Principal’s job firing official
| (Indianapolis) – An Indianapolis Public Schools principal found out the fate of his job at a meeting Tuesday night held by the district’s school board. Brandon Cosby, principal of Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy, was suspended early last month for what IPS Superintendent Dr. Eugene White described as Cosby’s “insubordination” and called the magnet school’s test scores as “abysmal” and “ridiculous.” Cosby has admitted to not using school procedure to improve the test scores but said he did so because he believes the test results are flawed. During Cosby’s suspension, parent and student support surfaced with some students duct taping their mouths during class in protest of Cosby’s suspension. Some parents asked why Cosby was singled out as scores from the federal government found other schools test performance was below that of Shortridge’s. White said those results are from ISTEP scores, and that his decision was based on the district’s own internal investigation.Teacher resigns amid investigation
(New Palestine) – A gym instructor has resigned from his job on child molestation accusations.. Bryan Turner, 53, had worked at Doe Creek Middle School. Earlier this month a 14-year-old student says Turner molested him in October 2010. In a related incident, a man notified the school district’s superintendent to tell him he had firsthand knowledge of inappropriate behavior by Turner. An investigation was conducted by the Child Protective Services and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department including a case where Turner is accused of molestation occurring as far back as the 1970s. Turner was arrested earlier this week and was released on bail. Double murder suspects appear in court (Indianapolis) – The two men accused of killing a 21-year-old man and his 7-year-old niece last week made their first appearance in Marion Superior Court 4 Tuesday during which time Judge Lisa Borges advised the suspects of their rights. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office was seeking and received a 72-hour continuance against Michael Bell and Jeremy Priel. Jeremy Crane and Kyleigh Crane were killed December 12th in their Cumberland home. According to investigators, Bell and Priel went to the home on Woodlark Drive to steal a video game console. In an interview on Fox 59, Bell says he waited outside the home while Priel stole the console and shot the victims. But Priel says Bell was the triggerman. Priel was later seen on surveillance video on an IndyGo bus wiping fingerprints off of the murder weapon. Bell and Priel are expected to return to court on Thursday. |
License branches announce holiday hours
(Indianapolis) – The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be closed for business on December 23, 24 and 25 in observance of the upcoming Christmas holiday. Branches will reopen on Tuesday, December 27 and will be open on December 31, but will be closed on January 2 in observance of New Year’s Day. All license branches will resume regular hours on Tuesday, January 3. In related news, the “In God We Trust” license plate is getting a makeover. The plate will have a waving American flag in the background, with the words “In God We Trust” at the bottom.” The special plate was created in 2006 as an alternative to the standard Indiana license plate. In 2010, more than 1.9 million people selected the plate. The revised plate will be available next month.
City-County Councilman indicted
(Indianapolis) – According to reports in today’s “Indianapolis Star” City-County Councilman Paul Bateman, Jr. is under a federal indictment for alleged money laundering and wire fraud. A federal grand jury has also indicted Russell Foundation founder Michael Russell and former foundation employee Manuel Gonzalez. The three allegedly defrauded an Indiana doctor out of almost $2 million since 2009. Bateman is leaving his seat on the council at the end of the month, and did not run for reelection.
