Columbia Avenue Closed for Over an Hour Due To Hit and Run

by Ken Davidson

The 7000 block of Columbia Avenue was closed at approximately 7:30 pm tonight due to a hit and run accident.  A red mini-van reportedly struck a passenger car and left the scene.  Officers looked for the van for approximately 30 minutes before locating it at 176th Street and Howard Avenue.  The driver of the van had fled the vehicle.  A citizen reported seeing a white male fleeing on 176th place and officers then began the search for that individual.    A suspect was ultimately located and arrested.  The driver of the vehicle that was hit was injured but refused medical treatment.  The scene was ultimately cleared at approximately 8:30 p.m.

 

 

Gazette Receives Permission To Use Fedex Crash Pictures

by Ken Davidson

After what turned out to be an embarrassing error in judgment, the Gazette has received permission to publish photos of the truck that crashed into a Hessville home on December 13. The homeowners report that the crash occurred after a delivery was made at a school across the street. The driver stated that the gas pedal stuck and he lost control of the vehicle. A 12 year old resident of the home was on the couch in the living room of the home which was struck by the truck. She was injured and received treatment for a concussion. The driver of the truck had to be cut from the vehicle.

There is a soccer field at the school and the family questions why the driver could not veer in that direction, avoiding risk. The home is a total loss.

Female Robbed at Gunpoint Outside Village Discount in Hessville

by Ken Davidson

The Gazette has confirmed that a female was robbed at gunpoint outside the Village Discount Store in Hessville on December 26. A necklace and cash was taken in the robbery. The suspect was described as a black male wearing a hoodie. A handgun was used in the incident and the suspect fled on foot.

The Gazette received this report in conjunction with today’s very similar robbery at the same location. It was reported by Hammond Police on crimereports.com today:

Robbery 12/26/2013 07:20 PM 2700 Block 165TH ST 201300085645 Robbery

Hammond Police Department

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Victim Hit in Head with Gun, Robbed at Village Discount in Hessville

by Ken Davidson

A loyal Gazette reader reported a robbery at Village Discount Outlet on 165th Street in Hessville about 5:30 p.m. today. The Gazette has confirmed that a man was robbed at gunpoint and struck in the head during the robbery. A woman was heard screaming for help as police and an ambulance rushed to the scene. Witnesses said the suspect was wearing a hoodie and black ski mask and fled eastbound on foot. This is the second robbery in the area in as many days. Yesterday there was a robbery at 2732 165th Street, directly across the street.

Illinois Says to Indiana: Keep Your Petcoke and Take Ours Too

by Ken Davidson

Hammond corporation George J. Beemsterboer, Inc. is known to many Indiana residents as the operator of the J-Pit in Gary and a contractor at local steel mills and refineries.   As operator of the J-Pit, Beemsterboer has long been known for bringing  waste into the state of Indiana.  Now Beemsterboer is under fire for allegedly moving Petcoke out of Indiana and into Illinois.

Beemsterboer recently entered into an Agreed Interim Order with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.  According to a release issued by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the Order was designed to thwart a serious public health issue:

“The actions we are taking today mark a critical step forward in putting a stop to the
serious public health threat facing the residents that live near these facilities, but we will
continue to push for the strongest possible protections to ensure these conditions can
never happen again here in Chicago and across the state,”

Earlier in the month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel requested that citizens experiencing any problems with petcoke call the City’s 311 number.  Citizens reportedly complained of dust so thick they could not open their windows last summer.

The petcoke which was stored in Illinois by Beemsterboer came from a local refinery.  There are several refineries in the area which produce petcoke including BP in Whiting.  There are also refineries in Joliet and Lemont IL.  The most likely scenario now will be that petcoke from all of these refineries will be stored and shipped somewhere in Indiana or Wisconsin.

Petcoke is a byproduct of petroleum production.  The material is similar to coal in appearance.  The substance has been a byproduct of refining since the 1930’s.  It has become a national issue lately for several reasons.  The sheer quantity of petcoke has grown as local refineries have expanded.  The market for petcoke now lies outside the US, so it is primarily shipped overseas.  China is the main purchaser of petcoke products as many countries no longer allow the burning of petcoke as fuel.   Because shipping is the primary source of transporting the product, petcoke must be stored near water-in this case Lake Michigan or a local tributary.  Conveniently, Beemsterboer announced the purchase of the vacant State Line Energy plant after the Illinois Attorney General filed suit against them seeking to have the product removed from Illinois.  It has been reported that Beemsterboer will develop the State Line Energy site into condominiums.

One thing is clear, Beemsterboer is not storing petcoke in Chicago anymore.  So far officials have been mum as to future plans for storage of the material.

Petcoke is loaded onto a barge for shipment overseas

Petcoke Mountain on Chicago’s southeast side.

 

 

 

Luis Smolen, A Family Member of Victim Appear in Court

by Ken Davidson

Hessville native Luis Smolen was formally charged with the murder of his 6 week old daughter last week. Smolen made a brief appearance in Court on December 16, waiving his right to an arraignment within 14 days. Smolen will remain in custody in Wayne County Michigan at least until his next hearing date which is January 13, 2014. An unknown family member of the victim appeared in court also and acknowledged that she had been contacted by the office of the prosecuting attorney.

Gibson Woods Sees Maintenance to Eliminate Invasive Plants

by Ken Davidson

Few people realize the value of Gibson Woods in Hessville.  The 131 acre property which sits amid railroad and oil properties on Hessville’s northwest corner is as close as any of us will get to viewing the region as it was before development.  The area has remained largely untouched for 4,000 years and is the among the largest tracts of untouched land remaining.  Gibson Woods is perhaps best known worldwide for its diverse variety of plants including some that are endangered.  The park features 3 hiking trails which are popular with bird and plant enthusiasts.

Preservation of the diverse plant life is now cause for modern machinery to visit the premises.  Large scale equipment for the removal of trees can be seen from the park entrance.  Numerous trucks are on hand as well.  This is all due to a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to eliminate invasive species and foster the growth of natural habitat.

a trail at Gibson Woods in Hammond, IN traverses a natural swale.

Construction crews remove invasive trees from Gibson Woods.

gibson woods

 

The US Environment Protection Agency features a picture of a yellow moccasin plant from Hammond’s Gibson Woods on its website.

 

Hammond Firefighters Still Battling Blaze-nearly 12 Hours Later

by Ken Davidson

Hammond Firefighters continue to battle scattered fires at Midwest Steel Fabricators, 1745 165th Street, this morning.  At approximately 8:30 last night, crews were called to the scene for an industrial fire.  Flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the building which is located just behind Jupiter Aluminum.   This morning there was only one fire crew on scene, however, at approximately 7:30 am a truck was called back to the scene to continue the battle.

Only a portion of the building was damaged and no injuries were reported.  This fire comes on the 22nd anniversary of the last line of duty firefighter death in Hammond.  On December 16, 1991, Hammond firefighters were called to the George C. Meyer Warehouse at 518 Hoffman Street.  Firefighter Fred Biedron, Jr. perished in the fire.  He was missing inside the wreckage of the building and his family waited as bulldozers plowed through the wreckage looking for him.  This has to weigh on the minds of firefighters as they work to battle this blaze tonight.

Photos of the scene at Midwest Steel Fabricators this morning:

BREAKING: Fire at Midwest Steel

by Ken Davidson

All Hammond Fire Department personnel are currently deployed at a fire at Midwest Steel located on 165th Street just west of Indianapolis Boulevard.  The fire still rages as this is being written.  We will keep you posted as to any developments.  So far, no injuries have been reported and we pray that remains the case.  East Chicago Fire Department will be covering any other calls in Hammond.  EC FD will be escorted by Hammond PD.

This fire comes on the 22nd anniversary of the last line of duty firefighter death in Hammond.  On December 16, 1991, Hammond firefighters were called to the George C. Meyer Warehouse at 518 Hoffman Street.  Firefighter Fred Biedron, Jr. perished in the fire.  He was missing inside the wreckage of the building and his family waited as bulldozers plowed through the wreckage looking for him.  This has to weigh on the minds of firefighters as they work to battle this blaze tonight.

Click images for full size:

 

fire at midwest steel in Hammond IN

Family Asks for Indiana Residents to Share Flyer

The family of Dr. Teleka Patrick is asking anyone along the 80/94 corridor to share the attached flyer in their neighborhoods. Dr. Patrick went missing on December 5, 2013 and her 1997 Lexus ES300 was found on that date in Portage, IN just east of the Porter/Burns Harbor exit. Anyone who saw the vehicle on that date should contact Indiana State Police immediately.  You can view our coverage of the incident here: Teleka Patrick Still Missing, Vigil Planned for Tonight

If you have a local business, please post this flyer in your window.

Teleka Missing Poster (1) (1)