Have you ever gone online to search for something you didn't even know you had? Well today the Gary Community School Corporation got a check for about 21-hundred dollars in unclaimed property. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says that's part of some 43-million dollars in forgotten assets in northwest Indiana alone, 350-million statewide. Zoeller encouraged Region residents to look for their own unclaimed property, which could include accounts or wages, and pointed out that business owners and charitable organizations should also check each year for unclaimed property.
“Presenting this check to Gary Community School serves as a reminder for everyone to check for their own unclaimed property.  With more than $350 million total unclaimed proeperty, and $43 million in the Northwest region alone, it is part of my role to inform Hoosiers how to find and claim it.  Times are still tight for a lot of people and I want everyone to know how easy it is to search for money that you may never knew existed in the form of accounts or wages,” Zoeller said.
Making a claim with the Attorney General’s Unclaimed Property Division is free and easy.  Zoeller encourages all Hoosiers to visit www.IndianaUnclaimed.gov  to search for their name, their relatives, neighbors and friends’ names.  The Indiana Unclaimed Property database is also now mobile.  Anyone can search for free through the mobile application — just use keyword Indiana Unclaimed to download.  The app makes it easy to look for unclaimed property.  Business owners and charitable organizations should also check annually for unclaimed property. 
Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages, and money from savings and checking accounts. Less than one percent of unclaimed assets are tangible, physical items, such as those found in safe-deposit boxes. It is important to note that unclaimed property does NOT include abandoned vehicles or real estate.
In 2012, more than 40,000 new properties valued at more than $6.6 million dollars were reported and originate from the five county Northwest Indiana region. This money belongs to residents or former residents of the area or their heirs. The state holds these assets for 25 years after they are reported.
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Portage Police Chief Troy Williams says a drug sweep at the high school is meant to send a message – that drugs won't be tolerated, especially in the schools. Eight K9's and their partners from the Portage, Porter County and Valparaiso Police Departments entered the school just after 8:30 this morning, sniffing lockers and backpacks, and in less than an hour, completed their sweep of one of the larger schools in the Region, finding no illegal substances.
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Two northwest Indiana lawmakers have within the past few days expressed heir support for same-sex marriage via statements on their Facebook page. First District Congressman Pete Visclosky today said he believed “every single American should be able to marry the person they love,” and called current federal laws that bar same-sex couples from having the same financial and legal benefits as married couples unfair. Last Friday, Indiana US Senator Joe Donnelly said he has concluded the right thing to do is to “support marriage equality for all”, in light of recent U-S Supreme Court arguments and accompanying public discussion of same-sex marriage that prompted him to think about his past positions and votes.
From Congressman Visclosky's Facebook page:
“I support marriage equality for all couples and believe that every single American should be able to marry the person they love. I believe that it is unfair that, under current law, same-sex couples are legally prohibited from taking advantage of the federal laws that provide financial and legal benefits to married couples. I believe that we can no longer allow the states to discriminate against same-sex marriages. Rather, I believe that the federal government should ensure that all consenting adults, no matter who they are or who they love, have the exact same marriage rights.” - PJV
From Senator Donnelly's Facebook page:
“In recent years, our country has been involved in an important discussion on the issue of marriage equality. While serving in the House of Representatives, I had the opportunity to act on a core belief of mine: we are a stronger country when we draw on the strengths of all Americans. I voted to repeal ‘don't ask, don't tell’ and was an original supporter of the bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone in the workplace because of their sexual orientation. It is also for that reason that I oppose amending either Indiana’s or our nation’s constitution to enshrine in those documents an ‘us’ and a ‘them,’ instead of a ‘we.’ With the recent Supreme Court arguments and accompanying public discussion of same-sex marriage, I have been thinking about my past positions and votes. In doing so, I have concluded that the right thing to do is to support marriage equality for all.”
-Joe
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The Valparaiso School Board is considering random drug testing that could start this fall at the high school. Valparaiso School Superintendent Mike Berta says the school system recently held a second opportunity to get feedback from parents and students.  The recommendation was introduced at the board's regular meeting in March, and Berta says the board could take a vote on the issue at their meeting next week. Berta says the goal would be to implement the policy beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.  The next board meeting is scheduled for April 16, 6pm, at Parkview Elementary School. 
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Prom goers in Chesterton this Spring will have to take a Breathalyzer first. Duneland School officials have approved mandatory breath tests for the last two dances of the school year – prom and senior banquet. Currently, it's being considered a pilot program, and parents and students will get notice of it in a variety of ways, like through email and automated calls.
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A bill filled with Region issues today got out of the Indiana House on a unanimous 97-to-nothing vote. Senate Bill 585 in its current form releases Lake County from its property tax levy freeze... one the county has been under since 2007 because it has not approved a personal income tax for its residents, the only of 92 counties in the state not to do so. The measure also provides for a study on a possible second Lake Michigan port, possibly in Gary, and potential trauma hospital in Gary. It also urges a study on whether Indiana ports should pay for municipal services... like the situation with Portage, for instance, providing fire and police service to the Port of Indiana. The measure, though, now goes back to its Senate sponsor, northwest Indiana lawmaker Ed Charbonneau , and could end up in conference committee before it can land on the Governor's desk.
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The Indiana House has passed legislation co-sponsored by Portage State Representative Chuck Moseley he says will help protect injury victims from unfair hospital costs.  Senate Bill 5—which passed through the House 65-28—limits the circumstances under which a hospital can place a lien on a patient.  “This bill protects patients who have been injured through no fault of their own, such as in a traffic accident or as a victim of a violent crime,” Moseley said. “By limiting the circumstances under which hospitals can apply liens by a small amount, we are helping those victims who are not at fault and who need to await their settlement before making payments.  “These folks have been victims once already, and it is unfair for them to be victimized again. This is a fair and balanced bill, and I’m pleased to see support from both parties on the issue,” he added.  Senate Bill 5 was authored by Sen. Brent Steele (R-Bedford) and sponsored by Rep. Jud McMillin (R-Brookville).
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Environmental work at NIPSCO generating plants in the Region is expected to add about a-dollar to an average residential customer's monthly electric bill by 2017... according to NIPSCO testimony, as the company is asking the state to approve a 59-point-two-million dollar project to install pollution control equipment at the utility company's Bailly, Michigan City and Schahfer generating stations to reduce mercury and particulate matter emissions. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is holding a public field hearing on the case April 22^nd, at the Lake County Government Center in Crown Point.
Here are the details from the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor:
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) is encouraging Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) customers to comment on the utility’s pending environmental compliance construction case.
 
Consumers may:
 
1. Speak at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) public field hearing on Monday, April 22, 2013, or
2. Send written comments to the OUCC anytime between now and the close of business on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
 
The April 22 IURC public field hearing will be held in the Lake County Government Center Auditorium in Crown Point (2293 N. Main St.). The OUCC will conduct an informational session on the regulatory process and 5:30 p.m., local time, with the IURC accepting public comments beginning at 6:00 p.m., local time.
 
Sworn oral and written comments regarding the case will be accepted during the field hearing.
 
Oral and written consumer comments carry equal weight and will become part of the case’s official evidentiary record.
 
Commissioners are not allowed to answer questions during the field hearing. (However, OUCC and IURC staff will be available before, during and after the hearing.)
 
An OUCC informational session on the regulatory process and public field hearing procedures will begin at 5:30 p.m., local time.
 
NIPSCO is asking the IURC to approve its proposed MATS Compliance Plan, which would include the construction, installation and operation of new pollution control equipment at NIPSCO’s Bailly, Michigan City and Schahfer generating stations. The equipment would be installed on seven generating units at the three facilities, and would reduce mercury and particulate matter emissions.
 
In its testimony, the utility states that the project is necessary for compliance with federal regulations, specifically the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) rule.
 
NIPSCO is also seeking IURC approval to recover the project’s costs through rates, with rate adjustments to be made every six months. The utility currently estimates the project’s construction costs - not including financing - at approximately $59.2 million.
 
In its testimony, NIPSCO states that it expects the project to add approximately $1.07 to the monthly electric bill for an average residential customer using 688 kilowatt hours (kWh) by 2017.
 
NIPSCO provides electric utility service to approximately 457,000 customers throughout northern Indiana. The outcome of this case will only affect the utility’s electric rates, and will not affect NIPSCO’s natural gas rates and charges.
 
The OUCC – which represents consumer interests in cases before the IURC – is still evaluating this case and is scheduled to file testimony on May 7, 2013. Additional parties that have intervened in this case – including the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana (CAC) and the NIPSCO Industrial Group – are also scheduled to file testimony on May 7.
 
More information on this case is available online at www.in.gov/oucc/2740.htm.
 
Consumers who wish to submit written comments in this case may do so via the OUCC’s Website at www.in.gov/oucc/2361.htm, or by mail, email or fax:
 
Mail: Consumer Services Staff
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor
115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 South
Indianapolis, IN 46204
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
Fax: (317) 232-5923
 
Written comments the OUCC receives by May 1 will be filed with the Commission and included in the case’s formal evidentiary record. Comments should include the consumer’s name, mailing address, and a reference to “IURC Cause No. 44311.”
 
Consumers with questions about submitting written comments can contact the OUCC’s consumer services staff
toll-free at 1-888-441-2494.
 
# # #
 
(IURC Cause No. 44311)
 
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) represents Indiana consumer interests before state and federal bodies that regulate utilities. As a state agency, the OUCC’s mission is to represent all Indiana consumers to ensure quality, reliable utility services at the most reasonable prices possible through dedicated advocacy,
consumer education, and creative problem solving.
 
Visit us at www.IN.gov/OUCC, www.twitter.com/IndianaOUCC, or www.facebook.com/IndianaOUCC.
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National Weather Service Chicago has this photo of the double-funnel tornadoes near Dunlap, Indiana, between Elkhart and Goshen, by Paul Huffman, Elkhart Truth, at their website
Nearly fifty years ago, Indiana was part of one of the worst tornado outbreaks to ever strike the Midwest. 48 years ago on this date, Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965, 47 tornadoes, all during the late afternoon and early evening on a balmy April day, hit parts of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio, killing 271 people and injuring over 15-hundred. A huge double-funnel tornado occurred near Dunlap, Indiana, between Goshen and Elkhart. Koontz Lake and Wanatah were also among areas in northern Indiana to be hit by tornadoes. The National Weather Service says watches had been posted and warnings were excellent, but many did not receive the warnings because they were outside.
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Porter County Sheriffs Police say an 18-year-old man has been charged in connection with an incident Saturday night that left a South Haven man dead. Authorities say Ryan Cash of Union Township has been charged with C-Felony Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death. Prosecutors say 45-year-old Brian Hagerman went outside of his home after hearing a loud crash and glass shattering, and walked toward a suspicious vehicle that allegedly drove into him. Police say Hagerman reportedly went up onto the hood of the vehicle, then fell off, suffering critical injuries, and officers learned Wednesday that he had died at a South Bend hospital.
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