Illinois man, 40, killed by falling tractor
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A 40-year-old southwestern Illinois man is dead after a tractor accident.

The St. Clair County Coroner’s Office told the Belleville News-Democrat Harlan “Gene” Seiber was crushed by a his tractor on Aug. 27 after it fell into a hole he was apparently filling with dirt. He was declared dead at 12:23 p.m. on the scene of the accident on a farm in rural Belleville.

Kathy Arnold is the niece of the farm’s owner. She said the hole was about 15 feet deep.

Expert to help Indiana fair with stage collapse funds
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — Indiana officials turned to the man who oversaw victims’ compensation for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the BP oil spill for help deciding who will receive money donated to help victims of a deadly stage collapse at the state fair.

Indiana State Fair Commission Chair Andre Lacy said at a news conference that victims compensation specialist Kenneth Feinberg is donating his services for the effort to distribute the money “as soon as we can.” Feinberg will help the commission develop a plan for distributing the money, including determining who’s eligible and a claims process.

About $263,000 has been donated so far to the State Fair Remembrance Fund, which was created two days after the stage collapse. That does not include about $554,000 in concert proceeds donated by the bands Maroon 5 and Train.
Donations ranged from $124 raised by a two girls at a Speedway lemonade stand to $65,000 donated by Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and his team, said Brian Payne, chief executive of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.
While the foundation will continue to accept donations for the victims, the money will be paid out through a special state fair relief fund that Gov. Mitch Daniels authorized by executive order, Lacy said. Feinberg also will help the Indiana attorney general’s office devise a system for resolving legal claims resulting from the collapse, officials said.

50 hogs killed in semi accident in NE Iowa
CRESCO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say the driver of a semitrailer was not hurt, but 50 hogs were killed when the rig overturned while pulling out of a hog confinement in northeastern Iowa.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier said the accident happened on Aug. 29 in Howard County. The Iowa State Patrol said the trailer’s rear wheels dropped into a ditch and the semi rolled on its side. The driver, Darwin Frana of Calmar, was cited for having no valid driver’s license and for failure to maintain control.

Indiana county investigating deaths of two horses
BUNKER HILL, Ind. (AP) — Northern Indiana officials are investigating the deaths of two horses used at a farm to provide therapy to troubled teens.
Miami County Sheriff Deputy Casey Bailey told the Kokomo Tribune he’s working with the Miami County Animal Shelter on the investigation into the death of one horse at the Full Quiver Farms Equine Mentoring Ministry in Bunker Hill and the death of a second horse removed from the site.

Full Quiver Farms owner Leanna Sharp told the newspaper the horses had been having ongoing health issues and she did everything she could to make them well. She said the horses weren’t getting better, so she called for help.
Horse enthusiasts said they found one horse that was partially eaten by pigs and a second near death.

Farm Show runway access concerns aviation official
RANTOUL, Ill. (AP) — A state official has raised concerns about public access to an active airport runway during a farming show held two weekends ago in eastern Illinois.

Susan Shea is director of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics. She told The News-Gazette newspaper in Champaign she’s concerned that the Half Century of Progress Show allowed visitors access to an open Rantoul airport runway.

The show attracted thousands of people to the town, about 20 miles north of Champaign. Airport officials said one runway was closed but the other remained open and people were allowed to walk across it. Pedestrian-control gates would have been closed if a pilot needed to land.

Shea said the department could help show organizers set up a better layout for the next show next year.

Horse on the run ties up Interstate 69 traffic

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A horse on the loose stalled traffic on Interstate 69 southbound just south of Cumberland Road Thursday afternoon, according to WTHR-TV.

Police said a horse trailer was not secure and the horse got out. The owners were not aware and kept driving. According to Tom Rogers, Animal Control officer for Hamilton County, the owner was transporting the horse back to Martinsville after a workout at Hoosier Park in Anderson Thursday morning.
The horse came out of the trailer as they slowed down in the construction area around 126th Street. The owner told Rogers he was unaware the horse had come out of the trailer. The owner’s son heard the report on the news and called his father who pulled over and realized it was his horse.

The owner returned to Noblesville where he picked up the horse around 3 p.m. The horse was taken to VIP Medical Clinic where a vet checked the horse and did not find any serious injuries. The owner planned to take the horse to his own vet when he returned home.