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Indiana police leader says he’d legalize marijuana

Indiana’s State Police chief told lawmakers Tuesday that marijuana should be legalized and taxed, prompting his own agency to quickly withdraw his statement as lawmakers consider decriminalization.


Female military members sue to serve in combat

SAN FRANCISCO  — Four female military service members have filed a lawsuit challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco Tuesday and is the second such federal challenge filed by female service members this year. The latest demands the lifting of the military's so-called combat exclusionary policy that applies to all women. The lawsuit alleges the ban on a single gender violates constitutional equal protection rights and unfairly blocks women from promotions and other advancements open to men in combat. Further, the lawsuit alleges that women are already serving unofficially in combat units. Two of the four women who filed the lawsuit have received Purple Heart medals for injuries sustained in Afghanistan. The women are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.


24 Tenn. courthouses receive bomb threats

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  — Authorities in Tennessee are investigating bomb threats that forced the evacuation of 24 courthouses across the state, including the federal building in downtown Memphis.


Record Powerball result of changes to boost sales

DES MOINES, Iowa  — The historic Powerball jackpot boosted to $500 million on Tuesday was all part of a plan lottery officials put in place early this year to build jackpots faster, drive sales and generate more money for states that run the game.



Shoplifting suspect's wife: He didn't have to die

ATLANTA  — The wife of a shoplifting suspect who died after he was wrestled to the ground outside a Walmart said Tuesday store employees used too much force to subdue him. Vidal Calloway died Sunday after he was taken down in the parking lot of a suburban Atlanta store and put into a choke hold by a security guard as employees held him down and waited on authorities to arrive, according to a police report. Calloway, an ex-convict, was accused of stealing two Blue Ray DVD players. "I don't think that it should've happened," Calloway's wife Fatimah Calloway said. "He didn't deserve to die over a DVD player." About 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a store manager asked Calloway for a receipt near the door and he ran out of the store, according to the police report. The manager, Michael Burton, grabbed Calloway and slammed him down to the ground, but Calloway fought back, punching Burton in the face, neck and chest, according to the police report. The security guard, Jaiviere Pruitt, rushed Calloway and the three men fell to the ground. Pruitt put Calloway into a headlock because he was still fighting. He "told the suspect to tap when he can't breathe," store employee Phille Roberts, who also helped hold Calloway down, told police. Emergency medics tried to treat Calloway, but he was unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Detectives were awaiting autopsy results to determine exactly how Calloway died. Burton and Roberts have been suspended with pay and Pruitt, a contractor working security with the store, will no longer work there, according to Bentonville, Ark.,-based Wal-Mart Inc. "Associates are trained to disengage from situations that would put themselves or others at risk," Wal-Mart Inc. spokeswoman Dianna Gee said. "That being said, this is still an active investigation and we're working with police to provide any assistance." Calloway had a criminal record that includes shoplifting, forgery and substance abuse.


BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY

The Friday after Thanksgiving has been called Black Friday since 1966 to signify the busiest day of the year. The Monday after Thanksgiving has been called Cyber Monday- a term coined by Shop.org on Nov. 28, 2005. 


Wikileaks GI to argue his detention merits release

FORT MEADE, Md.  — An Army private charged in the biggest security breach in U.S. history is trying to avoid trial by claiming he was already punished enough when he was locked up alone in a small cell and forced to sleep naked for several nights.


Dave and Oprah embrace before their talk. DN PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS

A "STUNNING" EXISTENCE

Behind Oprah Winfrey’s $2.7 billion net worth are stories of pain, struggle and — eventually — triumph. 



Colts preparing for post season run

The Indianapolis Colts have a rookie quarterback, an interim coach, a long injury list and one of the league’s youngest teams.


Senior wide receiver Jamill Smith runs through Ohio defensive players during a kick return. After the Ohio game, the Cardinals secured a spot at a bowl game in the postseason for the first time since 2008. DN FILE PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS

BOWL BOUND, READY

Two seasons ago, the Ball State football team walked off the field at Scheumann Stadium as 59-21 losers to Northern Illinois in its final game to end as 4-8 on the season. 



Mayor Dennis Tyler and Chief of Police Steve Stewart sits down with talk show host David Boulton about improvements on the fire department on WCRD Thrusday afternoon. DN PHOTO EMMA FLYNN

TYLER ON CAMPUS

In an effort to get a different point of view on finance, Ball State’s Finance Society is bringing Mayor Dennis Tyler to campus Tuesday.


Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman laugh during their talk. DN PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS

INSPIRED 'CONVERSATION'

After more than an hour and 40 minutes of a conversation almost cut short, Ball State students said they were more than pleased with David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey.


Sofia Segovia, left, and Inocencia Segovie of Lincoln, Calif., Sheryl Sharma and Mary Wagner rest with their shopping bags Friday at the Westfield Galleria in Roseville, Calif. They had been Black Friday shopping since 5 a.m. MCT PHOTO

RECORD BREAKING START

Add seven swans, six geese and five golden rings to the list of Christmas gifts that cost more than they did a year ago.


Kent State defensive end Richard Gray flattens Ohio University running back Beau Blankenship on a run in the fourth quarter at Dix Stadium on Nov. 23, in Kent, Ohio. If Kent State is able to beat Northern Illinois in the upcoming MAC championship, they might be able to play in a BCS bowl game. MCT PHOTO

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

Two years before the playoffs start in college football, the Southeastern Conference is staging a semifinal to determine who plays Notre Dame in the BCS title game.


The Orlando Solar Bears' Ryan Ginand (3) controls the puck in front of Gwinnett's Cody Brookwell in ECHL play at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

PRIDE DESPITE LOCKOUT

Despite the ongoing National Hockey League turbulence, student fans remain dedicated to the sport.