Editor's note: In tribute to Times columnist Mark Kiesling, who passed away just over a year ago, we are sharing his Christmas Day 2011 column with our readers.
It's never easy to lose your mom, regardless of whether she is 45 or 105.
Fiscal problems detected in a recently-released audit are not limited to the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
You deposit a check dated February 2010, but your bank shows it posted in December 2009.
With a pair of indictments handed out Thursday by the U.S attorney in Hammond, the federal government has dealt what could be a devastating one-two punch to the Democratic power structure in Lake County.
Monday's overwhelming verdicts of guilt against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich does not change by one iota my earlier opinion that this trial was a waste of time and money.
Sometimes I wish the whole Indiana General Assembly would book rooms in Illinois and just stay there so they could avoid doing stupid things.
When it comes time to get your $111 share of Indiana's surplus, take the money and run.
We can get tougher on criminals, or we can get smarter in the way with which we deal with them.
The resignation of Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Sr. was pretty much telegraphed when it became clear he is under federal investigation.
Indiana Supreme Court justices will hear arguments this morning on whether the state's school voucher system is the turkey its detractors claim it is.
Lake County's little toe is in the pond of debt, and it makes me wonder how long it's going to be until the county starts going down for the third time.
Back at a time when Plymouth was still building Barracudas, there was a reason to fear going to school or to the mall.
Read through the obituaries published today in The Times.
James Hill may be the only person in the history of American jurisprudence who has had two convictions for separate crimes set aside because prosecutors failed to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence.
U.S. gas prices are hitting new records every day. Check out average gas prices today and compare to the past in these five graphics.
The cadets supported the Michigan City Easter egg hunt at the Friendship Gardens, the MCHS track meets, and the dedication of the MCHS track to former Rogers High School teacher Barbara Jones Slater.
A curfew banning unaccompanied minors has been implemented to combat violence after a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot near “The Bean” sculpture in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park, which is among the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Police say the teen was shot in the chest at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the giant, mirrored structure. They didn’t immediately release the name of the teen, who was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officials announced Sunday that Thursdays through Sundays minors are not allowed in the park after 6 p.m. without an adult. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a news release that new measures will be taken “to help prevent events like this from happening,” and that details will be provided later.
Authorities say a man accused of shooting a Kentucky police officer and stealing his cruiser was arrested Sunday morning in southern Indiana. Owensboro Police said in a statement that the suspect was jailed on charges that included assault on a police officer, robbery and theft of a vehicle. The officer was investigating a suspicious person Saturday night who matched the description of a robbery suspect. Police said the suspect used a concealed gun to shoot the officer and fled in the cruiser. The wounded officer was able to call for help and was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police recovered the cruiser in Spencer County, Indiana, and later arrested the suspect there.
A Chicago musician is hoping for the return of a violin made in 1758 that was stolen from her family’s home while they were sleeping. Minghaun Xu said the instrument was made by renowned Italian violin-maker and was lent to her by a private sponsor 20 years ago. Xu says losing the violin is like losing her own voice. Xu is a music faculty member at Roosevelt University and performs with a University of Chicago ensemble. Xu said she didn’t believe her home was targeted for the early Wednesday burglary because of her instrument. She says the violin is insured but it is irreplaceable with a sentimental value beyond its price.
Hill may be the only person in the history of American jurisprudence who has had two convictions for separate crimes set aside because prosecutors failed to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence.
Autopsy and toxicology reports are pending.
Robert E. Simms, 34, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the homicides of 29-year-old Nicholas Kowalski, of Park Forest, and 38-year-old Glynon Nelson, of Crown Point, last year in Gary.
Jack Schaap was leader for 11 years to a fundamentalist church, which Outreach Magazine had once ranked as among the top 20 largest in the nation.
Young voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have codified the Roe v. Wade precedent.
Pro-choice protesters gathered at the Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion Thursday night to express their views outside a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.
The five-member election board agreed to add about three dozen provisional in-person and mail-in ballots to the 46,267 valid votes already tallied. None changed the outcome of any election contests.
Hard Rock in April was the highest earning casino in the Hoosier State for a seventh consecutive month — once again surpassing the former earnings leader, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.