A report surfaced last week that Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan could be considering a move to Nascar, but will he?

Kanaan was testing for Firestone at IMS Tuesday and says he‘s a “free agent.” The popular Brazilian says the discussion is not new, he‘s been talking with other racing circuits since he won the 500. Kanaan says he‘s looking everywhere, including Nascar and Grand Am.

However, Kanaan says he will explore every option available, since he doesn‘t want to be in the position he was three years ago when he was without a ride in February.

Kanaan friend, and 3-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, feels Kanaan will stay in Indy Car, and hopes that he does.

Kanaan did say “”my heart is in Indy Car, and if there is a place for me here, Tony Kanaan will be here, but if it‘s not, I‘m going to make a decision where I‘m going to go.”

The idea has been floated to add a road course race at IMS during the Indy Car season, but there are differing opinions.

3-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti says he‘s a traditionalist and feels only one race should be held at IMS.

Franchitti says he‘s had discussions with Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles about the road race and says Miles assured him a road race would not take away from the heritage of the 500, and Franchitti says he‘ll take Miles‘ word for it.

2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan says the IMS road course is a “fun track” and feels there are two spots to pass, as opposed to other tracks that have only one.

Kanaan says when the race would possibly he held doesn‘t matter to him, but he adds that the road race would not attract the business the 500 does.

The Salem City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, regarding a request to annex approximately 27 acres on the east side of the city across from WSLM.

The petition requesting annexation is signed by Ken Temple, representing Temple & Temple Excavating and Paving; Larry Cottongim and Sandra Cottongim.

The petition included the word “walmart” in a filename printed on the document and city officials say a major retail outlet might locate there.

The purpose is to allow any interested parties the opportunity to make comments.

According to Salem Mayor David Bower, a development group called Cedarwood Development is interested in the property.

Annexation means the property would become part of the city and city services would be available, such as water, sewer and police and fire protection.

After the public hearing, the city council may adopt an ordinance annexing the property. The council must take action no earlier than Sept. 27 of this year and no later than Oct. 15.

The Salem City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.

Under the revised Indiana Criminal Code, sentences for some of the worst drug dealers could be slashed by 80 percent.

“Currently criminals can receive some credits that reduce their sentencing,” Washington County Prosecutor Dustin Houchin said this morning on WSLM’s Morning Show. “We sometimes have a hard time explaining to victims’ families what to expect with sentencing. We are going to recommend that criminals spend a minimum of 75 percent of their sentence behind bars.”

Houchin also said under the new rule, drug dealers who sell and make Meth would face lighter sentences. “That would be tragic to rural areas. We wouldn’t be able to police these areas if the sentences are lighter.”

Indiana’s Criminal Code was rewritten and adopted by the Indiana Legislature last year – but won’t take effect until July 2014.

Convicted rapists, child molesters and armed robbers could spend no time in prison, as the code calls for fully suspending those sentences at the judge’s discretion.

Those are but a few of the many issues Houchin said must be addressed in the coming legislative session.

He said the rewriting of Indiana’s criminal code, adopted by the Indiana Legislature last year, won’t take effect until July 2014.

“I encourage your listeners to reach out to their legislators to let them know how they feel about these issues,” said Houchin on WSLM’s Coffee Club.

Houchin is vice-chairman of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council and chairman of that organization’s legislative committee. He’s one of the prosecutors taking part in the Senate hearings as legislators develop recommendations for changes.

Houchin is participating in a Senate summer study committee charged with examining Title 35, which covers most other crimes.

“The legislature wisely put the effective date off a year;   they saw the necessity for these changes,” said Houchin. “At the   end of the day, this affects everybody profoundly whether you’re a criminal   defense attorney, family member, victim or citizen who expects a safe   community,” he said.

James “Jamie” Lykins, 24, had his first court hearing before Judge Larry Medlock earlier today while members of the Crain family were gathering across town to mourn the death of a toddler he is being accused of beating.’

Medlock entered a not-guilty plea on Lykins behalf.

Lykins next hearing is set for Nov. 14 and a trial date has been set for April 1.

Lykins was arrested Monday afternoon after a warrant was issued based on evidence surrounding the death of eight month old Leelan Craine, who was pronounced dead early Sunday morning.

Leelan was taken to St. Vincent Hospital Saturday evening after being found unconscious. He was later airlifted to Kosair Children’s Hospital. The autopsy showed various levels of bruising and signs of abuse as well as listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.

Lykins is accused of battery resulting in death and neglect of a dependent, both Class A Felonies. Each carry sentences of up to 50 years. The advised sentence of 30 years and $10,000 fine each.

Circuit Court Judge Larry Medlock said Lykins would be represented by a public defender. If the family would be able to hire an attorney, the public defender would withdraw his or her services.

BROOKVILLE, Ind. (Sept. 11) – Indiana State Excise Police officers arrested 14 people and seized thousands of counterfeit items this morning after a month-long investigation into the sale of counterfeit goods at a Brookville flea market.

Excise officers began their investigation after a citizen tip that counterfeit goods were allegedly being sold at White’s Sale Barn, 6032 Holland Road, in Brookville – 75 miles southeast of Indianapolis and 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati. The flea market is open on Wednesdays from daylight until 12:00 p.m. with more than 400 vendors and generally has 6,000 to 8,000 customers.

During their investigation, excise officers discovered more than a dozen locations within the flea market that sold counterfeit DVD’s, shoes, jackets, boots, purses, sunglasses, handbags and NBA/NFL jerseys. The people operating the booths represented the products as authentic when, in fact, they were not. Some of the DVD’s included movies only in theatres and not yet available for retail sale.

Everyone arrested today was preliminarily charged with counterfeiting, a class C felony. Additional charges related to fraud, also a felony, are possible. Only those operating booths selling these counterfeit products were arrested. The owner of White’s Sale Barn was not charged with any crime.

Today’s arrests follow other counterfeiting and fraud investigations by excise officers in Evansville, Gary, Hammond, Indianapolis and other cities. Last month, excise officers arrested four people on 11 felony charges after investigations at three stores in Evansville and Indianapolis uncovered thousands of bootleg DVD’s.

“The illegal sale of counterfeit products cheats legitimate businesses out of income,” Superintendent Matt Strittmatter said. “The State Excise Police will continue to investigate any location known to be selling counterfeit products.”

Excise officers were assisted by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anyone with information concerning counterfeit goods can contact the excise police at 812-523-8314.

As the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the primary mission of the Indiana State Excise Police is to promote public safety by enforcing Indiana’s Alcoholic Beverage Code. While excise officers have the authority to enforce any state law, they focus primarily on alcohol, tobacco and related laws.

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Another scam has recently begun to surface in southeastern Indiana and could very well be occurring statewide.

Though not a new scam, it has been successful for the scammers in other areas of the United States.

The scam works like this; a person will receive a phone call advising them they have placed second or third in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and have won hundreds of thousands of dollars and they are asked to wire money via Western Union cover taxes and processing fees. Don’t fall for this scam.

If you receive a call such as this, ask yourself this question, “Did I enter the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes?” If you didn’t enter or send anything in, how could you be a winner? If you did enter, check the phone number from which you received the call, particularly the area code.

Visit http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html to get a listing of area codes. The most recent calls in southeastern Indiana originated from area code “876,” a Jamaican area code. If the area code is from outside the U.S., beware.

The actual Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes winners are never contacted by phone and they do not have to pay any money up front to receive their cash prize. It is important to remember, if you fall for one of these scams and send money to some location within the U.S, it’s nearly impossible for U.S. law enforcement to recover the money and locate the scammers. If the money is sent outside the United States, there is absolutely nothing U.S. law enforcement can do to help you recover your loss.

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t be a victim.

Representative Todd Young’s staff will be holding mobile office hours in Bedford from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday in the Lawrence County Courthouse in room 28.

Constituents who need help dealing with federal agencies are encouraged to visit and speak to a caseworker who will be able to assist them.

Constituents who have questions or would like to reserve time for a meeting should contact the Jeffersonville Constituent Service Center at (812) 288-3999.

Young represents Indiana’s District 9 which includes all or parts of Brown, Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Orange, Scott and Washington Counties.

Two Orleans residents were arrested Tuesday after Orleans police executed a search warrant at their home on East Harding Street.

42-year-old Beth Ann Nagle was charged with possession of meth over 3 grams with the intent to deliver, possession of meth with a firearm, possession of meth within a 1000 feet of a school, possession of marijuana with intent to deal and maintaining a common nuisance.

Police also arrested a 17-year-old Orleans boy on charges of maintaining a common nuisance and possession of marijuana with intent to deal.

According to Orleans Police Chief Roy McFarland police seized 24 grams of crystal meth, marijuana, and a large amount of money along with a firearm from the home.

Orange County and Indiana Conservation officers assisted at the scene.

Three batches of mosquitoes in Lawrence County have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. The Lawrence County Health Department is urging people to take steps to prevent being bitten.

According to Brenda Cummins of the Lawrence County Health Department, the insects were collected by a representative of the Indiana State Department of Health on Aug. 22.

The West Nile virus is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes. In the United States, most people are infected from June through September, and the number of these infections usually peaks in mid-August.

The best way to prevent West Nile virus is to avoid mosquito bites by:

• Using insect repellents when you go outdoors
• Wearing long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk
• Installing or repairing screens on windows and doors. Use air conditioning, if you have it
• Draining standing water from outside items such as flowerpots, buckets and kiddie pools

Approximately one in five people who are infected with West Nile virus will develop symptoms. Those symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rashes.

Fewer than 1 percent will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues). But about 10 percent of people who develop neurologic infection because of West Nile virus will die.

People older than 50 and those with certain medical conditions — such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants — are at greater risk for serious illness.

There are no medications to treat, or vaccines to prevent, West Nile virus infection. People with milder illnesses typically recover on their own, according to Cummins’ report, although symptoms may last for several weeks. In more severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care.

Anyone who has symptoms that cause concern should contact a health care provider, Cummins advised.