LAWRENCE COUNTY, Pa. --

Firefighters in New Wilmington, Lawrence County said they're in shock after a fatal accident involving a fellow firefighter's father.

Chief Dick Wilson said they were called to a fatal accident on Wednesday morning.

Wilson said the victim's son, who responded to the accident, learned of his father's death at the scene.

"He was there responding. He saw the car and recognized it. We grabbed him and kept him away and brought him back to the station," said Wilson.

A member of the Corinth Volunteer Fire Department was en route to work when he rescued two brothers from a burning house early Wednesday morning.

Lt. Chris Brogden noticed smoke coming from the home at 4698 U.S. Highway 15 round 6 a.m.and quickly called 911 before running around the structure, according to WRAL-TV.

A woman told Brogden where the two men were sleeping inside the home.

A Marshfield firefighter was injured Saturday after a branch from a burning tree fell on him.

The efforts of Oaks Bluffs firefighters working to put out a New Year's Day house fire were hampered after they discovered a hydrant they attempted to hook their hoses to turned out to be a lawn ornament.

"It was a real fire hydrant," Deputy Chief Tony R. Ferriera told the Martha's Vineyard Patch. "We just didn't know it wasn't a working hydrant until we tried to hook up to it."

An insurance company is offering a reward of as much as $20,000 in an investigation of suspected arson fires at a large lumber yard in southern Lincoln County.

Two recent fires at Anderson Lumber caused more than $1.5 million in damage. The company's insurer, Pennsylvania Lumber, is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fires.

The Kentucky Arson Task Force is offering a $1,000 reward in the case.

HAVERHILL, Mass. -- Four people are alive today because smoke detectors alerted a sleeping family when a fire broke out in their kitchen at 1:24 a.m. today, according to Dep. Fire Chief Brian Moriarty.

Moriarty said that when the alarms went off, the sound woke up one of the residents, who then woke up his wife and two sleeping children.

They all raced outside the 72 Pleasant View Ave. house and went to a neighbor's across the street to escape the sub-freezing temperatures and high winds. The man then called 911.

VIENNA --

Hoses weren't the only things uncoiling at this blaze. Austrian firefighters answering an alarm found something their training didn't prepare them for - a trove of highly venomous snakes.

Fire department spokesman Franz Resperger says 85 fire fighters beat a hasty retreat from a burning barn east of Vienna after a neighbor told them to watch out for the reptiles kept by the owner inside.

One firefighter was hospitalized after being injured fighting an early-morning fire that damaged a line of stores on East Main Street in Smithtown on Wednesday, Suffolk County fire officials said.

It was not immediately clear what fire department the volunteer belonged to or how seriously he might have been injured.

Officials said the firefighter was transported to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown.

There were no other injuries, police and fire officials said.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, along with County firefighters, rescued two people who fell into a ravine while hiking in the Running Springs area.

Sheriff's Dispatched received a call for a search and rescue about 2:30 p.m. Monday. The initial report stated that the victims had fallen about 200 feet.

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Chicago Wolves’ bid to extend their winning streak to a season-high-tying five games never gained traction Saturday night.

Former Wolves forward Brett Sterling set up Peoria’s go-ahead goal in the second period and provided the insurance goal in the third as the Rivermen earned a 4-1 Illinois Lottery Cup win in front of 10,912 fans at the Allstate Arena.

Center Jordan Schroeder produced the lone goal for the Wolves. His one-timer of a rebound pulled the hosts into a tie at 9:12 of the second period, but Peoria answered 46 seconds later and the Wolves (25-17-1-3) couldn’t catch up.

“We ran into a determined Peoria team tonight,” said Wolves head coach Craig MacTavish. “The playoff push is upon us and the games are tightening up now.”

For the second night in a row, the Wolves spotted the visitors the opening goal.

Right wing Adam Cracknell drove to the net from the corner and Wolves goaltender Matt Climie rejected his initial shot. With three Wolves surrounding Cracknell in the crease, the Peoria forward found a way to tap home the rebound for a 1-0 lead at the 5:37 mark of the first period.

The Wolves evened the score at 9:12 of the second period when Bill Sweatt’s shot from close range was denied, but Schroeder cleaned up the rebound as he rifled a one-timer past Peoria goaltender Ben Bishop for his 13^th goal of the season.

Peoria (24-20-2-1) waited just 46 seconds to regain the lead. After finding open space in the middle of the Wolves zone, Sterling fed Derek Nesbitt for a quick wrister from the circle at 9:58 of the second.

Sterling gave the Rivermen some breathing room at 5:44 of the third period when he slipped through the Wolves blueliners for a breakaway. Sterling chipped the puck over Climie’s blocker for his 18^th goal this season. Jonathan Cheechoo added an empty-net goal with 1:57 to play.

Bishop (20-12-0) delivered 29 saves for the win while Climie (14-7-0) stopped 20 shots for Chicago. For the sixth consecutive Wolves game, the team that attempted fewer shots picked up the victory.

The Wolves return to the ice Tuesday for their final School Day Game of the season. The Wolves host the Houston Aeros in an 11 a.m. contest at Allstate Arena.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Derrick Rose scored 21 points and had 13 assists and Luol Deng added 21 points in his return after missing seven games due to injury, as the Chicago Bulls easily beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-90 Saturday night.

Playing before a sellout Bradley Center crowd that seemed to be filled with more fans rooting for the Bulls, Deng scored on a layup from Rose just 76 seconds into the game.

The Bucks trailed by 24 at halftime and never threatened in the second half, resting all five starters in the fourth quarter.

Deng was averaging 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds before tearing a ligament in his left wrist Jan. 21 against Charlotte. He consulted with doctors before deciding against surgery, and his initial return against the Bucks appeared promising.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Tyler Brown scored 21 points and Illinois State rolled past Bradley 78-48 Saturday night.

The Redbirds (15-9, 7-6 Missouri Valley) never trailed, raced to a 43-21 halftime lead and didn’t let up, beginning the second half with a 9-0 run.

Bryant Allen added 11 points and John Wilkins scored 10 for Illinois State, which made 51 percent of its shots and was 48 percent from 3-point range.

Illinois State was coming off a 102-74 loss at No. 13 Creighton on Wednesday — the most points ISU had allowed in a game in 22 years.

Jalen Crawford scored 11 points to lead the Braves (6-19, 1-12), who have lost six in a row. Bradley shot 29 percent from the field.

ISU has won six straight over Bradley, the longest run in the rivalry for the Redbirds since the mid-1980s.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick each scored 16 points and Cashmere Wright scored all 11 of his in the second half to help Cincinnati pull away from DePaul for a 74-66 Big East win on Saturday night.

Justin Jackson set a career high with 14 points for the Bearcats (16-7, 6-4), who ended the game with a 12-2 run and snapped a three-game losing streak. Yancy Gates also finished in double figures with 11 for Cincinnati.

Cleveland Melvin scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Blue Demons (11-11, 2-8), who have lost seven of their last eight games. Melvin had his third double-double of the year and second in consecutive games by halftime with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Jamee Crockett added 17 for DePaul before fouling out with 5:39 left in the game.

The Blue Demons, who won at Rutgers on Jan. 25, were trying to win back-to-back Big East road games for the first time since January 2007.

Mistake-prone DePaul committed 18 turnovers, helping Cincinnati enjoy a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

Crockett, who scored a total of seven points in DePaul’s last game, scored eight in the first 4 minutes to help the Blue Demons open up a 9-6 lead. Melvin followed up with 12 in just over 4 minutes as the Blue Demons led by as many as five points twice in the first half.

The Bearcats, the Big East leaders in 3-point field goals going into the game, missed their first eight before Kilpatrick connected with 7 seconds left in the first half to cut DePaul’s halftime lead to 38-36. They went 3 of 15 on 3-pointers for the game.

The Blue Demons, who were second in the conference in 3-pointers, made just 2 of 10 in the first half and finished 5 of 17 for the game.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Victor Oladipo scored a career-high 23 points to help No. 20 Indiana defeat Purdue 78-61 on Saturday night and break a five-game losing streak to its in-state rival.

Cody Zeller had 16 points and eight rebounds and freshman Remy Abell scored a season-best 13 points for the Hoosiers (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten). Verdell Jones III, one of Indiana’s primary ballhandlers, missed the game with a shoulder injury.

The Hoosiers had lost five of their previous seven games, but claimed just their fourth road win of the season.

Robbie Hummel had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Purdue. The senior came up limping after he went to the ground in the final minutes, but he played through it. Hummel missed last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. D.J. Byrd scored 15 points and Kelsey Barlow added 12 for the Boilermakers (15-8, 5-5).

Purdue hadn’t lost to Indiana since 2008. Purdue seniors Lewis Jackson and Ryne Smith lost to the Hoosiers for the first time in their careers.

Purdue led 13-8 on a dunk by Jacob Lawson, but Indiana scored the next 13 points to give the Hoosiers a 21-13 lead. A 3-pointer by Will Sheehey gave Indiana a 31-22 lead, and the Hoosiers extended their advantage to 33-22 at halftime. Purdue shot 20 percent from the field in the first half and missed all 11 of its 3-point tries. The Boilermakers didn’t have a turnover before the break, but the Hoosiers beat them 34-22 on the boards.

Purdue started off hot in the second half, but Indiana rallied. A layup by Abell in traffic pushed the Hoosiers’ lead to 52-43 with just over 12 minutes to go.

A bucket by Hummel cut Indiana’s lead to 58-53. The Boilermakers had a chance to cut their deficit to two points when Jackson stole the ball and drove hard for a layup. Sheehey blocked his shot from behind, Indiana’s Christian Watford rebounded and he was fouled. He made both free throws to give the Hoosiers a 67-61 lead with 2:15 remaining.

Abell’s 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining pushed Indiana’s lead to 70-61.

 (© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Jordon Crawford scored 15 points and Bowling Green used a big first half to rout Northern Illinois 65-40 on Saturday night.

Bowling Green got off to an 18-1 start on its way to a 41-16 halftime lead. The Falcons were never threatened in the second half as the lead remained above 16 points.

Scott Thomas added 14 points for the Falcons (11-11, 5-4 Mid-American Conference), who have won two in a row for the first time since November.

The Falcons held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting for the first time this season. The Huskies made only 29.2 percent (14 of 48) of their field goal attempts while Bowling Green shot 48.8 percent (20 of 41).

Northern Illinois (2-19, 1-8) went without a double-digit scorer but Abdel Nader had 10 rebounds. It was the third time the Huskies have been held to 40 points or less this season.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

RIVER FOREST, Ill. (STMW) – A River Forest man who took in dozens of foster children since 1996 and volunteered with local youth groups was charged Friday with the sexual abuse of two girls.

Robert L. Gaskill, 63, of the 600 block of Ashland Ave., was ordered held Saturday in lieu of $50 million full cash bond by Judge Gregory P. Vasquez.

In bond court Saturday, prosecutors said Gaskill sexually abused two adolescent girls over a period from 1996 to 2009.

He is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Maybrook Courthouse in Maywood. Sources said the case is expected to go to a grand jury for possible formal indictment.

A River Forest detective assisted by members of the WEDGE task force arrested Gaskill at his home Thursday. On Friday the Cook County State’s Attorney approved two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, which is a Class X felony.

Gaskill and his wife have operated a foster care service in their large three-story frame home on Ashland Avenue, and a foster care support system called Tapestry Chicago. He also served on the board of the River Forest Youth Soccer program and was a program coordinator in the late 1990s.

Gaskill currently works as the marketing director at Lydia Home in Chicago, a residential facility for abused children. He previously worked for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Gaskill is also a former publisher of the Oak Leaves/Pioneer Press West Group, where he worked for 16 years until the mid 1980s. Following that, he was the president and publisher of Chicago Catholic Publications, which publishes the Chicago Archdiocese’s official newspaper, the New World.

Gaskill was not currently an employee of the Catholic New World or New World Publications, Archdiocese of Chicago spokeswoman Susan Burritt said Saturday. She did not immediately have any information on when he had served as publisher for Chicago Catholic Publications.

In a 2009 interview with the Forest Leaves, Gaskill said he and his wife had “been opening their home to foster children for about 15 years.” Many of them had disabilities of some kind.

He said he had fostered “about 75 different children over that time.”

In 2009, the Gaskills had 12 children, four biological, six adopted and two in foster care.

“Long before we got married, while we were dating, we both agreed we wanted to have large families,” Rob Gaskill said in 2009. “We thought it would be fun to have a lot of children.”

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By Adam Hoge-

MADISON, Wis. (CBS) The wild and wacky Big Ten might actually be starting to sort itself out.

Ohio State, the consensus favorite in the conference this year and undoubtedly the most talented Big Ten team, separated itself from the pack Saturday with a vital 58-52 win over the Badgers at the Kohl Center.

The significance of the win cannot be overstated. Ohio State had not won at the Kohl Center since 2000, meaning the Buckeyes had never beat Bo Ryan in Madison. Thad Matta was winless in six tries.

“It’s a great win because I think when you look at Wisconsin basketball, it has stood the test of time, how many times we and a lot of other teams have come in here and gone home without a win,” Matta said after the game. “It definitely is a good win for our program.”

So good of a win that Jared Sullinger (24 points, 10 rebounds) and William Buford (11 points, six rebounds) said they had never seen their head coach that happy after a win.

“I was happy, I don’t know if I was elated,” Matta said. “Let me say this, I wanted them to know that I was happy with their performance because we put a lot in to coming up here.

“William Buford was 0-3 (in Madison) and I was 0-6, so yeah, I was happy. It beats the last six times I was here.”

It’s the kind of win Ohio State usually doesn’t get and with first place in the Big Ten on the line, it gave the Buckeyes (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten) some separation in a wide open conference.

Of course, it’s only one game of separation, as OSU leads Michigan (17-6, 7-3) by one game in the standings – a number that could shrink down to just half a game if the Wolverines win at Michigan State Sunday.

But with back-to-back home games coming up for Ohio State, and winnable road games left on the schedule, the Buckeyes made a statement Sunday that goes beyond what the numbers in the standings say.

They’re clearly the Big Ten’s best team.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. Winning in Madison never is. But after Jordan Taylor caught fire last year to erase a 15-point second half deficit and beat the then-No. 1 Buckeyes, Ohio State – and specifically Aaron Craft – bottled up Taylor and made sure that didn’t happen again. Having gone three whole games without a turnover, Taylor was forced into three turnovers by the Buckeyes Saturday, including two in the final three minutes. Buford converted one of those turnovers into a three-pointer – Ohio State’s only three of the game – to ice the game.

And sure, it helped that Wisconsin only hit 5-of-27 threes and at one point missed 15 in a row.

But the Buckeyes will take a win at the Kohl Center any way they can. And there’s no doubt they deserved their first victory in 10 tries in Madison.

It was the kind of win a Big Ten champion earns on the road.

Of course, there is still plenty of basketball to be played, and after the game, Jordan Taylor was the first to remind Ohio State of that fact.

“The race is still there,” he said. “It’s still not over so there’s no time to mope or feel sorry for yourself.”

There’s also no time for the Buckeyes to feel too good about themselves and Matta was quick to point out that there’s still eight games left to be played. But just over halfway through the Big Ten season, the Buckeyes are certainly in the driver’s seat.

It’s their conference to lose.

Adam Hoge

Adam is the Sports Content Producer for CBSChicago.com and specializes in coverage of the White Sox, Blackhawks and college sports. He was born and raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep before going off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Journalism degree. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHogeCBS and read more of his columns here.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Freshman Pat Connaughton had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Notre Dame made 11 3-pointers and beat No. 15 Marquette 76-59 Saturday.

Connaughton shot 5 for 8 on 3s to lead the Irish (15-8, 7-3 Big East) to their fourth straight win. Notre Dame has defeated five ranked opponents this season.

Eric Atkins chipped in 18 points and Jerian Grant had 12 in a strong performance by the Irish backcourt.

The loss snapped a seven-game conference winning streak for Marquette (19-5, 8-3). Darius Johnson-Odom scored 10 points for the Golden Eagles in the first half, but was held to just two points the rest of the game.

Vander Blue chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for Marquette. The Eagles shot just 2 of 13 from 3-point range.

Notre Dame made its move after falling behind 16-12 to the fast-paced Marquette team. The Irish used a 9-0 run with five points coming from Pat Connaughton to lead 21-16 with 6:48 left in the first half. Eric Atkins capped the three-minute run in a blur, flying past the Marquette defense for a fast-break layup.

Johnson-Odom helped the Golden Eagles keep pace with Notre Dame while the offense shot just 36.7 percent in the first half. Johnson-Odom scored 10 points and Blue added eight points and four rebounds.

Connaughton led a balanced Irish attack in the first half with eight points as Notre Dame went into the break with a 30-26 lead. The traditionally slow-paced Irish scored four fast-break points in the first half while holding Marquette to zero.

Notre Dame’s first four baskets in the second half came from 3-point range.

The loss snapped a seven-game, winning streak in the Big East for Marquette. Notre Dame’s has won four straight in the conference. Notre Dame has beaten five opponents who were ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO (STMW) - A 25-year-old woman who was driving her 59-year-old mother and her 2-year-old nephew early Saturday in the West Side Garfield Park neighborhood was wounded when an errant bullet from a nearby shooting pierced the car’s windshield and struck her in the face.

The woman’s mother then slid over into driver’s seat and drove her daughter to the nearest hospital, where she was in “guarded” condition, police said.

The incident was part of a shooting in the 100 block of North Kedzie Avenue about 1:45 a.m., police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said.

A 24-year-old man, who was with a 20-year-old woman, got into an argument with a man he knew at a food and liquor store in that block, Mirabelli said. The second man then walked out of the store and shortly thereafter opened fire on the 24-year-old man, Mirabelli said.

The victim was struck in the foot and the woman he was with was uninjured, police said.

At the same time, a 25-year-old woman was driving a green Ford Escort southbound on Kedzie, with her 59-year-old mother in the front passenger seat and her 2-year-old nephew in the backseat, Mirabelli said.

One of the bullets that was fired from the parking lot went through the car’s windshield and struck the driver in the lip. Her mother “immediately switched seats and drove to the closest hospital, which is Mount Sinai,” Mirabelli said. As of later Saturday morning the women was in “guarded” condition at Mount Sinai, Mirabelli said. The victim’s mother and the little boy was unharmed, he said.

The man who was shot in the foot also was taken to Mount Sinai for treatment, police said.

“(Police) are searching for the individual responsible for this shooting,” and detectives were trying to gather any witnesses to the shooting, Mirabelli said.

Harrison area detectives are investigating.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.