Feds Yank Money From Gary Buses Because Of Fiscal Mismangement

Gary's public transit system may shut down after the feds pull their funding because of financial mismanagement.

Reports the Northwest Indiana Times:

The Federal Transit Administration cut off funding Friday for the financially troubled Gary Public Transportation Corp., a disciplinary move that could shut down city bus service by the end of the year.

The Gary transit agency "lacks the technical, legal or financial capacity" to continue receiving grants and must repay $3.7 million in mismanaged federal funds, FTA Chief Counsel Severn Miller wrote in a scathing letter delivered late Friday.

Will there be a day when taxpayer money isn't wasted, squandered, stolen, or mismanaged in Northwest Indiana? Or, will corruption be cleaned up when it is "lights out" and the last corrupt public servant is hauled away by federal agents?

Despite some opposition to privately operated services -- such as the Indiana Toll Road and the proposal for a privately financed Illiana Expressway -- privately operated services might the best way to limit the need for the perpetual tax increases required to maintain our local politician's expensive lifestyles as all of those public integrity cases resulting in 30 convictions at the Federal courthouse in Hammond have shown us.

Rest In Peace Nailah Franklin

Rest in peace,
Nailah Franklin.

The Daily Southtown reports that police say that the body found in Calumet City, Illinois yesterday is Nailah Franklin. Earlier, Nailah Franklin's car had been discovered close to the Calumet City location in nearby Hammond, Indiana.

A badly decomposed body found behind a vacant business in Calumet City is that of a Chicago woman reported missing nine days ago, authorities say.

Dental records were used to identify the body of Nailah Franklin, 28, who was reported missing Sept. 19 after she didn’t show up for a work meeting, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. The cause of death was inconclusive, Bond said.

CrimeBlog has more background and news about Nailah Franklin's disappearance.

My prayers go out Nailah Franklin's parents, family, friends, as well as the police officers working the case.

Prayers For Nailah Franklin As Police Continue Investigation

Prayers for
Nailah Franklin
continue
while police and
medical examiners
investigate


Yesterday's media reports that police in Calumet City had found Nailah Franklin's body haven't been confirmed, say family members in a Chicago Sun-Times report. Someone was found in Calumet City, but police and medical examiners are still working to identify the victim.

"They have absolutely not confirmed that the body found today is Nailah, so the family is still in prayer and holding out every bit of hope that this is not Nailah," family spokeswoman Angela Brooks said.

Missing person flyer
for Nailah Franklin
(click to enlarge)

Reports the Indianapolis Star:

WFLD-TV reported Thursday morning that Franklin’s uncle, Jon Merrill, and family friend Andrew Holmes told the station that authorities had confirmed the body to be Franklin.

But the family issued a statement this afternoon saying the body had not been officially identified as Franklin.

“This update is from Lehia Franklin Acox who is working directly with Chicago detectives at this time,” the statement read. Larson and Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond both said the body had not been identified by Thursday afternoon.

My prayers continue to go out to Nailah Franklin and her family as well as all other victims of crime and their families. May we see a day when peace reigns and violence and crime is a distant memory of the past.

Nailah Franklin's Body Found In Calumet City, Reports Fox News. Police Haven't Confirmed.

Nailah
Franklin

Sad news comes from across the Illinois-Indiana border.

Fox News is reporting that Nailah Franklin's body has been found in Calumet City. CBS News reports that police haven't confirmed the body's identity, however.

A huge search for Nailah Franklin has been underway since she was reported missing after she didn't show up for a meeting with her employer Eli Lilly.

Reports Fox News:

The family of a missing Chicago woman said a body found early Thursday is that of their loved one.

Nailah Franklin, 28, a pharmaceutical sales representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, was last heard from a week ago.

Dwayne Johnson, Franklin's uncle, said authorities confirmed it was his niece's body.

Suburban Chicago officials found a body in a forest preserve near where Franklin's car was found abandoned last Friday, police said.

WLS-AM reports that police plan to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. today.

My prayers go out to Nailah Franklin's family.

CN Plans Huge Intermodal Facility In Gary

Canadian National Railway plans to open a huge intermodal facility in Gary, Indiana.

See Illiana Expressway for more details.

Why Is Requiring Voter ID A Supreme Court Matter?

The United States Supreme Court will take a case challenging Indiana's requirement that an identification card be shown before allowing someone to vote in elections. To catch up on the news stories, see Marcia Odd's Indiana Law Blog.

I don't understand why identifying that someone has only voted once is such an impediment to voting. Indiana law allows the poor to obtain an identification card for free. If a voter loses an ID card, he or she can fill out a provisional ballot on election day. Doesn't everyone already have an identification card issued by a state or federal government entity so that he or she can conduct all sorts of business?

Identification cards are required for almost every other activity in society.

Some examples:

An identification card is required to gain access to the Federal building in Hammond. Is the fact that a U.S. Marshal requires one to show a driver's license or some other form of ID denying someone their ability to access the Federal court system or to visit Sen. Evan Bayh's office located in the building?

Driver's licenses are required to operate motor vehicles.

Some form of identification is required to pay for items using a check.

Some argue that vote fraud isn't a problem in Indiana. That notion dismisses the vote fraud cases that have been brought in Lake County and ignores previous court decisions regarding East Chicago elections.

Checking IDs at the polls ensures democracy by making sure that every vote counts.

Why shouldn't we require identification to ensure that every voter's vote counts? By not checking identification cards, we allow for the dilution of legitimate votes by people who "vote early and often."

An identification card isn't difficult to obtain if one has the proper documentation required by the BMV. Why not make sure that everyone's votes count equally so that we can say with certainty that every citizen's vote is treated equally.

Top 3 List -- Hillary Clinton & Evan Bayh

Indiana's Senator Evan Bayh endorsement of presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has political speculators talking of a Clinton - Bayh ticket.

Here's my Top 3 List why a Hillary Clinton - Evan Bayh ticket would be a good thing for Indiana.

1. Indiana would get some attention during a presidential attention -- something that hasn't happened for a while.

2. Having an Indiana connection in the White House might help when constituents have trouble getting their Hillary-care paperwork processed or with other constituent case work problems. Expect federal funds to flow to Indiana. Can anyone say Illiana Expressway?

3. If things went well for the dynamic duo, maybe Evan Bayh have a good chance to be elected president in 2016. Remember that Evan Bayh once ran for the Democratic party's presidential nomination.

Video: Mourners Say Goodbye To Brandon Smith

CBS 2 Chicago News' Pamela Jones reports hundreds of people were at Brandon Smith's funeral today to remember his life. "It was a celebration of life," said Pamela Jones.

See related:

Teen Left Behind In Auto Accident Remembered.

Gary Police Say They Did Search For Victims.

"Please Don't Leave My Friends Behind."

Top Six Wish List For Lake County Improvements

Here's my Top Six wish list for Lake County, Indiana:

1. Open up more lake front for public use as proposed by Rep. Pete Visclosky in his Marquette Plan. Lake Michigan is a hidden treasure that has been kept locked away for too long in Lake County. We need to capitalize on this natural resource.

2. Build the Illiana Expressway and have it connect with I-355 to provide an alternative route to Illinois' western suburbs. It's a fact of life that people will continue to drive since public transportation cannot go everywhere. Linking I-65 with I-57 and onward to I-80 and I-355 would open up Lake County to more economic opportunities and provide a nice alternative to traveling on I-294 -- The Tri-State Expressway -- for trips to the quickly growing suburbs along I-355. Having a speedy connection with Illinois would also make Indiana more attractive to businesses and potential residents.

3. Improve the Gary Public School's performance. Education is the key to rebuilding Gary's economic prosperity. Gary has gone so far downhill that it is only a matter of time before it starts to rise again because of its proximity to Chicago. Let's figure out a way to teach our kids so that they won't enter the workforce at a disadvantage.

4. Attract more high tech businesses to Lake County to provide more 21st Century employment opportunities for residents. Along with a better educated population, we need to work to attract businesses that will be the future economic engines for the region. With the global reach of the internet allowing Northwest Indiana to compete with the rest of the world, we need to work to attract high tech businesses to the area. Making the lake front beautiful will be a key factor in attracting workers to high tech industries.

5. Grow Lake County's economy to increase wages. People commute to Chicago and Illinois for higher paying jobs. We're in the same region as Chicago, but Northwest Indiana wages haven't kept up. Cleaning up government -- see item 6 -- and fixing the educational system -- see item 3 -- will be key.

6. Create a new culture in government that rejects corruption. There have been too many public officials who have fallen to the temptation to enrich themselves at the expense of their employers -- the people. Money that should have gone to help people, instead has gone to corrupt officials in a variety of schemes. Bad government scares away legitimate businesses and perpetuates poverty by creating incentives to keep people uneducated and dependent upon their political leaders for welfare, who then skim welfare money from the federal pot. Cleaning up local government and creating an ethical culture within the local governments will be key to any economic growth in Lake County.

Privacy Is No Longer Guaranteed In The Digital Age

It's a story that seems to be repeated over and over.

I've received the letters from various companies advising that my or my wife's confidential information might have been released to third parties by mistake or by information theft. I bet there will come a time when everyone in America has had their private financial data inadvertently or intentionally released.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Citigroup's ABM AMRO Mortgage Group experienced a data leak recently when three spreadsheets containing over 5,000 social security numbers had been released.

It's time to move away from linking all financial records to people's social security numbers and instead require that financial institutions and other entities assign their own unique account numbers to customers. There's too much abuse of social security numbers for them to be the unique identifier of Americans. The debate over immigration and people working without employment authorization is just one example of how social security numbers have been abused.

It's also a good reminder to make sure to monitor your credit reports for any strange activity.

Placing a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus might also be a worthwhile endeavor, especially if one or more of your financial institutions has allowed your information out of its grasp.

Missing Nailah Franklin's Car Found In Hammond

Nailah Franklin is missing

Update: 10-30-07: Reginald Potts speaks out in Nailah Franklin Case

Update, 9-28-07: Sad news -- Police confirm the body found in Calumet City is Nailah Franklin.

Update: Nailah Franklin's family has set up a website: bringnailahfranklinhome.com. Also, a $10,000 reward is being offered.

Missing Eli Lilly pharmaceutical representative Nailah Franklin's car was found near an abandoned building in Hammond, Indiana at the intersection of Kenwood Street and Blaine Avenue, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Nailah Franklin's car was found Friday evening and police have been searching nearby areas since then.

The 28-year-old Nailah Franklin was reported missing after she failed to show up for a meeting with her bosses at Eli Lilly, reports Fox News.


Nailah Franklin

" When Franklin didn't turn up for an important meeting Wednesday morning with her boss at Eli Lilly and Co., where she's a pharmaceutical sales representative, co-workers called family, and family called police. Eli Lilly is based in Indianapolis. Franklin's sales territory covered Chicago's suburbs, her sister said. "

Police searched the River Oaks Golf Course in Calumet City, Illinois this morning after finding Nailah Franklin's car in Hammond because it was within a search perimeter set up by police.

Nailah Franklin
(click to enlarge flyer)

Several local police departments are involved in the search, including the Hammond Police, Chicago Police, and the Cook County Sheriff's Department. (Link to the Chicago Police's missing person report for Nailah Franklin).

Fox News reports that Nailah Franklin had contacted the police about threatening phone calls before she disappeared.

Reports ABC 7 Chicago:

Franklin, missing since Tuesday, lives in the University Village neighborhood, in the 1500 block of S. Sangamon. She had reported threats to police before she disappeared.

The family has set up a command center at a gymnasium at 700 W. Maxwell, as a headquarters for flyer distribution. Police held a press conference Friday afternoon to update the media on new information.

CrimeBlog.us has been covering Nailah Franklin's story:

Dana McClellan, a good friend of Nailah’s, also spoke to the ABC affiliate — “It defies explanation. That sounds dramatic, but she’s not the type of person who just leaves.”

McClellan heard at least one of the threats left for her friend. CBS 2 in Chicago reported her statement about that chilling message: “Basically [the message said] ‘I could do harm to you. You haven’t seen that side, of me but I do have a bad side and I could do harm to you’.”

Lehia Adcox also spoke to CBS 2. She said, “This is someone who just had everything to live for; she was at the top of her game professionally; she bought two condos on her own as a single woman; she dotes on her niece, my daughter; she’s just a person who is very connected with the people she cares about [. . .] This is so out of character.”

Nailah Franklin missing person Hammond Calumet City Chicago

Teen Left Behind After Auto Accident Remembered

Dominique Green's family and friends gathered to remember his life last night.

Dominique Green was one of two teens who was killed in a recent Gary, Indiana auto accident. He and Brandon Smith were left behind after the accident when emergency responders didn't find them after a survivor pleaded "Please go get my friends," according to news reports.

Gary police officials say that they searched for the victims, but weren't able to find them. The Lake County coroner released a report that said that the victims had died instantly.

CBS 2 News Chicago's Pamela Jones reports from the funeral that the 911 call to Gary Police is being reviewed by a city attorney and that the Lake County Sheriff's Department is planning to recreate and independently review the deadly auto accident that happened on Chase Street.

accident victims abandoned Gary Indiana Northwest Indiana Dominique Green

Video Catches 'Corrupt' Pol's Aide Shoving Reporter Down Stairs

An aide to an Illinois politician who a watchdog group called "one of the most corrupt members of Congress" showed a television reporter down stairs during a speech given by Rep. Jerry Weller while television news camera were rolling.

Having an aide allegedly shove a reporter for a major news outlet down the stairs after the pol announces he won't be running after being called "corrupt" is never a good thing.

CBS 2 Chicago News political editor Mike Flannery plans to press charges against John Dusik, an aide to Congressman Jerry Weller, reports CBS 2 News Chicago.

" Flannery was pushed by a Weller aide right before he followed Weller into a stairway. The initial contact occurred off-camera. In the video posted on cbs2chicago.com, you can see Flannery stumbing into the view of the camera after being pushed. He is then shoved a second time once inside the doorway, which caused a woman inside the stairwell to fall.

The man who shoved Flannery and another television reporter was identified as John Dusik, an aide to the congressman. "

Raw footage of a congressional aide allegedly pushing a reporter down stairs at a speech in Joliet, Illinois.

Jerry Weller Mike Flannery CBS 2 Chicago corruption Congress

Feds Charge Three Lake County Officials With Corruption

Money that was supposed to help poor people find jobs allegedly instead went into the pockets of greedy township officials in Northwest Indiana's Calumet Township between 2000 and 2002, according to indictments handed down by the Feds yesterday.

It's a sad story that seems to repeat itself over and over in the South Shore Region of Northwest Indiana.

Any taxpayer money designed to help the poor has to be watched like a hawk in this area. In this case, $143,000 is alleged to have been stolen from Lake County welfare recipients who were supposed to be freed from the bondage of unemployment.

How many children had to go without because the power elite -- who never live up to their Democratic party ideals of looking out for the downtrodden -- always seem focused more on self-enrichment at the expense of the little guy?

A federal grand jury indicted former Calumet Township Trustee Dozier Allen, Jr., Deputy Trustee Wanda Joshua, Ann Marie Karras, and Albert Young, Jr.

Each was charged with the following: one county of mail fraud and honest services fraud, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

The indictment says the four took a total of $143,000 for themselves, on top of their normal pay, between 2000 and 2002.

"This indictment is yet another sad example of what is too commonplace in Lake County, Indiana, and that is self-dealing" by elected officials collecting secret payments on top of their normal salaries, Acting U.S. Attorney David Capp said.

The Calumet Township Trustees enriched themselves by dipping into funds that were meant to help poor people get off of welfare an into employment by paying themselves monthly using federal funds from the U.S. Department of Labor, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

Allen, whose regular township salary was $88,000, has not disputed the payments he and the workers received, most for $1,000. But he said the payments were approved by the Township Board and disclosed to the State Board of Accounts.

Calumet Township Dozier Allen Jr Wanda Joshua Ann Marie Karras Albert Young Jr Calumet Township Trustee mail fraud honest services fraud federal indictment Northwest Indiana Northern District of Indiana US Attorney corruption welfare poor relief

Thousands Protest Jena 6 In Chicago's Daley Plaza, NW Indiana Residents Bus To Jena For Protest

Thousands of protesters gathered in Chicago's Daley Plaza last night to show support for the " Jena 6 " -- six teens who some say were overcharged when they beat a classmate who had taunted them with racial slurs after African-American students had gathered under a tree usually frequented by Caucasian students.

Chicago area residents also boarded buses to join a nationwide protest to be held in Jena, Louisiana. Some Northwest Indiana residents also traveled to Jena, Louisiana.

Friends of Northwest Indiana & the Chicagoland -- We have organized a bus to Jena, LA. We will leave Sept. 19th @ 11 a.m. from the old K-Mart parking lot, Indpls. Blvd., Hammond, IN. We will then pick up passengers from the Chicagoland Area. ... We will attend the rally on the 20th.

Reports CNN about the Jena 6 case:

Many said they are angry the six black students, dubbed the "Jena 6," are being treated more harshly than the white students who hung the nooses. The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges. The protesters argue they should have been charged with a hate crime. The black students face charges of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy in the schoolyard beating.

Trey Ellis explains the significance of the Jena 6 case:

The Jena 6 case began last fall when a new black student to the mostly white, rural Louisiana town of Jena sat under the "white tree," so called because it was the place where the white kids at school congregated.

The next day three white boys on the rodeo team hung three nooses from the tree.

The white boys were only given an in-school suspension, their act deemed no more than a "prank."

The day after that several of the school's black high school football stars organized a peaceful silent protest under the tree. The school freaked, called in the police and the next day Reed Walters, the local D.A., addressed the school. There, he is reported to have looked at the black kids in the audience, waved his pen in the air and said, "With a stroke of this pen, I can make your life disappear."

As thousands from around the country travel to Jena, Louisiana, the Associated Press reports in this video that tensions are running high in that town.

Jena 6 civil rights protest Louisiana Chicago

Lake Station Would Likely Lose Challenge To Recording Ban Says Public Access Counselor

Indiana's Public Access Counselor Heather Willis Neal says Lake Station's city council would likely lose any court challenge brought against a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the public from recording its meetings.

Reports the Northwest Indiana Times:

Public Access Counselor Heather Willis Neal said if (Randall) Alexander filed suit, he would likely win in any challenge.

She said the right to videotape public meetings is one that is backed by both the Open Door Law as well the Indiana Supreme Court.

Neal said the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in the 1989 case Berry vs. People's Broadcasting Corp. that videotaping is allowed at public meetings.

The desire of public officials to ban the public from recording public meetings isn't new. The Indiana Public Access Counselor issued an opinion in 2001 finding that "It is my opinion that the Hendricks County Council violated the Indiana Open Door Law when it prohibited the videotaping of its August 17, 2001 public meeting."

The intent and purpose of the ODL is that "the official action of public agencies be conducted and taken openly, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, in order that the people may be fully informed." Ind. Code § 5-14-1.5-1.

The provisions of the ODL are to be "liberally construed with the view of carrying out its policy." Ind. Code § 5-14-1.5-1.

The Council is a governing body of a public agency subject to the ODL. Ind. Code § 5-14-1.5-2(b)(2).

The general rule is that meetings of governing bodies of public agencies are to be held openly, so that the public may "observe and record them." Ind. Code § 5-14-1.5-3(a).

The Indiana Supreme Court has interpreted this provision to mean that governing bodies may not ban the use of cameras and tape recorders at public meetings. Berry v. Peoples Broadcasting Corp., 547 N.E.2d 231, 234 (1989).

While the Open Door Law does not define "record," the trial court interpreted it to mean "the reasonable use of recorders, cameras and any other recognized means of recording."

Id. While a governing body may have rules in place regulating the use of cameras and recording devices, it may not ban the use of this equipment under the Open Door Law.

Based upon the information provided to me, it is my opinion that the Council did violate the Open Door Law when it voted to ban your use of a video recorder at its August 17, 2001 meeting.

From President Hession’s response to this formal complaint, however, it appears that the Council is now aware of the law governing the right of persons who attend their public meetings to record them.

Indiana Open Door Law Lake Station City Council recording public meetings Northwest Indiana

Frivolous Lawsuit Time -- State Senator Sues God

A Nebraska state senator files a lawsuit against God in an effort to protest frivolous lawsuits, wars and other bad things.

Is it a waste of the Nebraska court's time and energy?

Or, is it a novel way to protest frivolous lawsuits by filing a frivolous lawsuit?

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he's trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.

Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused "fearsome floods ... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes."

Ernie Chambers Nebraska frivolous lawsuits religion

Chicago Traffic Jams 3rd Worst In US

Anyone who spends time traveling around Northwest Indiana and nearby Chicago knows that Chicago area traffic is terrible. Lately the Borman Expressway ( I-80 & I-94 ) has been decent, but that can change at any time with an accident or construction on the Kingery Expressway (I-80 & I-94 ) or the Tri-State ( I-294 ).

Now comes new that no commuter, traveler, or motorist in Northwest Indiana or Chicago wants to hear.

Chicago is in the top three for worst traffic jams in the nation.

Chicago Traffic Jams

Illinois Senate Approves Chicago Casino Along With 2 Others.

The Illinois Senate approved three new casinos, including a Chicago casino that would compete with those in Northwest Indiana, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Despite passing the Illinois Senate 37-15, the casino expansion plan backed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has to survive the Illinois House which is controlled by speaker Michael Madigan who has been fighting with Blago all summer and who worked to defeat similar legislation this June.

"I don't know if this gets much farther," said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. "The darnedest thing . . . is it doesn't deal with the RTA/ CTA problem in any way."

It is time to start working on legislation that would allow land-based casinos in Lake County, Indiana to compete with any new establishments that will eventually open in Chicago.

Illinois Senate gaming Illinois House Gov. Rod Blagojevich House Speaker Michael Madigan Chicago

Will Lake Station Challenge The Indiana Open Door Law?

Will Lake Station's city council push forward to challenge Indiana's open door act by passing legislation that would infringe upon taxpayer's rights to record public meetings pursuant to the Indiana Code?

Reports the Northwest Indiana Times:

Lake Station City Attorney Raymond Szarmach said the issue the City Council is proposing is narrow and, if approved by Lake Station, could be the first challenge of its kind to the state's ruling.

"It's a very narrow issue whether or not a municipality can control videotaping by private citizens at a public meeting," he said.

The Indiana Code provides for liberal court interpretation of the Open Door Act, I.C. 5-14-1.5-1:

In enacting this chapter, the general assembly finds and declares that this state and its political subdivisions exist only to aid in the conduct of the business of the people of this state. It is the intent of this chapter that the official action of public agencies be conducted and taken openly, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, in order that the people may be fully informed. The purposes of this chapter are remedial, and its provisions are to be liberally construed with the view of carrying out its policy.

The Indiana Legislature intends to allow recording of public meetings, as provided for in Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-3(a):

Except as provided in section 6.1 of this chapter, all meetings of the governing bodies of public agencies must be open at all times for the purpose of permitting members of the public to observe and record them.

If Lake Station's leaders aren't comfortable conducting the public's business in accordance with the Indiana Open Door Law, the public should help them by voting the wilting flowers out of public office.

At the very least, Lake Station's voters will save themselves the huge legal fees that will be associated with challenging established state law by bringing a test case that will surely ignite a legal firestorm within the state and maybe attract nationwide attention.

Lake Station Indiana Open Door Law cameras in public meetings

Would A Topless Billboard Be Too Much In NW Indiana?

Residents of a trendy New York neighborhood are battling a topless billboard put up by a clothing company -- American Apparel -- on Houston Street. How would a provocative billboard play in Northwest Indiana? Would South Shore residents embrace such a billboard as a work of art, or as an obscenity?

CBS 2 News New York's Hazel Sanchez reports:

Hazel Sanchez provocative billboard Houston Street

Phuket Plane Crash Survivor Makes Video Of Wreck

Swedish citizen Christopher Marken captured the aftermath of the Thai One-Two-Go airplane crash on Phuket in Thailand on Sunday.

Valpo Bank Robbery Caught On Tape

Valparaiso, Indiana police are looking for a bank robbery suspect caught on video tape September 14 when the First National Bank was robbed.

Here is the raw video from the First National Bank in Valparaiso:



Here's a CBS 2 News Chicago report about the Valpo bank robbery:

Valparaiso Northwest Indiana Valparaiso Police First National Bank video

Open Flood Gate Caused I-80 I-94 Flood

Last month's Borman Expressway flooding was caused by an open flapgate that allowed water from the Little Calumet River to block a major national east-west highway -- I-80 & I-94, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

An open flapgate to the drainage system on the east side of Kennedy Avenue is believed to have contributed to last month's massive flooding on the Borman Expressway, officials said Monday.

The flapgate is designed to open and close automatically in response to the level of the Little Calumet River, according to representatives of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The flapgate didn't close as it should have to stop the flow of the rising river, they said. And a backup system north of the flapgate, known as a sluice gate, was not closed until Tuesday, five days after the Borman was closed to traffic.

Borman Expressway Flood I-80 I-94 Little Calumet River US Army Corps of Engineers

They Deserved The Money

That a great society program designed to help the poor instead ends up allegedly enriching its administrators and cronies without doing much to alleviate the social ills it was supposed to correct is almost so commonplace that it isn't really newsworthy in Northwest Indiana.

So it isn't any surprise to read in the Northwest Indiana Times that attorneys for officials on trial for a alleged misdeeds related to a GUEA -- the Gary Urban Enterprise Association -- building sale say this:

Three Gary men took $150,000 of the $200,000 sale price of a building they didn't own because they deserved the money, their defense lawyers argued in court Monday.

The men -- County Councilman Will Smith Jr., tax collector Roosevelt Powell, and attorney Willie Harris -- had to work together in 2001 to sell a vacant grocery store to the Gary Urban Enterprise Association, attorneys said during the first day of the first GUEA fraud case to go to trial.

GUEA Gary Urban Enterprise Association trial Northwest Indiana politics

Chicagoans Skip Indiana Vacations