CANTON, Ohio - A teenager was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for helping plan and carry out the killing of her father in a fire last year.

On Dec. 17, a Stark County Common Pleas Court jury found Crystal Starcher, 17, of Massillon, guilty of aggravated murder and aggravated arson.

Starcher's father, Ernest Dean Anderson, 52, died in the early-morning fire on Dec. 11, 2002, as she watched from the street with family members.

In previous trials, Vickie Anderson, 49, the victim's wife, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and aggravated arson. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Her son, Jonathan Dean Anderson, 19, was found guilty of aggravated murder. He also was sentenced to life without parole for at least 25 years, plus 10 years for aggravated arson.

Crystal Starcher's husband, Donald Starcher, 18, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and aggravated arson. He was sentenced to life without parole for at least 25 years. He also will serve 10 years for aggravated arson.

Cars that crashed on I-70 were racing

GRANVILLE, Ohio - A crash that killed four people began when one of two cars racing on an interstate lost control, investigators said Monday.

A chain reaction of crashes about 11 p.m. Saturday closed part of Interstate 70 about 20 miles east of Columbus for at least six hours overnight.

Paul Adams Jr., 18, told investigators that he drove his small sedan, which was carrying two passengers, into the right shoulder to try to pull ahead of a Toyota Camry, Zwayer said. The cars were traveling about 80 mph, the patrol said.

Adams' car struck the guardrail, and he lost control, hitting the Camry, Zwayer said.

The collision sent the Camry hurtling into oncoming traffic, where it struck another car before being hit by a tractor-trailer, the patrol said.

The Camry driver Joel Heisley, 18, of Columbus, was killed, along with his three passengers: his sister Alisha Heisley, whose age wasn't available; and Nathan McIntosh, 19, and David George, 20, both of Upper Sandusky.

Interstate robber acted with great speed

VINCENNES, Ind. - The man who came to be dubbed the Interstate Bank Mart Bandit hit his targets with efficient speed, obtaining cash, leaving in less than a minute and making his getaways on freeways.

Authorities say they believe that man is David Brankle, 47, whom Indiana State Police arrested in Vincennes on Wednesday. Investigators had thought he was responsible for 39 robberies at grocery store bank branches since April 2002 in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Tennessee. Police have said he gave a statement confessing to approximately 50 robberies in those states as well as Illinois.

"We are still trying to unravel the web of what he's done," FBI agent Wendy Osborne said Sunday.

In all the robberies, an estimated $200,000 was stolen, she said.

Brankle was being held at the Knox County Jail in Vincennes on $500,000 bond. So far, he is charged on five counts of robbery from Louisville.

Hardin Co. schools halt ice cream sales

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. - The Hardin County public school system has cut off ice cream sales in elementary school cafeterias out of concern about bulging waistlines among youngsters.

Janey Thornton, director of Child Nutrition Programs, noticed many children were buying ice cream and eating it before their meals.

"They were getting filled up and not eating the rest of their lunches," she said. "We're making a concerted effort trying to improve the nutritional content in meals, and it seemed like this was counterproductive."

Thornton said Kentucky ranks second nationally for the percentage of obese students.

She hopes the change will encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables.