Another hearing is this Friday in Lake County court for an Alsip, Illinois, man accused of killing Griffith businesswoman Mary Austgen. Police have charged 57-year-old Ralph Martinez with murder, robbery and criminal confinement in the kidnapping and shooting death of the 76-year-old St. John resident, who was found in a Gary casino parking garage in March. A preliminary not guilty plea was entered last Friday. Police have said a motive has not yet been determined, and they continue to investigate.
###...

Read more: Hearing for Murder Suspect

Indiana Conservation Officers remind anyone who enters a wooded area to let someone know where you're going and when you'll be returning after getting a call of two lost mushroom hunters at Pedestal Rock Nature Preserve in Waveland Sunday. The two, from Illinois, were in a remote area near Shades State Park and couldn't find their way back to their vehicle. Conservation officers were able to use their in-car computer to plot their GPS coordinates on a map from the 911 call from their cell phone, and the two were located, safe, within about a half-hour.
###...

Read more: Mushroom Hunters Lost Then Found

In Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn says he’ll have to take a close look at legislation raising the speed limit on Illinois highways. The Illinois Senate voted last week to increase the speed limit on interstate highways and tollways from 65 miles per hout to 70. Illiinois Governor Quinn won’t say whether he supports the idea, adding it will need careful review. Opponents say motorists already drive too far over the speed limit, and that measure would result in people driving even faster. The bill still faces a vote in the Illinois House.
###...

Read more: Illinois May Raise Speed Limit

A ten-million dollar Hoosier Lotto ticket purchased about an hour southwest of Lafayette matched all six numbers in Saturday night's drawing. The ticket was sold at The Falcon Mart on State Road 234 in Cayuga, which is in Vermillion County, on the Indiana Illinois border. Wednesday's jackpot is $1 million. No player nationwide matched all six numbers in Powerball or Mega Millions this weekend. Tuesday's estimated Mega Millions jackpot is $114 million. Wednesday's estimated Powerball jackpot is $165 million.
###

...

Read more: Jackpot Hit in Cayuga

Well depending on which side of the aisle your on, the end of the 2013 legislative session was either a success or utter failure. House Bill 10-01 passed the Senate early this morning, and according to Senate President Pro-Tem, Republican David Long, the budget is “homerun” for Hoosiers, saying it is an honest balanced budget for two years that provides the most K through 12 funding ever, pays down the debt, provides the biggest tax cut in state history, and funds roads and infrastructure. Meanwhile Democrats like Scott Pelath of Michigan City says opportunities to help the middle class were squandered, as issues like the 8.7 percent unemployment rate and a median household income which is four-thousand dollars behind the rest of the nation does nothing to benefit middle class Hoosiers. As for the five-percent tax cut, Pelath says giving the middle class a dollar back a week two years down the road won't do much to help Hoosier families. He also blasted the Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate for not restoring hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to public schools, but instead, are giving considerable more money to schools in wealthy communities, shortchanging those in less affluent communities.
# # #...

Read more: 2013 Legislative Session Ends

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
A 19 year old Merrillville man was sentenced to eight-years in prison for killing a 39 year old Gary man. The Times reports Angel Garcia was 17 when he shot Bryan McCoy multiple times inside of McCoy's home, in the 600 block of East 48^th Avenue after a verbal dispute turned physical. According to the article, a plea agreement reduced the charges, which included murder, to reckless homicide.
# # #...

Read more: 8 years in Prison for Merrillville Man in Fatal Shooting

Three suspects in a Lansing, Illinois, shooting incident on Friday are in custody after a pursuit led them into Hobart. The Times reports Lansing Police responded to a report of gunshots, about 2:15am, in the 25-hundred block of Ridge Road. The suspected vehicle fled the scene into Indiana, where their vehicle ran over stop sticks at 37th Avenue in Hobart, and eventually stopped at 39^th Avenue, where the suspects fled, but were later captured. No injuries were reported, and at last check the names of the three suspects had yet to be released.
# # #...

Read more: Lansing Shooting Suspects Arrested in Hobart After Chase

A bill sponsored in the state House by Valparaiso State Representative Ed Soliday to improve ethics in vehicle dealer services was signed into law on Friday. Senate Enrolled Act 537 is authored by State Senator Tom Wyss, of Fort Wayne, and creates a Dealer Services Division within the Secretary of State's Office to enforce regulations regarding licensed vehicle dealers, while also providing guidelines on criminal penalties for unfair practices and violations against vehicle dealing rules.
# # #...

Read more: New Law to Improve Ethics in Vehicle Dealer Services Signed

Legislation to protect Hoosier homeowners now moves to the Governor's desk for final consideration. Senate Bill 152 essentially shifts the burden of proof from the homeowner to the county or township assessor that makes the initial assessment, according it author, State Senator Doug Eckerty, of Yorktown. Senator Eckerty says from there that assessor must substantiate his proof with the Property tax Assessment Board of Appeals to verify that the values of homes and properties are not overestimated, meaning fewer homeowners will have to appeal their assessment year after year.
# # #...

Read more: Bill to Protect Hoosier Homeowners Heads to Governor

The Portage Township Trustee's Office is the proud recipient of of a number of grants to help those in need in the community. Township Trustee, Brendan Clancy is proud of one in particular, a matching fund type called the "Fuel the Kids Summer Project”, to raise money for 300 food baskets in the area.  Clancy says Portage Township will be having a "Give Back Night" (April 29^th) Monday, from 5pm to 8pm, at Buffalo Wild Wings in Portage. A percentage of food sales will be donated back to the "Fuel the Kids Summer Project."
# # #...

Read more: Give Back Night Monday to Help Fuel the Kids Summer Project