Valparaiso Police say Calumet Avenue is shut down in both directions from Albert to Wall Street, due to utility pole issues... we're told the top of one pole is on fire, and live wires are down.... NIPSCO crews are on scene, it's unknown how long it will take to reopen the road. Scattered power outages are affecting the area as well... some buildings reportedly have partial power at this time.
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Police in Portage say they are investigating a home burglary early this morning in the 66-hundred block of Fairview. Officials say around 2:30 am a resident heard a noise, went outside and discovered a basement window had been broken out, then went back inside and heard a man inside a bedroom. The man is believed to have gone out through a basement window, and was reportedly seen jumping a fence and running east. A K-9 was brought in to search the area, but a suspect wasn't found.
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A two-day summit on the environment continues today at Marquette Park in Gary. The Calumet Summit is coordinated by the Calumet Stewardship Initiative, a coalition of more than forty member groups, including local, state and federal agencies, faith-based and volunteer groups, and large conservation organizations. Organizers say the summit is for those working to “advance environmental quality in the bi-state Calumet region”. For more info on the Calumet Stewardship Initiative, visit http://www.calumetstewardship.org/
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National Park Service rangers at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore observe Peace Officers' Memorial Day a moment of silence for the thirty-nine National Park Service law enforcement personnel who have died in the line of duty. A formal Department of the Interior Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony was held earlier this week in Washington, D.C. National Park Service law enforcement rangers attend the same Federal Law Enforcement academy in Georgia as most federal agents. Rangers are responsible for protecting the 15,000 acres and 2 million visitors of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
[Photo provided/National Park Service]
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Governor Mike Pence is directing flags at state facilities statewide be flown at half-staff today (Wednesday May 15) in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day, which honors federal, state and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. President Obama signed a proclamation ordering flags nationwide to be flown at half-staff on Wednesday, May 15. Flags should remain at half-staff until sunrise on Thursday, May 16.  Governor Pence also asks businesses and residents to lower their flags to half-staff to pay tribute to the brave men and women in law enforcement across Indiana and our nation.
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Authorities say an 86-year-old Lowell man died after accidentally setting himself on fire while smoking a pipe. Officials say James Johnson died at the University of Chicago Medical Center late Monday night. Cause of death was pending an autopsy. Family members say the man had gone into the garage to smoke because of the strong winds Monday afternoon.
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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the report of a bull shark in the Wabash River is... not true. A photo that got posted on WTHI-TV's Facebook page claimed the picture was taken at a Terre Haute park... but one of the commenters wrote it was prank on someone that went too far. Scientists note that the bull shark can swim quite a distance into fresh water.
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One of the oldest downtowns in the Region is hoping to land a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Last night, city redevelopment officials in Hobart held an informational meeting for residents and those who own property in downtown Hobart to talk about getting the nomination process started. Making the list would make certain grants available for restoration. More than fifty commercial buildings on Main, Third, and Center streets would make up the designated district if approved.
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Local officials around the country are sounding their support a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation to lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers. The NTSB wants it changed to point-0-5 claiming the move could save hundreds of lives every year. But Sarah Longwell, Managing Director of the American Beverage Institute, says most DUII accidents not caused by "moderate" drinkers:  The NTSB is calling on the federal government to give states incentives for lowering the legal blood alcohol content. In most of Europe the limit is currently at point-oh-five, in some countries as low as point-oh-two. Indiana lowered its legal limit from point-one-oh to point-oh-eight twelve years ago, after more than a decade's worth of legislative attempts to do so and also as the federal government was threatening to withhold millions in highway funds if it didn't happen. The NTSB also wants stiffer penalties for first time and repeat offenders.
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Washington, D.C.—Today, Senator Joe Donnelly, a member of the Senate Ag Committee, applauded the committee passage of a five-year farm bill with bipartisan support.  The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 passed 15 to 5 and would reduce the deficit by $23 billion while protecting the estimated 16 million ag-related jobs across the country. 
“I am pleased that we have approved a common sense, five-year farm bill to give the Hoosier ag and rural communities the certainty they deserve,” said Donnelly.  “This bipartisan bill would not only protect the millions of ag jobs around the country; it makes the tough decisions necessary to cut spending, increase accountability, and eliminate duplicative or unnecessary programs to continue our efforts to get our fiscal house in order.
“While no bill is perfect, there are a few areas of this bill I worked to improve based on feedback from Hoosiers.  First, I worked to maintain full planting flexibility for Hoosier farmers wanting to grow fruits and vegetables on their farms.
“Second, as many of Indiana’s farmers continue to contribute to our domestic energy security, I introduced an amendment to give the next generation of bioenergy crops access to base levels of risk management so that a logical safety net will be in place for producers.  
“Further, I supported an amendment to give USDA more authority in determining conservation program technical assistance funding levels with input from the field and the stakeholder community.  We need robust technical assistance to give producers the assurances they need to know they are implementing practices correctly, and these decisions should be more reflective of needs on the ground.
“Now, I urge prompt passage of this bill by the full Senate and for our colleagues in the House to follow suit.  Indiana farmers deserve more than the partisan gridlock that prevented a five-year farm bill from passing last year.”
Donnelly introduced an amendment with Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) to address the increasing use of crops for biofuels.  This bipartisan amendment would amend the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program to offer coverage for crops producing feedstock for energy purposes.  Further, the amendment would direct USDA to research and develop risk management tools promising new sorghum crops.  Read his full amendment here.
Senator Donnelly’s amendment is supported by the Advanced Biofuels Association, Agriculture Energy Coalition, Advanced Ethanol Council, BIO, Growth Energy, National Sorghum Producers, and the Renewable Fuels Association.  Read their letter of support here.
Donnelly cosponsored an amendment introduced by Senator Heidi Heitkamp that would put the USDA in charge of conservation program technical assistance funding levels, taking the Office of Management and Budget out of the process.  This gives USDA the authority to make sure the technical assistance reflects the needs of producers in the field and the stakeholder community while allowing conservation practices to be adopted on a broader scale.
Gene Schmidt, in leadership for the National Association of Conservation Districts and producer from northern Indiana said of the conservation amendment, “We need accountability and efficiency for the dollars that are available, and we need enough technical assistance dollars to make that happen.  We’ve been so challenged in the past to have enough technical assistance dollars to properly assist implementation of programs in the field.  So many times producers want to do the right thing, but often they want assurance that they are implementing the practice properly.  I thank Senator Donnelly for being willing to sponsor this amendment because a locally led process is the way to do it.  Those on the local level know how to do it properly and least expensively.”
The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 now goes to the full Senate for its consideration.
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