Indiana

DENVER (AP) - An Indiana man accused of traveling to Colorado to have sex with minors has been ordered to serve 34 years and four months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime on supervised release. Thirty-five-year-old Steven Raines, of Fort Wayne, was sentenced Tuesday in Denver. He pleaded guilty in October to distribution of child pornography and to attempted coercion and enticement to engage in sexual activity with a child. Court documents show Raines was arrested in Colorado after chatting online with an undercover agent who was posing as the mother of two daughters younger than 16. Investigators say Raines expressed interest in having sex with both girls and their mother.

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — Police in the northwestern Indiana city of Portage say a 15-year-old boy is being charged in juvenile court with possession of child pornography after pictures of two nude female classmates were found on his cell phone. The Times of Munster reports the freshman was removed from Portage High School last week and sent to the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center. According to a Portage police report released Wednesday, school administrators received a call from a 15-year-old freshman girl's mother saying a boy was threatening to post a nude photo of her daughter on MySpace if she didn't let him borrow a musical instrument.

COLBURN, Ind. (AP) — Authorities say two construction workers have died in a fall at the site of a radio tower that's under construction in north-central Indiana. Deputy Tippecanoe County Coroner Tony Kenner confirmed that the workers died Wednesday morning near Colburn about 70 miles northwest of Indianapolis. He said that the victims' names were being withheld pending notification of relatives. Kenner tells the Journal & Courier that the accident was reported to police just before 9 a.m. No additional information on the accident was immediately available.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana health officials are urging residents to start training now for an October contest that challenges them to quit smoking. Health Commissioner Gregory Larkin says it takes planning and preparation to stop tobacco use and urges residents to exercise more and make healthy eating choices. The 2012 Quit Now Indiana contest offers participants a chance to win up to $2,500 for remaining tobacco-free for 31 days. Contestants age 18 and older can register through Sept.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Some people who were injured in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair won't receive any money from a charity relief fund set up to help the victims because they weren't admitted to the hospital. How much money victims get from the State Fair Relief Fund depends on how much time they spend in the hospital. Those who were treated in emergency rooms but not admitted don't qualify. The Indianapolis Star reports Lisa Hite has a head injury and will miss work for at least 2 ½ months.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana's unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent last month, holding the state's jobless rate below the national average and those of all neighboring states for the third straight month. Figures released Friday show that the drop from March's 8.5 percent rate was largely fueled by hiring in the private education and health services industry and the leisure and hospitality sectors. The state's jobless rate declined even though Indiana's private sector employment fell by 2,700 in April.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dozens of people have lined up to speak to Indiana lawmakers about a proposal that its sponsor says would lead to an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration in the state. Sponsor Republican Sen. Mike Delph of Carmel opened a public hearing Wednesday by saying those from other countries have an obligation to follow U.S. laws. Supporters testify that illegal immigrants have been taking jobs from Indiana residents and that the state has the right to enforce immigration laws because federal officials had failed.

NASHVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Indiana conservation officers have rescued a 6-year-old boy from an icy pond in central Indiana. First Sgt. Paul Bykowski (BIE'-kow-skee) says divers recovered the boy from a Brown County pond about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. The boy initially was treated at Columbus Regional Hospital before being airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Brown County sheriff's deputies took a call from a private residence that the boy had fallen through ice on a nearby pond, but first responders could not find the boy.

BEDFORD, Ind. (AP) — Hoosier National Forest officials have joined those in numerous Indiana counties in lifting open burning bans put in place during the state's long dry spell. Forest officials had imposed the ban in early October because little rainfall since mid-summer had left the southern Indiana woodlands in tinder-dry conditions. Officials say recent rainfalls of up to 2 inches had lessened the danger of grasses and leaves catching fire. Forest fire management officer Mike Davis says he expects plants will remain stressed from the drought through the winter.