Calumet Township finances: A Times investigation

Because Calumet Township's policy is not to provide public information in a digital format, which it does provide internally to its employees, The Times staff had to key into Open Office electronic spreadsheets the names of hundreds of employees, business vendors, consultants and receipients of township donations, as well as assistance amounts from reams of paper records, to recreate what already exists and is easily available. The Times then used Microsoft Excel and Access programs to analyze the dated used in this series' stories.

Calumet Township is rich in poverty

Hidden away among Lake County's many courthouses, city and town halls, along with state and federal government offices, are political subdivisions rarely seen on any map.

Analyzing Calumet data a daunting task

The Times reviewed hundreds of pages of the Calumet Trustee's payrolls, audits, budgets and other spending documents covering 2001 to 2010 to prepare a series of stories to give readers an inside look at this often overlooked form of local government.

Cal Township has members in rogues' gallery of corruption

GARY | Many dark corners of local government in Lake County have been home to corrupt public officials over the years, and Calumet Township is no exception.

Calumet Township payroll has resembled a small village

GARY | Calumet Township taxpayers have provided their trustee with many helping hands during the most recent decade.

Calumet Township data reveals it as big spender among townships

GARY | The multimillion-dollar budget for the Calumet Township trustee has been a fat target for critics from Griffith Town Hall to the statehouse in Indianapolis.

Calumet Twp. vendors receive $24M over 10 years

GARY | The Calumet Township trustee's office kept more than just the poor housed and fed, 10 years of financial data analyzed by The Times show.

Calumet Township, Griffith will duke it out again in General Assembly

Secede is too strong a word for what the town of Griffith wants to do to Calumet Township.

Calumet Twp. trustee: Privatizing ambulance service was lifeline to struggling township

GARY | The Calumet Township trustee said she has improved the fiscal health of her office by surgically removing its ailing emergency medical services.