ihatehammond

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wow you people are a piece of work. The Courthouse bar and grill gave you people over 3000 and furniture, household items and clothing.

you guys are slamming her because you thought it would be more, well, after your dog attacked a cop and you guys made all of those false accusations against him, people didnt feel sorry for you.

not to mention the fact that the police officer was ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO DONATED CLOTHING TO THE FUNDRAISER..

talk about a joke of people, calling him names and saying nothing but lies. you people thought that would be a money train. it wasnt'.. it was a kind gesture of someone that is going through worse than you people went through, yet, you talk like this about her.

that is why u deserve nothing and hopefully no one else will give you more. people donated things and took them directly to the family. they were given the families number directly if they were donating cash and all checks were picked up the minute they came in by her husband. maybe he didnt tell his wife he was getting them..

oh.. and she was able to afford new hair do's but not clothes for the kids..

joke. ungreatful joke

November 04, 2012 5:42 pm on Church accepting donations to assist Hammond fire victims
after all of us employees did everything they could to help that family, we found out what type of people they really were. first, they lied about how the dog was shot. their dog attacked the officer. second.. they called him racist and all kinds of words, he is one of the best cops in Hammond.

lastly. between our friends and family and community those people took over 3000 and clothing, furniture and household items. They were very un-greatful and apparently thought that the help coming from Jen and all of us here was going to build them a free future..

sorry people.. we did everything we could to help u.

thank you for your sincere gratitude.. what these people didn't even know is, Jen was going thru major hard personal times of her own, yet, out of the kindness of her heart, she did that to help u.

no good deed goes unpunished.

November 04, 2012 5:35 pm on Contributions pouring in to help Hammond fire victims
just because my family is of Arab back ground does not mean that they are related to anyone in Libya or Egypt. As a matter of fact, they do not even have a friend in either country, which is EXACTLY my point. Why should my family be discriminated against and characterized over what someone else from the same ethnicity did. That would be like saying since the guy in Colorodo was white and he killed all of those people, you are trash because you are the same color.

September 13, 2012 7:36 am on Highland soldier returns from fourth tour of duty to avenue of flags, thanks
we have been overseas many, many times and I have never, not even once, been discriminated against because of my race there!!! but, hey, you guys know it all, because you sit here on your thrones and watch the news on TV and listen to guys just like this one.

September 13, 2012 7:32 am on Highland soldier returns from fourth tour of duty to avenue of flags, thanks
I am a client of Ms. Gambill's. Ms. Gambill has been my attorney for over one year. I have five cases pending and she has always been there for my cases. I can honestly say, she goes out of her way for me, answering my on the tip of the ledge calls all the way until 11 pm.

it is my belief that man seen her as an easy target to gain financial funds from the insurance company

Ms. Gambill, from the bottom of my heart, you have my support as well as the rest of your clients that you go above and beyond for.. most attorney(s) charge you by the minute for speaking with them. This woman is amazing. She has been there for me even though she knew me as a complete stranger prior to my cases. I have recommended 3 other clients to her firm. All of which are extremely happy.

it is a shame she is being punished because of someone looking to score some free money.

September 13, 2012 2:19 am on Supreme Court suspends Portage attorney for misconduct
Seems to me.. that if they are investigating that.. they should be pulling all of Mayor Mcdermott and EVERY HAMMOND city official, as it is VERY CLEAR THEY ALL USE HAMMOND'S TIME TO DO CAMPAIGNING EVERY YEAR.. really.. this is getting so old already.. clean up Lake County. We are smaller than Chicago and yet, although Chicago has major corruption, we seem to be beating it in corruption. There is nothing but ghost payrolling in Hammond. The "politicians" are not doing anything for the benefit of the city. As a matter of fact, the JUDGE was scamming major money, yet he sits on the bench AGAIN.. what a joke.. we are all being robbed by Lake County. Clean IT UP..

August 15, 2012 10:28 pm on Source: Search of surveyor's office related to suspicion of campaigning on county time
June 28, 2010 12:00 am • By Chas Reilly chas.reilly@nwi.com, (219) 662-5324

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A pedestrian passes a fireworks shop Friday on Main Street in Crown Point. Fiesta Mexico, a restaurant on the Crown Point square that was damaged by fire a few months ago, has reopened as a fireworks shop. Local officials say there's little they can do to zone against fireworks stores.
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It isn't tough to find a fireworks store in Northwest Indiana.

Opening one may not be too difficult either. And that's sparking concern in one Northwest Indiana town.

Greg Kaplan, owner of eight Krazy Kaplans fireworks outlets in Hammond, Dyer, Merrillville, LaPorte and Whiting, said there aren't many requirements that must be met to sell fireworks in Indiana. He said a potential business must obtain a retail license from the state and a certificate of compliance from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security before a fireworks store can open.

Merrillville Town Councilman Lance Huish said as long as the potential business has those items and is located in a retail district, a municipality is required to allow the business to open.

"(State laws) don't let us have a whole lot of say," Huish said.

Merrillville Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said a municipality could face legal issues if it doesn't grant a business license to a potential fireworks store that has met the few requirements.

He and other town officials are frustrated by the lack of authority municipalities have regarding the opening of fireworks businesses.

In particular, Pettit has concerns about a potential fireworks store that wants to open at the former Wickes Furniture building near Mississippi Street and U.S. 30.

The possible fireworks retailer is going through the process of obtaining a business license from Merrillville, but the license hasn't been granted yet, according to the Merrillville Planning and Building Department.

Pettit said he isn't pleased with the location of the proposed businesses and has concerns about traffic issues near the store. Pettit said he would like the opportunity to discuss the concerns before a business license is granted, but he understands state laws allow the business to open.

"I wish them well," Pettit said.

Kaplan said municipalities could establish special use districts that can restrict the sale of items such as guns and fireworks, but a community couldn't decide to make an entire municipality a special use district.

Kaplan said he understands some municipalities may have concerns about a business opening, but he thinks fireworks stores are entitled to open if they meet the criteria set by the state.

"I don't just look out for Krazy Kaplans," he said.

Huish said Merrillville, like many other communities, has several fireworks businesses that open each year.

"I'm always surprised to see them selling fireworks next to gas stations," Huish said.

Crown Point, which also has multiple fireworks businesses in the community, recently saw a fireworks retailer open in the former Fiesta Mexico restaurant on Court Street.

Crown Point Community Development Director Curt Graves said as long as fireworks retailers comply with all the regulations, the city doesn't have a problem with them.

"That's all you can do," Graves said.

July 20, 2012 9:21 pm on Hammond fireworks sellers won't be back
p.s.... this is what i say about that article...

I do not have a felony record.. I do not have an arrest record.. when u clean up the cities, then you can worry about the working class. not to mention... she never owned the firework store.. she works for them.. last i checked.. that is not a crime...

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed disciplinary charges against Hammond City Judge Jeffrey Harkin on Thursday.

Harkin is accused of making sarcastic statements to a traffic court defendant, of acting outside of his authority in setting up a traffic school, not charging state-required court costs, and then diverting $180,000 his office collected to the city and traffic school instead of the state and Lake County.

The charges were filed in the Clerk of the Appellate Courts in Indianapolis.

Harkin said the traffic school has been an institution in Hammond "for 30 years" and that he inherited the system from a different judge in 2001.

"To be honest, I didn't know about this until about 3 p.m. today, and I haven't had time to digest it all," he said. "I'm still trying to figure out what they're complaining about."

According to the charging documents, Hammond's traffic ticket deferral program should have been set up by the prosecutor's office and not Harkin, and the commission alleged Harkin "acted without appropriate legal authority" when sending people to traffic school and later dismissing cases.

State law also requires judges to collect court costs on all cases when someone admits liability, even if the case is deferred. Harkin did not assess those fees, according to the charges.

Fees that were collected weren't divided up according to state law, which gives the state 55 percent, the county 20 percent, and the city 25 percent.

The State Board of Accounts dinged Harkin for the practice for years, according to the charges.

"The Commission estimates that from January 2010-March 2011 about $180,000 in court costs should have been distributed to the state and county," according to the agency.

Harkin has 20 days to file an appeal.

July 20, 2012 9:19 pm on Hammond fireworks sellers won't be back
According to court records, Harkin permitted drivers ticketed in Hammond to pay $75 or $100 to attend traffic school in exchange for dismissing their tickets and ensuring no points would be assessed against their driver's licenses that could restrict their driving privileges.

Harkin's traffic school option was not authorized by the county prosecutor and no state statute, court rule or precedent permitted the judge to dismiss tickets for attending the traffic school, the Supreme Court said.

Last year, the traffic school collected $320,000 in fees, of which $192,000 went to the city of Hammond, the court said.

The state's high court also sanctioned Harkin for violating judicial rules by effectively coercing Matthew Aubrey into admitting a seat belt violation and paying a $25 fee during an Aug. 18, 2010, city court hearing, even though Aubrey wanted to fight the ticket.

Gary attorney Kenya Jones was selected by the Supreme Court to serve as acting Hammond judge until Harkin's suspension ends Feb. 25.

Hammond voters re-elected Harkin in November to a new term on the court, which handles approximately 30,000 cases a year involving traffic and ordinance violations, minor crimes, evictions and debt collection actions.

Harkin has served as city judge since 2001.

July 20, 2012 9:17 pm on Hammond fireworks sellers won't be back
City Court had a different face last week with Judge Pro Tempore Kenya Jones beginning a 60-day stint filling in for longtime Judge Jeffrey Harkin.

Harkin began serving a 60-day suspension at the close of court Tuesday. The Indiana Supreme Court imposed the discipline after Harkin and the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications reached an agreement connected to an unauthorized traffic school program run by the court.

Justices on the state's high court were unanimous in their appointment of Jones, a longtime Gary attorney and East Chicago judge pro temp, to replace Harkin during his absence.

"The Supreme Court is interested in diversity both in the legal profession and on the bench, and we're glad that people of the caliber of Kenya Jones are willing to accept appointment when some special need arises," Indiana Supreme Court Justice Randall T. Shepard said last week.

Shepard said fellow Justice Robert Rucker knew of Jones' work in private practice and public service, and it was Rucker who on behalf of the court called on Jones to see if she would serve.

Jones, who earned her law degree in 2002 from the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, was among the first students to receive a fellowship from the court-sponsored Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity, Shepard said.

The program offers assistance to promising minority and other disadvantaged law students, he said. Also as a law student, Jones interned for the Indiana Supreme Court's Division of State Court Administration.

Jones helped build the court's program to aid people who represent themselves because they can't afford a lawyer and also helped create the Self Service Center on the court's website, Shepard said.

"I am thankful for the appointment and that they entrusted the Hammond City Court to me," Jones said.

Jones said she will serve on the busy bench full time for the next 60 days, temporarily forgoing her private practice and the pro temp judgeship in East Chicago.

The court is among the busiest in the county, handling about 30,000 cases a year.

The stint on the Hammond bench will expand Jones' experience on the bench, adding criminal matters to the civil cases she has handled in East Chicago beginning in May 2010.

Whether serving on the bench will whet her appetite for her own judgeship remains to be seen, she said.

Jones, who also teaches at Ivy Tech Community College in Gary and serves on the Gary Redevelopment Commission, is taking it one step at a time, she said.

"It's a different perspective as a judge than as an attorney," Jones said.

July 20, 2012 9:16 pm on Hammond fireworks sellers won't be back