Post-Tribune

LC police conduct annual memorial

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:53 -0500

The Lake County Police Department gathered Friday morning for its annual police meorial service. …

LC paving wish-list at $5 million

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:53 -0500

CROWN POINT — Lake County Highway Superintendent Mark Malczewski submitted a budget to the County Council of $5,000,466.13 for work to be done over the summer on 137.28 miles of county roads. Malczewski said he believes the department will get about 91 percent of that this year, or $4,550,424.18. That should leave him enough money to take care of just under 125 miles of roads in 2013. If a vote is delayed in authorizing these funds, the appropriatedmoney can be held over for next year. Some of the work that is necessary has to be done when the weather is …

Scheub quits 911 commission, LC Democratic governing board

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:54 -0500

CROWN POINT — Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub has had enough. With no support from his fellow Democrats on any of his projects, Scheub has resigned from the county’s 911 commission and from the Lake County Democratic Governing Board. All of this happened during the third week of May. First Scheub sent a letter of resignation to the 911 Commission on May 13. He left the 911 commission and at his request Commission president Roosevelt Allen, Jr. from Gary has filled that spot and attended the meeting on May 15. Scheub’s leaving was met with much unhappiness by many of …

Political activist addresses GOP women’s club

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:51 -0500

CROWN POINT — The Mid Lake Republican Women’s Club welcomed Monica Boyer to a recent meeting, attended by about 20 women and one man who came to listen to the woman who wrote “Not On My Watch,” a book on political activism. Boyer is a tea party activist who has asked her group in Kosciusko County to become active “Reagan Republicans.” Boyer is the founder of the Kosciusko Silent No More and is also co-founder of Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate. She told the group that she is the mother of 4 and had been running a day care in …

Local county officials upset about income tax

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:52 -0500

CROWN POINT — South Lake County Republicans and Democrats were working together to prevent a Lake County income tax, but the tax is now law. The question going back and forth from the county to the state is how much of your 2013 income will be in that tax figure. At the Lake County Council meeting on May 6, Councilman Eldon Strong, R-7th, was joined in voting no by fellow Republican Dan Dernulc from the 4th district and Christine Cid, a Democrat from the 5th district. On May 10, the Lake County Commissioners held a special meeting to vote on …

Car bursts into flames in Cedar Lake

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:51 -0500

CEDAR LAKE — On a quiet and beautiful Wednesday afternoon Brian Kubal looked out the doors of his Holiday Liquor store to see a car go up in flames. This was between 2 and 2:30 p.m. May 8. Kubal said, “It started out small and kept getting bigger and bigger.” Firefighers put it out quickly after their arrival. Kubal said, “I think they (the firemen) hit it with something different. It looked like a chemical spray. Then when it was out they hit it with water, it looked like to cool it off.” The car was a Ford Taurus, according …

Going back to back, CP teen tackles geography, spelling bees

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:52 -0500

CROWN POINT — For Sean Ives, a gift from his grandparents an ocean away ignited a passion that still guides his compass. Ives, 13, received a globe from his grandparents when he was a first-grader studying in Kosice, Slovakia, where father Rob Ives worked as a manager at a U.S. Steel plant. Born in Valparaiso when his father worked at U.S. Steel’s Gary mill, Sean Ives is used to moving around. His family left Porter County when he was 4 for Slovakia, then moved to Belgrade, Serbia. From there, dad’s job took them to Philadelphia, Pa., and then Plymouth, Mich. …

Big birds love the mills

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:52 -0500

While the city of Crown Point doesn’t have any buildings tall enough to attract the magnificent peregrine falcon, residents go to work every day where the birds like to nest. The top nesting sites in Northwest Indiana are ArcelorMittal Steel in Indiana Harbor East, ArcelorMittal Steel-Indiana Harbor West, both in East Chicago; and the Burns Harbor plant in Porter. The falcons also like the U.S. Steel coke plant and the Carmeuse lime plant in Gary. The height of the NIPSCO facility in Michigan City and the Bailly Plant in Porter give great nesting sites, as does the BP refinery in …

Boys golf: Crown Point improving by playing outside region

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:52 -0500

First year golf coach Jonathan Haas has taken the unconventional route toward trying to make his talented Crown Point team tournament tough. Haas has eschewed several of the local tournaments — at least with his varsity players — for some non-traditional tournaments, like the Ulen Invitational, a tournament in Lebanon, and the Lafayette Harrison Invitational, which was the same day as the Rensselaer Invitational. Haas sent a junior varsity team to the Kankakee Valley Invitational on the day of the Ulen. It’s an interesting strategy for the Bulldogs, who like every team in Northwest Indiana, are faced with a new …

Boys track: Crown Point tops DAC rival Merrillville for sectional title

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:51 -0500

CROWN POINT — Tom Cierniak knew he had the opportunity to boost Crown Point’s shot at a sectional title with a win in the 3,200-meter run. That served as incentive as Cierniak nipped Lowell’s Kyle Eller in the thrilling race. Cierniak finished first with a time of 9 minutes, 32.18 seconds. Eller was second with a time of 9:32.19. “I was just looking to run fast. I know Eller is a great competitor. Knowing that we had a chance to win this as a team was just more motivation to push harder and keep doing our best,” Cierniak said. Cierniak …

Girls tennis: Lowell, Lake Central advance at CP Sectional

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:52 -0500

CROWN POINT — Who says kids don’t listen? Lowell No. 1 tennis player Kristina Stefoski admits that she has been struggling this season, but listening to a little advice from her coach has apparently turned things around, at least Wednesday during the Crown Point Sectional. “I’ve been having a rough season, but I took his advice more than usual to play smarter and harder for me and my team,” Stefoski said. Stefoski and Lowell graded out perfectly Wednesday in their 5-0 win over Rensselaer to punch their ticket to the sectional semifinals Thursday, when the Red Devils will face Kankakee …

Commentary: Andrew Steele: Political corruption, the show that never ends

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:54 -0500

Some reactions to the indictment last week of George Van Til, long-time Lake County surveyor and Democratic Party activist: If the allegations are true, why did he do it? He’s alleged, essentially, to have used office staff and equipment for campaign operations. But surely he could’ve found other ways to get that work done, to the exent it needed to be done at all. (It’s always seemed to me that local candidates vastly overrate the importance and quality of their campaigning activities, especially the ones that cost money.) In short: He would’ve won without doing what he’s alleged to have …

Almanac: This week in south Lake County history

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:51 -0500

100 Years Ago May 23, 1913 F. O. Coleman has added to his strawberry patch this spring, and now has a good share of the ten acres north of the cemetery set out to vines, a third of them being in their prime this season. Our officers succeeded in capturing one load of joy riders, last Sunday, consisting of three men, from Chicago, who put up a $25 cash bond to appear here on Friday of this week. They were charged with going 35 miles an hour on West Joliet street, and they claimed their speedometer only registered nine miles. …

Kitty Conley’s Scratching Post

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:54 -0500

Happy Birthday May 24: Stephen Martin, photographer extraordinaire Happy Anniversary May 19: Mike and Val Aloia — sorry I am late, my birdie fell out of the tree again. 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the t-shirt. The U.S. Navy clams that it issued crew-necked short-sleeved white cotton undershirts to be worn under overalls to sailors. Sailors liked them because they were more comfortable than wool long-johns. I guess that is where it also got the term crew neck. And it had no buttons, the crew could just pull it over their heads. May 23: The day starts out at …

Pets in need of a home

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:51 -0500

These six pets are available for adoption at local animal shelters. …

Strack & Van Til open for business in Cedar Lake

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:54 -0500

Strack & Van Til marked the opening of its new grocery in Cedar Lake on Thursday, a community that has been without a grocery store about three years. Built using LEED environmental standards, the building is expected to be the only LEED-certified grocery story in the state. …