National Roundup

Indiana Court issues restraining order against Eli Lilly INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals says a federal court issued an injunction preventing drug development partner Eli Lilly from using the same sales force to sell an Amylin-developed diabetes treatment and a competitor's. Amylin says the temporary restraining order prevents Lilly from continuing with a plan to sell both Byetta and Boehringer Ingelheim's linagliptin. Amylin and Lilly entered an agreement in 2002 to develop and sell Byetta, a type 2 diabetes treatment. Lilly also entered a development agreement with Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim in January. Earlier this month, regulators approved linagliptin, which also treats type 2 diabetes. Amylin then filed a lawsuit against Lilly over that arrangement. Lilly says it is disappointed in the court's decision but will take the necessary steps to comply with the order. Arizona Judge orders mental evaluation of jailed mother PHOENIX (AP) -- A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ordered a mental evaluation of the jailed mother of a missing Arizona boy. The judge wants to know from experts if 25-year-old Elizabeth Johnson is competent to stand trial in the disappearance of her son Gabriel. The boy was 8 months old when he was last seen with Johnson in San Antonio in December 2009. The Arizona Republic reports the judge ordered the mental evaluation after watching tapes of a police interview with Johnson. Her lawyers claim the charges of kidnapping, child abuse, conspiracy to commit custodial interference and custodial interference should be dropped because the interview in San Antonio was illegal. Johnson has been held in a downtown Phoenix jail on a $1.1 million cash bond since January 2010. North Dakota Deaths of 2 children treated as homicide FORT TOTTEN, N.D. (AP) -- Spirit Lake Nation prosecutor Joe Vetsch says the deaths of two children are being investigated as a homicide case. The Grand Forks Herald reports that 41-year-old father Travis DuBois (doo-BWAH') of St. Michael pleaded guilty in tribal court on Tuesday to public intoxication and reckless endangerment and was sentenced to two years and two months in prison. Vetsch says DuBois "was in an intoxicated condition and was left in charge of the children and they ended up dead." He says the conviction does not rule out more charges in tribal or federal court in the deaths of the 7-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl whose bodies were found Saturday. U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon says only that federal authorities are investigating. It was not immediately clear who DuBois' attorney is. Arkansas State Supreme Court: Coal opponents file with PSC LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- The Arkansas Supreme Court says that opponents of a $2.1 billion coal-fired power plant must appeal to state regulators before suing in federal court. Justices on Thursday said the Hempstead County Hunting Club must first take its objections to the Southwestern Electric Power Co. plant under that's construction to the Arkansas Public Service Commission before suing. A federal judge had asked the court for guidance on the state law surrounding the appeal of the power plant. Opponents of the plant last week had argued that state law allowed them to pursue their claims either before the commission or in court and that they shouldn't be forced to choose one over the other. Justices however said that the hunting club could sue only after it had exhausted all administrative remedies. North Carolina Forsyth County judge faces September hearing WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- A September hearing date has been set for a Forsyth County judge accused of fixing traffic tickets for her friends and members of her church. The Winston-Salem Journal reported the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission will hold a hearing for District Court Judge Denise Hartsfield on Sept. 7. The commission filed the charges against Hartsfield in March, accusing her of mishandling 22 cases in 2007 and 2008. She also is accused of giving misleading statements to the State Bureau of Investigation. Hartsfield said she had a general practice of waiving fines, striking court costs or not imposing punishment in non-alcohol-related traffic offenses to help defendants who were not able to pay the fees. She denies she did anything improper or lied to the SBI. Iowa Danville tavern owners cited for racing mice DANVILLE, Iowa (AP) -- The owners of a tavern near Danville have been cited for running what authorities say is an illegal mouse racing operation. Scott Beach and Jan Beach were cited last week for knowingly permitting criminal activity on licensed premises. The Hawk Eye newspaper in Burlington says undercover Des Moines County sheriff's deputies went to the Bucktail Lodge on May 8 and discovered the mouse racing operation with people places bets. Authorities say several mice were found in cages and bets were described as over any legal limit. Scott Beach says the only information he has been able to get from officials is that he doesn't have a gambling license. The 49-year-old Beach says there is nothing wrong with the races, which he has held for the past five years. South Carolina Sheriff: Mom lied about daughter's cancer NEWBERRY, S.C. (AP) -- A Newberry County mother has been arrested after deputies say she lied about her 15-year-old daughter's health and took donations for the child's treatment. Sheriff Lee Foster says 35-year-old Angela Ann Chapman of Whitmire was arrested Wednesday and charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses. It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney. Foster says Chapman told people that her daughter had been diagnosed with cancer and was treated at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., earlier this month. Foster wouldn't say if the girl knew about the fraud but did say that a juvenile had been charged in Family Court related to the case. The sheriff says investigators are trying to determine how much money the family received. Published: Fri, May 27, 2011