Jury selection began Monday in the Dustin McCowan murder trial. The Wheeler area man was charged with murder in the September 2011 death of one-time girlfriend 19-year-old Amanda Bach of Portage. Reports say a defense attorney tried to move the trial out of Porter County or have jurors chosen from another county, because of an article with pre-trial coverage in Sunday's Times, but the judge denied both requests Monday.
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Read more: Jury Selection Begins in McCowan Trial

The second of two public forums scheduled in Munster this week is tonight, at the high school auditoirum, to discuss the possibility of raising taxes to help fund schools. The school board is expected to vote on the issue at their meeting next week, and it could go before voters this May. Recently, Boone Township, the school board in Hebron approved a referendum that'll be on the ballot this May. And in the past couple years, voters in three other Region school districts – Lake Central, Crown P...

Read more: Munster Schools Hosting 2nd Forum Tonight

The Crown Point City Council approved an ordinance establishing an annual registration and inspection program for rental housing units located within the city. Mayor David Uran (you-ran) says this ordinance changes the name from “officer” to “inspector”, who will establish what is a residential or rental property within the city. Mayor Uran says the inspector position, which is currently looking to be filled though internal postings, will be paid through a combination of established rental fees,...

Read more: Crown Point to Establish Rental Compliance Inspector

Three people are dead after a vehicle was discovered this morning submerged in Cedar Creek, in unincorporated Lowell. The Lake County Sheriff's Office reports they responded to a personal injury crash just after 7am today, in the 75-hundred block of Belshaw Road, and found a vehicle resting on its roof in Cedar Creek. Authorities say 21 year old Raymond Rodriguez and 20 year old Sarah Spencer, both Lake Village, were found deceased in the vehicle, and that a second passenger, 40 year old Dustin...

Read more: Third Victim Identified in Cedar Creek Crash

A Lake County bar was cited with three violations of the state Alcoholic Beverage Code Sunday relating to illegal gambling on the Super Bowl. The Times reports Indiana Excise Police were called to the Spike's lakeside Inn, in Schererville, on an anonymous tip, and as many as 400 people were allegedly involved at the bar. Published reports say a representative of Spike's turned in more than 200-thousand dollars to excise police today and an investigation into the incident continues.
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Read more: Lake Co Bar Faces Charges Relating to Illegal Gambling

The bodies of two Lake Village residents, a 21 year old man and a 20 year old woman, were recovered from their vehicle this morning, which was discovered submerged in Cedar Creek, in unincorporated Lowell. The Lake County Sheriff's Office reports they responded to a personal injury crash just after 7am today, in the 75-hundred block of Belshaw Road, and found a vehicle resting on its roof in Cedar Creek. Authorities say Raymond Rodriguez and Sarah Spencer were both found deceased in the vehicle, and...

Read more: 2 Lake Village Residents Found Dead in Vehicle

(Photo Courtesy of the Portage Police Department)
The Portage Police Department today announced it received ten Canon Power Shot 14-point-one mega pixel digital cameras as a donation last month. Sgt. Keith Hughes reports U-S Corporate Security Manager Doug Snider and Senior Security Investigator Terry Swickard presented Chief Troy Williams with the ten cameras, valued at approximately 25-hundred dollars, on January 17^th. The cameras are said to be assigned to the patrol division to be used to...

Read more: Portage PD Receives 10 Digital Cameras as Donation

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
A 27 year old man who was found guilty in December to numerous charges relating to aiding in child molestation and exploitation was sentenced to 54 years in prison today. The Times reports Ryan Schroeder will have to serve 85-percent of at least 45 years of the sentence. Published reports say Schroeder's former girlfriend, Tara Tryon, who also faces charges that relate to this case, is expected to appear in Porter County Superior Court in mid-March.
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Read more: 54 Year Sentence for Schroeder

Statement from Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer's office:
Sec. 94-254 – Parking restrictions during a snow removal condition.
    Effective at 11:00 a.m., Monday February 4, 2013.  The following snow removal condition has been declared by the Mayor, the following traffic regulations shall be in effect:
(1) No vehicle shall be parked on a designated “snow route”.
(2) On even numbered days, no parking shall be permitted on that side of the street with even numbered addresses from 6:00 a.m. to midnight.
(3...

Read more: Michigan City Snow Statement

In Griffith, town officials say about eighty residents are under a boil order after a water main break in the 900 block of Ash Place Sunday. The break occurred on the west side of town. The public works department says residents who are affected by the boil order have been notified door-to-door.
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Read more: Boil Order for Part of Griffith