[Photo/Indiana State Police]
Indiana State Police say a semi rolling over this morning in Gary caused the contents -- approximately 40-thousand pounds of plywood -- to smolder. Troopers say the vehicle was on the I80/94 eastbound to I65 southbound ramp, and a prelminary investigation showed the rig was changing lanes when it went out of control and tipped over, and as the semi, hauling a rail container, slid against the concrete barrier wall for about six-hundred feet, the friction caused the...

Read more: Semi Hauling Plywood Tips, Slides and Smolders

(Daniel Wright, Marcus Sharod Harris/Photos from Schererville Police] Authorities say two Chicago men –who are in custody in La Porte County – have been charged with an armed robbery in Lake County at the T Mobile Cellular on US 41 in Schererville last month. Schererville Police say a customer and five employees were ordered to the back of the store and held at gunpoint while one of the suspects filled a large duffel bag with cellular phones. Police say the female customer was kicked by one of t...

Read more: Two Arrested in Schererville Armed Robbery

[Courtesy INDOT cameras]
http://pws.trafficwise.org/ipws/nw/index.html
The Indiana Department of Transportation reports the ramp of eastbound Interstate 80/94 is closed near Interstate 65 due to a crash.  INDOT is urging motorists to seek alternate routes traveling eastbound on 80/94 (Borman Expressway) near mile marker 11.0 in the Gary area.
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Read more: Semi Accident has Expressway Ramp Closed

In Lake County, an accident  is blocking some lanes of the eastbound Interstate 80/94 (Borman Expressway) ramp to southbound Interstate 65 in Gary. The Indiana Department of Transportation says to avoid the area if possible. A semi appears to be on its side.  No word on if there are any injuries.  There are big delays on the eastbound Borman Expressway approaching the southbound I65 ramp at this hour.
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Read more: Big Delays on Borman, Accident on I65 Ramp

The Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS is reminding Lake County property owners that February 19 is the deadline to file an initial appeal of their property taxes. To read more about the appeal process in Lake County homeowners are encouraged to visit Lake County Assessor Hank Adams’ site or the Lake County Government site, and residents with questions are advised to contact your township assessor or county assessor's office directly. Here's the news release:
The Greater Northwest...

Read more: GNIAR Reminder for Lake Co Property Owners

The issue of gun violence will be addressed in Gary this afternoon today instead of Friday as originally planned. Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says the two-state gun summit was scheduled after getting a call from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart in Illinois.  Law enforcement from Indiana and Illinois will be discussing strategies to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands at the "Gun Trafficking Suppression Summit" at the Genesis Convention Center. One of the topics will be the flow of...

Read more: Gary Hosting Two-State Gun Summit Today

In Hobart, police have reportedly arrested a 50-year-old man, his 18-year-old nephew and another 18-year-old Hobart man, for allegedly robbing an elderly woman who had paid them to shovel snow earlier. Today's Times says police got several tips from the public about a January 31st home invasion and robbery in the 11-hundred block of West 38th Avenue. Police say the three men went door-to-door asking if they wanted their sidewalks shoveled, then allegedly came back a week later to rob the...

Read more: Men Charged With Robbing Elderly Hobart Woman

It looks like Indiana's Sunday 'blue law' booze ban will not be lifted this year. On Wednesday, the chairman of the House Public Policy Committee Bill Davis announced he would not hold a committee vote this session on a measure that would permit the sale of carry-out alcohol on Sunday. Small individually-owned liquor stores have urged legislators to keep the restriction in place.
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Read more: Indiana Sunday Alcohol Measure Off the Table

Indiana state senators are taking up a bill today that called for setting aside ten-million dollars for school resource officers. The legislation, introduced after the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was not originally intended as a response to the massacre – it was actually born of concerns over bullying and gang violence in Indiana schools. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has said it would be the state's first formal proposal to address school safety in the wake of the...

Read more: School Safety Bill on the Schedule

CHICAGO, ILL. (February 6, 2013) — Attorneys with the Chicago Bar Association’s Call-A-Lawyer program will be taking calls on Saturday, February 15th, from 9 a.m. to noon at no cost. Call (312) 554-2001 to speak with an attorney about any legal question or issue.
Callers may explain their situations to an attorney who will then suggest self-help strategies to resolve their legal issues. If callers need further legal services, they will be advised to see their own attorney or, if they wish to...

Read more: Free Call-A-Lawyer Program for IL Residents Saturday