Gary Mayor, Karen Freeman-Wilson and Cook County, Illinois Sheriff, Tom Dart
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and the city of Gary hosted the “Gun Trafficking Suppression Summit” Thursday afternoon at the city's Genesis Convention Center. 80 officials from over 20 Illinois and Indiana law enforcement agencies discussed strategies to prevent guns from landing in the wrong hands and how to close the loop on inter-state gun trafficking.
 
Immediately after the summit Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and Cook...

Read more: Indiana: Main Supplier in IL./Chicago Gun Crimes

Driving conditions have deteriorated across the Region with snowfall causing very slick conditions. Numerous accidents have been reported, especially in Lake, Porter and La Porte Counties. INDOT is informing motorists that, despite deicing, motorists must use winter driving skills and slow down.
A couple of trouble spots in particular -- Interstate 65 in Lake County and State Road through Porter and La Porte Counties.
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Read more: Snowfall Leads to Hazardous Conditions This Morning

President Obama takes his State of the Union agenda to his hometown today, and ABC's Ann Compton reports he will not ignore the epidemic of gun violence in Chicago. On the eve of his visit, President Obama took a question on a Google online chat: "Do you think we should ban handguns? Obama: Well, I actually don't think we should BAN handguns." The President calls for a broader approach. "The package we put forward will have an impact on handguns by instituting a universal background check...

Read more: President Obama Visiting Chicago Today

University officials say undergraduate tuition at Notre Dame will go up nearly four-percent for the 2013-2014 academic year, the same percentage increase as in each of the three previous years. When you include average room and board rates , student charges add up to more than 57-thousand dollars.
News Release:
Undergraduate tuition at the University of Notre Dame will increase 3.8 percent for the 2013-14 academic year to $44,605. The rate of increase matches that of the previous three years,...

Read more: Notre Dame Raises Tuition Nearly 4 Percent

First we faced the fiscal cliff... now, the sequester.... impending automatic government spending cuts, approved by Congress.  First District Congressman Pete Visclosky issued a statement calling the across-the-board cuts “mindless” and “unacceptable”. Indiana US Senator Joe Donnelly says there will be significant spending reductions, but it remains to be seen whether they will take place through sequestration, saying there's discussion being made toward significant cuts "but in a more thoughtf...

Read more: Indiana Lawmakers Criticize Sequester Cuts

There's legislation moving through the Indiana House that would merge the Hammond Library with the Lake County Library system. The language, in House Bill 1145 sponsored by Munster State Representative Mara Candelaria-Reardon,  passed out committee unanimously Thursday according to the Times today. A couple years ago two Hammond library branches closed due to budget issues.
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Read more: Hammond Library Could Merge With Lake Co

Washington, D.C.— Senator Joe Donnelly spoke with Indiana media today about the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the Senate.  VAWA, which Donnelly co-sponsored, passed with bipartisan support of 78 senators including Indiana’s Senior Senator, Dan Coats.
“The FBI estimates that a rape occurs in Indiana every five hours,” said Donnelly.  “That is a tragedy, and we owe the survivors of rape, sexual assault, and stalking our full support and protection.  Last year, this bill failed...

Read more: Violence Against Women Act Passes U.S. Senate

A crash on the Borman had eastbound traffic backed to the Indiana/Illinois state line. The right 2 lanes of eastbound I-80/94 are, at last check, closed near Indianapolis Blvd due to a crash. Expect delays as you travel eastbound on I-80/94 near mile 2.2. Also, all lanes of westbound I-80/94 were moving very slowly near Burr St due to heavy traffic. Expect delays as you travel westbound on I-80/94 near mile 7.6.
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Read more: Crash Backs Up Traffic on the Borman

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)

Sentencing is scheduled for March 22^nd for a 27 year old Highland man found guilty today of murdering his live-in girlfriend. The Times reports a Lake County jury returned the guilty verdict on Douglas Smith, in the death of 28 year old Jacqueline Williams, on January 14^th, 2012, in their Highland apartment, after deliberating less than three-hours. The Lake County Prosecutor's Office reports Smith faces anywhere from 45 to 65 years in prison.

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Read more: Smith Found Guilty in Death of his Girlfriend

(Photo Courtesy of the Lake County Coroner's Office)
The Lake County Coroner's Office is once again seeking your help in locating the family of 63 year old Gary man, who died at Methodist Hospital, Northlake, in Gary, on January 12. The Coroner's Office reports Vincent Lamont Demus was a black male, six-feet tall, weighing 250-pounds, with no tattoos or scars, balding, with a receding salt and pepper hairline, and had a goatee. Authorities says Vincent Lamont Demus, whose last known address was...

Read more: Lake Co Coroner Seeks Help in Finding Victim's Family