Legislation to further strengthen anti-methamphetamine laws across Indiana passed the full Senate Monday. Senate Bill 496 would allow ephedrine/pseudoephedrine to be sold only at retailers participating in the National Precursor Log Exchange database, prohibits anyone convicted of certain meth-related crimes from possessing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine without a prescription for seven-years, increases the criminal penalty of those who buy more than ten-grams of certain meth ingredients, with the...

The East Chicago Police Department recently released their 2012 crime statistics, reporting a 13-percent reduction in violent crime from 2011 and a five-percent drop in property crimes from the previous year, for a six-percent decrease in total crimes overall from 2011 totals. Chief Mark Becker says he is pleased with the numbers because in 2011, East Chicago was designated as the most violent city in Northwest Indiana on a per capita basis, and now homicides, of which three were reported in...

INDOT has announced overnight lane restrictions of I-80/94 and I-65 starting tomorrow night through Friday. INDOT reports crews will be out patching potholes and performing maintenance during overnight hours, and work will be rescheduled if weather becomes a factor. The work begins Tuesday at 10pm on I-80/94 eastbound lane restrictions, between the Illinois state line and the Indianapolis Blvd/U-S 41 exit.
I-80/94 Lane Restriction Schedule
Tuesday, February 12^th, 10 p.m. (until 6 a.m....

2/11/13- The Diocese of Gary, Bishop Dale Melczek, issued a statement this afternoon saying,
“Pope Benedict XVI, as a priest, later bishop and cardinal, and for the last eight-years as pope, has given his life and all his strength in response to Jesus' call, “Come, follow me.”
He is a man fully committed to living his life in response to God's love. As he said in his very first encyclical, “God is love”: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” His passion was always to...

The Mayor of Gary and the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority's president today announced an intergovernmental agreement to pursue a public-private partnership to invest in Chicago's third aiport, and to grow the region's competitiveness in the global economy. A report recently compiled by the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority identified the economic impact of a revitalized third airport as 400-million in capital investment, 24-hundred direct and indirect jobs, and an...

A bill to prevent an estimated 57 million dollar property tax increase on Indiana farmers may reportedly be the first piece of legislation approved by the General Assembly during the 2013 session. The House Committee on Ways and Means today unanimously approved Senate Bill 319, which would delay, for an additional year, the implementation of new soil productivity factors by the Department of Local Government Finance, or DLGF. The bill would also require the DLGF, with the Purdue University...

Individuals with at least a four year college degree or students who are on track for a baccalaureate degree are wanted for a wide range of positions. Purdue University Calumet is hosting their annual All Majors Career and Internship Fair this Friday. Shelly Robinson, Director of Career Services says nearly 100 employers will be seeking to hire full and part-time employees and student interns. Robinson says job fairs are still “one of the best ways to get in front of employees,” so attendees sho...

The Indiana Toll Road this morning issued a wind ban effective til 8-o'clock tonight Central Time. The Indiana Toll Road Wind Ban is on all Triple and Long Double Combinations excluding low profile steel haulers. The toll road will re-evaluate the wind ban this afternoon to determine if it needs to be extended tonight.
# # #...

The Sheriff of Cook County is planning to host a gun summit in Gary this week, and Gary Police Chief Wade Ingram and Lake County Sheriff John Buncich are among those expected to attend. One of the topics is expected to be the flow of firearms from one state to the other. The event follows a report by the University of Chicago Crime Lab showing twenty-percent of all guns recovered by Chicago police in the last four years were purchased in Indiana.
###...

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says 26 Indiana victims of foreclosure-rescue fraud, including one in Lake County, will receive payments from a special state fund to cover their losses in full. Zoeller says companies claim to be able to save homes from foreclosure through a home-loan modification process., and consumers often make a sizeable upfront payment but later realize little to no work was done on their loan. Payments here ranged from $500 to $3,000, totaling more than $44,000....