Post-Tribune

Local students bring home national science awards

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:02:10 -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 …

Lieutenant governor visits Porter County

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:05:17 -0500

VALPARAISO — Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann visited Porter County on Friday to meet with local businesses and elected officials to hear their concerns. The visit was part of Ellspermann’s “Listen and Learn Tour,” aiming to become familiar with issues in each of Indiana’s 92 counties. The lieutenant governor first met with local officials in Valparaiso to hear their concerns. She said the main concern she’ll take back to Indianapolis is working with the Department of Local Government Finance. After the elected officials, “we met with businesses and agricultural leaders. There are some concerns with infrastructure, ranging from the grid to …

Boone Township has till Tuesday to collect signatures

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:02:05 -0500

VALPARAISO — Vote counts for the special elections held May 7 were certified Friday during a meeting of the Porter County Election Board. With only four votes keeping the Metropolitan School District of Boone Township from about $530,000 for the general fund, the school board has until Tuesday, May 21, to collect enough signatures for a recount. Superintendent George Letz attended the meeting, asking for clarification on what the schoolboard would need to do for a recount. To qualify for a recount, the petition would need 109 signatures, 10 percent of the total number of people who voted in the …

Wanatah woman pleads guilty to molesting 3-year-old

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:42:32 -0500

VALPARAISO — The Wanatah woman who photographed herself molesting a 3-year-old for her boyfriend pleaded guilty Friday to two of the 13 felony charges against her. Tara Tryon, 23, will serve 10 years for Class B felony child molesting and eight years for Class C felony child exploitation if Porter Superior Judge William Alexa accepts her plea at a July 12 sentencing hearing. “We thought the evidence was pretty strong, and she decided to accept the plea,” defense attorney Bob Harper said. Tryon will serve the sentences at the same time, but neither sentence includes probation time. As part of …

Porter Township schools to see less state funding

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:38:00 -0500

PORTER TOWNSHIP — With the state setting a foundation amount for average daily membership — the financing it gives to schools per student at an equal amount in 2014 and 2015, the Porter Township School Corp. will likely get less money. Superintendent Stacey Schmidt told the School Board on Thursday that in August 2012, the school got about $5,051 per student and in December 2011 got about $5,086 per student. The estimated 2013 amount is lower, at $5,045, but under the state’s transition to a foundation amount across the board for all schools, that will decrease. She showed an estimated …

Porter County courts: Valparaiso man accused of raping girlfriend’s underage sister

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:06:08 -0500

VALPARAISO Valparaiso man accused of rape A Valparaiso man has been charged with three felonies for allegedly giving his girlfriend’s underage sister a drink, possibly laced with Rohypnol, and forcing sex with her while she was passed out. Matthew G. Moore, 31, faces up to 20 years in prison on each of two Class B felony charges, rape and sexual misconduct with a minor. Moore also faces up to three years in prison on Class D felony sexual battery. Moore allegedly gave the girl alcohol while her sister left the room on Thanksgiving, and she felt ill and went to …

Bison ranchers part of growing number across the U.S.

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:01:42 -0500

UNION TOWNSHIP — Bud and Ruth Koeppen and Bud’s brother, Wally, sort of fell into raising bison. Bud and Ruth kept in contact with their wedding photographer over the years, who ended up settling in a log cabin in Rockville and raising bison. The Koeppens were intrigued and caught up with their acquaintance. They joined the National Bison Association — Wally jokes they’re in the NBA and they are, just not the one for basketball teams — put up a fence on the farm that’s been in their family for three generations, and started going to conferences. “Everything progressed from …

Valparaiso woman ordered to pay $1.1 million for bilking client

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:03:15 -0500

A former Schererville financial adviser must pay back $1.1 million and spend a year in home detention as punishment for stealing money from her client’s life savings. Jennifer Guelinas, 45, of Valpraiso, apologized to her victim, a 79-year-old man, during the sentencing hearing Thursday morning at U.S. District Court in Hammond, telling him she really did enjoy the time she spent with him. “I never meant to hurt (him),” she said, struggling with tears as she spoke. “I understand what I did was wrong; I don’t want to be a bad person.” Guelinas, who worked for Ameriprise Financial Services, pleaded …

Law and Order Porter County

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

PORTER COUNTY Wife between son, husband pushed Michael Cloud, 48, was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery for admittedly grabbing his 45-year-old wife by the arms and pushing her out of the way, when she stepped between him and her 20-year-old son as they argued. The woman had visible injuries from the incident, at about 8:25 p.m. Wednesday at their home in the Pleasant Valley Mobile Home Park. Cloud, who already was on probation for drunken driving and had been drinking throughout the day, police said, also is charged with misdemeanor invasion of privacy since his stepson had a protective order …

Fired Valpo National Guardsman threatens to kill man, blow up his house

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:01:50 -0500

VALPARAISO — A National Guardsman, when fired Wednesday from the armory in Valparaiso, is accused of threatening to kill a man and blow up his house. Another man present during the firing, at about 3:45 p.m. in an office at the National Guard Armory, at 1502 Linwood Ave., told police he held Staff Sgt. Paul Young back twice to prevent him from attacking the 30-year-old Portage man. Both said Young, 26, of LaPorte, was trying to get him to fight outside. Told to calm down, Young reportedly threatened, “I’m going to kill you and blow your house up.” The man …

The buzz about bees is anything but sweet

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:25:17 -0500

Honeybees are critical to food crops, yet area beekeepers are reporting some losses again this year. Holly Klisiak, a director with the Indiana Beekeepers Association and a member of the Northwest Indiana Beekeepers Association, said a survey of beekeepers showed a 10 percent drop in the number of bees since last year. “Some people had no bees in their bee yards at all. I had one hive that opened this spring and it was completely empty — no bees at all,” said Klisiak, who lives in Lowell and keeps bees there and in Crown Point. She lost two of her …

Porter County Law and Order: Burglar in home when victim arrives

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:03:20 -0500

PORTER COUNTY Burglar in home when victim arrives The 51-year-old victim of a home burglary believes the culprit was still there when she returned home, police said. Sometime after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, an unknown person pried open the side garage door to enter a home in the 300 block of West County Road 600S, south of Boone Grove. The resident told police she returned at about 4:30 p.m. and, while she was in the bedroom, someone opened the basement door and fled. A neighbor told police he saw a man and woman in a older red Dodge Durango in the …

Effort would help region’s planners keep in touch with public

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:01:57 -0500

PORTAGE — Transportation planners with the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission want to do more to reach out to the public . The revised outreach plan being considered by the Transportation Policy Committee would use sites like Twitter and Facebook to provide information to the public and alert them of upcoming meetings. Steve Strains, NIRPC’s deputy director, said the new plan also considers finding locations for meetings away from NIRPC offices that can provide easier access for the disabled. While the commission considers new locations after the lease to their office in Portage expires, Strains said the plan will also …

Valpo man builds solar system for home

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:01:35 -0500

VALPARAISO — With costs dropping on solar power cells, Rich Herr, a retired electrical engineer from Valparaiso, decided to build his own solar power system in his back yard. Working with a few friends, Herr, 74, built the frame and installed the cells, bringing the system on the grid in January. He estimates that the project cost about $13,000, not including the work he and his friends put into it. “It helps to have friends,” he said. Herr also sits on the board of an alternative energy company, Earth Solar Technologies in Indianapolis. With 20 solar panels, Herr averages about …

Valpo City Council hears discussion on bullying

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:08:00 -0500

VALPARAISO — Bullying — or preventing it — took center stage at Monday’s Valparaiso City Council meeting, as representatives from the U.S. Army and a seventh grader talked about their efforts to stop bullying. Sgt. Joseph McClelland and Sgt. Ryan Shockey, representatives of the local Army recruiting office, offer a prevention program at local high schools. They present a video and have students write letters to a bully, to someone they bullied and to someone else they saw being pushed around. They shared some of those letters, including one from a student who was bullied daily and attempted suicide. “Bullying …