Illinois is getting closer to a statewide ban on cell phones behind the wheel. A statewide ban that has already passed the Illinois House 64-to-46 would outlaw the use of hand-held cell phones while driving... there's already a ban on texting and driving in Illinois.   Hands free devices would be permitted.  Fiines would range from 75 to 150 dollars…depending on whether it’s a first or subsequent offense Opponents argue they can’t ban all forms of distracted driving. The Senate will now consider the measure.
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Read more: Illinois Wants Statewide Ban on Cell Phones While Driving

Troopers say a 38-year-old Lake Village man was arrested after a short chase in Lake County overnight. Indiana State Police say a little after midnight an officer came across a car parked in between the right lane of the eastbound Borman and the Burr Street entrance ramp in Gary – the triangular area with white striped lines -- and found the driver asleep at the wheel with the engine running. When a trooper knocked on the window, police say the driver took off, a pursuit that lasted three miles until the vehicle exited at Grant Street and pulled over. The man is facing charges of Operating While Intoxicated, Habitual Traffic Violator and Resisting Law Enforcement.
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Read more: Man Arrested After Short Pursuit in Lake County

A winter storm could dump up to six to ten inches of heavy, wet snow on parts of the Region. Valparaiso University Meteorology Professor Dr. Bart Wolf tells the Region News Team it doesn't look like 'one for the ages', but it does look like, given how little snow we've had overall this winter,"the snowstorm of the winter" for Northwest Indiana.  Hear our interview with Dr. Wolf here online at On Demand, which can also be accessed from www.Regionnewsteam.com .
A Winter Storm Warning was in effect from 9 am today CST until midnight tonight.
National Weather Service Chicago website for the latest forecast updates:  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/
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Read more: Winter Storm Could Bring Several Inches of Snow

Police in La Porte say a suspect was taken into custody in Alabama in connection with a bank robbery last Thursday at a 1st Source Bank. Officials say the 24-year-old man was being extradited back to the Region. Published reports say a man, who indicated he had a gun, but did not display one, handed a note to the teller demanding money, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. La Porte Police were posting updates on their Facebook page, and sending out thanks to the public for any assistance provided. The Times reports it was the fourth bank robbery in La Porte since November.
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Read more: Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested in Alabama

[Photo Karl Berner/Region News Team]
Investigators continue to try to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a century-old building that housed a number of businesses at Lincolnway and Michigan in downtown Valparaiso.  The Valparaiso Fire Department got the call around 1:30 am Monday, and they were assisted by crews from Morgan and Washington Townships.  Assistant Fire Chief Dan Lamb says one firefighter was checked at the hospital for smoke inhalation and he was released. Another firefighter fell on the ice, and he was okay as well, and went right back to work. No one is believed to have been inside when the fire broke out.   Smoke continued to pour out of the rubble for hours, and what was left of the two-story brick structure -- the outside walls -- were torn down Monday for safety reasons.  A number of downtown road closures associated with the fire were expected to remain in effect through this morning (Tuesday morning).

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Read more: Downtown Valpo Fire Investigation Continues

[Photo Karl Berner/Region News Team]
Investigators continue to try to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a century-old building that housed a number of businesses at Lincolnway and Michigan in downtown Valparaiso.  The Valparaiso Fire Department got the call around 1:30 am Monday, and they were assisted by crews from Morgan and Washington Townships.  Assistant Fire Chief Dan Lamb says one firefighter was checked at the hospital for smoke inhalation and he was released. Another firefighter fell on the ice, and he was okay as well, and went right back to work. No one is believed to have been inside when the fire broke out.   Smoke continued to pour out of the rubble for hours, and what was left of the two-story brick structure -- the outside walls -- were torn down Monday for safety reasons.  A number of downtown road closures associated with the fire were expected to remain in effect through this morning (Tuesday morning).

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Read more: Downtown Valpo Fire Investigation Continues

[Photo provided/The Times]
Lake Station Police Chief Kevin Garber says an incident regarding comments a longtime Edison Junior-Senior High School teacher allegedly wrote on a chalkboard is being investigated. During a news conference Monday, School Superintendent Dan DeHaven said the issue was a personnel matter and that the teacher, who was not identified, has been with the district for more than thirty years. The teacher has reportedly been suspended. Officials say a photo of what was written on the board was posted on Facebook by a student. Read more about the investigation in today's Times
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-station/edison-teacher-suspended-as-threats-on-chalkboard-investigated/article_799c1c4d-5af7-5a30-900d-ef20d3b31771.html ...

Read more: Chalkboard Comments Investigated in Lake Station

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
A 50 year old Portage man pleaded guilty Monday to leaving the scene of an accident and drunk driving resulting in death. The Times reports James Lohman III, on September 3^rd, 2011, ran over an off-duty bartender in parking lot of the Shift Change Bar on U-S 20, at State Road 149, in Burns Harbor, and dragged the woman's body for more than a mile before she finally became dislodged from underneath the vehicle. Published reports say sentencing is expected for May 6^th.
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Read more: Guilty Plea from Portage Man Accused in Dragging Death

Starting this Friday, you can expect to encounter sobriety checkpoints during the late evening hours in Porter County. Indiana State Police Lowell Post, in conjunction with the Northern Porter County Traffic Safety Partnership, and Portage Police, will be conducting the checkpoints, as part of “Operation Pull-Over Blitz” that begins March 8^th and runs through March 24^th. Authorities say driver's that encounter a check point are required to produce a valid driver's license and registration, and if you are not impaired, then you shouldn't spend more than a couple of minutes in the checkpoint.
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Read more: Sobriety Checkpoints in Porter County Start Friday Night

"Thanks to Indiana's strong fiscal position and careful management, the state will be able to manage the budget cuts with minimal impact to Hoosiers," said Chris Atkins, Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 
State agencies are making every effort to absorb the cuts administratively wherever possible, to minimize the impact on programs and services Hoosiers rely on. For example:

• The sequestration cut will eliminate $4.1 million in food funds from the state's Women Infants and Children program (WIC). Due to Indiana's low transportation cost, administrative cuts of $1.6 million and a declining WIC caseload, Indiana will continue to provide full benefits to all recipients.
• The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) will see funding for job seeker services reduced by $1.1 million and GED remediation cut by $515,000. DWD will mitigate the impact of these cuts completely with a discounted contract extension and a performance-based funding model.
• The Department of Labor (DOL) will lose some federal matching dollars for the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration and INSafe, but can minimize the cuts with other funding sources. In addition, DOL is implementing new technologies later this year to increase efficiency and minimize personnel redundancy. The department expects significant cost savings that will mitigate any effects of sequestration. 

Cuts to federal unemployment benefits cannot be mitigated by the state. Per instruction from the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday, March 1, EUC benefits to 33,000 Hoosiers will be reduced by 10.7 percent beginning March 31.
The Indiana National Guard will put 1,000 Army and Air National Guard full-time military technicians into unpaid furlough one day a week from the end of April through September. The Guard also will hold off on awarding $30 million in military construction projects at Terre Haute and South Bend for fiscal year 2013. The Guard will implement changes to training methods and will stagger furloughs to reduce training costs and ensure that mission requirements are still met. 
The state will not backfill the federal cuts, but thanks to Indiana's hard work in balancing the budget and holding the line on spending, the state is poised to make strong investments in some of the very areas the federal government is cutting, including education and job training. Governor Pence's budget includes $127 million in new funding for Indiana schools, full funding of our state-funded college aid, and $18 million in additional job training funds, all of which would help mitigate the impact of sequestration.
A number of state agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Family and Social Services Administration, and the State Department of Health have not received guidance from the federal government about how the cuts will be administered. These agencies have put together their best estimates on the impact and are preparing to handle the cuts with as little impact on services and programs as possible.
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Environmental Management, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Veterans Affairs will see either no impact or minimal impact that can readily be absorbed by the agency.
As agencies continue to learn more from the federal government about how they are to implement the reductions to their funding, the state will continue to provide additional updates.
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Read more: Efforts to Minimize Impact of Sequester on Hoosiers