The Daily Fix

Offering perspective on today's issues

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: State, NWI doing great things through RDA

The 2013 Indiana General Assembly has convened, and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is talking with legislators about extending the state’s portion of its funding beyond 2015, when it is now scheduled to end. And in those conversations, the RDA is demonstrating that the …

Gary working to rebuild city, image

GARY | Gary has an international airport, beautiful lakefront and an image problem.

Fed cuts could shut Ill. airport control towers

CHICAGO | Air traffic control towers could be shut down at nine Illinois airports, including in the state capital, if no deal is reached in Washington to avert federal spending cuts scheduled to take effect next month.

EDITORIAL: Finish airport project, learn from mistakes

Gary/Chicago International Airport is experiencing large cost overruns on the runway expansion project, resulting primarily from the railroads' refusal to agree to early plans to reroute their lines.

MARK KIESLING: Jackson successor: Will he keep the airport idea flying?

The resignation of Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Sr. was pretty much telegraphed when it became clear he is under federal investigation.

EDITORIAL: For South Suburbs, change isn't in air

The south suburbs could use the boost that a fully functional third airport would bring, but they're too late. Gary/Chicago International Airport already is operational and has a strong head start.

EDITORIAL: Put Peotone airport on back burner

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn seems to have put the proposed Peotone airport on the front burner again. But this amounts to fiddling while Illinois burns.

Porter Co. airport lands federal grant

Porter County Regional Airport has received a $143,344 Federal Aviation Administration grant to help guide growth and development at the airport for the next 20 years.

Single-engine plane flips during emergency landing near Lowell

A single-engine aircraft made an emergency landing Tuesday morning in a soybean field at 245th Avenue and Whitcomb Street south of Lowell.

EDITORIAL: Get rail relocation project on track

Gary/Chicago International Airport was identified years ago as a leading economic engine for Northwest Indiana. But those prospects remain tied to the train tracks, just like damsel in distress Nell in the old "Dudley Do-Right" cartoons.

EDITORIAL: Airport isn't just a flight of fancy

Allegiant Air's first flights to and from Gary/Chicago International Airport made Wednesday a day for celebration and today a day for reflection on how to keep those flights coming and going.

Rep. Jackson uses House speech to pressure Quinn on airport

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., spoke Thursday evening on the House floor knowing perfectly well his audience wasn't fellow members of the House. He used his C-SPAN appearance (zip forward to 8:17:22) to promote the Abraham Lincoln National Airport to the public.

EDITORIAL: Pressure railroads to let airport work fly

It's time for federal intervention to end the ongoing delays in the Gary/Chicago International Airport.

EDITORIAL: Breaking ground for economic expansion

The Gary/Chicago International Airport expansion, now under way, has been a long time coming. According to original predictions, the $153 million project was to have been completed by now. But finally the work has officially begun, breaking ground not just for the runway expansion but also f…

Lasers pointed at sheriff's department helicopter

Lake County sheriff's police say someone is pointing lasers at their helicopter, posing a danger to their pilots.

Peotone project won't affect downstate airports

SPRINGFIELD | Officials from surrounding airports are not overly concerned about the possibility of a third Chicago airport affecting their passenger or flight numbers.

EDITORIAL: Don't let railroads spike airport plan

When the FAA-approved expansion of Gary/Chicago International Airport was announced, the expectation was that the runway expansion would be completed with all due haste. It should have been done by now, yet the groundbreaking hasn't even taken place.

VU balloon launch studies storm

VALPARAISO | While most folks were hunkering down to wait out the snowstorm Tuesday, students at the Valparaiso University weather center were launching a balloon to study the storm.

Governor's office: We talked to LaHood about airport

SPRINGFIELD | When U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters this week that nobody had contacted him in his two years as secretary regarding the south suburban airport proposal, that apparently didn't include Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. or Gov. Pat Quinn.