A program to learn from natural disasters like the one that ravaged Joplin, Missouri, in May of 2011, is scheduled to take place next month at Valparaiso University. Russell Shirley, Porter County Director of Emergency Management , says the program will be a discussion-based exercise on the different functions responders, whether civilian or emergency, will have in the event of a serious disaster. Shirley says when a disaster strikes it will effect everyone, not just first responders, which is...

Reportedly, a crash between a semi and an SUV caused the semi to end up in the right hand ditch on eastbound I-80/94 in the Lake Station corridor near Central Avenue.
EMS and fire crews responded and a heavy duty wrecker was on scene to pull the semi out of the ditch but as of 4 p.m. this afternoon, all lanes of eastbound I-80/94 were
backed up to a little before Grant Street in the Gary Corridor. 
Snow flurries moving through the region and temperatures below freezing are causing roads to become...

Another sign the housing market may be in recovery, a new report from the Case-Shiller Index finds prices in major cities rose across the country. Craig Lazzara Senior Director at Dow Jones Indices tells ABC News the report is promising, "as I look at the numbers, I think, this is the picture of a broadly distributed advance it's not excessive and it certainly comes at the end of several very bad years, but that said this is a picture of a recovering market."
The Indiana Association of Realtors...

No injuries were reported after a fire this morning at the Cargill food processing plant in Hammond. Hammond Deputy Fire Chief Gavin Margraf says they were dispatched around 7:15 this morning, and that it took a couple of hours to extinguish the fire. The fire reportedly began in a gluten dryer, and did not spread.
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Two separate crashes near Cline Avenue, that happened within minutes of one another, is backing up both westbound and eastbound traffic on the Borman (I-80/94).  The westbound crash closed the two left lanes backing up westbound traffic from Cline Avenue back to I-65 this afternoon.  Another crash eastbound on the Borman (I-80/94) near Cline Avenue had earlier closed the left lane eastbound.  Traffic was backing up to near Calumet Avenue.  Drivers should seek alternates like the Indiana Toll Roa...

They're digging out from about twenty inches of snow in the Texas panhandle.... but here in the Region, it looks like rain... mostly rain, anyway, because we are expecting snow and freezing rain, too.  Much of northwest Indiana isn't even under an advisory, though Chicago and northern Indiana are. We asked Valparaiso University Meteorology Professor Dr. Bart Wolf about the outlook from the Chicago National Weather Service, and Dr. Wolf said from his understanding, meteorologists believe it will...

People gathered outside the Porter County Courthouse this morning, holding signs like “Justice for Amanda” as jurors today are expected to begin deliberations in the Dustin McCowan murder trial. 20-year-old McCowan is accused of fatally shooting one-time girlfriend 19-year-old Amanda Bach of Portage in September of 2011. The trial started about three-and-a-half weeks ago.  Published reports say both the defense and prosecution will be allowed two-hours each for closing arguments, before the jury...

[Rep. Tim Brown speaking on HB 1001/Photo provided]
The Indiana House passed a new two-year spending plan by a 68-28 vote Monday... a thirty-billion dollar blueprint Republicans say will grow the private sector, bridge the skills gap and strengthen education... however, it does not include the income-tax cut sought by Republican Governor Mike Pence... a proposal that Democrats have wanted to advance.
STATEHOUSE — Authored by the Chairman of Ways and Means, State Representative Tim Brown (...

Most counties in north central Indiana are under a winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service. Throughout the day, periods of snow fall and possible ice accumulation up to a quarter inch are being forecasted. This combination can cause visibility to be reduced and road conditions to change quickly. To help Hoosiers prepare for this winter storm the Indiana State Police offers the following tips.
Be prepared:
• Before traveling, check the forecast and let someone know your t...

Among the many expected or possible effects of the federal sequester on the Region... closure of the control tower at Gary/Chicago International Airport Friday... the same day the across-the-board budget cuts approved by Congress kick in. Today's Times says the airport would still be open to airplanes, but they would have to follow FAA guidelines for landing without a control tower.
http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/sequester-may-shut-gary-control-tower-airport-to-remain-open/article_81bf209...