Indiana
‘You think this guy is God, almost’: Indiana’s oldest delegate on Trump, Jim Jordan and more
Trump receives roaring ovation at GOP convention
Donald Trump drew cheers during the first night of the Republican National Convention Monday, two days after a bullet grazed his right ear.
MILWAUKEE – Annie Eckrich of Fort Wayne has been to so many Republican National Conventions over the years that she’s not entirely sure if the 2024 convention in Milwaukee is her fifth or sixth.
She has business cards that say she’s a six-time Republican National Convention attendee, but Eckrich thinks it might be five. That’s what happens when you’re a die-hard Republican who will turn 89 this November, she said.
“This is five,” she said in the lobby of the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee on Tuesday dressed in a scarf and shoes with the American flag printed on them. “I think it’s five.”
Eckrich is one of 58 Hoosier delegates, and the oldest member of the Indiana delegation in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump is scheduled to formally accept the party’s nomination for president on Thursday.
She sat down with IndyStar ahead of the second day of the convention to talk more about the party’s big events she has attended over the years and what she hopes to see in Milwaukee this week.
This inteview has been edited for space and clarity.
Can you tell me about some of the conventions you have been to?
Eckrich: I went to Detroit because I grew up there. I wasn’t a delegate or anything like that, I was just a guest. In Minneapolis, I think I was an alternate. I have not been a delegate. When we went to Cleveland, I must have been an alternate or something. I’m not sure. But we got to sit on the floor and everything like that, so I remember that really well.
What’s special about attending Republican National Conventions especially given the number you have been to?
Eckrich: I just love to talk to everybody. I’m just a jabber mouth. I want to go and look at people that are familiar to me that I see. Last night, the guy from Ohio – (Jim) Jordan. He came by our area and I grabbed onto his hand. Somebody took a picture. And he said, “Who are you?” And I said, “I’m from Fort Wayne, Indiana.” He said, “Well, you’re just a neighbor. You could come over any time.” I just love to talk to people.
How do you feel about being part of Indiana’s delegation to nominate former President Donald Trump this week?
Eckrich: (Monday) was amazing. I mean, my heart was just full. I mean you wanted to cry, everything was so amazing. You think this guy is God, almost, because his life was saved.
You’ve seen conventions with Hoosiers on a major stage, like Dan Quayle, Mike Pence and this year Jim Banks. What has that been like?
Eckrich: I feel blessed because I’ve known of people through family. And sometimes you feel like you know them. I remember walking into Madison Square Garden one time and who was the guy that used to run that Sunday show? Ed Sullivan? And I saw him and I thought “Hi!” I thought he was somebody I knew because you see him every day on Sunday. That’s the same way with Jim Jordan yesterday. I said, “I know you.” I mean, you feel like you’re a buddy.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
Indiana
Young male dead after shooting on Indy’s northeast side
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police say one “young man” is dead after a shooting at the 1200 block of Rue Rabelais at about 7:19 p.m. according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
That is near the intersection of 56th Street and Binford Boulevard.
Police say the victim was taken to Riley Hospital where he later died. Investigators say they are still working to identify the victim.
There was no known information about a suspect. Police did say that they believe this is a targeted incident.
There was no other information immediately available.
This story has been updated with information from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Indiana
Mother and boyfriend accused in death of 4-year-old boy found in closet
This story contains descriptions of distressing circumstances involving children.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A mother and her boyfriend were accused of causing the death of a 4-year-old-boy found dead in a basement closet on Monday.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Angel Lovely, 37, and Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office by Friday had not filed formal charges.
A sibling found the 4-year-old dead on Monday, according to investigators. Lovely and Bergdoll were in the home at the time but told police they were asleep when he died.
Born premature with cerebral palsy, the 4-year old couldn’t walk, was nonverbal, and ate through a feeding tube. Lovely claimed she would rarely put the child in the closet, only “when he won’t stop screaming” or when she “needed a break.”
But when investigators interviewed Lovely’s three other children, they said that the boy “stays in the closet all day,” and that “mom locks him in the closet” and “does not pay attention to him.”
An exact cause of death hasn’t been determined, but the child was found with blood in his mouth. Lovely said he’d been aspirating.
One of Lovely’s children told investigators they heard the 4-year-old gagging but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t unusual.
A neighbor living on Monticello Drive, Michelle Johnson, told News 8, “It’s horrible. It breaks my heart.”
Johnson had seen the other children outside the home but never knew there was a boy in a wheelchair living there. She said if she suspected they were being neglected, she would have called police or the Indiana Department of Child Services.
“We’re supposed to be a village and raise kids together,” Johnson said. “That’s really heartbreaking.”
Bergdoll told police, according to the investigators’ report, that he didn’t agree with putting the child in the closet: “I am not going to tell her how to f****** raise her kids.”
“I’m sickened,” IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told News 8 in an interview.
“Think about putting yourself in that situation. Every day, do you want to be in a closet? Locked up, no light?”
Court records show the Department of Child Services had removed the boy from Lovely’s care because of medical neglect, but she regained custody last year against DCS recommendations.
Thompson, the neighbor, hopes the tragedy can be an opportunity for others to speak up when they see a child who can’t speak up for themselves. “Maybe you’ve got to make that tough phone call. Reach out. The city has resources.”
Johnson wishes she would have known what was happening so she could have said something. “Children don’t have a voice and we’re supposed to be their voice.”
Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local:
Indiana
Police arrest suspect in Westfield homicide
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Police have arrested someone in connection to a homicide earlier this month in the Hamilton County city.
In a Friday night social media post, the Westfield Police Department announced the arrest but gave no details, including who was arrested or what preliminary charges the person may face.
“Due to the active nature of this case, limited details are available for release at this time,” the post said.
As WISHTV.com previously reported, James “Matt” Lushin, 47, was found dead shortly after 7:25 p.m. March 12 with trauma at his home in the 3900 block of Westfield Road, also known as State Road 32.
Social media posts from the scene showed police tape and emergency vehicles at a red brick house between Shady Nook Road and Gray Road.
Lushin’s obituary said the Kokomo native was a key partner with the real estate investment company, FLF Property. The obituary also said, “Matt was also a respected and accomplished member of the international poker community. He traveled the world competing in tournaments and built an impressive and successful career.”
Police have previously said the death was believed to be isolated, posing no ongoing threat.
Officials have not released a specific cause or manner of death.
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