LOST LAKE TRIBUNE MARCH 7, 2011 Full Edition
Libyan Forces Try to Stop Rebel Advance Toward Capital
BIN JAWWAD, Libya – Helicopter gunships strafed opposition fighters as forces loyal to Moammar Qadhafi pounded them with artillery and rockets, dramatically escalating a counteroffensive against rebels advancing on the capital.
After securing control of two important oil ports (at Brega and Ras Lanouf), rebels reached a town (Bin Jawwad) about 110 miles east of Qadhafi's hometown last night before pulling back. Pro-Qadhafi forces moved into the town overnight and surprised the rebels at daybreak, triggering battles that raged throughout the day.
The rebel-controlled city of Misrata, 120 miles east of Tripoli, has also seen heavy fighting. A doctor there tells The Associated Press that 20 people have been killed and 100 wounded. Residents say pro-Qadhafi troops punched into the city with mortars and tanks but were pushed out five hours later by rebel forces.
Hundreds and perhaps thousands have died since Libya's uprising began in mid-February, though tight media restrictions make it nearly impossible to get an accurate tally.
Information Copied from: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/06/libyan-forces-try-stop-rebel-advance-capital/#ixzz1FsvbLGvv
THE LOST LAKE TRIBUNE INVITES ALL TO ITS THIRD ANNUAL NCAA TOURNAMENT CHALLENGE
All are invited to participate in the NCAA tournament challenge for 2011 hosted and sponsored by the Lost Lake Tribune! CBS Sports will be providing the Bracket Manager® program needed for the Challenge. Each participant will be permitted TWO bracket entries in the original challenge and TWO additional entries in the RISK Challenge. To participate in this challenge please follow this link: http://lostlaketribune.mayhem.cbssports.com/e.
Participants should click on this link on March 13th and immediately set up their own USER NAME and Password. Then they should enter their picks between the 13th and the 17th. Participants must register and fill their brackets between March 13 at 7PM EDT and March 17 at 11 AM EDT. For more information, please email the LLT at lostlaketribune@twincities.mn.
The group password is: aprilanger
Feel Free to invite friends!
POT HOLES IN INDY SOON TO BE TACKLED
Navigating the minefield of bone-jarring potholes on Indianapolis streets requires the skills of a stunt driver. Or, perhaps, a New York City cabbie.
But for those desiring a tad less excitement on city streets, help may soon be on the way.
After a frigid winter that included a rare ice storm, Indianapolis is stepping up its annual assault on chuckholes. Beginning Monday, four private contractors will expand public works crews' asphalt-filling firepower, Mayor Greg Ballard said Friday.
A local company has agreed to start production of "hot asphalt" a month early. That blend is denser than the usual winter "cold mix" and provides a longer-lasting repair that will not be washed out in a heavy storm.
Steve Quick, president of Local 725 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the city workers who have tackled both snowplowing and pothole patching agreed to work with the contractors -- for the first time in memory -- because they need the help.
"I'm not sure Indianapolis has ever been more ready for spring," Ballard said during a news conference. Commuters have never been more ready for a smoother ride.
The city said at least 40 more workers will be on pothole duty for the next month, thanks to the hiring of Freije Asphalt Paving, Globe Asphalt Paving, Ohab Property Management and Brookfield Sand and Gravel, all in Indianapolis. Another contractor will do spot-checks.
The city has awarded five contracts, including three to Freije, and is finalizing a sixth. Each is worth $80,000 to $100,000, Department of Public Works spokeswoman Kara Brooks said.
Even with the help, city officials said, it might take until May to gain the upper hand.
On Monday, regional paving contractor Rieth-Riley Construction Co. will open its two Indianapolis plants nearly a month early, at the city's request.
Company manager John Wischmeyer said the city's pricing contract will not change, since the pothole operation is expected to keep volume high. In addition, city road repaving projects can start earlier than usual.
Tony Phelps, owner of Tony's Tire Service, 6875 W. Washington St., said he's fixing about six to eight cars a day with damage caused by potholes, a faster pace than last year.
"They are plenty mad when they come in, too," he said. "About the only thing they can do is take pictures and argue with the government."
Phelps said about half the cars have only tire damage, but some need wheels repaired or struts and front-end alignments fixed, which is more costly.
Liability is a tricky question. The city or the state may be liable, depending on who has responsibility for the street or highway -- and whether the pothole had been reported before the damage occurred.
"If the pothole has not been reported and the city has not had ample time to fix it, then you won't get your claim paid," said Charlie Vaught, a claims advocate for Indianapolis-based Gregory & Appel Insurance.
Last year, the city received 603 pothole-related tort claims and paid on 106 of them, totaling $34,646, according to spokeswoman Molly Deuberry. So far this year, the city has received 207 pothole claims -- ahead of last year's pace -- and is still processing them.
"I don't think it's as large as if you have hail damage and phones are ringing off the hook, but I do think anyone driving around can certainly see the potholes," said Steve Appel, a vice president for Gregory & Appel. "And we welcome the mayor's assault."
The average insurance claim for pothole-related damage: $150 to $200.
Information Gained from http://www.indystar.com/article/20110305/LOCAL18/103050340/Potholes-City-expand-battle-against-perilous-roads?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s
A suspected drunken driver, traveling fast, struck a car in Brooklyn Center.
Just as Meyer Warren and Nancy Athanassells rolled to a stop around 10:20 p.m. Saturday at a traffic light in Brooklyn Center, the world exploded in front of them.
A red Geo Prizm had just exited from northbound Hwy. 100 onto 57th Avenue N. when "this car came flying out of nowhere and hit the red car, BAM!" Warren said Sunday at the crash site. "The people in the red car had no time to react," Athanassells said.
Warren called 911, and then the couple ran to the Prizm, which like the other car had caught fire. A young couple were slumped inside.
As flames shot out from under the Prizm, Warren tried to pull Jessica Vallis from the car.
"Her hair was hanging out the window," he said, "I didn't want her hair to catch on fire." "I didn't know if they were knocked out or what," Warren said of the victims. "It never dawned on me that they had passed on."
Vallis, 21, of Brooklyn Center, and George Kaffey, 22, of Bloomington, were killed instantly when a suspected drunk driver traveling at a high rate of speed smashed into them, the State Patrol said.
The two men in the other car, a Toyota Camry, were driver Yeng Vue, 21, of Minneapolis, and passenger Choua Yang, 29, of Brooklyn Center, the patrol said. They suffered minor injuries. Alcohol was detected on both Vue and Yang, the patrol said.
At the Camry, Athanassells found that the driver had a bloody nose and seemed out of it, she said.
His passenger was furiously "shouting, screaming, 'Move your car, move your car,' talking to the people in the red car," Athanassells said quietly. "I don't think he realized the people were dead or that he had hit them," Warren added.
Athanassells helped the driver out of his car and onto a snow bank. She got the passenger to safety shortly before police arrived to find him trying to walk away from the scene. Warren said he was so focused on trying to rescue the young couple that it took him a minute to register that they were dead. "Then Nancy said, 'Meyer, they're dead,'" he said. "Then we did the only thing we could do. We said a prayer for them."
On his last night, Kaffey finished work and was picked up by Vallis. They were exiting Hwy. 100 to head to her house when they were killed, Kaffey's older brother said. "They both were good people," Peter Kaffey said sadly.
George Kaffey worked for a Marshall's department store and had attended the Minnesota College of Business. He enjoyed setting up websites and was working toward a profession in the computer industry, his brother said. One of six children, George had emigrated from war-ravaged Liberia as a boy with his family. His American dreams included getting a car, finishing college and finding happiness.
"George was just a genuine dude, always had a smile on his face, and he embraced everybody that he encountered," Peter Kaffey said. "He was just a good kid who just did everything the right way. He was a happy person. People just loved being around him because he was positive."
He and Vallis graduated from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in Plymouth in 2008.
She worked at the North Ridge Care Home in New Hope and was a student at North Hennepin Community College. Her goal was to become a certified accountant and move to Maine, where she loved the scenery, said Josh Vallis, 25, of Grand Rapids, Minn., the oldest of Jessica's several siblings.
She was "one of the most caring people you'd ever meet," her brother said. "She was so much fun to be around. She was always smiling."
He said his sister and Kaffey had gone out together for some time, had broken up but lately "had been talking about getting back together again -- they were still friends."
Her family's grief is made even more intense by the nature of the "pointless" crash that took her life, Josh said. "It's the most stupid reason there is for an accident -- someone gets drunk and gets in a car," he said.
All four people involved in the crash were wearing their seat belts, according to the patrol. "Vue was driving fast, went right through the red light, and smashed into the driver's side of the Geo Prizm, which had the green light exiting Highway 100 north," said patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske. "... We believe he's going to shown to be drunk."
Sunday evening, Vue was in the Hennepin County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation. He was also wanted on warrants in connection with an earlier drunken-driving case and for driving after suspension, jail records show.
Information Gained from http://www.startribune.com/local/north/117489388.html
INDIANA STATE Earns Automatic NCAA Bid
ST. LOUIS -- Indiana State was picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference. The school earned its first NCAA tournament bid in a decade by knocking off a school that had risen from worst to first.
Aaron Carter scored 15 points and the Sycamores held top seed Missouri State to 19 percent shooting in the second half of a 60-56 victory in the Valley tournament final on Sunday.
"It's unreal, man, it's unreal," Carter said. "We knew we could do it. We came into the tournament pretty confident."
Jake Kelly hit two clinching free throws with 1.4 seconds to go for the third-seeded Sycamores (20-13), who shot 50 percent and earned their first NCAA tournament berth since 2001. Indiana State has won five in a row under first-year coach Greg Lansing and beat second seed Wichita State in the semifinals.
"It's about the best feeling in the world, I'll tell you that," Lansing said. "The Indiana State program hasn't been where it was supposed to be and this group of guys took it back there."
Last season, Indiana State was 17-15, the school's first winning season since 2001, but expectations were still low.
"That kind of fueled the fire, really inspired us," redshirt freshman Jake Odum said.
Missouri State's Kyle Weems, the conference player of the year, was held to 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting and his last basket came with 11:12 to go in the first half.
Tournament MVP Jermaine Mallett had 17 points and eight rebounds but was the only starter shooting above 50 percent for the Bears (25-8), who shot 30.5 percent overall and were below 40 percent in all three tournament games.
"I was a ballplayer," said Valley coach of the year Cuonzo Martin, who starred at Purdue in the 1990s. "I know what nights the shots just don't fall."
Missouri State was the 10th seed in 2008-09, Martin's first season. After the semifinals, Martin thought the Bears deserved an NCAA bid but he and players backed off after the final.
"I'm not bellyaching over this," Martin said. "This is a tough league and one of the top conferences in the country. We're 15-3 in a tough, physical league and that speaks for itself. We're 25-8 and just the work we put in. I'm wondering is there a set criteria for getting in?"
Weems hit a tie-breaking shot driving the lane with 1.4 seconds left to beat Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals and was trying for a repeat move. He couldn't get open and passed it to Mallett on the baseline, and Mallett dribbled the ball out of bounds with 2.4 seconds to go.
NCAA Tournament Automatic Bids
Teams that have clinched automatic bids to the 2011 men's NCAA tournament:
Team | Conference |
Atlantic Sun | |
Missouri Valley | |
Ohio Valley | |
Big South |
"When I first caught it I was thinking 3," Mallett said. "I just lost it, it just slipped out of my hands."
Missouri State missed its first 13 shots of the second half, falling behind by as many as eight points. Adam Leonard's driving layup was the first basket with 9:19 to play.
"This is a horrible feeling," Weems said. "I feel like I let my team down."
The Bears won their first MVC title and have a 37 RPI but are long shots to make the NCAAs. The MVC is 12th in conference RPI and is likely to be a one-bid conference for the fourth straight season.
Odum added 12 points for Indiana State and was 4 for 6 from the line in the final 1:26.
"I've dreamed about this all my life and we're there, baby," Odum said. "We're going dancing, baby. I just pictured myself back in the gym, back in Terre Haute."
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