ESPN reporting that the Chicago Bears have broken off contract talks with linebacker Brian Urlacher, making him a free agent.  No agreement could reportedly be reached between the two sides.
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INDIANAPOLIS—Hendricks County joins Hamilton and Boone counties as ranking the highest in health outcomes, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual report, ranking the health of all 92 Indiana counties. The fourth annual County Health Rankings, released today, rank overall health for every county in all 50 states by using a standard formula to measure how healthy people are and how long they live.
 
Nationally, the data revealed that unhealthy counties have more than twice the rate of premature deaths than healthy ones and childhood poverty rates are twice as high in unhealthy counties. The Rankings allow counties to see how they compare to other counties within the state based on a range of factors that influence health including high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, and family and social support. This year’s Rankings include new measures, such as how many dentists are in a community per resident.
“Statewide, we know that we have major improvements to make in infant mortality, childhood immunizations, obesity and smoking,” said State Health Commissioner William VanNess, M.D.
“The annual County Health Rankings provide us with an additional data set to show exactly where Indiana communities are struggling, as well as providing resources to assist them with their improvement plans.”
The Rankings include a snapshot of each county in the state with a color-coded map comparing each county’s overall health ranking. There are also new county-level trend graphs detailing change over time for several of the measures, including children in poverty, unemployment and quality of care.
“We all have a stake in creating a healthier community and no single sector alone can tackle the health challenges in any given community,” said Patrick Remington, M.D., MPH, professor and associate dean at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Collaboration is critical. The Rankings are sparking action all over the country as people from all sectors join forces to create new possibilities in health—county by county.”
According to this year’s Rankings, the 10 healthiest Indiana counties based on health outcomes are: Hamilton, Hendricks, Boone, Dubois, LaGrange, Wells, Brown, Tippecanoe, Whitley and Putnam.   The 10 counties with the lowest health outcomes are: Lawrence, Vermillion, Sullivan, Orange, Jennings, Starke, Blackford, Fayette, Crawford and Scott. For more about information or to view the report, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.
Last year, the Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Hospital Association, and the Indiana Business Research Center launched the Indiana INdicators website (www.IndianaIndicators.org). This free data resource is available to help Indiana communities perform community health needs assessments, guide the development of community improvement plans and much more. IndianaINdicators.org provides the most current Indiana health-related data and information at the state and local levels in an easy to search and sort format and can be used as a supplement to the annual County Health Rankings information.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter (@RWJF) and Facebook (facebook.com/RobertWoodJohnsonFoundation).
About the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute is the focal point within the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health for translating public health and health policy research into policy and practice. The Institute strives to:
·        Address a broad range of real-world problems of topical importance to government, business, providers and the public;
·        Promote partnerships of inquiry between researchers and users of research, breaking down barriers between the academic community and public and private sector policy makers;
·        Make useful contributions to public health and health policy decisions that improve the health of the public. For more information, visit http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/. 
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(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
A 33 year old Hobart man was reportedly found guilty Wednesday of child molestation. Published reports say Arthur Gutierrez faces anywhere from 20 to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 19^th. He reportedly was facing a similar charge last August in an unrelated case, which resulted in a hung jury.
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A 38 year old Crown Point man is in federal custody at last check after a bank robbery in Gary. Gary Police Public Information Officer, Corporal Gabrielle King, says officers were dispatched to People's Bank on 25^th Avenue, near Grant Street, at 3:45 Monday afternoon. Upon arrival they learned a black man handed the teller a note saying he was robbing the bank, and after receiving an undisclosed amount money, he fled, and was later apprehended by officers canvassing the area.
King, says the suspect, Kevin Wilkerson, did not display a weapon during the robbery. She also thanked the teller, witness, as well as the officers involved, for the joint effort in catching the suspect.
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GARY, Ind. — U. S. Steel and the Gary SouthShore RailCats have reached a new 10-year naming rights agreement, keeping U. S. Steel Yard the name of the RailCats’ home stadium through the 2022 season.
U. S. Steel has held the naming rights to the ballpark since it opened in the 2003 season. The original 10-year contract expired after the 2012 season.
“We are absolutely delighted to continue our relationship with the RailCats and retain the naming rights,” said Al Spajer, Director of Employee Relations at the U. S. Steel Gary Works. “The stadium is a super place for moms and dads, boys and girls to come and watch baseball.”
The RailCats have enjoyed their home field advantage, clinching both the 2005 and 2007 Northern League Championship at U. S. Steel Yard. The ballpark has a capacity of 6,139 and has welcomed over 1.5 million fans since opening in 2003. The RailCats play 50 home games a year at U. S. Steel Yard as a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
“I am very happy as the General Manager, as the next door neighbor to the stadium and as a baseball fan to announce that we are extending the naming rights agreement,” said Matt Perkins, General Manager of U. S. Steel Gary Works. “We look forward to another great decade here.”
“We are proud to be able to call U. S. Steel Yard the home of the Gary SoutShore RailCats,” RailCats President/General Manager Kevin Spudic said. “There are many companies out there that could have supported this stadium when we were first naming the place. However, we saw U. S. Steel  as a perfect fit because they provided the framework and the foundation of what Gary is all about.”
In addition to RailCats baseball games, the stadium also plays host to the annual High School Challenge, set to welcome high school teams from Indiana and Illinois for the 11^th time this spring. U. S. Steel Yard has also hosted an NCAA Regional, Horizon League Tournament, concerts, boxing, mixed martial arts, comedy shows and a Michael Jackson tribute. 
United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) is an integrated steel producer and Gary Works is the corporation’s largest manufacturing plant.
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Starting Monday, the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office reports they will no longer be accepting paper handgun permits and will no longer fingerprint applicants due to recent changes implemented by the Indiana State Police. The Sheriff's Office reports those interested in obtaining an application must do so online, via the State Police's website, http://www.in.gov/isp/2828.htm, where they can also schedule an appointment for fingerprinting, http://www.in.gov/isp/2674.htm, at a location of their choice. Authorities say once those two-steps are complete, applicants must report to the agency that has primary law enforcement jurisdiction of their place of residence for a background check. Anyone living in LaPorte County who cannot access the internet is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office to schedule an appointment for a handgun permit.
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A roundtable discussion was held today in Gary regarding President Obama's proposal to raise the federal minimum wage. Acting Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Department of the Department of Labor, Mary Beth Maxwell, says they have been traveling the country and hearing stories from hard-working-people and finding folks cannot make ends-meet on $7.25 an hour. She says people are having to choose between medicine or food, and struggling to even get to their minimum wage job due to high transportation costs.
Maxwell says despite the argument that this would have a negative effect on job growth, which it doesn't, raising the minimum wage strengthens the economy because people spend the money, which is good for local businesses.
Maxwell says this is just the beginning of this process, which is meant to build majority support by lifting up the stories of people affected by it, which she says most Americans believe should happen.
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Overnight tonight, a Hammond/Highland flood prep drill ... in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers... to make sure Region responders, including public works and safety officials, are ready to act quickly in the event of a major flood. Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission Executive Director Dan Repay says closures beginning at 10:30 tonight (Wednesday March 20) will include all lanes of Kennedy Avenue at the river, north and southbound, along with the ramps from the Borman Expressway to southbound Kennedy Avenue. Repay says they anticipate the closures should last no longer than 3am Thursday (March 21). Repay says participants will use concrete blocks and sandbags to basically construct a 'wall' in just a couple hours on Kennedy Avenue as if floodwaters were rising. The exercise follows the devastating floods that hit Lake County in September 2008.
Hear our interview with Dan Repay here online at On Demand.
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Sentencing this morning in Hammond Federal Court for Jack Schaap, the former leader of First Baptist Church of Hammond. The ex-pastor of the megachurch who pled guilty last year to interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Our Karl Berner reports US District Court Judge Rudy Lozano sentenced Schaap to 12 years in federal prison, with five years of supervised release to follow. He must serve a minimum of 85 percent of the total sentence. The Schaap family left after the sentencing with no comment. The courtroom was filled to capacity, with another 30 to 40 people standing outside the doors.
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The Indiana National Guard has announced hundreds of soldiers will not deploy as scheduled a few months from now in support of Operation Enduring Freedom because of sequester cuts and federal budget issues. The units slated for these missions include 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry, 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry, and Company D, 113th Combat Support Battalion. The units were set to deploy in June 2013.
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