Post-Tribune

NIPSCO trimming, replacing trees to prevent serious storm outages

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:01:03 -0500

Severe storms can wreak havoc when they touch down, as was the case Monday in Moore, Okla., where an E-5 tornado destroyed much of the town and left dozens dead or injured in its wake. While the likelihood of a similarly devastating weather event here is minimal, storms of any size can be a danger and disrupt the lives of those affected, especially if there is a power outage. Steps are continually being taken by Merrillville-based power provider Northern Indiana Public Service Co. to minimize potential weather-related power outages and keep residents safe from the dangers of downed power lines. …

Former EC library director accused of tax fraud working on plea deal

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:56:09 -0500

Former East Chicago Public Library Director Manuel “Manny” Montalvo is working with federal attorneys on a deal to plead guilty in his income tax fraud case, according to a motion filed Wednesday. Montalvo, 38, was charged last fall with two counts of lying on his federal income tax return. A federal indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Hammond claimed that Montalvo padded his unreimbursed business and medical costs on his 2009 and 2010 tax returns by $80,577. This is Montalvo’s second round of legal trouble in recent years. He was convicted in 2010 of battery against two South …

Latin King gets 25 years for role in double homicide

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:07:51 -0500

A Latin Kings street gang member will serve 25 years in prison in connection with his part in the double homicide outside a Griffith restaurant in February 2007. The sentence is five years less than Jason Ortiz’s co-defendant Martin Anaya received earlier Thursday at his sentencing hearing at the U.S. District Court in Hammond. Both men were sentenced in connection to the racketeering conspiracy of the Latin Kings, which included more than a dozen murders and dealing hundreds of pounds of cocaine and marijuana. Ortiz, 30, of Chicago, pleaded guilty a year ago to the conspiracy and admitted that he …

GPTC sees increased ridership by 13%

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:56:09 -0500

GARY — Ridership for Gary Public Transportation Corp. increased in April 2013 by 13 percent over the same month last year. The corporation believes the increase is from more people realizing more services are available from the bus service. David Wright, spokesman for GPTC, said the ridership increase is simply from more services a day, as well as more riders per day. There hasn’t been a huge difference to the operation to cause the increase. “It’s really comparing apples to apples,” Wright said. During January 2012, the GPTC received grants to expand services on Broadway, creating routes to Griffith and …

Crown Point woman had sex with teen, must register as sex offender

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:56:04 -0500

Lake Superior Court Judge Salvador Vasquez sentenced a Crown Point woman to four years on probation for a sex crime involving a 16-year-old relative. Teresa Lyn Peron, 30, of 1000 W. South St., admitted she had sex with the teen between April 2011 and June 2011 at her residence. The boy’s mother said the crime has torn apart the family. The plea agreement originally called for two years on probation, but the judge said he would reject the agreement without a four-year probationary sentence. After giving defense attorney Edward Wartman time to confer with Peron, the sentencing went forward with …

Hammond business loses property tax appeal

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:56:09 -0500

CROWN POINT — Morrison Construction will not get an additional 35 percent reduction in the assessed property value of its Hammond headquarters. Tuesday the Lake County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals ruled against granting the 35 percent reduction requested by property tax consultant Don Feicht with Uzelac & Associates of Valparaiso. Feicht is representing Morrison Construction in the matter. The appeal was for the seven Summer Street parcels, each home to a different building, that make up the Hammond headquarters of the company. The buildings were acquired by Morrison over the years as the company expanded. Feicht argued that …