Legislation to spend funds on a program that would drug test some welfare recipients has passed the Indiana House, and now moves onto the Senate. Published reports say House Bill 1483 would require recipients of Temporary Aid for Needy Families benefits to take a written test that determines the propensity to use drugs with 90-percent accuracy. Recipients with a high propensity would then have a 50-50 chance of a forced drug test, and if a test comes back positive, recipients could continue...

Now just days away from sweeping budget cuts known as sequestration, ABC News reports they'll hit every corner of government. The White House is circulating 50 lists of budget cuts in states where civilian jobs in the defense industry and some school money would be slashed. ABC's Ann Compton at the White House reports there are no active negotiations here as Congress returns to write a list of less painful cuts.
On the Indiana list, the White House says some examples this year are... the loss...

The town of Merrillville is working toward setting up a historic preservation commission... with the initial historic district along 73^rd Avenue, from Broadway to Madison Street. Along that stretch sits the Merrillville-Ross Township Historical Museum, a circa 1860s building that used to be a school. The Times today says the town council is expected to vote tomorrow (Tue 022613) on first reading of an ordinance to create the commission.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/commis...

Outdoor Indiana magazine’s March-April issue will have you thinking spring with a feature article on the upcoming massive bird migration at Indiana Dunes State Park.  Readers will learn how the park’s unique conditions allow for the sighting of 30,000 birds a day during March and April.
The 48-page full-color magazine also includes a removable eight-page insert on Tippecanoe River State Park. That article continues the magazine’s series in which one state park or reservoir property will be p...

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Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana recognized Rebecca Jackson-Sanchez of Hammond and her family, hosting a mortgage burning ceremony Sunday. Paying off a home mortgage is the final step of a partner family-affiliate agreement, and the Jackson-Sanchez family is the second partner family of the Habitat affiliate to have done so. Their home in the 58-hundred block of Erie Avenue is in a row of Habitat homes. Jackson-Sanchez says she was driving when she first heard about...

It was created to get people to recycle, but ABC reports one state's can and bottle return policy may be working a little too well. ABC's Daria Albinger reports a lot of people cross the Michigan state line to cash in. However, Michigan State Representative Kenneth Kurtz has introduced a bill to crack down on scammers. It'd make any attempt to redeem the deposit on non-returnable containers punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a one-thousand dollar fine.
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Forecasters say a winter storm will approach the Region late tonight, bringing the potential for a mix of light freezing rain, sleet and snow toward Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service says right now the best chance of any ice accumulation looks to be south of the Kankakee River with the most significant snow accumulations generally northwest of a Peoria to Chicago line. However, it is still unclear where some of the heaviest ice and snow accumulation will be. Winds may also gust to...

In Hobart, police say a 78-year-old woman who has Alzheimers who was missing last night has been found. Police sent out an alert that authorities were looking for the woman after she was last seen near the west side of Westfield Southlake Sunday afternoon. Hobart Police sent out a message today thanking everyone for their information and concern.
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Indiana University Health Starke Hospital reports seeing 15 children and 2 adults this morning after an accident involving a Marshall-Starke Head Start bus in downtown Knox. Hospital officials say some of the children were treated for minor bumps and bruises in the emergency room, and all 15 have been released to their parents. The adults were still being looked at. Knox Police say the crash occurred at the intersection of Heaton and Lake Streets just before 8am Central Time and was still under...

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is kicking-off America Saves Week by encouraging Hoosiers to save ten-dollars a week-- to start small and think big to build a strong financial footing for tomorrow. Lawson put a series of “Conversation Starters” to help families foster an ongoing dialogue about budgeting, saving, investing and avoiding scams and fraud on her website. The open-ended questions are meant for those just starting out as newlyweds, entering retirement or anyone looking to tal...