Letter carriers around the Region and the country are encouraging their postal customers to help them 'stamp out hunger' as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive today (Sat May 11, 2013), the largest one-day food drive in the world. Over the past twenty years, the effort has resulted in the delivery of more than one-point-three billion pounds of donations to community food banks and pantries.  Included in that amount is 170-thousand pounds shared by the Portage Township and Nativity of Our Savior Parish food pantries in the Portage area.   Those wishing to participate are asked to leave non-perishable food items attached to or beneath their mailboxes today.  Please do not include items that are expired or are in glass containers.
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The town of Merrillville is considering its options concerning off-road vehicles. Town Council President Carol Miano says they've gotten multiple complaints about people riding dirt bikes near railroad tracks on Taft Street. Safety and noise issues have been raised. Miano has proposed an ordinance prohibiting the use of off-road vehicles on public properties as well as residential and agricultural areas of town.
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Visitation is Sunday with funeral services Monday for Armed Forces veteran, former judge, and former Mayor of Valparaiso, Bryce Billings. Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas says he admired the former mayor for making a lot of tough decisions to grow the borders of Valparaiso in a uniform fashion. Billings was among those instrumental in developing cable television service in Valparaiso, when the industry locally was in its infancy, along with Radio One Communications founder Leonard Ellis. Billings was appointed to the bench of the Superior Court where he served from 1976 until his retirement in 1988. he was also instrumental in founding the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County in 1971.  Moeller Funeral Home says visitation for Bryce Billings will take place Sunday, from 1 to 4pm, at the funeral home, with a funeral service scheduled for Monday morning, at 10:30, at Heritage Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. Billings served as Mayor of Valparaiso from 1968 through 1972.  Billings passed away last Monday, May 6, at Porter Regional Hospital at the age of 88.
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No veto from the Lake County Commissioners, so Lake County becomes the 92^nd out of 92 counties in Indiana to have a local income tax, and it takes effect this October. Commissioner Gerry Scheub made multiple motions to veto ordinances for the tax, but each motion failed to get a second from either of the other two commissioners, Michael Repay and Roosevelt Allen, Jr..  There had been widely publicized speculation, based on earlier published comments by Repay that he could not support the tax, that the income tax would be vetoed by commissioners during the board's special meeting early Friday. Early in the week, the Lake County Council voted four-to-three to approve a one-and-a-half percent local income tax for county residents and out-of-staters who work in Lake County.
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Authorities say a Crown Point man who was being sought in connection with an Illinois home invasion apparently fatally shot himself inside an East Chicago home Friday night.  Police say they had been searching for 27-year-old Anthony Espinoza in connection with a violent home invasion in Orland Park, Illinois, earlier in the day. The Lake County Coroners office reports his death was the result of an apparent suicide in the 400 block of Liberty Street in East Chicago and that he was pronounced dead at the scene. The FBI, Lake County Sheriffs Department and Crime Lab, and Orland Park Police Department are also investigating.
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Authorities say they do not know when two horses discovered Friday morning in Porter County's Union Township were killed, but they do know they died after being struck by a train. The Times reports the horses were hit by a train in the area of County Road 375 West and 400 North and Porter County Animal Control is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Porter County Sheriff's Office.
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(Photo Courtesy of the Gary/Chicago International Aiport Authority)
GARY, IN, May 10, 2013– Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson joined the board of directors of The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority and other city and regional dignitaries today to dedicate the new $11.6 million Airport Road overpass in honor of World War II Tuskegee Airman Quentin P. Smith, long-time Gary leader, educator and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.
The new Quentin P. Smith Tuskegee Airman Memorial Bridge marks a significant milestone in the airport’s $166 million expansion project scheduled to be completed this year and is emblematic of the commitment of city and regional leaders to develop the airport – Chicago’s real third airport – and the surrounding area for good-paying jobs and sustainable growth.
“In war and in peace, Quentin P. Smith was a hero; he bravely defended our nation, stood up against segregation, and throughout his stellar career he unselfishly served the community as a civic leader, educator and mentor,” said Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. “For his significant contributions to our nation, our state and our city, we dedicate this new overpass in his name – Quentin P. Smith – and celebrate a major milestone in the expansion of the Gary/Chicago International Airport.”
Mayor Freeman-Wilson thanked leaders of the City of Gary, the Airport Authority, Lake County, Indiana and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) for their leadership in making the Quentin P. Smith Tuskegee Airman Memorial Bridge a reality.
The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority funded construction of the $11.6 million overpass.
“When I think of the Tuskegee airmen and a man like Quentin P. Smith, I can’t help but think of hard-fought progress and the need we all have to gain opportunities to prove ourselves,” said Bill Hanna, President and CEO of the RDA. “As inspiring as Mr. Smith’s life story is, his legacy sets the bar very high. It will be incumbent upon us to honor his memory by doing our part to develop Gary/Chicago International Airport to its fullest potential.”
A B-25 bombardier with the legendary black World War II Tuskegee Airman Army Air Corps, 1st Lieutenant Smith and 100 black officers were arrested at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana for defying orders not to enter the officer’s club. After his military career, Smith went on to become the first principal of West Side High School in Gary. Smith was born in Weldon, Texas on July 30, 1918 and died January 25, 2013 at the age of 94.
Throughout his distinguished career Smith also served on the boards of numerous colleges, military, religious, and civic organizations including service on the Gary Common Council, chairman of the board of trustees of Calumet College, and president of the board of the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority.
“We honor Quentin Smith for his dedicated service to the Airport Authority and salute him for his unwavering commitment to education and service to others,” said Nathaniel T. Williams, president of the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority Board.
In addition to the opening of the Airport Road overpass and the major runway expansion underway, the Airport Authority is currently conducting an exploration of a potential public-private partnership to invest in the airport to accelerate the competiveness of the airport, the City of Gary, and the region in the global economy.
“We are diligently examining the potential for a public-private partnership to infuse more economic development into the airport and the surrounding area to create quality jobs in Gary and throughout the region,” said Williams. “We are looking at the best ways to attract private sector investors and maintain local public control.”
The Gary/Chicago International Airport is less than 30 minutes from the heart of the tri-state region – the city of Chicago. The airport is directly connected to Chicago’s transportation network through rail freight, interstate and mass transit integration.
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Indiana Governor Mike Pence today signed into law legislation he says will give gaming businesses within Indiana the tools to compete with surrounding states. Senate Enrolled Act 528 allows existing casinos and racinos and related businesses to improve their market competitiveness, without expanding gaming in Indiana. The legislation also makes adjustments in the gaming tax structure and codifies the limited use of mobile gaming devices approved last year by the Horse Racing Commission.
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The Lake County Coroners office reports a Dyer man died from injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident in the 19-hundred block of East 80^th Avenue in Hobart. Authorities say 32-year-old Jasmit Dang sustained blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead shortly after midnight this morning. According to published reports a 40 year old Valparaiso man was heading east on U-S 30, near the Westfield Southlake Mall, and contacted police after he thought he had hit something. Police arrived and found the body of the Dyer man, who had been staying at a nearby hotel, and reportedly been crossing the highway when the incident occurred. Police report the wet weather and dark condition played a factor in the incident, and the Valparaiso man will reportedly not be cited since he stopped and reported the incident.
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The Tri-Creek School Corporation Board of School Trustees invites interested applicants to apply for a four-year appointment to fill a position which will be vacated at the end of June. Interested candidates may pick up the application packet at the Tri-Creek Administration Center, at 195 West Oakley Avenue, and must have it returned no later than 4pm, Monday, June 3^rd. The Board anticipates conducting interviews during the month of June, and appointing a new member at the Board of School Trustees meeting on June 27^th.  To be eligible for this seat, an applicant must (1) live in Eagle Creek Township and have been a resident in Eagle Creek Township for three years or more, (2) be a registered voter in the electoral district of legal residence, and (3) be 25 years of age.
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