BRIAN HOWEY: Buck stops squarely in Oval Office

Mr. President, the buck stops with you.

St. John police chief selected to lead crime task force panel

St. John Police Chief Fred Frego was selected Friday to be president of the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force executive board.

Feds: Online date kidnapped, robbed

MERRILLVILLE | A Merrillville woman used a dating website to woo an Illinois man to her town where an accomplice helped her kidnap the unsuspecting suitor, federal authorities said.

RICH JAMES: Not everyone defines ethics the same way

Given the time I've spent covering public corruption trials, you’d think I could easily define ethics.

Law enforcement, public must work together

So what is law enforcement in the region facing this year? Well, drugs, gangs and increased senseless violence come to mind.

Area's street drugs are international, hyperlocal

Mexican cartels are exporting drugs to Northwest Indiana's streets, but the violence surrounding it is all made in the U.S.A., according to law enforcement officials.

Adventures in Everyday Living, Shorelines Thursday, January 24, 2013

ARS Gallery opens photography and film exhibition, Doug Clark's documenting of "The I Am The Greatest" Project in Benton Harbor and Indianapolis' Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library marks its second anniversary.---Pat Colander, Associate Publisher and Editor, Shore Magazine.

Suspect in at least 17 bank robberies caught

MERRILLVILLE | A Carol Stream, Ill., man believed responsible for a string of at least 17 bank robberies, including ones in Hammond, has been arrested by Elgin, Ill., police in connection with his latest heist, the FBI announced.

Senate panel endorses national background checks for school employees

INDIANAPOLIS | Legislation requiring potential school employees undergo a national background check prior to hiring was approved 9-0 by an Indiana Senate committee Tuesday.

PHIL WIELAND: Big wind brings blowhard Wielando's annual visit

It's an ill wind that blows no good, and this week's storm blew in the no-goodest prognosticator of them all: The Amazing Wielando.

FBI report: Six hate crimes reported in the region in 2011

A yellow swastika painted on the trunk of a car and a series of racial slurs were among the hate crimes that occurred locally in 2011, according to a report released Monday by the FBI.

Alleged molester not extradited

HIGHLAND | If some alleged felons run far enough away from Lake County, they don't have to hide, because local authorities will not pursue them.

Hebron celebrates low crime, new stores

HEBRON | Most of the town's police force attended Tuesday's town council meeting, but it wasn't to quell an angry mob.

Shore magazine's Letter from the Publisher, Dec/Jan/Feb 2013

The fall in Northwest Indiana never fails to surprise, and this year was no exception. The success of our One Region program in Northwest Indiana and our Best of the Region publications that unite the whole Lake Michigan area continues to amaze me. This year's One Region meeting was sweet, w…

EDITORIAL: Citizen involvement is vital crime-fighting tool

Shoppers who witnessed Saturday's shooting at Westfield Southlake mall in Hobart might not realize how aggressively Northwest Indiana police are working to keep down the crime rate.

2011 uniform crime report data

Lake and Porter counties' municipal police departments reported more than 23,600 crimes last year to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which published the statistics in its annual Crime in the United States report.

Report: Crime in region remains steady

Northwest Indiana violent and property crimes remained steady between 2010 and 2011, continuing to buck a decline at the national level, recently released federal statistics show.

Feds: Gary man charged in drug trafficking case

CHICAGO | A Gary man faces a federal charge as part of a sweeping case against alleged members of two separate Chicago-area drug trafficking rings.

GOP candidate demands FBI and State Board of Accounts probes

CROWN POINT | A Republican candidate for Lake County surveyor is now calling for the FBI and the State Board of Accounts to investigate two flood control projects.

Shore magazine's Letter from the Publisher, October/November 2012

Wow! Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that Julie and I were gearing up for Memorial Day and to get the summer started. I blinked and now Labor Day is just a memory. While I’m always sad to see summer go, I don’t think we let much grass grow under our feet as it was a fun-…