Post-Tribune

Local students bring home national science awards

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:55:29 -0500

DAYTON, Ohio — Northwest Indiana students from Munster High School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso took home a number of awards this year at the 29th Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament. Munster took home three awards with a fourth place in the Elastic Launch Glider, and sixth place in both the Write It/Do It and Dynamic Planet competitions. Thomas Jefferson received four awards, including a second place in the Boomilever event, third place in the Mission Possible competition, fifth place in the Reach for the Stars event, and fourth place in the Mousetrap vehicle race. The Science Olympiad …

278 collect degrees in Calumet College commencement

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:56:42 -0500

HAMMOND — The long popularity of the board game Life may be directly connected to its relatability to its players, Calumet College of St. Joseph’s valedictorian Megan Manley posited during the school’s 51st annual commencement Saturday afternoon. The game has seen changes since it came out 50 years ago, the paralegal studies/business management major said; a doctor’s salary in 1977, for example, was a mere $25,000. But the premise remains the same: Either players can choose to have a career or they can go to college. Those who chose careers, Manley said, didn’t have crushing debt right away, but their …

Summit seeks to use nature as salve for violence

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:15:48 -0500

GARY — With a purpose to prevent criminal activities before they start, Gary resident Cassandra Cannon and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Ranger Kip Walton are collaborating on a family summit during the center’s Family Day events. Cannon, active in anti-violence activities in Gary and Chicago, said this summit is an alternative to the all-too-familiar candlelight vigils, marches and rallies that happen after the crime’s been committed. “We are taking action that will intervene with possible criminal acts or even thoughts of doing them by bringing positive messages and activities to the community. One way to do that is to make …

Law and Order Gary: Man charged with assaulting couple

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:04:47 -0500

GARY Man charged with assaulting couple Police arrested a Gary man charged with assaulting his ex-wife and her friend as they walked on Broadway Monday. Kitchard W. Mitchell, 49, is charged with two counts of criminal confinement, felony battery and misdemeanor battery. His ex-wife told Detective Roberto Figueroa she and her friend were walking near 11th Avenue and Broadway when Mitchell approached them from behind and started hitting her. When her friend tried to intervene, Mitchell punched her in the face. The ex-wife’s 53-year-old friend told Detective Pete Baum she suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken nose. The ex also …

State attorney general says new laws will protect the public

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:01:55 -0500

MERRILLVILLE — Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller held a press conference Friday at the Merrillville Town Hall to discuss new laws his office worked on to help offer more protection to the general public and consumers. “We had 18 bills this legislative session,” Zoeller said. “Fifteen of those were passed this year. That’s the largest number we’ve ever had that supports the role of the attorney general.” Bills that the attorney general backed this year included new protections for consumers from false claims of prepaid funeral plans being covered by Medicaid, tighter regulations on pain management clinics that dispense controlled …

9 complete 39th commencement at Gary Drug Court

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:01:17 -0500

GARY — Amid the prayers and song, inspirational speeches and grateful acknowledgements, Gary City Drug Court graduate Cynthia M.’s simple gesture summed it up best. As she left the podium, Cynthia raised her certificate in celebration and delivered a smile that prompted applause from the packed courtroom Friday afternoon. She was one of nine graduates at the 39th commencement of the drug court program, successfully completing a year of meetings, drug tests, community service and other requirements. Cynthia said she entered the program for her “two babies,” sons 12 and 3 years old. “Sometimes I wonder if I could do …

Chicago man gets 4 years on drug charge

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:33:44 -0500

A former East Chicago man was sentenced to four years in Lake County Community Corrections for possession of a controlled substance. Charles Anthony Williams Jr., 32, of Chicago, admitted he sold 0.2 grams of crack cocaine to a confidential informant working with East Chicago police on Dec. 29, 2011 in the 4800 block of Magoun Avenue in East Chicago. The drug deal occurred within 1,000 feet of Veterans Memorial Park. Williams had faced six to 20 years on two of the original charges of dealing in cocaine or a narcotic drug, which were dismissed along with a charge of maintaining …

Grandmother arrested after arriving at school drunk

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:55:29 -0500

A Hammond woman has been charged in Lake Superior Court with neglect of a dependent after police determined her blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit when she arrived to pick up her granddaughter after school. Diane Tarver, 58, of the 3600 block of Sheffield Avenue, admitted to police that she and her sister had some drinks around noon on May 1 before she went to pick up her granddaughter at Lincoln Elementary School, 4221 Towle Ave., Hammond. Tarver told police her 18-month-old grandson freed himself from his car seat and the car after she parked …

LC police conduct annual memorial

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:29:07 -0500

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

Lake Surveyor Van Til, Crown Point businessman indicted

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:00:31 -0500

Lake County Surveyor George Van Til’s efforts to run his political campaign on the public dime went so far that he hired an employee in his office to do nothing but work on his re-election and personal errands, U.S. Attorney David Capp charged Friday afternoon. Van Til, 65, of Merrillville, faces six counts of wire fraud and two counts of obstruction of justice in an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Hammond. The case was one of three related to public dollars that Capp announced Friday. Scott King, attorney for Van Til, defended his client, who he noted …

State Supreme Court stops Schiralli transfer to juvenile division court

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:01:27 -0500

The Indiana Supreme Court has barred the transfer of Lake Superior Court Judge Nicholas Schiralli from the county division to the juvenile division. The court in a Friday ruling determined that state law prevents Lake County judges from transferring Schiralli, but that he is not precluded from applying to be appointed by the governor under the merit-selection process. The ruling also doesn’t prevent other current merit-selected judges from being transferred or reassigned to the juvenile division under a “transfer rule” in effect for more than a decade. Former Lake Superior Court-Juvenile Division Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura resigned the post to …

Couple accused of taking computers from Walmart

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:14:00 -0500

HOBART — A Merrillville couple seen leaving Walmart with two computers have been charged with felony theft. Arrest warrants are issued for LaRonn Carey, 25, and Courtney Deming, 22, both of 5452 Maryland St., court records show. A shopper at Walmart told police she was leaving the store on April 13 and noticed a woman pushing a cart loaded with two computers. The security alarm sounded as the woman walked out at a quicker pace, headed for a car parked nearby. The witness saw a man in the car before they both left the area. Detective Steve Houck spoke to …

Police raid home in Gary

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:15:19 -0500

GARY — The Gary SWAT team and Narcotics-Drug Unit raided Latez Stemley’s home at 300 Johnson St. on Wednesday night. Stemley, who is on probation for a prior drug-related arrest, is being held pending new charges, police said. Police arranged for controlled buys of crack cocaine from Stemley before obtaining a search warrant. During the raid, police found about $440, a digital scale and marijuana. Stemley was charged with maintaining a common nuisance, a felony, in July and pleaded guilty March 11, court records show. He is serving a one-year probation on a reduced misdemeanor charge. …

Strack & Van Til open for business in Cedar Lake

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:04:01 -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. …

Former Gary school official ordered to repay schools after audit

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:09:34 -0500

A state audit has ordered a former extracurricular treasurer at Roosevelt and Lew Wallace high schools in Gary to repay nearly $6,000 in funds that were never deposited between 2010 and 2013. Darrellyn Wilson was extracurricular treasurer at Roosevelt between July 2010 and June 2012, then she served in the same capacity at Lew Wallace from July 2012 until January of this year. The amount Wilson deposited at the bank did not line up with the deposit ticket. During her time at Roosevelt about $5,018 in collections weren’t deposited, while the discrepancy was $68 in the case of Lew Wallace. …