COLUMBUS, INDIANA (BNO NEWS) — A Marine from Columbis, Indiana was killed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Saturday.

Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, died while supporting Operation Moshtarak in the Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The Department of Defense did not release any additional details on the incident, nor did the II Marine Expeditionary Force.

On Thursday, a total of four American troops were killed in improvised explosive device attacks and small-arms fire, according to the NATO-led ISAF alliance.

McQueary was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

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CLEVELAND, OHIO (BNO NEWS) – Another winter storm is on its way, which will affect several Ohio Valley counties, the National Weather Service announced Monday.

The weather service issued a warning for southern Indiana, northern Kentucky and the Ohio Valley, but various areas of the surrounding states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia should expect steady snowfall as well.

The coastal storm developing around the mid-Atlantic coast is expected to hit on Monday night until Tuesday morning, and will also affect southern New England.

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (BNO NEWS) – Democrat Senator Evan Bayh will not seek re-election for the U.S. Senate at the end of his current term, his office announced on Monday.

Sen. Bayh, 54, is currently serving his second term as U.S. Senator from Indiana. He expressed his desire to continue serving as a Senator for a third term but contrary to his previous statements he has changed his mind.

“After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,” Senator Bayh said.

Bayh has never lost an election. He was elected as Indiana Secretary of State in 1986. He also served as Governor of Indiana in two terms, 1988 and 1992. Bayh was later elected for the U.S. Senate in 1998.

In 2004, he stepped into the spotlight by asking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for his resignation after his mistakes regarding the Iraq war.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (BNO NEWS) – CVS Pharmacy Stores have reached a $1.95 million settlement with the State of Indiana regarding a complaint issued against two pharmacists with expired licenses, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced on Tuesday.

An investigation conducted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) revealed that CVS employed Morris “Mo” Skirvin at a store in Nashville, Indiana, and Edward Certain at a store in Marion, Ind., both individuals with expired pharmacist licenses.

In the curse of the investigation, the MFCU found that Skirvin’s license expired in 1990 and Certain’s in 2002. Between 1997 and 2007, the two unlicensed pharmacists issued approximately 60,778 prescriptions.

“When consumers get prescriptions filled, they do so trusting that the person behind the pharmacy counter dispensing medication is up to date on their licensing. That trust was violated by these two individuals,” Mr. Zoeller said.

In the settlement, CVS agreed to put into action some consumer protections. They will work alongside the Indiana Professional Licensing Board to verify that all employees are properly licensed. They will also make extensive research before hiring pharmacists.

Attorney Zoeller added that the $1.95 million that CVS will pay within 60 days will be used to pay for the investigation costs and for reimbursing the Indiana Medicaid Program.

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (BNO NEWS) – Heavy snowfall on Friday caused dangerous road conditions in Indianapolis, Indiana, resulting in property damage and slide-offs.

Road conditions are deteriorating quickly in Indianapolis. State Troopers are investigating several wrecks and property damage crashes on I-165. Visibility is limited to half-a-mile in most areas and the storm may cause lane restrictions.

State troopers urge using caution and reducing speed, particularly in areas where troopers are assisting motorists. Indiana State Police said that they do expect road conditions to deteriorate as heavy snowfall continues throughout the city.

Indianapolis is just one city out of many that have been hit with winter storms as snowfall has struck most of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic with totals of up to 1 to 2 feet.

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EVANSVILLE, INDIANA (BNO NEWS) – Twenty-two persons have been charged in U.S. District Court in Evansville with conspiracy to distribute cocaine on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.

The investigation was led by the Evansville office of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Joint Drug Task Force. During the operation 150 law enforcement officers arrested twenty-two individuals in Evansville, Henderson, Kentucky and Miami, Florida.

They secured 1/4 kilogram of powder cocaine, a quantity of crack cocaine, $21,000 in cash and sixteen firearms.

Three of the suspects, Jean Sterling, Sledge Siede and Francouer Pierre are alleged members of the Miami based street gang “Zoe Pound”. Such criminal organization was founded by Haitian immigrants and it’s known by its involvement in drug trafficking, robbery and related violent crime as well as facilitating and advancing the conspiracy’s drug trafficking activities in Evansville.

The defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute both “crack” and powder cocaine and also with separate instances of using their cellular telephones to facilitate drug trafficking offenses.

If convicted they could face maximum possible prison sentences of life imprisonment, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Brookman, who is prosecuting the case.

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