandy Salita, was rushed to a LaPorte hospital and listed in serious condition.

The driver of the car was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. The investigation into the crash was ongoing Sunday afternoon.

Crawfordsville Fire Chief Scott Busenbark said crews were called Saturday morning to a house fire and found one person on the home’s front lawn. He said the injured person was flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital in stable condition, WXIN-TV reported.

Busenbark said first responders who entered the house after the fire was put out found two people dead. The deceased were identified by the Montgomery County Coroner as Richard Chastain, 90, and Marilyn Fox, 91.

WISH-TV reported that neighbors told the fire department they heard an explosion about 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The State Fire Marshal is investigating.

R. Martin Umbarger, a retired major general with the Indiana National Guard, told WISH-TV that Chastain was a retired Indiana National Guard general and “the kind of man you expected to live forever.”

A 90th birthday celebration had been planned Saturday for Chastain at a local community center, the station reported.

Busenbark said the deaths have shaken Crawfordsville, a city of about 16,000 residents located about 45 miles (70 kilometers) miles northwest of Indianapolis.

“When something like this happens, it hits the whole community,” he said.