#NaptownNewsie: Cold Temps Hitting Indy–Maybe Flurries Too; Trump Rails Against Carrier Union Rep Who’s Calling Pres-elect A Liar; IPS Interviewing For Vacant Board Seat; Sports & More

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@kwellscomm PraiseIndy.com News & Sports

Burrrrrrr…and good day to you as teeth chattering season can be felt on this chilly Thursday…

Get used to the cold, it’s going to stick around for a while. Forecasters say Indianapolis could see the first flurries of the season today and cold temps. The city will see highs in the upper 20s. The cold is expected to continue through the weekend, as is the snow. Get your boots and your windshield scrapers ready. Saturday and Sunday could bring the first real snowfall of the season.

Source: IPS / submittd by IPS

The Indianapolis Public Schools board will begin publicly interviewing candidates tonight who are vying to fill the empty seat vacated by LaNier Echols, a leader at Indianapolis charter school Carpe Diem Meridian, according to The Indianapolis Star. The paper reports three candidates are in the running. They are Michael Brown, who has a long history of service with the board—serving at one time as the president—and who was unseated by Echols; Eugene Hawkins, a senior operations manager at Praxair Surface Technologies; and Dorene Rodriguez Hoops, a current IPS parent and former human resources official. Interviews get underway tonight at 6 p.m. at the IPS administration building downtown, 120 E. Walnut Street.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

The union president for Carrier’s workers said he’ll keep calling Donald Trump a liar despite threats and the President-elect’s tweets. United Steelworkers Local 1999 President Chuck Jones said Trump lied about how many jobs he saved at the Carrier plant. Trump has said more than 1,000. Jones says the number is closer to 750. Trump launched a series of tweets at Jones, saying Jones has done a terrible job and should spend less time talking. Jones says Trump’s response just shows he’s doing his job (as a union leader). [See more on this story below.]

Murder charges are being filed against the man accused of killing a Ben Davis student. The body of Renia Woods was found behind a dumpster on the city’s east side in March of this year. Officials said DNA profiles and cell phone records led investigators to their suspect, William Mosley. Mosley is now being held in the Hancock County Jail right now on unrelated charges.

A Westfield man died after being found beaten in a parking lot and Westfield Police are investigating what happened. Twenty-four-year-old Corey Zimmer, was found Wednesday in the 17200 block of Gunther Boulevard, located near State Road 32 and Carey Road. He was pronounced dead there on the scene. So far police don’t believe Zimmer’s death was a random act of violence. They’re asking for your help. Call Crime Stoppers if you know anything about this incident at 317-262-TIPS. You can do so anonymously.

A teacher at Longfellow Middle School is back in the classroom after police said they think students tried to frame him with a porn complaint. Investigators pulled the teacher after students complained he was looking at pornography in class. But Indianapolis Metro Police Department commanders said they didn’t find any evidence of that. Instead, those investigators said they found evidence of a frame-up by those same students.

Police are trying to find the person responsible for stealing home appliances from a new subdivision in Carmel. Officials say the theft happened last month at the Sunrise on the Monon housing addition. Police are looking for a mid-2000 Ford Expedition or Explorer with a dent in the passenger side door. Investigators believe the same person has stolen appliances from other Carmel construction sites.

Traffic north of Indy in Carmel is improving. The new roundabout-style interchange at I-69 and 106th Street is now open. The construction project took about eight-months and cost $34-million, but officials say it’ll reduce traffic congestion as the area is developed. Before construction, 106th Street was an overpass on I-69. Make a note. The new interchange is marked as “Exit 204.”

National…

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Testimony resumes this morning as federal prosecutors continue laying out their case against the white man accused of killing nine black worshipers at a South Carolina church. In his opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said yesterday that racial hatred drove Dylann Roof to coldly kill nine people at Charleston’s historic ‘Mother’ Emanuel AME Church last year. Richardson said Roof scouted the church for months and sat with parishioners for half-an-hour during their bible study before opening fire. Included among the nine victims is the church’s pastor, South Carolina Senator and Reverend Clementa Pinkney.

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Jobs, here in Indy, at Carrier Corp is more than a local story. United Steelworkers Local 1999 President, Chuck Jones and his family have been threatened after Jones told The Washington Post on Tuesday that Donald Trump “lied his a** off” on stage at Carrier in Indianapolis, referring to media event held at the plant to announce how Trump saved jobs from moving from Indy to Mexico to the tune of a $7-million tax incentive. The threats, in the form of phone calls and social media banter, also came after the President-elect struck back beginning Wednesday by launching a series of tweets. One read, “Chuck Jones, who is president of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country.” In another tweet, Trump blamed the union for initially losing the jobs in Indiana. (Click to see the tweets below.) Jones also noted publicly that Trump and Indiana Governor, Vice-President-elect Mike Pence inflated the numbers and took credit for saving jobs that were never leaving the city in the air conditioner manufacturer’s production flight out of the country for cheap labor. He also said 550 union members were still losing their livelihoods. Two hashtags have emerged in support of Jones and his truth-telling… #imwithchuck and #werewithchuck. Indiana’s 7^th District Congressman Andre Carson also tweeted his support of Jones, saying “I stand with Chuck Jones and all working families in Indianapolis.”

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Another day. Another pick. President-elect Trump will nominate pro wrestling magnate Linda McMahon to run the Small Business Association. McMahon is a co-founder and former CEO of the WWE franchise. In a statement, Trump said McMahon is “widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives, advising businesses around the globe.” He also called her a champion for small businesses. In doing a little digging for you to find out who this latest pick is…The New York Times in 2012 noted McMahon dished out close to $100 million for two failed Senate races over a three-year period which totaled lots more than anyone has ever spent of their own money to win any federal seat. They also noted, in her attempts to buy a Connecticut senate seat for herself, she hired consultants and agencies that were responsible for the racially charged ‘Willie Horton’ and dogwhistle-filled ‘Swift Boat’ campaigns used to sink Democratic opponents. Again, each time McMahon ran for the U.S. Senate she lost.

The former rookie New York police officer convicted in the housing project stairwell shooting death of Akai Gurley is dropping his appeal in the case. The Brooklyn District Attorney and Peter Liang’s lawyers will not be moving forward in appealing his manslaughter conviction. Liang was sentenced to five years community service and probation in the case. His attorney says Liang accepts the ruling and doesn’t want to put himself or his family through another trial.

Two major American cruise ship companies will be able to make their way to Cuba in 2017. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings say the Cuban government has given them approval to sail to Cuba soon. Norwegian Cruise Lines says it plans to operate all three of its brands from PortMiami to Cuba starting in March.

In Sports…

The Pacers western road swing continues. They used a 9-0 fourth quarter run to pull away from the Suns Wednesday night in Phoenix to get to a final of 109-94. The Pacers visit Dallas to take on the Mavericks Friday night.

Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty

For those World Champion Cubs fans, word out of Chicago on this Thursday is Aroldis Chapman is leaving the Windy City and going back to the Bronx. Multiple reports say the closer has agreed to a five-year, $86-million deal with the Yankees. New York sent Chapman to the Cubs before last season’s trade deadline in July where the contributor helped get that ring. In other moves—The Cubs are adding All-Star closer Wade Davis to the back end of their bullpen. They sent outfielder Jorge Soler to the Royals in exchange for Davis.

The basketball upsets continue here in Indiana. Indiana State is the latest to shock a top-25 team. The Sycamores beat 15th-ranked Butler Wednesday night, 72-71. Indiana State drained three three-pointers in the final three minutes to send the Bulldogs back to their doghouse like scolded pups–pulling off their first upset of a top-25 team since 2006.

Indianapolis Weather…

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It’s overcast in Indy with periods of mostly clouds and a slight bit of sun. Cold today and again you could see some flurries. Today’s high might call for hot cocoa or a cup of hot tea: 27 degrees.

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