In conjunction with "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit, the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond presents, "Wag Your Tail Wednesdays."  A chance for owners of well-behaved dogs or cats to have their picture taken with Santa.  Speros Batistatos, President and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority says in the fourth year, the event continues to be a hit.  The South Shore CVA says, photos cost five dollars each with proceeds directly benefiting three different local animal re...

The Nutcracker, a Region holiday tradition by the Indiana Ballet Theatre Northwest, returns to the Star Plaza with performances this Wednesday and Thursday.  Gloria Tuohly, Founder, Artistic Director and CEO of IBT says the non-profit dance company began in her basement 30-years ago.  It's the 16th season of the Nutcracker at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville and along with "field trip" shows 10 am today and tomorrow.  Evening performances open to the general public at 7 pm with holiday mu...

Yesterday's lake effect snow "affected" pot hole patching work on the Borman (80/94) last night.  According to Matt Dietchley, Media Relations Director of INDOT's LaPorte District, INDOT crews and trucks who would have been patching were instead behind the wheel of some three dozen plows and salt trucks that were dispatched yesterday.  Dietchley says patching work will resume tonight from midnight to about 5 am CST tomorrow morning with the work being down in the two right eastbound lanes of t...

Atwood Mobile Products, a lightweight, durable recreational vehicle components manufacturer based in Elkhart County will invest five-point-nine million dollars to consolidate manufacturing operations, creating up to 132 new jobs by 2015. The news was made this morning as Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, and executives from nine companies, announced new investments in Indiana, which is expected to create a combined 2,552 new jobs over the next few years. The Indiana Economic Development...

The region got its first taste of winter Monday. Jamie Enderlen with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the snow fall varied from about a tenth of an inch to an inch and a half, with Valparaiso receiving one-point-four inches of snow. Enderlen says Chicago still has not received any any measurable snow, meaning at least a tenth of an inch, for 281 consecutive days as of midnight, which breaks their 18 year record of consecutive days without snow. Enderlen says the next...

Portage Police say they are investigating a homicide that occurred just before 6pm Monday. Portage Police Public Information Officer Keith Hughes reports they were called out to the 21-hundredth block of Crisman Road regarding a suspiciously parked vehicle in a driveway of a residence with its headlights on, and were advised by the complainant that they thought they had heard gunshots, and observed a subject running east along the railroad tracks from the scene. Police report they arrived at...

A 23 year old Valparaiso man spent his wedding night in jail instead of with his bride Saturday night. The Times reports police witnessed Timothy Thompson traveling north in the center lane of Willowcreek Road, at an estimated 100 miles per hour, around 6:30 that evening, and continued to drive erraticallyeven as he entered the parking lot of Nativity of Our Savior Church. Published reports say Thompson told officers he was late for his wedding, and that he had sounded his horn, and put his...

The Schererville Town Council is accepting applications to fill some vacancies. According to their press release, the town is seeking one member for each of the following positions: Park Board, Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Police Commission. Applications can be obtained at the Schererville Town Hall's Administrative Office, between 7:30am-to-4:30pm, Monday through Friday, or one can be downloaded at their website, http://schererville.org/. The town reports applications must be...

The South Haven Fire Department is now accepting donations for their 4^th annual “Shop with a Firefighter” program. Engineer and E-M-T Micah Bell says on average they have about 15 kids who they take out on the evening of Friday, December 21^st, to buy presents for their family, and at least one item for themselves. Bell says for the kids, this event means the world, because they might not be able to have much of a Christmas otherwise, and for the firefighters, it is one of the great joys of the...

A 60 year old Gary woman has died due to her injuries after being assaulted Friday morning on the 19-hundredth block of West 5^th Avenue in Gary. The Lake County Coroner's Office reports Dorothy Griffin died due to blunt force trauma, and that her death has been ruled a homicide. Officials from the Lake County Coroner's Office pronounced Griffin dead at Methodist Hospital Southlake in Merrillville, at 4:35 Monday afternoon. According to the Times, anyone with information regarding this incident...