#NaptownNewsie: IMPD Arrest Man Suspected Of Murdering Woman & Throwing Her In Retention Pond; Drug Bust At Popular NW-Side Barber Shop With Three Men Arrested; IKEA Coming To Fishers; SC Teen Shooter Terrorizes; Sports & More

Source: Apostrophe Productions / Getty

@kwellscomm  PraiseIndy.com  News & Sports —

Good day to you on this National Coffee Day & Indy Do Day…

Ralph Tait, Murder Suspect Source: IMPD / IMPD

Indianapolis Metro police detectives think they have the man responsible for a weekend murder behind bars. Officers arrested Ralph Tait for Starr Eldridge’s death on Wednesday. IMPD officers found Eldridge’s body on Sunday in a retention pond in an apartment complex located in the 7100 block of Waterfront Drive.

Police in Zionsville are investigating the shooting death of an elderly man. Officials say John Clements was in his driveway Wednesday when he was shot by what appears to be a high-powered rifle. A newer model white Chevrolet Impala was seen fleeing the scene. It’s unclear if the shooting was random or if Clements was specifically targeted.

Investigators say a mother admits she smothered her kids after kidnapping them earlier this week. Police say Amber Pasztor used her hands to smother her seven-year-old daughter and her six-year-old son. But they are not saying why. Pasztor is now in jail in Elkhart County. Investigators are also still looking into her connection to a man’s shooting who was found dead near her home.

Police are also planning to seek criminal charges against the Greenwood mother that sparked an AMBER Alert. Officials say Morgan Negri intentionally interfered with child custody, although she claims it was a misunderstanding.  An AMBER Alert was issued Tuesday for Negri’s seven-year-old daughter, but cancelled a short time later after they were found at a local dentist office.  The case will be turned over to the Johnson County prosecutor.

Dorian Benefield  Source: IMPD 

Najee Jackson  Source: IMPD

Jonte Ford  Source: IMPD

‘Word of Mouf’ Barbershop Drug Bust Spoils  Source: IMPD

Source: WTHR

Help is on the way for former Carrier employees affected by the company’s move from Indianapolis to Mexico. The Labor Department says the workers can receive federal assistance from a program for those who lose their jobs because of foreign competition. That assistance includes income, education and training.   Carrier’s move directly impacts 14-hundred people locally.

As many as four-million Indiana drivers may be owed as much as $30 million. The law firm that brought the class action suit against the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is asking a judge to order the BMV to pay-up. At issue is a dozen years’ worth of overcharges. BMV officials say they’ve already credited drivers accounts. The BMV settled a similar case in 2013. The judge isn’t saying when a ruling will come.

Source: PHILIPPE HUGUEN / Getty

IKEA is getting closer to breaking ground in Fishers. Company officials from the furniture and lifestyle superstore say they’ve hired contractors and will start work next month. The store is being built near I-69 and East 116th Street, and is expected to open next fall. This will be IKEA’s first store in the state of Indiana. Hoosier IKEA loyalists were making the trip to the suburbs of Cincinnati or to one of two stores in the suburbs of Chicago.

National…

Officials in South Carolina are trying to figure out why a teenager would allegedly kill his father and then shoot three people at a nearby elementary school. Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said so far, the suspect hasn’t given any reason for shooting a teacher and two students at the school in Townville. The teacher and one of the students have been treated and released. The other child remains in critical condition. Before going to the school, the teen allegedly shot and killed his father, 47-year-old Jeffery Osborne.

Tensions are sky-high in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon after police killed a black man who pointed a vape smoking device at them. Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic Wednesday night. Police shot and killed Alfred Olango Tuesday after responding to a call about someone walking in traffic.

The federal government will not shut down at the end of the week. The House and Senate passed a temporary spending bill Wednesday to continue federal government funding for ten weeks. That pushes spending disputes past November’s elections. The spending extension includes more than a billion dollars to fight the Zika virus.

Donald Trump is taking part in a religious liberty round table in New York this morning before heading to New Hampshire for another roundtable. The Republican presidential nominee will hold a rally later on this Thursday in Bedford. Democrat Hillary Clinton will be in Iowa campaigning in Des Moines. Republican vice presidential nominee and Indiana Governor Mike Pence will campaign in Pennsylvania.

A new study says residents in black neighborhoods are less likely to call 911 following police violence against unarmed black men. The American Sociological Review study examined several incidents, including the beating of Frank Jude Jr. by off-duty Milwaukee police officers. Researchers found that calls decreased by more than 22,000 in Milwaukee following that incident, especially in black neighborhoods. The study comes after several recent high-profile instances of police killings of black men across the country.

In Sports…

Jose Fernandez  Source: Rob Foldy / Getty

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is being laid to rest today. The Marlins organization will join the Fernandez family, and close friends today for a private funeral. The 24-year-old was killed last Sunday along with two of his friends when their boat crashed off Miami Beach.

The Colts clash with the Jaguars on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Indianapolis sits at 1-and-2 after taking on and beating the San Diego Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week Three. The Jaguars enter the match-up winless. The Colts are the road team for Sunday’s international game. Plan to wake up early. The game gets underway, chaps, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.