Trump sign controversy; obesity remedy OK'd; cleanup kills fish
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Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
- By KATIE DAHLSTROM The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald
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WOODSTOCK, Ill. (AP) — Ted Biever couldn't get the seven men who died while fighting in Vietnam off his mind.
So he decided to put them on his SUV.
Biever, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Lake in the Hills resident, had a decal depicting a section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall adhered to his vehicle in tribute. The decal highlights the names of the seven men from Biever's unit who died on Sept. 26, 1968.
"I feel it's an honor to them - to them and all the men and women that served and got killed in Vietnam," Biever said. "There are other names on there, different branches of the service - people I didn't know."
The men were part of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. Biever, a corporal at the time, said the unit was struck by six short rounds, which wounded him and killed seven from his unit. The deceased, whose names stand out on Biever's vehicle, were Lance Cpl. Larry Lower, Cpl. Andrew Bukovinsky, Lance Cpl. Jerry Ratliff, Lance Cpl. Randall Olson, Pfc. John Ruscito, Lance Cpl. John Stahl and 1st Lt. Douglas Paige.
More than 5,000 U.S. Marines and 16,500 military personnel in total died in Vietnam in 1968, the most of any year during the war, according to officials with the Vietnam War Memorial Wall.
In all, there were more than 58,000 casualties as a result of the war.
Those who died Sept. 26, 1986, are commemorated on section 42 west of the wall, which is the section that spans the entirety of Biever's 2014 Dodge Durango SUV.
"How important is it to honor them?" Biever asked from his office at the Illinois Army National Guard armory. "It's very important. Them guys lost their lives for us. They were my buddies, and I think about them all the time."
On top of the flow of names across the side panels, the design includes the image of a purple heart, helicopters, symbols from the American flag and the prisoner of war/missing in action flag. The latter honors Biever's late father, who he said was a prisoner of war for two years in World War II.
This wasn't Biever's first venture into making his vehicle a symbol of the pride and respect born out of his military service. His old pickup truck, a fixture at local veterans' events and parades, had the U.S. Marine Corps insignia on it.
When time came to get a new vehicle, he knew he wanted to continue honoring veterans.
"I wanted to do something different," Biever said.
He turned to the experts at Road Rage Designs in Spring Grove, a shop that touts its custom vehicle and boat wraps and graphics.
Road Rage co-owner Kris Harris said her business is gaining a reputation for wraps that honor the military. A semi-tractor the company designed and installed commemorating Purple Heart recipients recently won the people's choice award at the Mid-America Trucking Expo, which bills itself as the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event in the world.
It took about a month to finalize the artwork for Biever's vehicle, and a little longer than a day to finish the customization, Harris said. The wrap cost him about $3,000.
The shop has reason to be supportive of veterans. The co-owner and another employee are veterans, and Harris' fiancé is on active duty for the U.S. Air Force.
"We really have a lot of feelings for our military," Harris said.
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Source: The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald, http://bit.ly/1WZyhOZ
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MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — A 25-year-old charter boat captain in Michigan City has caught the largest lake trout in Indiana history.
Tyler Kreighbaum, owner of Tightline Fishing Charters, caught the 44-inch long, nearly 38-pound fish in Lake Michigan on Saturday. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the catch breaks the previous state record by about 8 pounds.
Kreighbaum says he thought he was hooked on the bottom and was trying to break the line. He says he didn't know right away that he had caught a record fish.
Ben Dickinson, the DNR's assistant Lake Michigan fisheries biologist, says the average lake trout caught in southern Lake Michigan is 8 to 10 years old and weighs 7½ to 8 pounds.
The previous record was a 29-pound fish caught in Lake Michigan in 1993.
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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Northern Michigan officials say a sign supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that rises roughly 35 feet above a garage roof is too big and high.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/1UzMMDi ) Wednesday the days are numbered for Michael Witte's sign featuring the candidate's last name in 3-foot-by-3-foot capital letters attached to a vertical extension ladder atop his garage. Traverse City zoning officials say it violates size ordinances and gave Witte until the end of the week to remove it.
Witte says he'll comply, though ponders a smaller replacement statement that apologizes for not being larger. He says he usually doesn't follow politics but likes Trump despite "his drawbacks."
Witte's garage roof also bears a message: "God bless America and the world," in matching red capital letters.
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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, http://www.record-eagle.com
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WORTHINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The runoff from water used to wash away an anhydrous ammonia spill has killed thousands of fish in a southwestern Indiana creak, state wildlife and environmental officials said Wednesday.
The spill of about 500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia on Tuesday and the water spray left high levels of chemical residue at the scene a day later, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said. Crews removed soil and dug pits to collect rain and prevent further runoff of contaminated water into Lattas Creek, which is less than 300 feet from the spill site, IDEM said.
A pump was being used to remove the most heavily contaminated water, IDEM said.
"You couldn't pick a worse spot for an agricultural incident to happen. Basically, it happened almost right over Lattas Creek," Worthington Fire Chief Kyle Steward told The (Bloomington) Herald-Times.
Firefighters poured about 30,000 gallons of water on the spill Tuesday after a tank of anhydrous ammonia overturned on a swerving truck and rolled onto its valve, releasing the chemical, Steward said.
The state Department of Natural Resources identified about 15 fish species affected by the runoff. The creek flows into the Wedst Fork of the White River, and the current carried dead fish into the river, but the runoff was not killing fish in the river, IDEM said.
The spill occurred about 70 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man who was sentenced to probation for killing a woman in a drunken driving crash last year is heading to prison after failing nearly a dozen drug tests.
Dylan Meyer, 21, of Springfield, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation by repeatedly testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/25Xn8ng ) reported.
In February 2015, Meyer crashed into 38-year-old Kelly Williams' car at 95 mph, splitting her vehicle in two and killing her. Police said he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.266 percent and cannabinoids in his system.
Meyer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in February and was sentenced to probation rather than the 10-year prison sentence prosecutors had sought because Judge David Jones said he wanted to give him a second chance. Prosecutor Dan Patterson called the sentence a "slap on the wrist."
Prosecutors filed a motion in April seeking to have Meyer's probation revoked after he tested positive for THC on at least 11 different occasions in the previous two months.
During the hearing in Greene County, Meyer's attorney, Dawn Calvin, argued that her client's weight loss since beginning probation could have been why he tested positive for THC. But Philip Fuhrman from the Greene County prosecutor's office said he's seen Meyer routinely in hearings and hadn't noticed any significant weight change.
Alex Armfield, a supervisor at the lab that analyzed Meyer's drug tests, testified that a chronic user of marijuana will still test positive for THC for 30 days after the last usage.
Meyer went on probation Feb. 19 and tested positive for THC then and on April 5 — 46 days later, Armfield said. Jones agreed that Meyer had violated probation.
During sentencing, Meyer spoke for the first time since initially stating his name to the court.
"Truly, truly I want to move forward," he said. "I want to be a productive member of society."
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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com
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ST. LOUIS (AP) — A reverse feeding tube developed in St. Louis to aid in weight loss by removing calories before they are digested has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/239KWiJ ) reports that the AspireAssist siphons food out of the stomach through a port implanted in the abdomen. The device was developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis.
A tube is inserted into the stomach in a 15-minute outpatient procedure that leaves a valve outside on the skin. The person using the device must attach an exterior tube 20 to 30 minutes after eating a meal, and the food is removed via gravity and emptied into the toilet. Researchers say the device can remove up to 30 percent of calories from a meal before it is digested.
The cost of the device has not been released.
Some who are critical of the device say bears similarities to the eating disorder bulimia, which involves bingeing and purging food, and could be a trigger for people with eating disorders.
But Dr. Shelby Sullivan, who led the initial study on the device, said the patients in the trial did not exhibit any abnormal eating behaviors. She said the calorie restriction takes into account the desire to eat.
According to Sullivan, patients have to chew their food until it disintegrates so that it can be siphoned so they eventually get tired of chewing. She said that seeing the food as it's being removed changes patient's eating behaviors as well.
"If you eat a large meal you can't aspirate it," Sullivan said. Plus, "the tube is clear, you see what's coming out, and healthy food looks better."
Side effects include initial nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Risks of having the device installed include bleeding, pain and infection at the valve site.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A suspended Kansas sheriff's detective who is charged with three counts of felony perjury worked on more than 600 cases, according to prosecutors.
The Shawnee County District Attorney's Office found that the cases Erin Thompson handled ranged from traffic infractions to homicide, The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1ZQKQdG ) reported. The newspaper obtained the list of 612 cases after filing an open records request.
Thompson, 40, was charged in May following a probe into inconsistencies on investigative reports. An affidavit accuses her of repeatedly reporting she talked with people she had never contacted.
If convicted of perjury, Thompson could face five to 17 months in prison for each count. Her lawyer, Tom Lemon, declined to comment.
Thompson joined the sheriff's office in October 2001 and was promoted to detective in September 2007. The list of cases she handled includes 307 traffic cases from 2003 to 2006. While some ended up in court, a majority of the defendants paid their tickets without requesting a trial, additional court proceedings or a diversion, said Kevin Keatley, assistant district attorney.
The remaining 305 cases cover a range of felonies and misdemeanors. At least 15 people currently are serving prison sentences resulting from cases linked to Thompson.
Information provided by the district attorney's office didn't include expunged cases or cases involving juvenile offenders, according to prosecutors. It also didn't include instances in which charges weren't filed.
Matt Patterson, senior assistant district attorney for Shawnee County, said the district attorney's office has an ethical obligation to notify those who currently have or have had cases involving Thompson.
"The D.A.'s office will begin the process by notifying all counsel of record in those cases or, in cases where no counsel exists, the defendants themselves," Patterson said. "It will then be up to those individuals to determine if, and to what extent, the information may be relevant to their particular case."
Chief public defender Stacey Donovan said that after defendants are identified, further action will depend on how much Thompson had to do with each of the cases, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In criminal cases that already have been decided, a new trial would require a substantiated error that affected the outcome of the original case, said former Washburn University law professor Michael Kaye. When an officer's credibility comes into question in an open case, Kaye said, suppression of evidence, charges, plea bargains and sentencing could be affected.
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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
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ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — A disabled Army veteran has moved into his new home in Alpena after an unveiling ceremony.
Army Staff Sgt. Ben Eberle moved into the home, located on Devil's Lake, with his family Tuesday.
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation sponsored the home's construction. The nonprofit aims to provide accessible homes to disabled American war veterans. According to WWTV-TV, the new home for the Mio native cost about $500,000. Donations came in from several local businesses and six students from Anderson Middle School in Berkley.
Eberle was struck by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. He had to have both of his legs and one arm amputated.
The Alpena News reports that the home has an open floor plan that is wheelchair-accessible. Features in the home like countertops, a cook top, sink and other kitchen appliances can be electronically controlled to make them easier to use for Eberle.
Eberle said that living in a home not built for someone with disabilities has been difficult.
"You are stuck to one room in a house," he told the Alpena News. "I was stuck to the living room or the bedroom or the bathroom; those three rooms were the only place I could go with the wheelchair."
John Hodge, the foundation's chief operations officer, said the foundation was created in honor of Stephen Siller, a firefighter killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Hodge said the foundation heard about Eberle through a Facebook post and began the process to build him a home.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Health care analysts say Gov. Sam Brownback's decision to cut money for Medicaid health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly will add to the problems that some hospitals are facing.
Already, some had raised concerns that the state's decision to not expand Medicaid was harming health care providers when the 4 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut was announced last month, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1ZQUX2c ) reports. The cut takes effect July 1.
Right now, Kansas residents who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough for federal subsidies fall into a coverage gap. When patients are uninsured and can't pay, the hospitals must pick up the bill.
"This decision to make these cuts is really a decision to balance the budget on the shoulders of providers and patients around the state," said Cindy Samuelson, vice president for public relations at the Kansas Hospital Association.
Brownback made the cuts to help fill the state's budget hole, with some exemptions for rural hospitals and home- and community-based services for people with disabilities. That means physicians, dentists, pharmacies and hospitals in urban areas, such as Wichita and Kansas City, will account for most of the $38 million cut to provider reimbursement rates.
Budget director Shawn Sullivan said the cuts "were not easy decisions."
Via Christi Health, the largest hospital system in the state, announced Tuesday it will cut 70 positions not tied directly to patient care, after trimming 80 jobs through attrition in the past three months. The health system, however, will add 80 jobs, most of them nurses.
Via Christi director of government relations Bruce Witt said the system estimates the reimbursement cuts will cost the hospital $4.3 million a year. That's in addition to $14 million per year that Via Christi was losing from the state's decision not to expand Medicaid.
Providers would likely further limit the number of Medicaid patients they accept, or stop accepting Medicaid patients all together, according to Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project, which is part of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved.
Weisgrau said rural hospitals would increasingly turn to the community for tax increases or other measures to make up for lost reimbursements. For example, the South Central Kansas Medical Center in Arkansas City is having its debt paid off by residents through a 1 percent sales tax hike. The hospital also started cutting $750,000 from its costs for the year.
"At some point, the communities can't afford to do that and you see the hospitals go under," he said.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
- By DANN GIRE The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald
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CHICAGO (AP) — Hayden Rolence stands triumphantly in a giant window at Chicago's The James Hotel, his arms outstretched as if to give the entire world a big hug.
"I'm not going to stand against the glass," he says, looking down at Ontario Street below.
He proves to be an ideal model for Daily Herald photographer Mark Welsh, emanating charismatic cool while assuming casually confident poses.
The 12-year-old Aurora boy loves the camera, and the camera loves him back. It's a media romance meant to be. Hayden has been a professional model since age 4.
But his latest claim to fame has nothing to do with how he looks.
It's how he sounds.
Hayden, a student at Still Middle School in Aurora, supplies the voice and personality of little clownfish Nemo in the new Disney/Pixar animated adventure "Finding Dory," which opens Thursday.
The original Nemo, Alexander Gould, recently turned 21, so the filmmakers had to find a new actor with a young voice to match the one from the 2003 movie.
"I mainly tried to make my voice sound like Alexander's voice," Hayden says, "because I thought he was such a good person to play Nemo."
The actor/model/voice-over artist wears a black shirt and pants with an off-white sports coat.
He radiates a Sinatra vibe, but resembles a preteen John Travolta from "Saturday Night Fever."
"I'm glad that people are asking me all the same questions," he confides. "It's hard to answer questions I haven't thought about yet."
Hayden started by posing in print advertisements for clothing, toys and children's items.
Then came a series of TV commercials for Allstate Insurance, the PGA and Sears, followed by appearances in film shorts.
And now, a Disney movie that promises to hit the top of the box office charts.
Hayden beams as he describes reading Nemo's lines in the studio sound booth.
"I'm just in a room with Andrew Stanton (director/writer) and Lindsey Collins (producer) and a couple of other people trying to help on how I should do my voice," he says.
"I'm just by myself. The first time I met the other actors was during the premiere just last week!"
Was it difficult to emote while saying your lines by yourself?
"Yeah, it sort of was," he replies. "I had to make it sound like I was talking to other people, but I'm not talking to anybody else."
Hayden confessed he did have one particular line of dialogue that gave him trouble.
"My single worst line was one they cut," he says. "I had to say a tongue-twister. I don't remember what it was, but it's hard to say tongue twisters for me in general because I can barely get over my own words.
"Then, the fact that I had to do it in my Nemo voice makes it all the harder."
Hayden has nobody to credit for his success except his mother, Marlene Rolence.
Several years ago while at her hair salon, Marlene heard a friend say Hayden and his sister Meadow should consider professional modeling, they were that cute.
"I didn't think much about it," Marlene said. Then her friend mentioned that modeling jobs can pay for college expenses.
"'Oh, really?' That caught my attention," Marlene says. "You could have pushed us over with a feather when we found out he got the part (as Nemo)."
Even though the acting bug has bitten Hayden, he still prefers math and science as his favorite subjects. He also enjoys playing golf and being coached by his father, Jason Rolence.
But professionally, he's been bitten bad.
"I will definitely be an actor because as I've said before, I love everything about acting," Hayden says. "I want to try some more on-camera work. I want to do more voice-over stuff."
But what about his sister Meadow, also a model and actress? Any sibling rivalry about who earns the most money, gets the better jobs or bigger billing?
"I am not in that struggle. I cannot say the same thing about Meadow, but ..." His Nemo-esque voice grows serious.
"I'm just glad that she gets jobs. I'm glad that I get jobs. I'm just really ... glad."
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Source: The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald, http://bit.ly/1rpFDha
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TOOLESBORO, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of people have helped to dedicate a memorial to six southeast Iowa brothers who died after enlisting to fight for the Union in the Civil War.
The deaths of the sons of James and Martha Littleton had long been forgotten until their story was uncovered by historians, whose effort to remember their sacrifice culminated in the memorial dedication near the community of Toolesboro.
Gov. Terry Branstad was among those who spoke at Tuesday's dedication, which honored George, John, Kendall, Noah, Thomas and William Littleton, The Burlington Hawk Eye reported (http://bit.ly/21my9rs ). They all joined the Iowa infantry months after the war started, and none made it back to their home.
"These brothers are role models who showcased the dedication and devotion ordinary Iowans have given," said Branstad, who noted that an estimated 13 percent of the state's population served during the Civil War.
Some of the brothers died of battle wounds, one drowned and one died in a Confederate prison.
Details about the Littleton brothers came to light after Louisa County historian Tom Woodruff was given a copy of a scrapbook page in North Carolina that included a 1907 article from a Columbus Junction newspaper. The story mentioned the deaths of the six brothers, prompting Woodruff to work with a friend, Ed Bayne, to investigate what happened.
After learning more about the brothers' deaths, which were among the largest loss from a U.S. war to affect one family, Woodruff and Bayne began pushing for a memorial. Plenty of others joined them, including Branstad, who helped raise funds for the $250,000 monument.
The 9-foot-tall granite monument is surrounded by six stones, each bearing the name of a brother.
"Who knew that handing me a scrap of paper in Raleigh, North Carolina, would result in this," Woodruff said.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye, http://www.thehawkeye.com
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JACKSON, Mo. (AP) — A man accused of racing a riding lawn mower while drunk has been charged with a felony.
Thirty-five-year-old Jeremy Tyson Cook, of Jackson, is free on bond after he was charged over the weekend with felony driving while intoxicated as a chronic offender. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
The Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/1UjzzRI) reports that Cook tested positive for alcohol after two riding mowers crashed. The probable cause statement says the drivers reported the crash happened when one of the mowers they were racing stopped working and they attempted to move it.
The statement says Cook's driving status was revoked in December 2006, one month after he pleaded guilty to drunken driving. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a fatal 2000 crash.
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Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com
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CHICAGO (AP) — The agency that investigates Chicago police misconduct says it failed to act before the deadline to fire a commander accused of breaking a suspect's nose.
The Independent Police Review Authority said Tuesday that it's still investigating Commander Glenn Evans on separate allegations that carry penalties up to dismissal. A judge in December acquitted Evans of charges he shoved his gun down a suspect's throat.
IPRA chief administrator Sharon Fairley in early May moved to have Evans fired for breaking a suspect's nose. IPRA says that since then however attorneys realized the five-year statute of limitations in the case passed in April.
IPRA blamed the oversight on administration changes prompted by the release last year of the video of a white officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An unprecedented number of Ohioans now have licenses to carry concealed handguns.
According to statistics released by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, there are now more than 500,000 valid concealed-carry license holders in the state. That's more than 4 percent of the total population.
The number of new permits issued in the first three months of the year — 36,118 — is a record for any quarter. That's a 132-percent increase over the same period last year.
Jim Irvine, president of the Buckeye Firearms Association board of directors, says the increase is the result of a change in the law reducing the required training time from 12 hours to eight hours.
Ohio also honors an estimated 12.3 million concealed-carry licenses from other states.
- By KATIE DAHLSTROM The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (AP) — Ted Biever couldn't get the seven men who died while fighting in Vietnam off his mind.
So he decided to put them on his SUV.
Biever, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Lake in the Hills resident, had a decal depicting a section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall adhered to his vehicle in tribute. The decal highlights the names of the seven men from Biever's unit who died on Sept. 26, 1968.
"I feel it's an honor to them - to them and all the men and women that served and got killed in Vietnam," Biever said. "There are other names on there, different branches of the service - people I didn't know."
The men were part of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. Biever, a corporal at the time, said the unit was struck by six short rounds, which wounded him and killed seven from his unit. The deceased, whose names stand out on Biever's vehicle, were Lance Cpl. Larry Lower, Cpl. Andrew Bukovinsky, Lance Cpl. Jerry Ratliff, Lance Cpl. Randall Olson, Pfc. John Ruscito, Lance Cpl. John Stahl and 1st Lt. Douglas Paige.
More than 5,000 U.S. Marines and 16,500 military personnel in total died in Vietnam in 1968, the most of any year during the war, according to officials with the Vietnam War Memorial Wall.
In all, there were more than 58,000 casualties as a result of the war.
Those who died Sept. 26, 1986, are commemorated on section 42 west of the wall, which is the section that spans the entirety of Biever's 2014 Dodge Durango SUV.
"How important is it to honor them?" Biever asked from his office at the Illinois Army National Guard armory. "It's very important. Them guys lost their lives for us. They were my buddies, and I think about them all the time."
On top of the flow of names across the side panels, the design includes the image of a purple heart, helicopters, symbols from the American flag and the prisoner of war/missing in action flag. The latter honors Biever's late father, who he said was a prisoner of war for two years in World War II.
This wasn't Biever's first venture into making his vehicle a symbol of the pride and respect born out of his military service. His old pickup truck, a fixture at local veterans' events and parades, had the U.S. Marine Corps insignia on it.
When time came to get a new vehicle, he knew he wanted to continue honoring veterans.
"I wanted to do something different," Biever said.
He turned to the experts at Road Rage Designs in Spring Grove, a shop that touts its custom vehicle and boat wraps and graphics.
Road Rage co-owner Kris Harris said her business is gaining a reputation for wraps that honor the military. A semi-tractor the company designed and installed commemorating Purple Heart recipients recently won the people's choice award at the Mid-America Trucking Expo, which bills itself as the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event in the world.
It took about a month to finalize the artwork for Biever's vehicle, and a little longer than a day to finish the customization, Harris said. The wrap cost him about $3,000.
The shop has reason to be supportive of veterans. The co-owner and another employee are veterans, and Harris' fiancé is on active duty for the U.S. Air Force.
"We really have a lot of feelings for our military," Harris said.
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Source: The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald, http://bit.ly/1WZyhOZ
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) — A 25-year-old charter boat captain in Michigan City has caught the largest lake trout in Indiana history.
Tyler Kreighbaum, owner of Tightline Fishing Charters, caught the 44-inch long, nearly 38-pound fish in Lake Michigan on Saturday. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the catch breaks the previous state record by about 8 pounds.
Kreighbaum says he thought he was hooked on the bottom and was trying to break the line. He says he didn't know right away that he had caught a record fish.
Ben Dickinson, the DNR's assistant Lake Michigan fisheries biologist, says the average lake trout caught in southern Lake Michigan is 8 to 10 years old and weighs 7½ to 8 pounds.
The previous record was a 29-pound fish caught in Lake Michigan in 1993.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Northern Michigan officials say a sign supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that rises roughly 35 feet above a garage roof is too big and high.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/1UzMMDi ) Wednesday the days are numbered for Michael Witte's sign featuring the candidate's last name in 3-foot-by-3-foot capital letters attached to a vertical extension ladder atop his garage. Traverse City zoning officials say it violates size ordinances and gave Witte until the end of the week to remove it.
Witte says he'll comply, though ponders a smaller replacement statement that apologizes for not being larger. He says he usually doesn't follow politics but likes Trump despite "his drawbacks."
Witte's garage roof also bears a message: "God bless America and the world," in matching red capital letters.
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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, http://www.record-eagle.com
WORTHINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The runoff from water used to wash away an anhydrous ammonia spill has killed thousands of fish in a southwestern Indiana creak, state wildlife and environmental officials said Wednesday.
The spill of about 500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia on Tuesday and the water spray left high levels of chemical residue at the scene a day later, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said. Crews removed soil and dug pits to collect rain and prevent further runoff of contaminated water into Lattas Creek, which is less than 300 feet from the spill site, IDEM said.
A pump was being used to remove the most heavily contaminated water, IDEM said.
"You couldn't pick a worse spot for an agricultural incident to happen. Basically, it happened almost right over Lattas Creek," Worthington Fire Chief Kyle Steward told The (Bloomington) Herald-Times.
Firefighters poured about 30,000 gallons of water on the spill Tuesday after a tank of anhydrous ammonia overturned on a swerving truck and rolled onto its valve, releasing the chemical, Steward said.
The state Department of Natural Resources identified about 15 fish species affected by the runoff. The creek flows into the Wedst Fork of the White River, and the current carried dead fish into the river, but the runoff was not killing fish in the river, IDEM said.
The spill occurred about 70 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man who was sentenced to probation for killing a woman in a drunken driving crash last year is heading to prison after failing nearly a dozen drug tests.
Dylan Meyer, 21, of Springfield, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation by repeatedly testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/25Xn8ng ) reported.
In February 2015, Meyer crashed into 38-year-old Kelly Williams' car at 95 mph, splitting her vehicle in two and killing her. Police said he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.266 percent and cannabinoids in his system.
Meyer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in February and was sentenced to probation rather than the 10-year prison sentence prosecutors had sought because Judge David Jones said he wanted to give him a second chance. Prosecutor Dan Patterson called the sentence a "slap on the wrist."
Prosecutors filed a motion in April seeking to have Meyer's probation revoked after he tested positive for THC on at least 11 different occasions in the previous two months.
During the hearing in Greene County, Meyer's attorney, Dawn Calvin, argued that her client's weight loss since beginning probation could have been why he tested positive for THC. But Philip Fuhrman from the Greene County prosecutor's office said he's seen Meyer routinely in hearings and hadn't noticed any significant weight change.
Alex Armfield, a supervisor at the lab that analyzed Meyer's drug tests, testified that a chronic user of marijuana will still test positive for THC for 30 days after the last usage.
Meyer went on probation Feb. 19 and tested positive for THC then and on April 5 — 46 days later, Armfield said. Jones agreed that Meyer had violated probation.
During sentencing, Meyer spoke for the first time since initially stating his name to the court.
"Truly, truly I want to move forward," he said. "I want to be a productive member of society."
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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A reverse feeding tube developed in St. Louis to aid in weight loss by removing calories before they are digested has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/239KWiJ ) reports that the AspireAssist siphons food out of the stomach through a port implanted in the abdomen. The device was developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis.
A tube is inserted into the stomach in a 15-minute outpatient procedure that leaves a valve outside on the skin. The person using the device must attach an exterior tube 20 to 30 minutes after eating a meal, and the food is removed via gravity and emptied into the toilet. Researchers say the device can remove up to 30 percent of calories from a meal before it is digested.
The cost of the device has not been released.
Some who are critical of the device say bears similarities to the eating disorder bulimia, which involves bingeing and purging food, and could be a trigger for people with eating disorders.
But Dr. Shelby Sullivan, who led the initial study on the device, said the patients in the trial did not exhibit any abnormal eating behaviors. She said the calorie restriction takes into account the desire to eat.
According to Sullivan, patients have to chew their food until it disintegrates so that it can be siphoned so they eventually get tired of chewing. She said that seeing the food as it's being removed changes patient's eating behaviors as well.
"If you eat a large meal you can't aspirate it," Sullivan said. Plus, "the tube is clear, you see what's coming out, and healthy food looks better."
Side effects include initial nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Risks of having the device installed include bleeding, pain and infection at the valve site.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A suspended Kansas sheriff's detective who is charged with three counts of felony perjury worked on more than 600 cases, according to prosecutors.
The Shawnee County District Attorney's Office found that the cases Erin Thompson handled ranged from traffic infractions to homicide, The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1ZQKQdG ) reported. The newspaper obtained the list of 612 cases after filing an open records request.
Thompson, 40, was charged in May following a probe into inconsistencies on investigative reports. An affidavit accuses her of repeatedly reporting she talked with people she had never contacted.
If convicted of perjury, Thompson could face five to 17 months in prison for each count. Her lawyer, Tom Lemon, declined to comment.
Thompson joined the sheriff's office in October 2001 and was promoted to detective in September 2007. The list of cases she handled includes 307 traffic cases from 2003 to 2006. While some ended up in court, a majority of the defendants paid their tickets without requesting a trial, additional court proceedings or a diversion, said Kevin Keatley, assistant district attorney.
The remaining 305 cases cover a range of felonies and misdemeanors. At least 15 people currently are serving prison sentences resulting from cases linked to Thompson.
Information provided by the district attorney's office didn't include expunged cases or cases involving juvenile offenders, according to prosecutors. It also didn't include instances in which charges weren't filed.
Matt Patterson, senior assistant district attorney for Shawnee County, said the district attorney's office has an ethical obligation to notify those who currently have or have had cases involving Thompson.
"The D.A.'s office will begin the process by notifying all counsel of record in those cases or, in cases where no counsel exists, the defendants themselves," Patterson said. "It will then be up to those individuals to determine if, and to what extent, the information may be relevant to their particular case."
Chief public defender Stacey Donovan said that after defendants are identified, further action will depend on how much Thompson had to do with each of the cases, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In criminal cases that already have been decided, a new trial would require a substantiated error that affected the outcome of the original case, said former Washburn University law professor Michael Kaye. When an officer's credibility comes into question in an open case, Kaye said, suppression of evidence, charges, plea bargains and sentencing could be affected.
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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — A disabled Army veteran has moved into his new home in Alpena after an unveiling ceremony.
Army Staff Sgt. Ben Eberle moved into the home, located on Devil's Lake, with his family Tuesday.
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation sponsored the home's construction. The nonprofit aims to provide accessible homes to disabled American war veterans. According to WWTV-TV, the new home for the Mio native cost about $500,000. Donations came in from several local businesses and six students from Anderson Middle School in Berkley.
Eberle was struck by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. He had to have both of his legs and one arm amputated.
The Alpena News reports that the home has an open floor plan that is wheelchair-accessible. Features in the home like countertops, a cook top, sink and other kitchen appliances can be electronically controlled to make them easier to use for Eberle.
Eberle said that living in a home not built for someone with disabilities has been difficult.
"You are stuck to one room in a house," he told the Alpena News. "I was stuck to the living room or the bedroom or the bathroom; those three rooms were the only place I could go with the wheelchair."
John Hodge, the foundation's chief operations officer, said the foundation was created in honor of Stephen Siller, a firefighter killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Hodge said the foundation heard about Eberle through a Facebook post and began the process to build him a home.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Health care analysts say Gov. Sam Brownback's decision to cut money for Medicaid health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly will add to the problems that some hospitals are facing.
Already, some had raised concerns that the state's decision to not expand Medicaid was harming health care providers when the 4 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut was announced last month, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1ZQUX2c ) reports. The cut takes effect July 1.
Right now, Kansas residents who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough for federal subsidies fall into a coverage gap. When patients are uninsured and can't pay, the hospitals must pick up the bill.
"This decision to make these cuts is really a decision to balance the budget on the shoulders of providers and patients around the state," said Cindy Samuelson, vice president for public relations at the Kansas Hospital Association.
Brownback made the cuts to help fill the state's budget hole, with some exemptions for rural hospitals and home- and community-based services for people with disabilities. That means physicians, dentists, pharmacies and hospitals in urban areas, such as Wichita and Kansas City, will account for most of the $38 million cut to provider reimbursement rates.
Budget director Shawn Sullivan said the cuts "were not easy decisions."
Via Christi Health, the largest hospital system in the state, announced Tuesday it will cut 70 positions not tied directly to patient care, after trimming 80 jobs through attrition in the past three months. The health system, however, will add 80 jobs, most of them nurses.
Via Christi director of government relations Bruce Witt said the system estimates the reimbursement cuts will cost the hospital $4.3 million a year. That's in addition to $14 million per year that Via Christi was losing from the state's decision not to expand Medicaid.
Providers would likely further limit the number of Medicaid patients they accept, or stop accepting Medicaid patients all together, according to Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project, which is part of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved.
Weisgrau said rural hospitals would increasingly turn to the community for tax increases or other measures to make up for lost reimbursements. For example, the South Central Kansas Medical Center in Arkansas City is having its debt paid off by residents through a 1 percent sales tax hike. The hospital also started cutting $750,000 from its costs for the year.
"At some point, the communities can't afford to do that and you see the hospitals go under," he said.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
- By DANN GIRE The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald
CHICAGO (AP) — Hayden Rolence stands triumphantly in a giant window at Chicago's The James Hotel, his arms outstretched as if to give the entire world a big hug.
"I'm not going to stand against the glass," he says, looking down at Ontario Street below.
He proves to be an ideal model for Daily Herald photographer Mark Welsh, emanating charismatic cool while assuming casually confident poses.
The 12-year-old Aurora boy loves the camera, and the camera loves him back. It's a media romance meant to be. Hayden has been a professional model since age 4.
But his latest claim to fame has nothing to do with how he looks.
It's how he sounds.
Hayden, a student at Still Middle School in Aurora, supplies the voice and personality of little clownfish Nemo in the new Disney/Pixar animated adventure "Finding Dory," which opens Thursday.
The original Nemo, Alexander Gould, recently turned 21, so the filmmakers had to find a new actor with a young voice to match the one from the 2003 movie.
"I mainly tried to make my voice sound like Alexander's voice," Hayden says, "because I thought he was such a good person to play Nemo."
The actor/model/voice-over artist wears a black shirt and pants with an off-white sports coat.
He radiates a Sinatra vibe, but resembles a preteen John Travolta from "Saturday Night Fever."
"I'm glad that people are asking me all the same questions," he confides. "It's hard to answer questions I haven't thought about yet."
Hayden started by posing in print advertisements for clothing, toys and children's items.
Then came a series of TV commercials for Allstate Insurance, the PGA and Sears, followed by appearances in film shorts.
And now, a Disney movie that promises to hit the top of the box office charts.
Hayden beams as he describes reading Nemo's lines in the studio sound booth.
"I'm just in a room with Andrew Stanton (director/writer) and Lindsey Collins (producer) and a couple of other people trying to help on how I should do my voice," he says.
"I'm just by myself. The first time I met the other actors was during the premiere just last week!"
Was it difficult to emote while saying your lines by yourself?
"Yeah, it sort of was," he replies. "I had to make it sound like I was talking to other people, but I'm not talking to anybody else."
Hayden confessed he did have one particular line of dialogue that gave him trouble.
"My single worst line was one they cut," he says. "I had to say a tongue-twister. I don't remember what it was, but it's hard to say tongue twisters for me in general because I can barely get over my own words.
"Then, the fact that I had to do it in my Nemo voice makes it all the harder."
Hayden has nobody to credit for his success except his mother, Marlene Rolence.
Several years ago while at her hair salon, Marlene heard a friend say Hayden and his sister Meadow should consider professional modeling, they were that cute.
"I didn't think much about it," Marlene said. Then her friend mentioned that modeling jobs can pay for college expenses.
"'Oh, really?' That caught my attention," Marlene says. "You could have pushed us over with a feather when we found out he got the part (as Nemo)."
Even though the acting bug has bitten Hayden, he still prefers math and science as his favorite subjects. He also enjoys playing golf and being coached by his father, Jason Rolence.
But professionally, he's been bitten bad.
"I will definitely be an actor because as I've said before, I love everything about acting," Hayden says. "I want to try some more on-camera work. I want to do more voice-over stuff."
But what about his sister Meadow, also a model and actress? Any sibling rivalry about who earns the most money, gets the better jobs or bigger billing?
"I am not in that struggle. I cannot say the same thing about Meadow, but ..." His Nemo-esque voice grows serious.
"I'm just glad that she gets jobs. I'm glad that I get jobs. I'm just really ... glad."
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Source: The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald, http://bit.ly/1rpFDha
TOOLESBORO, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of people have helped to dedicate a memorial to six southeast Iowa brothers who died after enlisting to fight for the Union in the Civil War.
The deaths of the sons of James and Martha Littleton had long been forgotten until their story was uncovered by historians, whose effort to remember their sacrifice culminated in the memorial dedication near the community of Toolesboro.
Gov. Terry Branstad was among those who spoke at Tuesday's dedication, which honored George, John, Kendall, Noah, Thomas and William Littleton, The Burlington Hawk Eye reported (http://bit.ly/21my9rs ). They all joined the Iowa infantry months after the war started, and none made it back to their home.
"These brothers are role models who showcased the dedication and devotion ordinary Iowans have given," said Branstad, who noted that an estimated 13 percent of the state's population served during the Civil War.
Some of the brothers died of battle wounds, one drowned and one died in a Confederate prison.
Details about the Littleton brothers came to light after Louisa County historian Tom Woodruff was given a copy of a scrapbook page in North Carolina that included a 1907 article from a Columbus Junction newspaper. The story mentioned the deaths of the six brothers, prompting Woodruff to work with a friend, Ed Bayne, to investigate what happened.
After learning more about the brothers' deaths, which were among the largest loss from a U.S. war to affect one family, Woodruff and Bayne began pushing for a memorial. Plenty of others joined them, including Branstad, who helped raise funds for the $250,000 monument.
The 9-foot-tall granite monument is surrounded by six stones, each bearing the name of a brother.
"Who knew that handing me a scrap of paper in Raleigh, North Carolina, would result in this," Woodruff said.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye, http://www.thehawkeye.com
JACKSON, Mo. (AP) — A man accused of racing a riding lawn mower while drunk has been charged with a felony.
Thirty-five-year-old Jeremy Tyson Cook, of Jackson, is free on bond after he was charged over the weekend with felony driving while intoxicated as a chronic offender. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
The Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/1UjzzRI) reports that Cook tested positive for alcohol after two riding mowers crashed. The probable cause statement says the drivers reported the crash happened when one of the mowers they were racing stopped working and they attempted to move it.
The statement says Cook's driving status was revoked in December 2006, one month after he pleaded guilty to drunken driving. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a fatal 2000 crash.
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Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com
CHICAGO (AP) — The agency that investigates Chicago police misconduct says it failed to act before the deadline to fire a commander accused of breaking a suspect's nose.
The Independent Police Review Authority said Tuesday that it's still investigating Commander Glenn Evans on separate allegations that carry penalties up to dismissal. A judge in December acquitted Evans of charges he shoved his gun down a suspect's throat.
IPRA chief administrator Sharon Fairley in early May moved to have Evans fired for breaking a suspect's nose. IPRA says that since then however attorneys realized the five-year statute of limitations in the case passed in April.
IPRA blamed the oversight on administration changes prompted by the release last year of the video of a white officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An unprecedented number of Ohioans now have licenses to carry concealed handguns.
According to statistics released by the Ohio Attorney General's Office, there are now more than 500,000 valid concealed-carry license holders in the state. That's more than 4 percent of the total population.
The number of new permits issued in the first three months of the year — 36,118 — is a record for any quarter. That's a 132-percent increase over the same period last year.
Jim Irvine, president of the Buckeye Firearms Association board of directors, says the increase is the result of a change in the law reducing the required training time from 12 hours to eight hours.
Ohio also honors an estimated 12.3 million concealed-carry licenses from other states.
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