1050am-- INDOT reports the right lane of westbound I-94 remains closed near US 20 due to a crash. Expect delays as you travel westbound on I-94 near mile 21.3.
We also have reports that the westbound Toll Road is virtually stopped all the way from the BP Plant in Whiting east to Portage
We've also gotten word of an accident that has traffic stopped on northbound State Road 49 in the Valparaiso area.  There's reportedly a crash north of the State Road 2 exit.
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Indiana State Police Troopers assigned to the Lowell District have been busy all morning with multiple calls for slide offs and crashes due to blowing snow and icy conditions. At this time, there have been only minor injuries reported in some of these crashes.
Police say the majority of the crashes earlier this morning was in northern Lake County on I-80 from the Illinois State Line to I-65; as the snow shifted and fell it migrated east on I-80 between Ripley Street and State Road 249 (Portage...

10am -- Unconfirmed report of accident with injuries involving a semi and a passenger vehicle on westbound Interstate 94 near mile marker 21, Burns Harbor area.
Region roads, highways and interstates remain hazardous after lake effect snow bands moved across northwest Indiana overnight and throughout the morning rush hour.
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A look at Interstate 65 near 61st Ave in Lake County  this morning [courtesy of INDOT cam]
Slow traffic, slide-offs, spinouts, and accident scenes have followed lake effect snow bands that moved across the Region this morning. Driving conditions remain hazardous. Slow to stopped traffic is being reported from Gary to Merrillville along I-65 and from the Indiana/Illinois state line to I-65 along the Borman Expressway.  Traffic is also moving very slowly east of I-65 on I-80/94 and I-94
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Indiana Governor Mike Pence's office sent out word this morning that all events on his schedule for today, Thursday, January 24, have been cancelled. Indianapolis media are reporting that Indiana First Lady Karen Pence is facing emergency gall bladder surgery.
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A federal appeals court in Chicago says convicted sex offenders have a legal right to be on Facebook and other social media sites, in ruling an Indiana law unconstitutional.  ABC News reports a U.S. District Judge ruled in June that because social networking amounts to "a virtual playground for sexual predators," convicted sex offenders should be kept off Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites. That led to a class action lawsuit by the ACLU. One of the plaintiffs was a man who served...

Today's Times reports there's a petition circulating in East Chicago, after word that oil giant BP was looking into the possibility of buying property in north Lake County's historic Marktown neighborhood. More than fifty people gathered at the Marktown Community Center last night to discuss the issue, with one resident saying she's concerned about people selling their homes. The story says the petition calls on the city to implement the Marktown Revitalization Plan drawn up about five years...

Police say two men from New York were arrested following a traffic stop in northwest Indiana after officers allegedly found an estimated 286-thousand dollars worth of cocaine and heroin in their vehicle. Porter County Sheriffs Police say the police department's Flex team pulled the vehicle over for moving and equipment violations at mile marker 25 in Portage on the Indiana Toll Road Wednesday. Both men are being charged with possession of cocaine and possession of a narcotic drug, a Class A...

Pictured left to right: Officer Keith Perez, Chief of Police Michael Brickner and Officer Jerame Simpson, Valparaiso Police Department (photo provided)
Two northwest Indiana police officers have received the 2012 Police Officer of the Year Award from the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police – Officer Jerame Simpson and Officer Keith Perez with the Valparaiso Police Department. Each year the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police receive nominations from across Indiana for officers performing...

The Highland Police Department reports in 2012, members of the Highland Volunteers in Policing, or VIPS, saved them approximately 160-thousand dollars and contributed a total of six-thousand-184 hours of their time to helping in a variety of aspects. Assistant Chief Pat Vassar says they are a tremendous asset, and just last May, the group also assumed responsibilities for Animal Control. He says after a part-time warden left after many years, VIPS filled the void, and eliminated any salary to...