The Lake County Coroners office reports a Dyer man died from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in the 19-hundred block of East 80^th Avenue in Hobart. Authorities say 32-year-old Jasmit Dang suffered blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead shortly after midnight this morning   No other details were available at this hour.
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The clock is ticking on a couple of bills with lots of Lake County interest that at last word have yet to be signed by Governor Pence... Senate Bill 585 among other things lifts the Lake County property tax levy freeze, and House Bill 1585 provides a way for Griffith to leave Calumet Township under certain conditions. If the governor doesn't sign or veto them by Saturday, they automatically become law without his signature.
Senate Bill 585 was written by Valparaiso State Senator Ed Charbonneau. In our recent Region Newsmakers interview with State Senator Charbonneau, he talked to us about the measure, which he says he drafted to deal with economic development opportunities for Lake County, "but the ramifications of this from an economic development standpoint, from an investment standpoint, from a job creation standpoint," Charbonneau said, are "regionwide", and he added if the Gary Airport could be brought up to its full potential, "it would have statewide implications".  The measure changes the composition of the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority, and also requires studies of a possible new Lake Michigan port in Gary, and the need for a level-one trauma center in the Region.
You can hear our Region Newsmakers interview here at our website.
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Porter County Property Taxes are due today. Porter County Treasurer Mike Bucko says they must be postmarked by today to be considered an ontime payment. Bucko says you can also pay online, but credit and debit cards have a fee. You can also pay in person.  Additional information: You can pay on line at www.porterco.org.  Just click on (pay my tax bill).  You will need the duplicate number so have the tax bill handy.     Bucko says if you pay on line  E-check is free but credit and debit cards have a fee.  Provide your email address and check the box to get a receipt that a payment was made.   The Treasurers Office in Porter County says taxpayers have until 11:59:59 on May 10, 2013 to be on time when you pay on line. If you are paying at the Treasurer's Office  at 155 Indiana Ave. Valparaiso IN  our office hours are Mon-Fri. except holidays 8:30am to 4:30pm.  Call 219-465-3470 to for information.
The Lake County Treasurers Office has announced extended office hours for their Crown Point, Hammond and Gary offices again today (Fri May 10 2013), from 8:30 am to 7 pm, for the Spring property tax installment due May 10. A number of local banks in Lake County will continue to collect payment until closing today. Credit card and check payments are accepted on the Lake County Treasurer's Page at  www.lakecountyin.org .  
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Indiana Governor Mike Pence has issued his third veto-- a measure having to do with taxes. House Enrolled Act 1546 would have allowed the collection of local income taxes in Pulaski and Jackson Counties after the legal authority to do so had expired. Governor Pence has directed the Office of Management and Budget to develop options for refunding or crediting the revenues in question. The Governor earlier vetoed two measures requiring licenses for diabetes educators, anesthesiologist assistants and dietitians, and state certification for music therapists.
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A few days ago, 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. Now it goes before the Lake County Commissioners, who are expected to consider it – and veto it – at a special meeting this morning [May 10th, 8:30am.] If commissioners veto it, as the speculation has been based on comments from the commissioners, the county council could override that, but it would take a super-majority, at least five votes, to do so. Lake is the only county in the state without a local income tax.
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(Photos Courtesy of the Cook County Sheriff's Dept)

A 37 year old Harvey, Illinois, man is facing numerous counts of animal cruelty after Cook County Sheriff's deputies enforcing a court-ordered eviction found a number of abused dogs, including one found dead in the basement of the home. The Sheriff's office reports William Roberson was named in the eviction order for the home located in the 50 block of West 151^st Street. The Sheriff's Police Animal Crimes Unit found in total seven pit bull type dogs and one Chihuahua, and reports there was no indication of dog fighting at the location. The South Suburban Humane Society took custody of the dogs, which were taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
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INDIANAPOLIS (May 9, 2013) – Secretary of State Connie Lawson is warning potential homebuyers about scam artists who use authentications from the Secretary of State’s office to swindle Hoosiers into fraudulent real estate transactions. The scam artists are domestic terrorists who refer to themselves as sovereign citizens and believe the government is illegitimate. They are using authentications from the Secretary of State’s office to create the illusion they own vacant property to trick Hoosiers into illegitimate home sales.
“Today, a judge sentenced Shela Amos of Indianapolis to 34 years for defrauding victims using the vacant home sale scheme,” said Secretary Lawson. “While this will stop Amos, unfortunately, others are waiting to pick up where she left off. Hoosiers should use extreme caution when dealing with sovereign citizens. They have no regard for the law and are master manipulators.”
The vacant home sale scheme is popular among sovereign citizens. At first, they identify abandoned homes and create documents claiming they own the property. Then they have a notary sign the document. They bring the signed document to the Secretary of State’s office and request an apostille, a gold seal for overseas authentications, to certify the notary’s signature is authentic. After the document has an apostille, they file it with the county recorder’s office. Once the document has the seal and is on file with the recorder’s office, the scam artists bring prospective home buyers to the recorder’s office to show them the document they created as proof they own the real estate they are selling.
In a majority of cases, sovereign citizens target Hispanics with a language barrier. They lead their victims to believe they have legitimately purchased property even though they don’t own the property or have the legal authority to sell.
The Apostilles and authentications they use are exclusively for international business and other transactions, specifically, in patent and trademark registrations and foreign adoptions. They have nothing to do with property.
“Con artists target members of the Hispanic community, but all Hoosiers should be cautious when dealing with sovereign citizens. Because of their disregard for the law, they concoct many schemes using phony authority and even retaliate against law enforcement and government officials who work to stop them.”
After sovereign citizens like Shela Amos are sentenced for their crimes, many harass the law enforcement officers, judges or prosecutors they believe wrongly convicted them. They often file fraudulent Uniform Commercial Code financing statements or real property liens against the law enforcement officer or civic leader for millions of dollars. These fraudulent filings cause issues when the victim attempts to buy or sell a home or open a line of credit. Many victims don’t even realize they have been targeted until they go to sell or buy property, but it can take years to have the statement or lien removed causing major headaches.
Just last month, the General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act 1054, giving the Secretary of State’s office the ability to prevent the filing of these deceitful documents. Previously, the Secretary of State’s office did not have the authority to reject financing statements or liens. The ability to reject fraudulent filings will protect those in law enforcement and civic leaders from the harassment of criminals. 
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(Photos Courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Dept)

(Photos: top Tepper-Hunt, bottom Bibbs)
Tips provided by citizen's resulted in two men being arrested in Griffith Wednesday for dealing and possessing drugs. The Lake County Sheriff's Department reports 41 year old Franklin Tepper-Hunt, of Griffith, is charged with dealing and possession of a controlled substance and 38 year old Andre Bibbs, of Harvey, Illinois, is charged with dealing and possession of a controlled substance, as well as possession of a stolen handgun, after officers executed a search warrant at the Mansard Apartment Complex.
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Indianapolis, IN - Governor Mike Pence today vetoed House Enrolled Act 1546, concerning unauthorized collection of local option income tax in Jackson and Pulaski counties after legal authority for those tax collections had expired. The Governor issued the following statement: 
"If Hoosiers owe taxes, they should pay them. But when Hoosiers pay taxes that are not owed, they deserve relief, and this legislation does not meet that standard.
"HEA 1546 would approve, after the fact, the collection of taxes that were not owed. While there are valuable elements of this legislation, retroactive approval of the taxes collected is not the proper remedy and for that reason I am vetoing this legislation.
"I look forward to working with the General Assembly next session to resolve this issue in a manner that works for these counties and is in the best interest of Hoosier taxpayers."
Governor Pence has directed the Office of Management and Budget to develop options for refunding or crediting the revenues in question.
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Indianapolis, IN - Surrounded by students at Calvary Christian School, Governor Mike Pence today signed HEA 1003 to expand Indiana's school choice program.
"Our Hoosier students deserve every opportunity to be successful," said Governor Pence. "That includes having the choice to attend the school that works best for them. Thanks to this legislation, Hoosier students and their families now have more educational options available to meet their individual needs. I applaud the General Assembly for their commitment to quality education in Indiana."
HEA 1003 expands the state's choice scholarship program, which allows students who qualify to use a voucher to offset the costs of attending a school of their choice. Students with special needs, siblings of current voucher recipients, and students who receive a scholarship from a Scholarship Granting Organization will now qualify. The new law permits current voucher recipients to continue participating in the program if their family incomes rise above the base income threshold. It also allows children who live in low-performing school districts to receive a voucher without having to attend one year of public school first. 
Representative Bob Behning (R) authored the legislation to expand the school choice scholarship program.  Representatives Todd Huston(R)  and Dale DeVon (R) coauthored it.   It was sponsored by Senators Doug Eckerty (R) and Carlin Yoder (R)  and cosponsored by Senators Dennis Kruse (R) and Jean Leising (R).
Pence also signed HEA 1334, which creates an additional option for teachers to cost-effectively insure themselves against professional liability by creating a statewide insurance pool that teachers can opt into if they choose.
"Teachers should be able to focus on educating our kids without fear of defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits and incurring expensive legal fees out of their own pockets," said Pence. "HEA 1334 creates a means for teachers to shield themselves against professional liability so they can concentrate on leading their classrooms and helping our children reach their highest potential."
HEA 1334 was authored by Representative Jeffrey Thompson (R) and coauthored by Representative Woody Burton (R).  It was sponsored by Senators Dennis Kruse (R) and Phil Boots (R) and cosponsored by Senators Scott Schneider (R) and Brandt Hershman (R).
Both pieces of legislation were part of a package of education reforms the Pence Administration advanced in this session. Also passed were HEA 1005, which addresses the need for remediation and dropout prevention in Indiana, HEA 1348, which will help increase on-time college graduation rates, SEA 465, which created Indiana Regional Works Councils, and SEA 532 which makes available more loans to higher education students.
Hoosiers can learn more about the bill signed by the Governor at: http://www.in.gov/gov/billwatch.htm.
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