SERIAL KILLER: 19 year Old Victim Identified

October 18, 2014-The office of Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey has released a report regarding Hammond’s homicide which is believed to be linked to the four bodies found overnight in Gary. Hammond Police were called called to the Motel 6, 3840 179th Street, at approximately 9:00 pm.

According to the report from the Coroner, investigators were called to the scene at 9:55 p.m. Upon arrival, investigators pronounced 19 year old Afrika Hardy dead at the scene. The time of death was 11:00 p.m. according to the report. The cause of death was strangulation. The case is being investigated as a homicide.

This is the latest in our continuing coverage of the Gary Serial Killer. Please Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for all the latest news.

2014 Garden Calendar for Northwest Indiana

PanoramaNOW Entertainment News

If you would like us to send you the 2014 PanoramaNOW’s Annual Garden Calendar, Please let us know at panoramanow@comcast.net
Like Us On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/panoramanow
APRIL 14th, Plant Swap- 10am, Deep River County Park Parking lot behind Visitor Center, 9410 Old Lincoln Hwy, Hobart, 769-PARK, http://www.lakecountyparks.com.
APRIL 15th, Talk- Garden tips, 7pm, regx336 Merrillville Library, 769-3541, http://www.lcplin.org.
APRIL 16th, Talk- Parisian Gardens, 7pm 1001 W Lincolnway, Schererville Library, 322-4731, http://www.lcplin.org.
APRIL 16th, Talk- Weed Wisdom-Methods of Organic Weed Control, noon, $5 Purdue Extension-La Porte County office, 2857 W State Rd 2, LaPorte, 324-9407.
APRIL 17th, Talk- ‘Landscaping with Native Plants for Four Seasons of Color’ 6:30pm, 2841 Jewett St, Highland Library, 838-2394, http://www.lcplin.org.
APRIL 19 th, Earth Day, 9-4pm, exhibitors, children’s activities, live stage shows, free bags, bingo, vendors, demonstrations, Porter County Expo Center, 215 E Division Rd, Valparaiso, South of Hwy 30 on Rt 49, 464-0133.
APRIL 26th, Birding…

View original post 1,229 more words

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.

 

 

‘Cop Killer’ Manhunt Goes Nationwide

The manhunt for a “cop killer” was expanded today to a nationwide dragnet to find the suspected bank robber who fatally shot a Mississippi police officer two days before Christmas, according to the FBI. Tupelo Police Department officer Gale Stauffer and another officer were hit by gunfire Monday when they confronted suspected bank robbers during their getaway in the city. As the officers approached suspects in a vehicle, which was stuck in traffic at a railroad crossing, at least one of the suspects opened fire at close range, according to an account posted online at the Officer Down Memorial Page. The suspects fled, leaving Stauffer fatally shot and another officer critically wounded Stauffer “has made the ultimate sacrifice for his community,” Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton said, urging the public to help “so that the criminal or criminals responsible for this horrendous act can be brought to justice.” After reviewing bank surveillance video from the robbery of a BancorpSouth bank in Tupelo, authorities are looking for a thin, possibly African-American man with light complexion, standing between 5-feet-9 and 6-feet tall, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. The suspect seen in the surveillance video was wearing khaki or cargo-style pants, white Converse tennis shoes, a long-sleeved jacket and a blue ski mask, the state public safety department said. A charcoal-colored, medium-sized sedan might have been used as a getaway car. As part of the investigation, authorities also released a photo (shown below) of a “person of interest” standing in what appears to be a convenience store minutes before the robbery at the bank. Police did not discuss any possible connection to the bank shooting.More than 100 agents, officers, deputies and marshals worked through Christmas to track down the suspects, an FBI official said. The FBI, BancorpSouth and others are offering more than $152,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Stauffer was a combat veteran of the Louisiana Army National Guard, and he had served with the Tupelo Police Department for eight years, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
He was married with two young children.

Merry Christmas . . .

The Northwest Indiana Gazette wishes each and every one of you a Merry Christmas. We pray that there is no news today that is important enough to warrant breaking this solemn occasion. We celebrate the birth of Christ in our homes and we welcome those who join us in doing so. We also welcome those who do not, and simply hope that today may be a day of peace and reflection on the message of redemption that Jesus Christ brought. So to the non-Christian we say Merry Christmas in the spirit of love, redemption and hope. Lets move on to 2014 in peace, having turned the mistakes of 2013 into lessons.

Indiana Conservation officer saves Christmas

Yesterday evening, shortly before 7:00 PM, EST, Josh Byrd, Pike County Highway Superintendent, was placing road barriers on flooded Pike County Road 900 East, when he heard calls for help coming from out in the flood waters. He then contacted Pike County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch. The call came at 6:52 PM. The Jefferson Township Fire Department, Pike County Deputies, and Indiana Conservation Officers responded to the scene.
Conservation Officers Jon Watkins and Shane Cooper had been responding to similar flood related calls throughout the afternoon and were equipped to address this type of emergency. Arriving at the scene, they were able to launch their patrol boat from the roadway and begin a search of the flooded corn field. Christmas was found around 9:30 PM, approximately 100 yards into the flood waters, clinging onto a bridge abutment. By the time of the rescue, he had been in the flood waters about three hours.
According to the victim, Christmas was on his way home from where he worked in Otwell and decided to attempt to ride his 4-wheeler through the flooded roadway. As the water became deeper near a bridge, he decided to turn around. His vehicle began to float and got caught in the current separating Christmas from his 4-wheeler. Christmas was carried some distance with the current until he was able to latch onto some vegetation and regain his footing. Due to the darkness he was unable to find high ground. Now barefoot, he returned to the bridge, the only high point he knew.
Michael D. Christmas, 30, of Velpen Indiana. was transported to Jasper Memorial by Pike County Ambulance where he was treated for hypothermia and released.

Stranded Bear helped by Conservation officers

Indiana Conservation Officers were kept busy over the weekend responding to a number of floodwater rescue calls. Even the unexpected – 500-pound black bear stranded in its cage in Shelby County. Late Sunday morning, Conservation Officers responded to a call asking them to check on the welfare of a black bear in the Fairland area that was left behind when its owner was forced to evacuate his home due to flooding in the area caused by heavy rains across central Indiana. Officers discovered the 500-pound black bear in about four feet of water but secured in its 10-foot by 12-foot enclosure. Due to safety concerns for the officers and the animal, it was determined that tranquilizing the animal was not a viable option.
However, officers were able to enter the enclosure and create an elevated platform for the bear to get above the water. While officers were on scene, it appeared the water level was receding.
State law allows a person to possess a black bear provided a permit is obtained from the Department of Natural Resources. The owner of this bear had the required permit and was following procedural requirements.

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.

 

 

 

Conservation Officer interrupts armed robbery

Indiana Conservation Officer Lieutenant, Dan Dulin was traveling in the area of 4th street and Dunlap Street in Kentland, IN at 3:40 this afternoon when he was flagged over by a male customer of Kentland liquor store. The customer informed Lt. Dulin that the liquor store attendant was being robbed by a man with a knife.
Lt. Dulin was joined on the scene by Brook Town Marshall, Chip Flahive. Both officers made entry into the establishment and arrested Aaron Templeton, 34, Monticello. Templeton was taken to the Newton County Jail and faces charges of Armed Robbery, Criminal Confinement and Resisting Law Enforcement.
Two knives were located on the scene. Templeton was wanted on four additional warrants through Tippecanoe County.

No injuries were sustained during the incident.

City of Gary Says Sheraton Project is Neighborhood Stabilization

by Ken Davidson

At last night’s meeting of the Gary Redevelopment Commission, the Board approved a contract for environmental monitoring of the Sheraton Hotel project. The contract was awarded to Shrewsberry and Associates, LLC of Indianapolis. Shrewsberry and Associates has strong ties to State democrats, including former Chairman of the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee William Crawford. Crawford came under fire for not disclosing his financial interests with the Firm when he was appointed to Ways and Means. Shrewsberry no longer lists its Board of Directors on its website or in public filings that are readily available.

The original Request for Proposals for the demolition called for the contractor to include asbestos remediation and monitoring within the proposal. This additional cost was calculated into the bids submitted by others who were not aware that the Board would later hire another firm and pay that firm separately.

All of this is not unusual for Gary. Although the above is questionable, at best, the Gazette receives reports of such irregularities on a semi-consistent basis. What makes this proposal astounding is how the City apparently plans to pay for the additional cost. The Gazette has learned that the City has included the Sheraton Property in the 2014 Neighborhood Stabilization Plan.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) was established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. Through the purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed, abandoned and short-sale homes, the program’s goals is being realized.

The grant information provided by the City appears to reference this purpose:

[NSP] appropriates $2,717,859 for the purpose of assisting in the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes.The grant program is commonly referred to as the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).

The Times of Northwest Indiana Legal Notice 12-19-2013

The Notice goes on, however, to list the “neighborhood surrounding the old Sheraton Hotel and its adjoining garage located at 465 Broadway” as an area of additional need. The Sheraton is not only a commercial property, it lies in the major commercial zone of the City. Sitting between City Hall and a Township owned office building, the structure is blocks from any residential structure. The neighborhoods that SHOULD receive relief under the program will not receive the funding intended for them. In fact, it seems likely that Gary will end up repaying another very large grant to the Federal Government.

With 10,000 abandoned homes, one would think that every cent of the NSP funds would go toward rehabilitation of residences.