The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 22

DiversityB3 ObituariesB4 WeatherB6 CnyfiStat The Indianapolis Star Thursday, October 17, 2002 Section InfoUne: 624-INFO (4636) Morgan County seeks to change pension system. B2 Ex-cop pleads guilty to gun charge. B5 City ranked one of best for black families i INSIDE Indianapolis is No. 5 in BET's quality-of-life study for cities with largest black populations. How cities and that is very attractive." The study used 14 characteristics including median income, the high school graduation rate and infant mortality divided among seven categories that include public safety and family well-being, said Leah Latimer, a senior producer with BET.com Statisticians compiled data for the six-month study from numerous sources, including the U.S.

census and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although BET.com tried to conduct a thorough examination of each city, Latimer admitted that the study omitted See Families, Page BS Quality of life for black families in American cities, ranked by BET.com: 1 Columbus, Ohio 2. Houston 3. Boston 4. Charlotte, N.C.

5. Indianapolis 8. Los Angeles 7. Washington 8. Oakland, Calif.

9. Philadelphia 10. Nashville, By Becky Bowman becky.bowmanindystar.com McKenzie Lewis intends to move his family to Indianapolis. It is closer to his current job, his children will enjoy a better education and his family will have more access to black culture. "When I go away from other cities, I'm thinking, 'Indianapolis has this and much said Lewis, a Greencastle resident who traveled extensively for a previous job.

And Indianapolis would be a good choice, according to a recent BET.com study of the top cities for black families. The city ranked No. 5 among the 22 U.S. cities with the largest black populations in the BET study, which looked at the quality of life for black families. Columbus, Ohio, ranked first, followed by Houston, Boston and Charlotte, N.C.

"There is a great network of people of color in Indianapolis," Lewis said. "(The city) just goes across the board in terms of people of color in prominent positions who are willing to give back, Slaying remains a mystery Detective still seeking leads in IU student's 1977 death Democrat running for prosecutor says plan allows flexibility in reaching deals. By lc Ryckaert vic.ryckaertiindystar.com Marion County prosecutor candidate Jim Osborn says that if voters elect him Nov. 5, he'll overhaul the rigid policies that govern plea agreements. The Democrat says his plan would give flexibility to deputy prosecutors without sacrificing public safety.

But Republicans say the plan would deal a blow to fairness and justice. Osborn said the current plea policies set by departing Prosecutor Scott Newman, a Republican, are too much like a formula. "A high school kid could read through the plea policies and do the job of a deputy prosecutor, at least as far as negotiating plea agreements go," Osborn said. "What those policies have done one more unsolved homicide saddling the State Police. In central Indiana, 24 cases await the next solid lead.

Resources and time work against even the most seasoned detectives. "There is an old adage that says the longer the crime stays unsolved, the less possibility there is for a crime to be solved," said Steve Frazier, chairman of Vincennes University's law enforcement program. "With (people moving), different people come in, different people leave, it's much more difficult," It's also aftich more difficult for those close to the victim. Harmeier's mother, Marjorie Harmeier, a widow in 1977, has since died. Nancy Alford grew up next door to Harmeier in Cambridge City.

Alford, now a secretary at Harmeier's alma mater, Lincoln High School, has fond memories of the happy girl with blond hair. "(The Harmeiers) had this big weeping willow tree," Alford said, "and she used to always play on that tree. See Slaying, Page B5 ranked in survey Jacksonville, Fla. (tie) 12. Dallas 13.

Detroit 14. New Orleans 15. Memphis, Tenn. 16. Cleveland 17.

New York 18. Atlanta 19. Chicago, Milwaukee (tie) 21 Baltimore 22. St. Louis Source: BET.com Jim Osborn (left) calls the guidelines rigid, but Carl Brizzl says they send a message.

has been to remove the judgment and experience of well-trained deputy prosecutors." Osborn said the plan would increase the number of convictions and have little impact on the number of plea agreements filed or the average sentence length. He said the changes would better protect the community. "I think you have to place more trust in the deputy prosecutors than we do currently," Osborn said. "You can't use cookie-cutter justice. What See Plea, Page BS How to register To place your telephone number on the state's no-call list, call 1-888-834-9969 or register online at www.in.govattorneygeneral.

Nov. 20 is the deadline to register new numbers for the Jan. 1 update of the list To lodge a complaint about a telemarketer's violation of the law, visit the Web site or call 1-317-232-6201. $300 for the list and three updates; now it's $750. Carter estimated that the list, which now contains 1,188,948 phone numbers, represents about half of Indiana's households.

And, according to a state survey, about 98 percent of the Hoo-siers who registered, their telephone numbers are pleased with the results. "It's rare for a government program to have that level of participation," Carter said, "and that level of satisfaction." Call Terry Home at 1-317-444-6082. Brown said, he isn't sure a corporate chief executive officer could do the job. "Just because you run a successful corporation doesn't mean you can run an educational institution," he said. Senior Ilia Smith wants a president who is firm and diplomatic and will spend time with and talk to students.

"We need to get someone students like and they can relate to and trust," Smith said. Call Barb Berggoetz at 1-317-444-6294. Ilis abilities speak volumes jlTim Brown has overcome his physical disabilities to jbrighten his co-workers' idays while delivering mail ffor Fifth Third Bank. B3 2002 ELECTION Pence j- stronger than in 2000 pi GOP congressman 'dn 6th District has jtrack record, funds, ots of media skills. iy Maureen Groppe igroppegns.gannett.com WASHINGTON It took epublican Mike Pence three tn maVa.it Conerress.

md- hi successful ,2000 race pas a squeaker. vav Pence wqn the seat with 50.9 percent of the vote, the lowest percentage for a successful In-jdiana congressional candidate jthat year. Inside: See where each 6th District candidate stands on important issues. BS That has led Democrats to think they have a chance to unseat him this year. But Pence lias a lot more advantages now.

The 6th District, from southern Allen County through ipart of Dearborn County and ifrom the Ohio border west to Johnson County, grew more Republican after last year's re-districting. About 59 percent of Voters backed George Bush in 2000. There is no independent candidate running this year to capture the substantial 9 percent of the vote Bill Frazier garnered in 2000. Pence enjoys the advantages of incumbency, including 'two years of media exposure ihat he is skilled at cultivating. All those obstacles can be jrjaunting enough for Democratic challenger Melina Fox, jbut what really frustrates her is the emphasis on money, "People keep saying I can't neat Mike Pence because he's raised $1 million and I've raised $325,000," Fox said.

"Well, we fcan't outraise him, but we can certainly outwork him." kFox has tried to emphasize oney of a different sort: pay-jchecks. The district is hurting economically, and both major-jparty candidates say that's a top issue. But they're offering different solutions. Pence counts his vote for Bush's tax cut package which cost at least $135 trillion over 10 years as a highlight of his first term and believes more tax cuts are needed. Fox believes tax cuts should be deferred because the government is no longer running a surplus.

Pence is a strong supporter of free trade agreements, which r. See Pence, Page B5 19 By Jason Thomas jason.thomasindystar.com MARTINSVILLE, Ind. -Maurice "Bud" Aileron is still haunted by the Pontiac Le-Mans broken down along the highway a memory burned into his conscience. The car, belonging to Ann Louise Harmeier, would become a focal point of Aileron's career as an Indiana State Police detective. What Aileron doesn't understand is why someone would kill Harmeier a crime that remains as much a mystery to-, day as it was 25 years-jago, when farmer found the 20-year-old Indiana University junior's body in a cornfield.

It took more than 30 years, but Aileron finally tracked down a suspect in the slaying of encyclopedia saleswoman Carol Marie Jenkins, whose violent death haunted this Morgan County community. But investigators agree Harmeier's killer probably will never see justice. Her body was found Oct. 18, 1977, north of Martinsville, and no arrest has ever been made. The Harmeier case is just Unsolved cases Some cold murder cases still under investigation: Dec.

1, 1971: Robert W. Hinson 27, Robert A. Gierse, 35, and James Barker, 26, were found bound with their throats cut at 1318 N. LaSalle St in Indianapolis. Hot.

19, 1978: The bodies of four Speedway Burger Chef employees were found in Johnson County. Jayne Friedt, 20, was stabbed to death; Ruth Shelton, 17, and Daniel Davis, 16, were shot execution-style; Mark Flem-monds, 16, was beaten to death. June 4, 1979: The skeletal remains of Mary Ann Higginbotham, 21, Cartersburg, were found in a welded-shut barrel in White Lick Creek near Mooresville. She had been missing since June 1978. Dec 25, 1988: Marion County Deputy Thurman "Earl" Sharp, 55, was shot to death at his off-duty security job at a Far-North-side office park.

No-call phone privacy list rings up dollars for state Retracing the route Twenty-five years after Ann Louise Harmeier's body was found in a cornfield near Martinsville, her slaying remains unsolved. What investigators know about the geography of the case: Detective Sgt Aileron shows a poster used hi the search for Ann Kmeler (above). ,1, le photo Staff photo Gary inaianaoyii5 lifer Imes staff graphic 4r 1 eight years in office. Stephan said interim candidates from inside and outside the university will be considered. Trustees plan to name that person at their regular meeting at the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus.

Members of the search committee to be named at that time will include faculty, administrators, students and others. Senior Colin Godecke, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council in Bloomington, hopes the if ml CaANH? 7 taxi AoomingtonA) j-jl By Terry Home terry.horneindystar.com Indiana is earning more money thanks to its telephone privacy law. The law prohibits most telemarketers from calling telephone numbers on the state's no-call list. Companies that faced complaints that they violated the law have agreed to pay almost $80,000 in fines from July to September, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter announced Wednesday. The latest settlements will bring the state's total collections from telemarketers to $235,000 since the telephone privacy law took effect in January.

The state has spent more than $1 million to provide the list The state also has earned several hundred thousand dollars through sales of the list. Telemarketers who wish to do business in Indiana must purchase a copy of the no-call list, which is updated every three months. The price initially was )f Egbert Rcf. i 11 i i nu-1 JJiif Harmeier left Cambridge City early on Sept 12, 1977. Police think she abandoned her broken-down car about 9 a.m.

and was abducted shortly thereafter. Police suspect the abductor may have traveled this route to the cornfield, where Harmeier's body was found by a farmer on Oct 18, 1977. Source: Star library research. Wednesday afternoon on campus in a closed session to discuss potential interim leaders and start hammering out the process to choose the next president by July 1. "I don't believe there is a front-runner (for interim president)," said Bill Stephan, vice president for governmental affairs and public relations.

Trustees were not available for comment. The position now pays the 60-year-old Brand $307,660 after teen ivraujt; iuhi nu. Morgan Co. IMile Martinsville-V' IU trustees to name interim president, search committee Nov. 1 committee will include more than one or two students.

Students need a voice in the selection, he said, adding that they should primarily help develop the pool of candidates. Tim Brown, president of the Student Bar Association at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said a student representative from each campus should be on the committee. While it is important for a president to have a strong academic and business background, By Barb Berggoetz barb.berggoetzindystar.com BLOOMINGTON, Ind. Indiana University trustees on Nov. 1 intend to name an interim president and select a search committee to look for a permanent replacement for NCAA-bound Myles Brand.

Brand's unexpected announcement last Thursday that he would leave IU on Jan. 1 to head the National Collegiate Athletic Association put trustees on a fast track to find a successor. The nine-member board met No column Columnist Ruth Holladay has the day off..