Fire crews are currently on the scene of a grass fire at the I-94 and State Road 249/Crisman Road interchange.   Drivers can expect gaper slowdowns according to several traffic tipsters.  INDOT is reporting that the northbound ramp on SR-249 is blocked at this time.

 
INDOT traffic cam site at I-94 & SR-249 in the Portage area
(INDOT traffic cam photo)
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A man was shot after giving another man a ride earlier this morning. Corporal Gabrielle King, of the Gary Police Department, says around 3:30, an unknown subject offered 18 year old Montreal McNutt money for a ride while he was at a gas station, located at 49^th and Broadway, in Gary.  Corporal King says the man asked to go to one location, and then changed the location, and when they arrived, the man got out of the vehicle, and allegedly fired a couple of gunshots at McNutt, which struck him....

A 34 year old man and a 30 year old woman remain at-large, at last check, after a 37 year old woman was assaulted around 2:30 this morning, on the 25-hundred block of Maryland Street in Gary. Gary Police Corporal Gabrielle King says an argument between the 37 year old woman and the 34 year old man lead to the man calling his ex-girlfriend to beat up the woman. Corporal King says after the woman arrived, both females began fighting, and then the boyfriend got involved in the altercation, which...

An 18 year old person of interest is in custody at last check, but no charges have yet been filed, regarding the stabbing death of a 20 year old Gary man. The Gary Police Department and Lake County Crime Lab are investigating a homicide, after a team from the Lake County Coroners Office responded to a residence in the two-thousand block of Tennessee Street in Gary, just after five this morning, where officials say a 20-year-old man identified as Gregory Cole, of the same address, was determined...

Part of Randolph Street was closed earlier today after a crash involving a utility pole at 121st and Randolph near Lakes of the Four Seasons. At about 9-o'clock this morning, Kankakee Valley REMC reports an automobile accident caused significant damage to the pole. The rural electric membership cooperative says for the safety of their crews, as they replaced the pole and made necessary line repairs. The KV REMC online outage map showed 415 members were affected.
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Officials in Lake County say they were advised part of Randolph Street could be closed for three-to-five hours today after a crash involving a utility pole at 121st and Randolph near Lakes of the Four Seasons this morning. Lake County Sheriffs Police spokesperson Patti Van Til says officers have since cleared the scene, but repairs to the pole are underway. At about 9-o'clock this morning, Kankakee Valley REMC reports an automobile accident caused significant damage to the pole. The rural...

9:30am -- Kankakee Valley REMC reports an automobile accident caused significant damage to one of their electric poles this morning at 121st and Randolph in Lake County. The rural electric membership cooperative says for the safety of their crews, as they replace the pole and make the necessary line repairs, members in this area are currently without power.  The KV REMC online outage map shows 415 members are affected.
Link to outage map:  http://www.kvremc.com/outageInfo.aspx
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News Release (Jan 09 2013):  INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana State Department of Health has published the school immunization requirements for the 2013-2014 school year for students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.
New requirements include:
·         Kindergarten through 12th grade: Two valid doses of varicella vaccine or a documented history of having chicken pox disease. Students in grades kindergarten through 5th grade will need to have their history of chicken pox disease documented by a h...

The Gary Police Department and Lake County Crime Lab are investigating a homicide. A news release from the Lake County Coroner says a team from the coroners office responded to a residence in the two-thousand block of Tennessee Street in Gary at 5:30 this morning, where officials say a 20-year-old man identified as Gregory Cole of the same address was determined to have been stabbed to death. Authorities say the victim was pronounced dead shortly after 6-o'clock this morning.
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The National Park Service says a possible suicide victim was found at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Tuesday. Park Rangers from The National Park Service along with officers from the Beverly Shores Police Department, Porter County Sheriff’s Office, and Town of Porter Police responded to the report of a person with a gun in a vehicle along old road within Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A news release issued by the National Park Service says a hiker was walking along the old road when t...