Speedway bailout crosses finish line

INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mike Pence has agreed to loan the Indianapolis Motor Speedway $100 million in state funds to pay for renovations, video boards and other improvements to the home of the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

Man to plead guilty to robbing Hammond bank, kidnapping

HAMMOND | A region man agreed Tuesday to plead guilty to robbing a Hammond bank and kidnapping a female, federal court records show.

Senators vote to require national background check for school employees

INDIANAPOLIS | Applicants for jobs at Indiana schools would pay more for a national background check under legislation approved 47-0 by the Senate on Thursday, but the sponsor believes it's worth it.

Police investigate claim that sex offender took pictures under woman's skirt in store

LAPORTE | Police in LaPorte are investigating allegations that a Porter County man with a cellphone snapped a picture underneath a 19-year-old woman's skirt at Kmart.

Union Township man sentenced to probation in underage sex case

VALPARAISO | A 22-year-old Union Township man walked out of the courtroom rather than going to prison Monday after pleading guilty earlier this year to a reduced felony charge stemming from allegations he had sex with a 14-year-old girl after texting with her and receiving nude photos.

Calumet City man accused of robbing Hammond bank

HAMMOND | A Calumet City sex offender has been arrested as a suspect in the armed robbery of a Hammond bank after probation officers recognized his image in media reports.

Gary man to serve four years on probation in teen sex case

CROWN POINT | A Gary man who pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor on Thursday was given a four-year suspended prison sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Convicted Gary sex offender charged with attempted rape of minor

CROWN POINT | Prosecutors charged a 25-year-old registered sex offender with attempting to rape a 14-year old.

Judge rules molesting term was fulfilled; treatment next?

CROWN POINT | A Lake Criminal Court judge released a former Hammond man from jail five years after his arrest for child molesting.

Teen accuses man of sex crime

VALPARAISO | A Union Township man sentenced to probation last month for child solicitation was charged Thursday with sexual misconduct with a minor after he allegedly fondled a 15-year-old girl.

Senate OKs more penalties for sex offenders

SPRINGFIELD | The Illinois Senate on Monday approved legislation to toughen existing laws for sex offender harassment.

EDITORIAL: Make sex offenders vote elsewhere

Indiana has reasonable rules to prevent convicted sex offenders on parole from living or working within 1,000 feet of schools, and some communities ban them from living near parks. So why should they be invited into schools on Election Day?

Sex offenders casting ballots in region schools

A 37-year-old Griffith man convicted of indecent liberties with a child walks into Wadsworth Elementary School to cast his vote in the 2008 presidential election.

Sex offenders find housing where they can

CHICAGO | Significant numbers of white and Hispanic sex offenders are living in nearly all-black communities on Chicago's South and West sides, according to the Chicago Police Department's Registered Sex Offenders website.

Sheriff reports compliance during sex offender roundup

The Cook County Sheriff's first sex offender roundup of the year successfully tracked dozens of registered offenders across unincorporated Cook County on Saturday.

City bans sex offenders from parks

HAMMOND | The Hammond City Council is banning registered sex offenders from using Hammond parks and recreational facilities.

Sex offender gets 16 years from Lake County judge

CROWN POINT | A 29-year-old Chicago man was sentenced to 16 years in prison Wednesday for sexual offenses against two teens.

Man, 33, charged with failure to register as a sex offender

HOBART| A 33-year-old Lake Station man who was convicted 19 years ago of two out-of-state sexual offenses failed to register after moving to Northwest Indiana, police said.

Plenty of hot issues before state lawmakers

INDIANAPOLIS | Indiana Republicans won control of both chambers of the General Assembly in November by promising less government and more freedom.

Sentencing delayed for Portage Twp. man

VALPARAISO | Sentencing was postponed Tuesday for a Portage Township man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing his girlfriend's sister after she blacked out from drinking.