Skirting smoking ban; teacher saves choking student; 911 budget crunch

NORTH BLOOMFIELD, Ohio — A 2-year-old girl who disappeared Friday night from her great-grandparents' home was found alive Sunday evening in a nearby field.

Authorities found Rainn Peterson, cold but apparently doing OK, about a half-mile from where she had been reported missing. She was being taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Searchers on horseback had combed through fields while a helicopter hovered above Sunday in the hunt for Rainn in an area near the community of North Bloomfield, just north of Warren and Youngstown near the Pennsylvania state line. Authorities concentrated the search around the home in rural northeastern Ohio, going through wooded areas, backyards and drainage pipes.

Trumbull County Sheriff Tom Altiere said early Sunday, before Rainn was found, that there were no signs of foul play. Deputies had searched the family's home several times and had given polygraph tests to the toddler's relatives, he said.

Search dogs on Saturday briefly picked up Rainn's scent just down the street from where she was reported missing, the sheriff said.

Rainn and her two brothers, ages 3 and 4, were staying with their great-grandparents on Friday when they reported her missing.

Rainn's mother, Brandi Peterson, said her children had been staying with the couple because she was moving into an apartment. She said her grandmother was in the kitchen and the three children were with her grandfather in another area of the house when the toddler walked away.

"She's 2 years old and goes to strangers," Peterson told WFMJ-TV in Youngstown before her daughter was found. "She goes to anybody. She is just an innocent little girl."

The sheriff said the family had cooperated with investigators and there were no signs of violence at the home.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Wildlife officials say two Iowa men are facing charges after shooting protected trumpeter swans.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the swans were shot Saturday morning at the Princeton Wildlife Area in Scott County. One swan died while the other was wounded.

Authorities say Levi Young of Davenport and Kyle Munson of Eldridge shot the swans while they were waterfowl hunting. Both men are 25.

Both men were charged with unlawfully killing a protected animal and several other related charges.

Authorities also seized three shotguns, a boat, motor and trailer.

LINCOLN, Neb. — UNL's Richards Hall houses a ceramics workshop, a fabrication space and the one-room Medici Gallery reserved for student work. The closest thing to a study lounge, however, is a couch in the hallway.

Haley Heesacker, 26, saw an opportunity to provide fellow fine arts students with a temporary study space, one that lends itself to learning about the classics.

Last week, she and fellow arts student Michael Johnson unveiled an exhibit that combines fine art and functionality into a potentially great study space -- or Instagram post, the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1LMkoOk ) reported.

The two members of the Sits and Giggles collective created a 3-D rendition of "Bedroom in Arles," the broad-lined, distinctly colored painting by Vincent Van Gogh of his own sleeping quarters.

Beginning in 1888, Van Gogh painted three similar versions of his sparsely furnished bedroom in oil on canvas.

Before their exhibit debuted, Johnson and Heesacker spent three nearly sleepless days in toil on campus. The two converted a checklist of EcoStore and Goodwill finds into a re-creation of the famed bedroom that, Van Gogh wrote, "ought to rest the brain, or rather the imagination."

Heesacker said she wanted to create a series of sculptural environments that weren't hands-off to visitors.

Getting too close to the "Bedroom in Arles" at the Art Institute of Chicago might get you Tasered. But sitting in the chairs painted the "yellow of fresh butter" -- Van Gogh's words again -- gets you the adoration of Johnson and Heesacker.

"We wanted people to be able to go and interact with it," said Johnson, 20.

The first day that "A Visit with Vincent" was up in the Medici, Heesacker said she saw a guy sitting on the tiny bed with his laptop open and papers scattered on the floor.

"I was ecstatic," she said.

She considered asking him to put on the straw hat that hangs alongside Van Gogh's denims in the painting's background and on the Medici Gallery's north wall, but settled for snapping a picture.

So have many others who have visited the 3-D bedroom. Since it was unveiled, the room has been the backdrop for many cellphone photos. There's a hashtag for it on Instagram -- #SNGGogh. Many pictures have been taken by art students, but Heesacker's favorites so far have been taken by total strangers.

"I don't even know who these people are, which is super cool," Heesacker said. "They were like pretending to have a pillow fight."

The Sits and Giggles crew (@sitsandgiggles on Instagram) have plans to build more 3-D rooms throughout the school year. They began with a Van Gogh because it was the most recognizable image they wanted to recreate, Heesacker said.

"We've got some kind of crazy ones we want to try out later in the year," Johnson said.

For now, they'll continue to see how others spend time in Van Gogh's bedroom.

UNL art students can reserve the Medici Gallery space for a week and install their work there as long as it can be uninstalled without causing lasting damage. No students reserved the space this week, so people can still have "A Visit with Vincent" until the exhibit closes Sunday.

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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com

MILWAUKEE — A published report says unauthorized improvements have been made to a footpath on state land that a donor to Gov. Scott Walker has been trying to buy.

A spokesman for business executive Elizabeth Uihlein (EE'-lyne) acknowledged that workers at her adjoining property may have cleaned up the trail slightly.

But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports those who have seen the trail say the improvements are significant.

Uihlein is seeking to buy 1.75 acres along Rest Lake, where the footpath is located. But a tentative deal with the Department of Natural Resources was put on hold after critics raised questions.

A DNR spokesman says the agency inspected the site on Thursday and found an "established trail." He declined to say whether the department had talked to Uihlein or her representatives.

HALLSVILLE, Mo. — A Missouri middle school teacher is being applauded for her quick actions after performing the Heimlich maneuver on a student who had a piece of candy lodged in his throat.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports eighth-grader Gage Donner was walking in the hallway at Hallsville Middle School on Wednesday when a piece of candy blocked his air passage.

A friend saw Donner was in trouble and got the attention of sixth-grade teacher Betsy Berry. She says she saw Donner gagging and pointing to his throat and chest.

Berry says she has no formal training in the Heimlich maneuver but saw her father do it for her mother when she was 10 or 11.

Donner will receive the Hallsville Chamber of Commerce's Hometown Hero Award in December.

ELGIN, Ill. — An arbitrator has concluded that a Chicago suburb didn't have just cause to fire a police officer over comments he posted on Facebook regarding the Ferguson, Missouri shooting.

The Elgin Courier-News eports that the decision means Elgin Police Officer Jason A. Lentz is to be reinstated.

Lentz allegedly wrote that Missouri police officer Darren Wilson "did society a favor" by killing Michael Brown. Elgin officials said at the time that his comments undercut the city's credibility.

Arbitrator Aaron Wolff's Wednesday decision says the city and police department violated a collective bargaining agreement by releasing confidential information about Lentz.

But Wolff also said Lentz had violated department instructions about not commenting on Ferguson. And so he concluded a six-month suspension would have been warranted.

SPEARFISH, S.D. — A statue at a Spanish-American War memorial in western South Dakota has been repaired after the hands of a soldier and rifle were broken off in December.

The statue that sits atop the memorial in Spearfish was recently repaired by a Nebraska-based conservation services company. The white zinc statue is of a soldier at parade rest and has a rifle at his feet.

"He's got the real fine detail, like the eyelets in his boots, because zinc doesn't corrode and soften like bronze does," said Mayda Jensen with Jensen Conservation Services Inc.

Jensen reattached and fixed the broken parts of the statue, with the material used needing roughly two days to cure. The work also included sanding and covering some surface damage with acrylic coating.

The 6-foot-7 statue was last vandalized in 2012, and has been vandalized three times during the tenure of Spearfish Parks, Recreation and Forestry Superintendent Keith Hepper. He said insurance would cover most of the repair at an estimated cost of $7,500.

The memorial has the year 1900 written on its foundation and was likely erected that year, the Black Hills Pioneer (http://bit.ly/1L6i8kg ) reported. The statue was removed from the base of the memorial to make repair work easier.

Greg Dias, chairman of the Spearfish Historic Preservation Commission, said the statue has held up "very well."

"The solder's uniform still looks as if it were new," Dias said. "For example, his buttons still show a lot of fine details, and the overall appearance is very good."

Also on the memorial are names of soldiers from different regiments, and on the base it says, "In memory of Black Hills volunteers, Spanish-American War, 1898-1899."

"When this statue was erected, it was done so because it was important to the citizens of Spearfish at that time," Dias said. "It is our responsibility to be good custodians and honor their wishes that it be not be allowed to fall into disrepair."

MONROE, Ohio — A southwest Ohio school district with a campus less than two miles from a proposed marijuana growing site has passed a resolution opposing a state ballot issue that would legalize pot.

The Monroe Board of Education voted this past week against the proposed amendment being pushed by ResponsibleOhio that would legalize recreational and medical marijuana and create 10 indoor growing sites across the state. One of those includes a 40-acre site less than two miles from the district's campus, where its elementary, junior and senior high schools are located, the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reported.

"We hope to send a strong message about the proximity of the growing sites to the schools," said Monroe Board of Education member Brett Guido. The district is located about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.

The resolution states the district fears that "legalizing marijuana further threatens the health and safety of our young people and will have a negative academic impact on student achievement." It adds that the district doesn't need "another legalized drug" to tempt young people.

The ballot issue requires all grow sites, manufacturing locations and retail stores to be at least 1,000 feet from a school, said Faith Oltman of ResponsibleOhio.

"We want to protect our kids and make sure marijuana stays out of their hands too," she said, adding that the ballot issue will create a tightly-regulated, taxed and safe industry for adults 21 and older."

Voters will decide the issue in the Nov. 3 election. Early voting begins Oct. 6.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sioux Falls City Council members say a group of businesses are getting around a state smoking ban by opening tobacco shops under the same roof as video lottery businesses.

South Dakota's smoking ban passed by voters in 2010 includes video lottery facilities, but not tobacco shops. At one Sioux Falls Video lottery facility, however, there's an inside door with a separate address, and behind the door is a cigarette vending machine and three video lottery machines, the Argus Leader reported.

City Council members Dean Karsky and Christine Erickson said that's an example of creative steps some casinos are taking to keep smokers indoors. Erickson said city council members across South Dakota have indicated they've seen similar situations.

"I think they're really skirting with the edge of what should be allowed there," Karsky said. "It seems to me what's going on there is a direct contradiction to what the voters of South Dakota said."

Under state law and administrative rules, lottery machines must stay in specific parts of an establishment where, in the normal course of business, alcohol is regularly dispensed and consumed. Tobacco shops aren't allowed to sell alcohol.

On the issue, Karsky and Erickson said they're hearing complaints of unfair competition from other business owners.

"And then there are those others who say, 'Good luck; it's not our battle,'" Erickson said.

South Dakota Lottery Executive Director Norm Lingle said the situation is "somewhat complicated," including questions as to where business boundaries start and end. He said his staff is trying to come up with a resolution, though they aren't aiming for a certain timeline.

Lingle said legislators can also "make tweaks to various statutes." Krasky said council members should at the very least more closely scrutinize liquor license requests and consider denying them if state laws are being broken.

"It's frustrating," he said. "It's been one of my deals for the last several years, this situation where we have laws that aren't enforceable, or that aren't enforced. Why do we even bother?"

MANDAN, N.D. — Mandan High School students may soon be allowed to weigh in on school district policies and budget decisions.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the school district is drafting a policy to allow up to three students to join each of its committees.

The move comes after two high school students asked the school board to let students be non-voting board members. But board members indicated they believe the students would have a greater impact by participating in committees instead of the full board.

Marnie Piehl is chair of the Mandan School Board policy and personnel committee. She says having students at each committee helps ensure that they have a voice at each meeting.

The policy and personnel committee will consider the draft policy at its Nov. 9 meeting.

HILL CITY, S.D. — A documentary about the battle over a dino discovered in the Black Hills over two decades ago has won an Emmy.

"Dinosaur 13" earned the Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Programming Monday at the 36th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. The film premiered on CNN in December.

The documentary details the discovery of "Sue," a Tyrannosaurus rex that was more than 90 percent complete when it was discovered in 1990 near Faith. Federal agents seized the fossil in 1992, alleging paleontologist Pete Larson and his Black Hills Institute of Geological Research took it from federal trust land.

Larson was later charged on four unrelated counts and sentenced to two years in federal prison.

The documentary spurred South Dakota lawmakers to pass a resolution pushing for a presidential pardon.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio lawmaker wants to add school employees to the list of those who could face criminal charges for engaging in sexual conduct with minor students.

Currently, the law applies to teachers, administrators and other authority figures but not staff such as janitors or cafeteria workers.

State Rep. Christina Hagan's bill would expand the sexual battery offense to include any school employee at least four years older than the student. It also would bar college employees from engaging in sexual activity with minor students who are at least four years younger.

Hagan says the bill closes a loophole in the law.

The House unanimously passed the measure this past Wednesday, sending it to the Senate.

Several House Democrats expressed misgivings about the bill, saying it could have unintended consequences.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois residents seeking help through their local emergency 911 systems may be on their own if the budget fight between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats in the Legislature continues.

The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reports without a budget in place, emergency call systems are no longer receiving revenue from a tax on cell phone users.

Under state law, 911 fees for landline phones are paid to county-level systems. Fees for cell phones go into a statewide pool. But Rauner says without a budget in place the money cannot be distributed.

"It's hurting every 911 center," said Connie Armstrong of the Woodford County 911 service. "That's money we use to pay our bills. We don't know what we're going to do."

Williamson County's 911 service coordinator Ken Smith says the budget crunch and a consolidation of services in his county have the potential for longer wait times for callers reporting an emergency.

The $32,000 per month the county should be receiving from the surcharge is a key component of the county's 911 service budget and shouldn't be used as leverage in the budget battle, Smith contends.

An Illinois House committee has passed a plan that would require the release of the funds for 911, emergency food assistance, mental health and other services during the state budget stalemate.

The House Executive Committee's 7-0 vote Thursday sends the $3.8 billion spending plan to the full House. It's not known when the House will vote.

The measure also provides $1 billion for lottery payouts. It has already passed the Senate.

Republican Rep. Michael Tryon of Crystal Lake has questioned passing the bill when the state lacks money to pay for it. Rauner has indicated he'll veto it.

In Logan County, emergency services chief Dan Fulscher said the county will be able to keep operating as usual for a few months before cuts will have to be made.

"We're prudent here in Logan County. I wish they'd be the same at the state," Fulscher said.