LAWRENCE CO. – December brought a mix of high-profile career achievements for a local star and the postponement of a devastating criminal case that continues to haunt the Lawrence County community.
BNL Graduate Aishah Hasnie Rises to Dual FOX News Role
A Bedford North Lawrence High School graduate, Aishah Hasnie, reached a significant career milestone. FOX News Media promoted the accomplished journalist to the high-profile dual role of anchor and White House correspondent.
Hasnie, a 2002 BNL graduate, will join the network’s top reporting team as a White House correspondent and will launch her own solo Saturday afternoon program starting in January. FOX News President Jay Wallace lauded her expertise, stating, “Aishah’s knowledge of Washington makes her a perfect addition to our stellar White House team.”
The Indiana University graduate joined FOX News in 2019 and previously served as a senior national and congressional correspondent. Her distinguished track record includes:
- Coverage of the 2025 government shutdown.
- Reporting on the 2023 Speaker of the House election.
- Interviews with prominent political figures like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Taiwanese Ambassador Alexander Yui.
Hasnie, who was raised in Bedford after emigrating from Pakistan, built a strong reputation in Indiana before her national career, working as an anchor and investigative reporter at WXIN-TV in Indianapolis and earning an Emmy nomination at WANE-TV in Fort Wayne for work that inspired local legislation.
Medina Sentencing Rejected; Mitchell Woman to Face Jury Trial
The Lawrence County community received an unexpected turn in the tragic case of Brittany Medina. The Mitchell woman, who pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the 2023 drowning deaths of her two young children, will now face a jury of her peers.
Judge Robert Cline rejected the proposed plea agreement in December, forcing the case to trial. Medina, 35, now faces two counts of murder and two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, stemming from the tragic September 2023 deaths of three-year-old Jackson Shelton and one-year-old Madelyn Shelton.
The court reports recount Medina’s confession to authorities that, after ingesting illicit substances, she heard voices urging her to “send her children to Heaven,” which led her to hold them underwater in the bathtub. The trial is now scheduled to begin on February 4, 2026.
Mitchell Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Child Exploitation
Brian Fish, of Mitchell, received a heavy sentence in federal court after pleading guilty to felony charges related to the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple children. He was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison.
Fish not only abused three young children entrusted to his care but also photographed the crimes and distributed the explicit images online. US Attorney Tom Wheeler emphasized the severity of the sentence, noting that distributing the material “fuels further exploitation, encourages other offenders to create more material through abuse, and ensures the victims are haunted.”
The investigation began in September 2023 following alerts received by the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
