#PraiseIndyNews: Cheap Gasoline This Fourth Of July Weekend For Travelers (See The Deals); Federal Judge Pratt Suspends Indiana’s Controversial Abortion Law; Sallie Mae Is Bringing Jobs To Area; Sports & More

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@kwellscomm PraiseIndy.com News & Sports

Happy Friday to you as we head into this three-day holiday weekend…

Millions of Americans are expected to fill up on the cheapest gas in more than a decade and hit the road in record numbers this Fourth of July weekend. AAA says nearly 43 million people will travel over the holiday weekend. That would be a record. Most of the credit goes to the lowest gas prices since 2005. The average national price for regular is $2.32 a gallon. Here in Indy, according to GasBuddy.com, on Friday morning the average price was listed at $2.08 a gallon. Check local gas prices HERE.

Metro police are officially identifying the man found shot to death outside a local apartment complex.  He’s Twenty-five-year-old Phillip Brown. His body was discovered at the Blackburn Terrace apartments Wednesday night.  The “Indy Star” says the victim was still recovering from a gunshot wound from two weeks prior when he was killed.  Police are looking for the gunman.

In a follow-up story… A man is under arrest, and is now accused of killing his mother in her own home. Richard Franks was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of murder. His mother, Bonnie Franks, was found that morning at her Muncie home in the 3600 block of Fleetwood Drive. Muncie police say she suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

A federal judge is suspending Indiana’s new controversial abortion law. It would have gone into effect today, July 1, but Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said on Thursday, the law would likely be found unconstitutional. The new law would have prohibited abortions sought solely because a fetus had been potentially diagnosed with a disability, such as Down syndrome. It’s unclear if the state plans to appeal.

Parents wanting to request a rescore of their child’s ISTEP exam have to wait a little bit longer. Requests were expected to begin yesterday, but the state’s testing vendor now says the window will open next Tuesday. Pearson Education blamed the delay on “ongoing quality control processes” and “final checks.” The deadline to make a request will be August 12.

Work is getting started on the largest expansion project in the history of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck helped announce the seven-acre expansion. It will be called the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience and will help combat childhood obesity. It’s set to open in the spring of 2018.

It’s taken a year but a popular ride at the Indianapolis Zoo is back open today. The Skyline had been shut down since July 30, 2015. Zoo officials shuttered the gondola ride after it kept breaking down with people on board.  They say it’s undergone several upgrades to make it safer and more reliable.

Sallie Mae is expanding here in Indy. And this means J-O-B-S…jobs!  The company plans to add 278 jobs by 2018 as part of a larger plan to bring off-shore customer service jobs back to the USA. Sallie Mae recently renovated a three-story building at Woodfield Crossing on the city’s northeast side and relocated from its former office about five-miles away.

National…

Questions about Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s get-together with former President Bill Clinton are lasting a lot longer than their conversation actually did. Lynch and Clinton met privately Monday as they were on their way to flights out of Phoenix. Lynch says they talked mostly about Clinton’s grandchildren. The FBI is investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State. Lynch said she and Bill Clinton didn’t talk at all about that investigation, but she acknowledges that the meeting “cast a shadow” over the investigation. Speaking today at the Aspen Ideas Festival, she told the crowd that she will accept recommendations from prosecutors and the FBI on whether to bring charges against Hillary Clinton. Lynch said the final determination on the probe’s findings will be contained in the recommendations.

Turkish officials say the suspected mastermind behind the Istanbul airport attack is a known ISIS leader from Chechnya.   He’s been identified as Ahkmed Chatayev and the United Nations says he’s responsible for training Russian-speaking ISIS terrorists. His whereabouts are unknown.

The leader of al-Qaeda is warning the U.S. not to execute the Boston Marathon bomber. In an online video message, Ayman al-Zawahri warned of “the gravest consequences” if Dzokhar Tsarnaev or any other Muslim prisoner is executed by the U.S. Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by lethal injection last year for the 2013 bomb attack that killed three people at the famed Boston Marathon.

Sports…

NBA free agency is officially underway. Players are now allowed to meet with teams and discuss contracts. The Pacers have been linked to Courtney Lee, Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams. Players and teams are allowed to negotiate and come to terms, but deals cannot be signed until July 7.

The Orlando NBA Summer League tips off on Saturday for the Pacers. Indiana takes on the Magic tomorrow and the Hornets on Sunday. Joe Young, Glenn Robinson the Third and Rakeem Christmas highlight Indiana’s summer league roster.

The Fever are in action tonight taking on the San Antonio Stars at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana is riding a two-game win streak and sits at 7-and-9 on the year. The Stars are 3-and-12. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

Weather…

Morning clouds give-way to loads of afternoon sunshine. Pull out your shades! Today’s High: 83 degrees.

Finally…

We know that police presence will be increased across the Indy metro area during this holiday weekend. IMPD made moves like cancelling days off for officers to make sure they’re fully staffed. Here are some of the events across the area to keep you busy: The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Star Spangled Symphony is tonight at The Lawn at White River State Park at 8 p.m.; Taste of Indy is at Monument Circle Saturday, all day from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.; the INDYpendence Day Concert for Cancer is on Pan Am Plaza Sunday from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m.; and, of course there are fireworks on the Fourth of July, Monday–the Donatos Downtown Freedom Blast is from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Indiana War Memorial and Museum (and pretty-much anywhere you can get a good view and look up after sundown). See more events celebrating the Fourth of July in downtown Indy HERE.

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