GRIFFITH
South Broad Street crossing closes
Complete closure of the railroad crossing at South Broad Street begins Sunday for two weeks.
Work is scheduled to be completed June 1. South Broad Street is expected to reopen to traffic June 2.
Southbound traffic is directed to take Main Street east to Colfax Avenue south to Avenue H west. Traffic traveling Main Street west should take Kennedy Avenue south to Avenue H east.
Northbound traffic should take Avenue H east to Colfax Avenue north to Main Street west or Avenue H west to Kennedy Avenue north to Main Street east.
Semitrailer traffic should use Indianapolis Boulevard to Main Street and east to Kennedy Avenue and south to Avenue H.
HIGHLAND
Medical clinic seeks zone change
The Highland Plan Commission will hold a hearing next month for a medical clinic to rezone lands it owns on Ridge Road.
Northwest Indiana Clinics Inc. has a facility on the east side of Indianapolis Boulevard just south of Ridge. The property at 2424 Ridge is currently zoned residential and the clinic wants to rezone it to professional business.
It is possible that the company might ask to convert this land into an extra entrance from Ridge to the clinic. If so, town officials say the request would be studied by the Traffic Safety Commission.
The rezone hearing will take place on June 20.
HIGHLAND
Zone change opens door to townhome
The Highland Plan Commission has granted a change to a planned until development, which will allow Thomas Schuyler to eventually build a three-unit townhome at 9004 Indianapolis Blvd.
The development was originally approved in 2005; the change will accommodate a minor revision to the square footage of the building.
Schuyler noted there is no current timetable for construction to begin.
HAMMOND
Poker run benefits 2 local youngsters
The second annual Joe B. Memorial Poker Run and Block Party is today. Proceeds benefit Marissa Robertson, 7, who is on dialysis and needs a kidney transplant, and Zachary Scriff, 14, a heart transplant patient.
The first bike leaves Cavalier Inn, 735 Gostlin Ave., Hammond, at 11 a.m., and the last bike comes in at 4 p.m. Valparaiso-area riders can start their run at the Roadhouse Bar & Grill, 4 W. U.S. 6, Valparaiso.
The family-friendly block party will feature a motorcycle rodeo and music from DJ TK Digital and local bands The Bed Bugs and Kross Roadz. There will be food, door prizes and raffles for Cubs and Sox baseball tickets.
Registration at Cavalier Inn is $20 for single riders and $30 for double riders.
For more information or to make a donation, call Joe Betustak Sr. at (219) 616-2224, or Cavalier Inn at (219) 933-9314.
HAMMOND
Water utility disaster preparedness discussed
Water utility disaster preparedness is the focus of a presentation offered by the Purdue University Calumet Water Institute at 10 a.m. Wednesday at The Calumet Conference Center on campus.
Reggie Baker, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management Security & Counter-Terrorism coordinator, is the featured speaker. His presentation, "Ready or Not, Here I Come: Water Utility Preparedness for Man-Made or Natural Disasters," is sponsored by Purdue Calumet and BP.
During his presentation, he plans to respond to such topics as the vulnerability of our utility to potential disasters, emergency response plan review, and how the lack of preparedness increases the burden on already overburdened response agencies.
Additionally, Water Institute Deputy Director George Nnanna will provide an update on Water Institute projects.
The presentation is free. For more information, call (219) 989-2212.
