The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning is developing a revised Public Participation Plan, updating the Participation Plan that was adopted in 2007.  The new Plan reflects NIRPC’s continuing commitment to reach out to and engage residents in the regional planning and decision-making processes relative to NIRPC’s three planning domains of transportation, economic development and the environment.  The Plan has been in development for over 8 months, with the advice and guidance of a Task Force...

Crown Point Fire-Rescue is looking for some volunteers. The City's website reports the fire department is accepting applications for a volunteer firefighter. Those interested must be at least 18 years old, be a resident of Crown Point or Center Township, able to pass a medical and physical exam, have a valid driver's license, with a good driving record, complete an intensive training program, and submit to a background check. Applications, which are due by February 15^th, at 4pm, can be found at...

A new police station could be in store for Highland. The Times reports the Highland Town Council Monday night approved authorizing two professional appraisals of a property on the 33-hundred block of Ridge Road, which could potentially clear the way for a new police station, since this acquisition would clear the land from the Town Hall west to Cottage Grove Avenue. Published reports say town officials will revisit a 2003 study which laid out plans for a new station, measuring about 26-thousand...

(Photo Courtesy of Portage Police)

Officers responding to a burglary call over the weekend ended up uncovering an illicit drug sale operation. Portage Police report they were called out just before 7am Saturday, to the 57-hundred block of Brookview Avenue, in Portage, in reference to a burglary to a garage, where officers ultimately learned a 17 year old male was selling drugs, and 18 year old Seth White, of Valparaiso, had allegedly stolen drugs from the garage. White, and an 18 year old male who admitted to driving White to...

(Photo Courtesy of the Lake County Coroner's Office)
The Lake County Coroner's Office needs your help in locating any possible friends or family of Michael Bleck. Coroner Merrilee Frey says they have exhausted all leads in locating any family members, after her office responded to the 52-hundred block of Hohman Avenue in Hammond, and found Bleck dead on January 4^th. The Coroner's Office describes Bleck as last seen wearing a black ski jacket, blue jeans, a light blue long sleeve shirt, with...

A fire in the hallway of a eight-unit apartment building in East Chicago is under investigation at last check. Chief Inspector Henry Ventura, of the East Chicago Fire Department, says they were dispatched at 2:46 this morning to the 44-hundred block of Indianapolis Blvd, and found flames on the third floor, in front of the stairwell. Chief Inspector Ventura says the fire was contained to the hallway, and while there were no injuries, there was smoke damage, and he says the Red Cross and the...

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas is quoted in today's Times as saying it's “the most involved and interactive process any city has undertaken” referring to the development of a strategic plan for the city, one that will involve “extensive interaction” with residents to envision what Valpo would be a decade or two down the road. At last night's city council meeting, attendees learned the city has opted for a consulting team headed by ACP Visioning and Planning out of Columbus, Ohio, to develop that plan, with their work be...

The 15 minute talk show concentrates on public safety and informational topics with state wide interest.  The radio program was titled “Signal-10” in the early sixties when it was first started by two troopers in northern Indiana. The name was later changed to the “Indiana State Police Road Show” and is the longest continuously aired state police public service program in Indiana.  The public service program is sponsored by the Indiana State Police Alliance and Cops for Kids, a subsidiary of the...

In Valparaiso early this morning, two men were taken into custody in connection with a burglary at the BP Amoco station on Calumet Avenue. Valparaiso Police say officers responded just after midnight and within five hours made two arrests on charges of burglary, criminal mischief for the broken glass, and possession of stolen property.
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Near Dolton overnight, Illinois State Police say a 27-year-old Chicago woman apparently fell from a southbound SUV on the Bishop Ford Freeway before being struck and killed by a semi. Police tell www.nwi.com  the victim was ejected at 154^th Street. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV, a 28-year-old Chicago man, was reportedly taken to an Oak Lawn hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and no charges have been filed at this time.
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