Lake election officials shuffle precinct lines

CROWN POINT | Lake election officials voted Tuesday to eliminate nine old voting precincts and add four new ones across the county.

Victim's family says abuse preceded C.P. woman's stabbing death

CROWN POINT | Relatives of a woman fatally stabbed last weekend said they have told police her attacker had a history of abusing her.

Landfill settlement still weighs on taxpayer wallets

CROWN POINT | The Lake County Solid Waste Management District will cost county taxpayers more than $7.4 million in public debt payments over the next 16 years.

Woman fatally stabbed in C.P. domestic dispute

CROWN POINT | Police said a domestic dispute Saturday night escalated into a knife fight that left a woman dead and her boyfriend severely injured.

Three's company as Martinez announces run for Lake County sheriff

ST. JOHN | Lake County police Sgt. Oscar Martinez will make another run in 2014 to become sheriff.

Not all libraries have debt on their books

Northwest Indiana's public libraries have been anything but quiet in recent years.

Lake E-911 leadership in transformation

CROWN POINT | Lake County commissioners are formalizing employment of the new E-911 director, but delaying hiring a technology consultant for purchasing new communications infrastructure.

Council members return meetings to the daylight

CROWN POINT | Its morning again at the Lake County Council meetings.

Rudy Clay laid to rest with honors

GARY | The hundreds gathered for the funeral of former Mayor Rudy Clay burst into a standing ovation Wednesday for the man whose life they were celebrating.

County Council OKs paying E-911 director $112,000

CROWN POINT | The Lake County Council dialed up six figures Tuesday night in setting the salary for the next E-911 director, but not without debate.

Indebted college grads working to bypass default settings

Newly minted college alumni have happily graduated from their textbooks and cares about rising student loan interest rates.

Lake County settles job bias suit with ex-sheriff's staffer

CROWN POINT | Lake County officials have settled a job discrimination claim by a former employee of the sheriff's department.

Hammond good Samaritan sues over I-94 crash injuries

CROWN POINT | A Hammond man is suing over injuries he suffered in a recent three-vehicle traffic accident, caused by drunken driving.

Clay visitation set for Tuesday at Genesis center

GARY | Public visitation for Rudy Clay, former Gary mayor, will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Genesis Convention Center at 4th and Broadway.

Lake County prepares to pay E-911 director six figures

CROWN POINT | Lake County officials are prepared to pay Lake County's new E-911 director $112,000 annually for the next three years to steer consolidation of emergency police and fire communications.

County settles job discrimination claim by attorneys

CROWN POINT | Lake County will pay three former public defenders $126,000 to settle job discrimination claims arising from their termination nearly four years ago.

High court pulls Philpot's law license

The Indiana Supreme Court is suspending the law license of former Lake County Clerk Thomas Philpot in the wake of his conviction for public corruption.

Clay funeral Wednesday at Genesis Convention Center

GARY | City officials are preparing for hundreds to attend visitation and funeral services next week for former Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Clay.

Lake commissioners give thumbs up to new E-911 director

CROWN POINT | Lake County commissioners gave their conditional nod of approval Wednesday to Brian R. Hitchcock as the next county E-911 director.

Rudy Clay dead at 77

GARY | Former Gary Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Clay died Tuesday at age 77.

Clay remembered as a political warrior

Tributes to the late Rudolph "Rudy" Clay poured in Tuesday at the announcement of his death at age 77.

College security guard fired after armed robbery charge

HAMMOND | Purdue University Calumet officials said a former campus security guard no longer works there after being charged last month with armed robbery.

Two men face felony counts in burglary of Hobart garage

CROWN POINT | The Lake County prosecutor has charged two Northwest Indiana men with stealing $15,000 worth of tools from a Hobart homeowner.

Gary sex offender given six months for failure to register

CROWN POINT | Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez sentenced a Gary man to six months incarceration Monday for failing to register as a sex offender.

Did county wait too long for E-911 deals?

CROWN POINT | Lake County officials are debating whether they have time to shop for the lowest price on what could be one of the largest electronics purchases in county government history.

Suspect in Austgen killing still looking for defense attorney

CROWN POINT | An Alsip man charged in the death of 76-year-old Mary Austgen remains without a lawyer one month after his arrest.

Police, fire chiefs call on Quad Cities official to dial up E-911 consolidation

St. JOHN | Lake County police and fire chiefs are recommending a man with experience at guiding three previous E-911 consolidations take the helm of this county's emergency communications merger.

Authorities: Gracie's Tender Loving Care abused residents

CROWN POINT | The Lake County prosecutor's office has charged the operators of Gracie's Tender Loving Care shelters with neglecting and abusing its many residents.

Hammond bar shooter going to prison

CROWN POINT | Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez sentenced 30-year-old Rolando Diaz to 40 years in prison Thursday for a 2011 bar shooting.

County official named in OWI charge

CROWN POINT | The Lake County prosecutor's office has charged a member of the sheriff's police merit board with drunken driving last weekend.

Man pleads guilty in fatal M'ville shooting

CROWN POINT | A Merrillville man admitted to a fatal shooting last year as part of a plea agreement that reduces his potential imprisonment.

Local man to lead state Young Republicans

SCHERERVILLE | A 25-year-old local activist is the new chairman of the Indiana Federation of Young Republicans.

Operator please: Public safety officials hope to tab next E-911 director

SCHERERVILLE | Lake County police and fire chiefs will make their call Thursday morning on who they would like to be the next director of the county's E-911 consolidation effort.

Burglary victims describe psychological impact

CROWN POINT | A Lake County judge sentenced a Gary man Tuesday to more than four years in prison for two residential break-ins that left his victims feeling unsafe in their own homes.

Will 2014 be income tax payback time?

CROWN POINT | Voters will go to the polls next spring with less money in their wallets and perhaps revenge in their hearts.

Despite bounty of new taxes, Lake County debt looms large

CROWN POINT | Lake County could be on the receiving end of an $18 million tax windfall next year.

Scheub parts company with Democratic Party boss

CROWN POINT | Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Crown Point, and Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the Democratic county chairman, have become estranged over the county income tax.

E-911 becoming Lake County's squawk box

ST. JOHN | Efforts to open a clear line of communication among Lake County's police and firefighters were troubled by static over government policy Wednesday.

Lake spending remains on hold while impact of income tax is measured

CROWN POINT | Lake County Council members remained cautious about future spending requests Tuesday despite last week's passage of the local option income tax that promises tens of million of dollars in new revenues.

Cal. Twp. trustee may lose both Griffith, checkbook

CROWN POINT | Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin faces the prospect of having to slash at least $1.7 million, if not millions more, from a poor relief program that sustains thousands of Gary's neediest, but is accused of smothering Griffith's taxpayers.

Police find guns, body armor in Marktown house where suspect died

EAST CHICAGO | Lake County police said Saturday their officers recovered a number of firearms and body armor from a Marktown home where a Winfield man took his life when officers attempted to arrest him in connection with an Orland Park home invasion.

Lake councilwoman retracts allegation she was offered job to vote for tax

HAMMOND | Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid has apologized for falsely telling a WJOB radio audience Friday morning that Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. offered her a job to change her vote in favor of a county income tax.

Lake County will start collecting local income tax this fall

The Lake County Council passed a 1.5 percent income tax Monday night, and county commissioners declined to veto it Friday morning, setting in motion the new tax's gears.

Tax sails; veto fails

CROWN POINT | The Lake County Commissioners refused Friday morning to veto a local income tax.

The tax that took Lake by surprise

CROWN POINT | Friday's passage of a Lake County income tax relieved supporters, disgusted opponents, and amazed everyone following the impassioned debate.

Lowell quarry developer digs court victory

LOWELL | A proposed limestone quarry east of Lowell moved one step closer to reality Thursday after the Indiana Court of Appeals buried a suit to stop its groundbreaking.

Federal inspectors gave Lake County Jail good marks, sheriff says

CROWN POINT | Federal inspectors gave Sheriff John Buncich credit for new improvements in health care for Lake County Jail inmates.

Impending Lake Co. income tax veto frightens off spending spree

CROWN POINT | Austerity fell like a ton of bricks Thursday morning on Lake County officials as they contemplated running county government without a county income tax.

Lake taxpayers get extended hours as Friday's deadline approaches

CROWN POINT | Lake County Treasurer John Petalas said his office will have extended hours to accommodate last-minute taxpayers.

Lake income tax unlikely to survive expected veto

CROWN POINT | Lake County Councilwoman Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, said Tuesday she won't rescue the county income tax if it's vetoed later this week.