Ronnie Selleaze notches triple-double to lead San Lorenzo past Heritage. Mission San Jose, Piedmont roll. Moreau Catholic girls cruise to second round.
After sitting through jury selection and an extensive evidence hearing on Monday, Damian “Rico” Donaldson declined to leave his jail cell Tuesday.
Donaldson, 38, is charged with 15 felonies, including rape, burglary and strangulation. He also faces a half-dozen misdemeanors.
Among several allegations, court records state he sexually assaulted a woman, broke her windshield, and poured marinara sauce in her gas tank in October.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The case is further complicated since the victim indicated by November that she would stop cooperating with police and prosecutors. She ignored a subpoena served last month, ordering her to testify.
Deputy Prosecutor Infinity Westberg — who leads the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office’s special victims unit — said in opening arguments that Donaldson launched a campaign to pressure her to do so, which included calling her from jail — or having others reach her — and threatened to call child protective services.
Both Westberg and now-former Gary Detective Olivia Vasquez told the woman they would do the trial without her.
Westberg told jurors they had a tumultuous “on-and-off” relationship with children, according to court documents.
There was a stack of evidence implicating Donaldson, including multiple 911 calls dating back to a different incident in April, bodycam footage, “limited” information from his cell phone, and the woman’s hospital exam.
Hours after the Oct. 28 assault, one preteen child recorded Donaldson on a cell phone threatening to kill the woman and damaging her windshield and headlights, Westberg said.
Defense lawyer Roseann Ivanovich told jurors to pay attention to “details” and “bias” witnesses may have, and what the “timeline” of events was.
Gary Police responded at 8:18 a.m. Oct. 28 after the reported rape. They found her damaged vehicle and a broken pasta sauce jar outside.
The woman said Donaldson showed up around 1 a.m. at her back door uninvited.
He claimed the Indiana Department of Child Services would take her children if police were called. She allowed him to wait for a ride, but soon doubted why he was there.
The kids woke up during their argument. After they went back to sleep, he grabbed the woman’s face, trying to get her to perform a sex act. When she resisted, he choked and raped her instead.
“(If) you don’t do it, I’ll kill you,” he said.
The woman had a previous protection order filed in Cook County.
Donaldson was later charged with a stalking case on Nov. 12 after pressuring the woman against testifying.
In the April 17-19 incident, the woman said he punched and choked her in front of the children, smashed her vehicle windows with a pick axe, smashed in the front door and various windows with it, knocked holes in her walls, then swung the pick axe at her.
The Illini Republicans club at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is facing backlash after posting an illustration on social media of a masked gunman holding a weapon to a kneeling man’s head — alongside the caption, “Only traitors help invaders.”
The Instagram post, published Friday, also says Alex Pretti and Renée Good — who were both fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month — had “voided their liberties the moment they decided they were above the law.”
“Our nation has come under invasion from the masses of the third world and those incompatible with Western civilization,” the post says. “Now, the current administration, as duly elected by its people to do so, has taken a stand against this invasion.”
The illustration was later deleted from the post, as first reported by the Daily Illini. But it prompted a complaint to the university’s Title VI Office, and drew a slew of criticism from U. of I. students online, who argue that it glorified the deaths of Pretti and Good as well as the unrest engulfing Minnesota.
“My first initial reaction was just disgust, horror and nausea,” said sophomore Rylee Graves, 19, a member of Illini Democrats. “For them to say that that post was not violent or they weren’t condoning violence is a lie, and they know exactly what they’re doing.”
The image, set against the backdrop of the American flag, depicts a bearded man with his back turned as the gunman looms above him. Some students said that both the man and the scene resembled the Jan. 24 killing of Pretti, who was shot multiple times in the back.
An illustration, posted by Illini Republicans on Instagram, depicts what appears to be a federal agent pointing a gun at a man’s head. The group has said it stands with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Illini Republicans)
Illini Republicans wrote in an email to the Tribune that the image was removed “to prevent misinterpretation while we review concerns,” but it was “not an admission of wrongdoing.” They declined a request for an interview.
“We take concerns raised by others seriously and are committed to engaging in good-faith dialogue while exercising our right to express political viewpoints as a registered student organization,” the club wrote.
“The claim that the post glorifies or endorses violence is incorrect,” the club added. “At no point did it advocate harm, violence or extrajudicial action against any individual or group.”
The post is under review by the university’s Title VI Office, which investigates civil rights complaints, according to a statement from a U. of I. spokesperson. As a registered student organization, Illini Republicans are required to follow the student code of conduct, but U. of I. “cannot discipline them for the viewpoint or content of protected speech,” the spokesperson added.
“Hate and intolerance are not aligned with our university values,” the spokesperson said. “We strive to be a campus where every member of our community has a transformative and positive experience.”
More than 1,600 people have commented on the post since Friday. It was posted the same day as “ICE Out” demonstrations across the U.S., including a walkout on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
The intensified immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, began in December. Good was shot during an encounter with agents Jan. 7, and Pretti was shot Jan. 24. The Trump administration said the use of force was justified — but videos of both incidents contradict those claims.
When Lillie Salas saw the Illini Republicans’ post, her emotions fluctuated from disbelief to outrage. It’s jarring knowing that some of her classmates felt comfortable using phrases such as “foreign invaders” to refer to immigrants, the 22-year-old senior said.
Citizens who stand against Trump’s immigration aren’t “traitors” either, she added. She said that type of rhetoric is “racist” and shouldn’t be acceptable on campus.
“I honestly felt very concerned and scared,” Salas said. “It kind of hits differently to see groups so close to you spewing hate so outspokenly. … I know a lot of immigrants who are the most dedicated, hardworking people I’ve ever met in my life.”
It’s a feeling Salas, who is Mexican American, said she’s grown accustomed to during Trump’s immigration crackdown. She’s sensed anxiety on campus, particularly with her Hispanic friends who’ve told her about feeling “frozen in time “and “stuck.”
Cat Lodico, a 20-year-old sophomore, likewise, said she’s seen the stress her friends who are international students have faced in recent months. They worry that if they do or say the wrong thing, their visa will get revoked, and they won’t be able to continue their studies.
U. of I. has one of the largest international student populations in the country. The Illini Republicans post calls immigrants without legal status “enemies of the American people.”
“Although the main focus is studying and getting good grades and the normal college life, because of what’s going on in the country now, there is that anxiety and worriedness in the back of everyone’s mind,” Lodico said, adding that her mom also immigrated to the U.S. from China.
Lodico said as an engineering major, she’s not the most politically involved, but she tries to stay informed. Even still, she said she was shocked and “genuinely concerned” that people her age could agree with Illini Republicans’ post.
“Saying we stand with enforcement of the law, like is it really lawful for random (immigration agents) to be killing other people,” she said. “I just feel like it’s so backward.”
College campuses have increasingly become flashpoints in national debates over free speech.
In the wake of mass student protests over the war in Gaza in 2024, Republican lawmakers have criticized elite colleges and progressive campus culture. The Trump administration froze millions in federal research funding at universities, including at Northwestern University, accusing them of failing to address antisemitism.
Meanwhile, in September, the killing of Charlie Kirk — a right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA — ignited a surge of conservative activism on campuses.
Lodico said it seems hypocritical for Illini Republicans to seemingly make light of the deaths of Pretti and Good, given the outcry over Kirk’s killing.
“When people die from ICE suddenly it doesn’t matter? Suddenly it’s valid to shoot people? The logic is not logic-ing, you know,” she said.
A Gary Police officer has been placed on unpaid leave following a Jan. 17 arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Corporal John H. Artibey Jr. was arrested following an encounter with Indiana State Police on Interstate 94 in Porter County, according to court documents. Artibey, a Chesterton resident and 20-year veteran of the department, was charged with operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor operating while intoxicated.
A press release from the Gary Police Department said it took immediate administrative action by placing Artibey on unpaid leave pending the outcome of criminal proceedings and an internal investigation.
“Public trust is the cornerstone of effective policing, and we are committed to preserving it,” said Police chief Derrick Cannon in a statement on Facebook. “This incident is not a reflection of the Gary Police Department as a whole, nor does it diminish the hard work our officers do every day to keep ur city safe. We will continue to serve with the highest standards and professionalism our community deserves.”
Court records show that Artibey pled guilty in 2023 to operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration between .08 and .15, a Class C misdemeanor. Judge Christopher Buckley sentenced him to 60 days in jail, but he already had credit for 1 day served and Buckley suspended the remainder of the term.
In 2021, Artibey received an Officer of the Year commendation at the District One Law Enforcement Awards, based on his actions when he and another officer rescued a woman who was abducted while walking home from work and dragged into an abandoned building in January 2018, according to Post-Tribune archives.
U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana, was one of five Republican Senators who voted Thursday in favor of the war powers resolution that could limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela.
Indiana political science experts said the vote was initially surprising but ultimately tracked with Young’s military background.
In this courtroom sketch, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his wife, Cilia Flores, second from right, appear in Manhattan federal court with their defense attorneys Mark Donnelly, second from left, and Andres Sanchez, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Aaron Dusso, professor of political science at Indiana University Indianapolis, said he was surprised that Young voted to advance the resolution because “it’s not the kind of resistance to the Trump administration that we’ve seen from Todd Young so far.”
Young’s vote shows that some Republicans are beginning to think about the life of the Republican Party after Trump leaves the White House, Dusso said.
“This would be my guess, is that Todd Young is looking at that and thinking you have to distinguish yourself and not just be a sycophant,” Dusso said.
Jennifer Hora, a professor of political science at Valparaiso University, said when she heard that a few Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution she figured Young would be a part of that group given his experience as a U.S. Marine.
“Senator Young has been a much more traditional Republican. While certainly he votes along with the Trump administration an overwhelming amount of time, he has taken some more traditional Republican stances in his career,” Hora said.
The Senate advanced a resolution that sounded a note of disapproval for Trump’s expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere, including his renewed call to acquire Greenland.
Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would likely veto it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled House. Congress can override a presidential veto, but it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
Still, it was a significant gesture that showed unease among some Republicans after the U.S. military seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid last weekend.
The Trump administration is now seeking to control Venezuela’s oil resources and its government, but a war powers resolution would require congressional approval for any further attacks on the South American country.
Young issued a statement Thursday that he supports Trump’s decision “to bring Nicolás Maduro to justice for his many crimes” and that the “Venezuelan people now have a new hope.” Young also praised the U.S. military personnel who carried out the mission.
“Today’s Senate vote is about potential future military action, not completed successful operations. The President and members of his team have stated that the United States now ‘runs’ Venezuela. It is unclear if that means that an American military presence will be required to stabilize the country,” Young said. “I — along with what I believe to be the vast majority of Hoosiers — am not prepared to commit American troops to that mission. Although I remain open to persuasion, any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela must be subject to debate and authorization in Congress.”
Young said he supported Trump’s campaign message against forever wars.
“A drawn-out campaign in Venezuela involving the American military, even if unintended, would be the opposite of President Trump’s goal of ending foreign entanglements. The Constitution requires that Congress first authorize operations involving American boots on the ground, and my vote today reaffirms that longstanding congressional role,” Young said.
The other Republicans who backed the resolution were Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Trump reacted to their votes by saying on social media that they “should never be elected to office again” and that the vote “greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security.” Trump criticized the Senate vote as “impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief” under the Constitution.
Trump likely felt he had to call out the Republicans who voted to advance the measure because “public condemnation” is how the President keeps his party “in line,” Dusso said.
Presidents of both parties have long argued the War Powers Act infringes on their authority. Passed in 1973 in the aftermath of the Vietnam War — and over the veto of Republican President Richard Nixon — it has never succeeded in directly forcing a president to halt military action.
Congress declares war while the president serves as commander in chief, according to the Constitution. But lawmakers have not formally declared war since World War II, granting presidents broad latitude to act unilaterally. The law requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military action within 60 to 90 days absent authorization — limits that presidents of both parties have routinely stretched.
Many presidents have taken military action, with the key to success being not to label the action as a war, while Congress tends to “side-eye” such a move, Dusso said.
“This has been a gray area basically from day one,” Dusso said. “I think the Trump administration is really good at trying to find those gray areas and then exploit them.”
Hora said there hasn’t yet been any indication that there are enough votes in the U.S. House to advance the measure to the president’s desk. While Trump hasn’t said specifically said he would veto the bill, he has made negative comments about the bill.
“You can take that as an indicator that he would veto it,” Hora said. “Certainly, they do not have anywhere near veto-proof majorities in either the House or the Senate. But, it is a significant signal to the White House because they didn’t have to … bring this to the vote.”
The parking lot at Indiana Dunes National Park’s Mount Baldy will grow bigger this year as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shaves the back of the dune to nourish the front.
Saves the Dunes Executive Director Betsy Maher praised the plan Thursday during a Green Drinks conference call.
The Corps of Engineers plans to use trucks to remove sand from the part of the parking lot Mount Baldy has already gobbled up and dump it at Crescent Beach, so it can drift westward to the face of Mount Baldy.
“That dune has been moving at a rate of sometimes up to 10 feet a year for decades,” Maher said. “There is no longer a natural dynamic where sand naturally accumulates.”
Manmade structures like the pier and breakwater at Michigan City and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor in Portage disrupt the natural flow of sand along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.
“If you disrupt the littoral drift, then you create the erosion on the other side,” Maher said, so beach nourishment is needed. Sand dredged or removed from one place is needed to replace the sand that manmade structures block from sand-starved beaches.
“This is on hyperdrive in this area because of the creation of the harbor.”
“The park, I believe, was out of a lot of good choices. If they had waited any longer, the dune would swallow the comfort station,” Maher said. “This dune has already swallowed structures.”
The south side of Indiana Dunes National Park’s Mount Baldy is perilously close to the restroom facility on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Doug Ross/for Post-Tribune)
Removing sand from the parking lot and putting it back on beach is a good solution because it’s putting sand where it’s needed, she said.
Indiana Dunes National Park Superintendent Jason Taylor outlined the plan in December 2024 at a meet-the-public event at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Porter.
The process is expected to take 100 days, he said at the time.
“This is a good solution because it’s at least putting sand on the front of the dune where it’s needed,” Maher said. “It is a manmade solution, but it is mimicking a natural solution.”
“You want sandbars created during those low-water periods where you get more sand,” she said. The lake level is currently low; erosion typically happens when the lake level is high, with the difference measured in feet, not inches.
“If you have too much scouring and all the sand is gone already, then it’s not as resilient” and erosion gets worse, Maher said.
Save the Dunes’ mission includes protecting natural assets at the national park, but it also includes preserving public access to the shoreline. That’s why the nonprofit took legal action against Ogden Dunes, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and others over the town’s plan, now abandoned, to put a rock revetment along the shoreline.
“This is a hard-fought legal battle that we’re really excited about,” Maher said, but the case continues so the question of whether the DNR illegally issued the permit can be resolved. “That question still remains unanswered.”
DNR “is responsible for upholding the public’s rights along the shoreline,” Maher said.
Save the Dunes previously fought a similar legal fight in Long Beach, setting a precedent and inspiring a state law that locks in where the high water mark is calculated to indicate the boundary between private and public land.
Save the Dunes is committed to defending this public trust doctrine so all Hoosiers can walk along the beach. “We’re seeing a lot of public trust work popping up along the Great Lakes,” Maher said.
“The most resilient beach is a natural beach,” she said. “We get huge storms off our shoreline, and then you get this natural fluctuation in lake levels.”
“It used to be a 30-year cycle,” but it’s now less reliable, she said.
Where visitors once ran down the south face of Mount Baldy, pictured on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, visitors are now urged to keep off the dunes. Visitors traipsing off established trails can harm the ecosystem. (Doug Ross/for Post-Tribune)
The Indiana Dunes are more than sand, though. Maher noted Indiana Dunes National Park is the fifth most biologically diverse national park in the United States.
The park has 15 miles of protected shoreline, 16,000 acres and 50 miles of hiking trails.
When it was created in 1966, it was designated as a national lakeshore. Since 2019, when it was designated a national park, the number of visits has grown from 2 million to nearly 3 million annually. It’s the No. 1 tourist destination in Indiana.
“Unfortunately, these environmental wonders have not historically been available to everyone,” Maher said, so Save the Dunes is supporting National Park Service accessibility efforts. “We hope to make the dunes a place that is accessible to all.”
That includes donating special wheelchairs that can be used at the beach. Visitors need to contact the park before arriving to make arrangements for their free use.
Habitat restoration and preservation are also important to Save the Dunes.
Save the Dunes administers grants for this work in Northwest Indiana, including working with the National Park Service, Northwest Indiana Paddling Association and Shirley Heinze Land Trust to clear logjams on the Little Calumet River to make it navigable.
Emerald ash borers, tiny lumberjacks that they are, felled trees and created many logjams.
So far, nine of 11 miles of the river have been cleared for canoeists and kayakers.
“We’ve sunk several million dollars into restoring this river collectively,” Maher said.
In the past 20 years, Save the Dunes has had a heavy emphasis on stewardship of the land.
“Restoration work is never done, but it’s certainly not something you can start and stop,” Maher said. Eradicating invasive species usually takes five to 10 years. “If you just treat it and walk away, they just come right back.”
“Currently, about 30% of the park is actively managed,” she said.
The park needs help with public access work, too, including updating exhibits, some of which haven’t been changed since the park was created, Maher said.
Resiliency, too, is important in order to address climate change and other threats to ecosystems. A “very complicated grant” of just under $1 million from the National Coastal Resiliency Fund is bringing together conservation partners across the region to address these threats with large-scale projects, she said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Florida Highway Patrol arrested a Lake County man on charges of DUI manslaughter after two people were killed in a crash Friday night.Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, is facing two counts of DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, after a crash that happened around 7 p.m. on State Road 33 in Lake County.Troopers said a 2009 Mini Cooper driven by Hardeo northbound on SR-33 traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck north of Swamp Drive. The impact caused the semi-truck to veer into the northbound lanes and into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The front of the semi-truck collided with the front left of the Chevy pickup, causing both vehicles to run off the roadway and the semi-truck to overturn.The semi-truck’s driver was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.FHP said the Chevy’s driver, a 22-year-old Frostproof man, and his passenger, an 18-year-old Tallahassee woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.Lake County court records show that Hardeo pleaded no contest to charges of felony DUI and driving with a suspended license in 2007. Documents in that case link several other DUI incidents that occurred in New York in the early 2000s that led to Hardeo’s license being revoked. Hardeo was not injured in the crash. He was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night, where he is being held without bond.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —
Florida Highway Patrol arrested a Lake County man on charges of DUI manslaughter after two people were killed in a crash Friday night.
Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, is facing two counts of DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, after a crash that happened around 7 p.m. on State Road 33 in Lake County.
Troopers said a 2009 Mini Cooper driven by Hardeo northbound on SR-33 traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck north of Swamp Drive. The impact caused the semi-truck to veer into the northbound lanes and into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The front of the semi-truck collided with the front left of the Chevy pickup, causing both vehicles to run off the roadway and the semi-truck to overturn.
The semi-truck’s driver was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
FHP said the Chevy’s driver, a 22-year-old Frostproof man, and his passenger, an 18-year-old Tallahassee woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Lake County court records show that Hardeo pleaded no contest to charges of felony DUI and driving with a suspended license in 2007. Documents in that case link several other DUI incidents that occurred in New York in the early 2000s that led to Hardeo’s license being revoked.
Hardeo was not injured in the crash. He was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night, where he is being held without bond.
FLORIDA — As we get closer to the end of the year, we look back at a year that brought happy times for some, but major struggles for even more. These stories are of those who found the strength to overcome adversity often make the most inspiring impression.
Spectrum News catches up with some of the incredible individuals who taught us all a little bit about the best of humanity in 2025.
Finding Your Passion
— Apopka, FL —
In the middle of February, Delia Miller shared her journey of finding her passions and purpose. Combining her love of art, concern for the environment, and newfound passion for aviation, she has turned all of this into an inspiring project.
Her journey began with an opportunity to paint a mural in her hometown. Her path took a turn in an airport bathroom where she met a young, Black, female airline captain. The encounter spurred Miller to pursue aviation as a career path.
In September, young Gracelynn “Gracie” Decelles shared her story with us. Two years ago, the now 8-year-old girl began selling eggs from her family’s chickens at a small stand outside her home. The proceeds of those sales went toward the purchase of hundreds of backpacks for children in need.
The Florida Turnpike is undergoing a large expansion in Lake County that officials hope will ease congestion as the area around Hancock Road in Minneola continues to boom, and the expansion marked a major milestone with the opening of two new lanes of traffic southbound.From the Hancock Road interchange to the State Road 50 interchange, the $162.3 million project has seen the expansion of the Turnpike from two lanes to four.The project is set to wrap up next year, but will continue northbound from Hancock Road to O’Brien Road.”Any time we can ease traffic, I think that’s going to work in favor to everybody,” said driver Jim Ashbaugh. “It’s just too much traffic. Any time you have expansion is great. We do like it now, the more work that’s being done.”As the expansion continues, the area around Hancock Road is booming, with the opening of a new Advent Health hospital this month and thousands of homes recently built and still under construction.”It’s been a lot of work, I know that. There’s been a lot of holdups, the way the traffic has been and everything. But I think it’s for a good thing,” said driver Russell Iglesias.Officials hope all the work will accommodate the thousands of new Lake County residents flocking to the area.”You’ve got a lot more people coming here, moving, so they’re going to look to build houses,” Ashbaugh said. “More and more people coming is going to make that much more traffic, but more jobs, right, more opportunity for people to come and make a little bit more money.”The work to expand from two lanes to four in both directions northbound from Hancock to O’Brien will conclude in 2028.
MINNEOLA, Fla. —
The Florida Turnpike is undergoing a large expansion in Lake County that officials hope will ease congestion as the area around Hancock Road in Minneola continues to boom, and the expansion marked a major milestone with the opening of two new lanes of traffic southbound.
From the Hancock Road interchange to the State Road 50 interchange, the $162.3 million project has seen the expansion of the Turnpike from two lanes to four.
The project is set to wrap up next year, but will continue northbound from Hancock Road to O’Brien Road.
“Any time we can ease traffic, I think that’s going to work in favor to everybody,” said driver Jim Ashbaugh. “It’s just too much traffic. Any time you have expansion is great. We do like it now, the more work that’s being done.”
As the expansion continues, the area around Hancock Road is booming, with the opening of a new Advent Health hospital this month and thousands of homes recently built and still under construction.
“It’s been a lot of work, I know that. There’s been a lot of holdups, the way the traffic has been and everything. But I think it’s for a good thing,” said driver Russell Iglesias.
Officials hope all the work will accommodate the thousands of new Lake County residents flocking to the area.
“You’ve got a lot more people coming here, moving, so they’re going to look to build houses,” Ashbaugh said. “More and more people coming is going to make that much more traffic, but more jobs, right, more opportunity for people to come and make a little bit more money.”
The work to expand from two lanes to four in both directions northbound from Hancock to O’Brien will conclude in 2028.
A Gary woman pleaded guilty, but mentally ill Wednesday to the murder of her child’s father.
Shasta Young, 40, faces 45 years if the plea is accepted by a judge.
The victim, Willie Perry, 59, of Gary, was shot once in the chest. He was pronounced dead June 14, 2024 in his apartment at 12:10 p.m. His death was ruled a homicide.
The sentencing hearing is Jan. 12.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Young appeared hesitant. Why was the sentence “so high,” she asked. Judge Salvador Vasquez told her it was the lowest possible sentence for murder.
“I guess I’m guilty of it,” she said.
What do you mean “guess,” he responded. When asked, under standard questioning, if she was forced or intimidated to sign, she said no.
“I’m guilty of it,” she later said.
Police responded at 11:20 a.m. June 14, 2024 to the 5700 block of Cypress Avenue in Gary.
Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force Detective David Moran wrote Young sat on the sofa while her 18-month-old daughter watched TV. She nodded to the door — where Perry lay outside — when he asked who the toddler’s father was.
“It’s up here,” Young yelled earlier to police officers who first arrived.
The gun was on the kitchen table.
“I was just defending myself, so it’s not a problem,” she told police later in an interview at the Gary Police Station.
Young was getting ready and Perry walked inside, holding the girl and a “camera.” He shoved it in her face and they “started tussling,” she said.
Three men sentenced in check-cashing scheme
Federal prosecutors said that three men were recently sentenced after plea deals in a multi-state check cashing scheme.
Carlos Aquino Sosa, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was sentenced to 41 months and would have to pay $533,000 in restitution.
Edwin Palazios Sosa, 27, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of illegal reentry. He was sentenced to 27 months and one year on supervised release. He would also repay $533,000 in restitution.
Delvin Velasquez Romero, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and illegal reentry. He got time served and was ordered to repay $233,000 in restitution.
All three were charged in an eight-man indictment. The three men are from Honduras and face deportation after their federal sentences.
Court documents allege the men and co-defendants used fake IDs in January 2023 to cash nearly 170 fake checks at a bank in Northwest Indiana for $233,000. The checks appeared to be issued by a “company that operates (local) dairy farms.”
The men went back in June 2023 to cash another 178 fake checks for nearly $300,000 at the local bank and a trio of Oklahoma check-cashing businesses. The checks looked like they were issued by a building supply company in Oklahoma.
“The sentences imposed by the court send a message that there are real consequences for engaging in fraud, particularly in Northwest Indiana,” Acting U.S. Attorney M. Scott Proctor said in a release.
In court filings, defense lawyer Mark Psimos wrote Aquino Sosa “deeply regrets” his involvement.
Defense lawyer Marc Laterzo wrote that Velasquez Romero fell into the check-cashing ring in Houston after work painting houses dried up. He left Honduras “to pursue a better life” and make money after a cartel moved into the area.
The scheme spanned over a dozen states, according to a release.
Former Gary cop’s disability fraud case dismissed
A former Gary police officer’s disability fraud case was dismissed Tuesday after he successfully finished a pretrial diversion program, filings show.
Nicholas T. Sanchez, 48, of Hobart, was charged in May 2023 with two counts of Level 6 felony fraud and two misdemeanor counts of fraud.
Prosecutors said he lied about his injuries — saying he slipped on snow-covered stairs on duty — while collecting $17,000 off duty, according to an affidavit.
Court records accuse him of gaming the system, caught on video playing pickleball, while on “no duty.”
Sanchez, a nearly 10-year veteran, quit the Gary Police Department on April 22, 2023, a mayor’s office spokeswoman said previously.
A pretrial diversion program is typically reserved for defendants who have little or no prior criminal history.
Appeals Court upholds man’s sentence in Cedar Lake robbery
The Indiana Court of Appeals recently upheld a Gary man’s conviction in a Cedar Lake robbery.
Alexander T. Marshall, 27, was sentenced to seven years in May for robbery and a separate auto theft case.
In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Stephen Scheele rejected Marshall’s argument that the sentence was too harsh.
He and co-defendant Javonte Camell, of Matteson, Illinois, were each charged in the robbery.
Both men walked into the victim’s home July 27, 2020 on the 14000 block of Wheeler Street where they found him and the victim’s girlfriend in his bedroom, records state. After asking to “smoke some weed,” the victim was getting it out of a small safe when Marshall and Camell drew guns at him, documents show.
“That’s mine,” they said, referring to $600-$800 in the safe, according to charging documents.
Former Portage Mayor James Snyder said he “has never received a fair trial” in his continued push for a new trial on an IRS charge, according to court filings.
Snyder asked for a new trial on his conviction for defrauding the IRS in federal court filings late last month. Federal prosecutors, in their response, said his request is untimely and without merit.
This is the latest chapter in a saga that began nine years ago when Snyder was indicted on one count of defrauding the IRS and two counts of bribery, one involving towing contracts and the other involving garbage trucks.
A jury in U.S. District Court in Hammond found Snyder not guilty on the charge involving the towing contract, and convicted him twice on the garbage truck charge, a case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which deemed in June of last year that the $13,000 payment Snyder received over a garbage truck contract was a gratuity, not a bribe, because the payment came after the contract and not before. The case was remanded to the lower courts.
A jury convicted Snyder on the IRS charge, which involved his personal business and not his duties as mayor at the time, and that conviction had remained unchallenged.
Snyder was scheduled to go to trial for a third time on the charge involving the garbage truck contract, but prosecutors have said they would like to sentence Snyder for obstructing the IRS and forgo a third trial on his bribery charge.
Snyder, awaiting sentencing on the IRS conviction, which has been repeatedly pushed back, argued in an Oct. 31 filing that he wanted a new trial on the IRS charge because the information presented on the bribery charges could have improperly swayed the jury.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office argues that Snyder’s request “is both untimely and meritless.”
“Now, after the parties agreed to proceed to sentencing on the tax count and have begun their sentencing advocacy before this Court, defendant seeks leave for additional motion practice to challenge his 2019 conviction,” prosecutors said in their filing. “Defendant wants this Court to grant the extraordinary remedy of overturning a jury’s verdict setting the case for multiple new trials.”
Snyder “failed to raise the issue of misjoinder or severance (of the charges) before trial in 2019,” prosecutors said.
He also made a “strategic decision” to go to trial on all of the counts rather than arguing at the time for the counts to be separated for trial, prosecutors said. “Defendant thus waived any claim to improper joinder by failing to make this argument before trial,” prosecutors said.
In response, Snyder filed a motion Friday requesting the court hear his motion for a new trial. Snyder’s motion states that prosecutors “charged him with bribery for conduct that ‘any fair reader’” of the law “would be left with a reasonable doubt” if a crime was committed.
“The result was a trial that was infected with constitutional error. And now that the Government has lost before the Supreme Court, it wants to use the conviction on (the IRS charge)…as a backdoor opportunity to bring in evidence of the overturned (bribery charge) instead of allowing him what he has never received – a fair trial on the tax count.”
While prosecutors stated that “the parties agreed to proceed to sentencing on the tax count,” Snyder’s lawyer wrote he never agreed to that.
“Mr. Snyder only agreed that the interests of justice call for an end to this prosecution,” his attorney wrote. “He specifically objected to the Government’s proposed use of unproven bribery allegations to enhance his sentence on the tax count. He never agreed to waive his constitutional right to a fair trial on the tax count, nor should he be compelled to do so.”
Snyder, a Republican, was first elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015, a term cut short by his federal conviction in February 2019.
Snyder received a sentence of 21 months in prison for the bribery and IRS convictions and a year on supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois.
Snyder successfully argued that the start of his sentence should be postponed until his bid to have the Supreme Court hear his case was complete.
A 6-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital and may never walk again after the car he was riding in was hit in Lake County in a crash that killed two teenagers.The boy, identified by his family as Nickai Mixon, was a passenger in an SUV that was involved in the crash.State troopers say the crash happened around 6 p.m. on November 15 along State Road 33 near Groveland Farms Road. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 16-year-old girl driving a 2008 Toyota Scion attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone while heading southbound. A 17-year-old Clermont boy was riding as her passenger.Troopers say the teen entered the northbound lane and saw an oncoming 2021 Lincoln Aviator driven by a 75-year-old Lakeland man. She swerved back into her lane, but lost control of the Scion, causing it to rotate and slide back into the northbound lane, directly into the path of the SUV, FHP says.The SUV then hit the passenger side of the Scion, causing it to overturn. The 16-year-old driver and her passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were later identified as South Lake High School students Jade, 16, and her boyfriend, 17-year-old José Ivan. Lake County Schools confirmed their deaths and said grief counselors would remain available on campus throughout the week.The 75-year-old SUV driver in the Aviator suffered minor injuries, along with two of his passengers, including a 66-year-old woman and a 5-year-old boy. 6-year-old Nickai Mixon was the fourth passenger in the SUV and was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.According to a GoFundMe created by the boy’s family, the crash left 6-year-old Nickai with a partially shattered spine and internal bleeding that required emergency surgery. Doctors at Arnold Palmer Hospital told relatives he has only a 50% chance of walking again.His parents, who live in Lakeland, are now driving back and forth daily to Orlando while juggling medical uncertainty, travel costs, and lost income.“Any contribution, no matter the amount, will help with travel costs, medical-related expenses, lost income, and the long recovery journey ahead,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page. They added:Anyone who wants to donate to their GoFundMe can click here.FHP says the crash remains under investigation.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —
A 6-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital and may never walk again after the car he was riding in was hit in Lake County in a crash that killed two teenagers.
The boy, identified by his family as Nickai Mixon, was a passenger in an SUV that was involved in the crash.
State troopers say the crash happened around 6 p.m. on November 15 along State Road 33 near Groveland Farms Road. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 16-year-old girl driving a 2008 Toyota Scion attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone while heading southbound.
A 17-year-old Clermont boy was riding as her passenger.
Troopers say the teen entered the northbound lane and saw an oncoming 2021 Lincoln Aviator driven by a 75-year-old Lakeland man. She swerved back into her lane, but lost control of the Scion, causing it to rotate and slide back into the northbound lane, directly into the path of the SUV, FHP says.
The SUV then hit the passenger side of the Scion, causing it to overturn. The 16-year-old driver and her passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were later identified as South Lake High School students Jade, 16, and her boyfriend, 17-year-old José Ivan.
Lake County Schools confirmed their deaths and said grief counselors would remain available on campus throughout the week.
The 75-year-old SUV driver in the Aviator suffered minor injuries, along with two of his passengers, including a 66-year-old woman and a 5-year-old boy.
6-year-old Nickai Mixon was the fourth passenger in the SUV and was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to a GoFundMe created by the boy’s family, the crash left 6-year-old Nickai with a partially shattered spine and internal bleeding that required emergency surgery. Doctors at Arnold Palmer Hospital told relatives he has only a 50% chance of walking again.
His parents, who live in Lakeland, are now driving back and forth daily to Orlando while juggling medical uncertainty, travel costs, and lost income.
“Any contribution, no matter the amount, will help with travel costs, medical-related expenses, lost income, and the long recovery journey ahead,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page. They added:
“Our family deeply appreciates every donation, share, and prayer.”
Anyone who wants to donate to their GoFundMe can click here.
Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed 2 teenagers on State Road 33 west of Groveland.FHP said the crash happened around 6 p.m. Saturday on SR-33 near Groveland Farms Road.Troopers say a 16-year-old girl was driving a Toyota Scion southbound and attempted to pass a vehicle in a no passing zone. She had a 17-year-old Clermont boy riding as her passenger.After the teen entered the northbound lane, she saw an oncoming SUV and swerved back into the southbound lane.FHP says the 16-year-old then lost control of her Toyota which rotated and reentered the northbound lane in the direct path of the SUV, causing the SUV to crash into the right side of car which then overturned.The Toyota’s driver and her passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.The 75-year-old driver of the SUV and his 3 passengers were all taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.FHP says the crash remains under investigation.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —
Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed 2 teenagers on State Road 33 west of Groveland.
FHP said the crash happened around 6 p.m. Saturday on SR-33 near Groveland Farms Road.
Troopers say a 16-year-old girl was driving a Toyota Scion southbound and attempted to pass a vehicle in a no passing zone. She had a 17-year-old Clermont boy riding as her passenger.
After the teen entered the northbound lane, she saw an oncoming SUV and swerved back into the southbound lane.
FHP says the 16-year-old then lost control of her Toyota which rotated and reentered the northbound lane in the direct path of the SUV, causing the SUV to crash into the right side of car which then overturned.
The Toyota’s driver and her passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.
The 75-year-old driver of the SUV and his 3 passengers were all taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history exposed partisan divides in Washington and left Democrats hoping, again, that Republicans will keep their word of addressing expiring healthcare subsidies in the coming months, political science experts said.
President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports, and generated long lines at some food banks as Trump officials cut off SNAP benefits.
Noe Luna, a student in the East Chicago Central job skills program, packs juice into boxes to be distributed by the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
The House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209 on Wednesday afternoon, while the Senate had already passed the measure on Monday.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, said in a statement he voted against the continuing resolution because while the bill will ensure that emergency food assistance will be funded, “it is wrong to do so at the expense of affordable health care benefits.”
“I have spent my career as a public official working on behalf of individuals and families facing economic hardship, often through no fault of their own, who have been in need of access to food, housing, and health care. Too many times have I witnessed the difficult choice that families often make between choosing between a meal or health care services,” Mrvan said.
“I remain deeply disappointed that the Republican Majority refused to extend the health care tax credits as part of this negotiation that so many small business owners and working families rely on, even as they allow the Trump Administration to direct $40 billion in federal funds to support Argentina’s economy,” Mrvan said.
Mrvan said he also didn’t support the continuing resolution because it doesn’t fund the Toxic Exposures Fund, which supports veterans.
“As we move forward, the fight for access to affordable health care continues, and I remain committed to working with my colleagues to find a bipartisan agreement that restores the health care tax credits as soon as possible,” Mrvan said.
Senator Todd Young said in a statement that he voted in favor of the continuing resolution because it will reopen the government through Jan. 30, 2026 and include full-year appropriations for military construction, veterans affairs, agriculture and the legislative branch.
Young noted that he voted 15 times to reopen the government, but Democrats voted 14 times to against the effort.
“I am frustrated that the shutdown dragged on as long as it did and negatively affected our country in so many ways. I am grateful for all the dedicated federal workers, such as our service members and air traffic controllers, who continued to work throughout the shutdown,” Young said.
Senator Jim Banks blamed the Democrats for “holding American hostage” by continuing the shutdown.
The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.
Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate fight to be held at another time.
The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.
The bill includes a reversal of the Trump administration policy of firing of federal workers since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over.
A bill for the Agriculture Department, which funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year.
Food Bank of Northwest Indiana CEO Victor Garcia said the organization is pleased the government shutdown has ended, but it’s unclear how soon SNAP benefits will be distributed.
“There is still some uncertainty in how and when SNAP benefits will be distributed to our neighbors in Northwest Indiana. The Food Bank will continue to provide additional nutrition support as we navigate the fallout of the shutdown together,” Garcia said.
It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on health care before a potential December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber. Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans.
Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies.
Aaron Dusso, associate professor of political science at Indiana University Indianapolis, said he was surprised the shutdown ended when it did, but he thought it was likely because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Eight Democratic Senators voted to end the shutdown with the promise from Republican Senate leadership of holding a vote on healthcare subsidies in December, Dusso said. But, earlier this year, a shutdown was avoided when Republicans told Democrats that they would discuss healthcare subsidies outside of the Trump administration’s tax bill, and that never happened, he said.
“The classic cartoon is Lucy holding that football and Charlie Brown believing he’s going to finally be able to kick that football. We’ll see if that actually happens,” Dusso said.
With the government reopening, funding for programs like SNAP should move fairly quickly because the apparatus for funding is already there, Dusso said. But departments that rely on people, like air traffic controllers, could take a little longer to start back up as people return to work, he said.
It’s likely that the government shutdown won’t be top of mind for voters in 2026 as many more things will occur at the federal level between now and then, Dusso said.
“I don’t think there’s going to be much, as far as outside of Washington, much memory of it. Inside Washington, some of the memories are going to come down to internal to the Democratic Party. There will certainly be hurt feelings and distrust,” Dusso said.
A man from northern Illinois has been arrested on federal charges, accused of threatening President Trump in a video he posted online, saying the president “should be executed.”
Trent Schneider, 57, was arrested by a Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT team on Monday at his home in Winthrop Harbor, and was handed over to federal authorities.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday, he is charged with one count of “making a true threat to injure another person in interstate commerce.”
Schneider is accused of posting an Instagram video of himself on Oct. 16, in which he allegedly stated: “I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of f***ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you f***ing frauds. People need to f***ing die and people are going to die. F*** all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.”
The video included the caption: “THIS IS 3 NOT A THREAT!!! ࡓ AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!! ࡓ SHE IS A #FRAUD and a #COWARD!!! ૠ SHE CARES NOTHING ABOUT YOU or ME!!!”
According to the charges, Schneider posted the same video online 18 times between Oct. 16 and Oct. 21. He’s also accused of posting multiple violent messages about public officials on social media in 2022.
He’s also accused of posting a picture featuring a cartoon image of Trump, saying he “should be executed” approximately 20 times between Sept. 26 and Oct. 21.
Federal agents questioned Schneider at his home on Oct. 22, and when asked if he had posted threats online, he “became irate and started yelling for the officers to get off his property,” according to the charges. About an hour after the agents left his home, he posted a video of them walking down his driveway, along with another threat saying the president “SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”
The Secret Service reached out to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to assist in executing a search warrant and arrest warrant at Schneider’s home on Monday. They requested a SWAT team to help take Schneider into custody, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said he was arrested without incident.
During Schneider’s first court appearance on Monday, Schneider asked if he could be put up in the “Trump motel,” “with popcorn,” until his detention hearing, scheduled for Thursday.
Schneider also mentioned that one of his posts was taken down and put back up. He also discussed his mental health multiple times during Monday’s hearing.
Schneider has a lengthy criminal history, according to federal court officials. In December 2022, he was arrested after threatening to “shoot up” a T-Mobile store, but was later found unfit to stand trial, according to the charges filed on Monday.
He has been ordered to remain in federal custody until his next court hearing on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Voters will determine the outcomes of two special elections in Lake County on Tuesday, but there are no candidates on the ballot.
At stake are two school property tax measures in neighboring Lake Central School Corp. and the Hanover Central Community Schools.
A sign in support of Lake Central’s school referendum sits on a yard north of 93rd Avenue. (Carole Carlson/Post-Tribune)
The Duneland School Corp., based in Chesterton, is also holding a referendum vote.
Hanover and Lake Central districts are asking voters to renew operating referendums they say will continue to fund student transportation, teacher and non-certified salaries, utility costs, safety and student programs.
Political action committees, or PACs, have formed to support both school districts as they seek renewals of previous successful referendums.
Lake Central’s 2018 referendum passed with 53% of the vote.
This time, the district increased the rate to 26.14 cents per $100 of assessed value, up from 17 cents.
Officials said the property tax relief credits and deductions homeowners will see under a new property tax relief law — Senate Enrolled Act 1 — will offset the referendum tax increase.
The school district’s boundaries for voting includes parts of Dyer, St. John, Schererville and unincorporated sections of Lake County.
The property tax relief law is expected to cut about $12.3 million in revenue from Lake Central over a three-year span through 2028, according to the state Legislative Services Agency. The district has retained Policy Analytics to do a deeper dive into its revenue picture.
The new law also specified that districts can only run referendums during general statewide elections, as opposed to a primary or general election.
If approved, Lake Central’s referendum would raise nearly $17.8 million annually. Officials said $12 million would be earmarked for retaining teachers and staff. Also, the spending plan includes $2 million for maintaining class sizes, $1.7 million for student health and safety programs.
Lauren Bridgeman, a member of Friends of Lake Central’s political action committee, said supporters have been knocking on doors making sure voters understand what’s at stake.
She’s been teaching math and science for 10 years at Clark Middle School.
“Typically, we’ve had a lot of great feedback from the community,” she said.
She said committee members tell voters with revenue from the last referendum, the district added three police officers in schools, counselors, nurses, reading specialists, and math coaches at all levels.
The money from the referendum will be used to maintain the spending plan in place, she said. Lake Central has about 9,200 students.
Bridgeman said more than 2,000 people have already voted.
She said there’s been confusion with the online calculator that estimates a homeowner’s referendum cost on the state Department of Local Government’s website.
She said the DLGF calculator was misleading because it led people to believe their taxes would increase dramatically.
“We have a calculator on our website, and even with the referendum approved, their taxes will go down,” she said. That’s largely because of the new property tax law.
Friends of Lake Central’s website is supportlakecentral.com.
Bridgeman said referendum backers also educate voters on the impact of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which reduces money the district will receive over the next three years and gives it back to taxpayers.
If the referendum fails, officials said they’ll have to make difficult decisions about budget cuts that impact students like larger class sizes, fewer teachers and a reduction in course offerings and extracurricular activities.
Meanwhile, the Hanover Community School Corp., in Cedar Lake, is seeking its third referendum renewal to raise slightly more than $5 million each year. It passed with 60% of the vote in 2020.
The property tax levy would remain at 29 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
Information about the referendum is on the district’s website, hanover.k12.in.us/referendum.
About $2.5 million in referendum funds would be spent on keeping class sizes small; $1.5 million for bus transportation and $759,000 for school resource officers.
“I am cautiously optimistic, we have a lot of supportive parents and we’ve done a lot of work,” said Superintendent Mary Tracy-MacAulay.
She said the revenue for bus transportation was crucial because of the community’s explosive subdivision growth. The small district of about 2,800 students gained 730 students, or a 33% increase, since 2015.
Tracy-MacAulay said the district had to institute a one-mile walk zone two years ago. “This area is just booming,” she said.
The boom has been slowed by a town water moratorium, but Tracy-MacAulay expects once it’s resolved that more homes will be built.
“We’re holding the line but with SEA 1, we’ll lose about $6.1 million over the next three years,” she said of the property tax relief law.
She said the referendum funds about 125 staff jobs and allowed for an increase in student programs.
Andy Yakubik, who heads the Friends of Hanover Community Schools political action committee, said voter turnout is key.
“A lot of people aren’t aware it’s on the ballot and the new state wording is very misleading, pointing to the ballot’s 43% increase wording.
“It’s frustrating, nobody knows how the state came up with the 43% figure. The state would not show us their work.
“They’re trying to undercut the ability of districts to have referendums. Now, they’re only in statewide elections.”
He said SEA 1 also left a 5% decrease in Hanover’s budget and if the referendum doesn’t pass, it will mean an 11% cut.
“There comes a point there’s nothing you can cut that isn’t necessary,” he said.
Yakubik said his family moved to the Cedar Lake area about 30 years ago because he and his wife wanted smaller schools for their children.
“The amount of cutbacks if they lose would be painful. It would really hit bus service, bus costs have nearly doubled,” he said.
Early voting in both special elections is open until noon on Monday at the Lake County Board of Elections Early and Registration office, 2293 N. Main St., in Crown Point; the St. John Township Assessor’s office, 9157 Wicker Ave.; and the Schererville Town Hall, 10 E. Joliet St.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
19 inches of rain fell in part of Central Florida Sunday night | Photos, video
MEGAN THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING MEGAN JUST MENTIONED THERE A LOT OF ROAD CLOSURES THAT COULD BE IMPACTING YOUR MORNING DRIVE, INCLUDING SEVERAL LAKE COUNTY WHERE WE KNOW AT LEAST TWO ROADS WERE WASHED OUT. YEAH. ARE YOU SEEING THIS VIDEO HERE? WE’RE CONTINUING OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH WESH TWO. LINDSAY LOHAN WHO’S THERE LIVE RIGHT NOW. LINDSAY, NOW THAT THE SUN IS UP, WE’RE REALLY SEEING MORE OF THAT DAMAGE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. WE ARE ON NORTH DONNELLY STREET IN MOUNT DORA RIGHT NOW. IT’S BLOCKED OFF AT LIMIT AVENUE. BUT WE WERE ALLOWED TO COME HERE. TO GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THEY ARE DEALING WITH. AND YOU CAN SEE THE ROAD JUST GAVE WAY LAST NIGHT AFTER YOU HEARD ERIC SAY MOUNT DORA GOT ABOUT 18IN OF RAIN. AND AS WE CAREFULLY WALK UP TO THE EDGE HERE, YOU NOTICE AS WE PAN OVER THAT WHITE CAR I’VE BEEN REFERENCING, WE ARE NOW GETTING A VERY GOOD LOOK AT IT. AN OFFICER WITH MOUNT DORA POLICE TOLD ME THAT NOBODY WAS IN THAT CAR AT THE TIME. IT HAD FLOODED OUT ON THIS ROAD ALREADY AND WAS LEFT ABANDONED. BUT LOOK AT ALL THE CONCRETE, THE RAILINGS, THE WOODEN WALKWAY RIGHT HERE. THAT IS ALL JUST COLLAPSED. AND WE’RE ACTUALLY HEARING WHAT IS A CREEK, BUT IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE A RUSHING RIVER COME BY AS ALL THIS WATER IS DRAINING. I TALKED TO A HOMEOWNER WHO LIVES JUST OFF OF OLD EUSTIS, WHICH JUST CONNECTS WITH LIMIT AVENUE, AND HE SAID THAT THIS WAS WORSE THAN WHAT THEY EXPERIENCED FROM MILTON LAST NIGHT. I’D LIKE YOU TO TAKE A LISTEN TO HIM. I’M PRAISING GOD BECAUSE I HAVE ALMOST NO DAMAGE AT MY HOUSE. MY WALL WITHSTOOD THE WHOLE WHOLE THING, AND I’VE GOT A LITTLE DEBRIS TO CLEAN UP IN THE YARD. BUT MY NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE ROAD PROBABLY HAVE 10 TO $15,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE. SO WE’RE GOING TO GO TRY TO TALK TO THOSE NEIGHBORS A LITTLE BIT LATER ON. BUT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THE CITY OF MOUNT DORA CREWS WERE OUT HERE LOOKING AT THIS MORNING WERE THESE POWER LINES, BECAUSE THE POWER POLES ARE DOWN IN THE GROUND HERE, AND THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE STRUCTURALLY SOUND. ONE OF THE WORKERS SAID HE THOUGHT SO, BUT THEY WERE OUT HERE. IT’S PROBABLY BEEN ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO BECAUSE IT WAS STILL DARK AT THAT TIME. THEY ARE ALSO RIGHT NOW WORKING TO REPAIR A WATER MAIN BREAK, WHICH IS JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE HERE OF THIS BIG HOLE. SO RIGHT NOW, THE CITY OF MOUNT DORA, IF YOU LIVE HERE, YOU ARE UNDER A BOIL WATER. NOTICE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, SO WE’LL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE GET ANY UPDATES FROM THE CITY. RIGHT NOW WE ARE COVERING LAKE COUNTY, LIVE IN MOUNT DORA. LINDSAY SABLON, WESH TWO NEWS. ALL RIGHT, LINDSAY, AND WE WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, LAKE COUNTY SCHOOL OFFICIALS ARE CONFIRMING TO US HERE AT WESH TWO NEWS THAT CLASSES WILL GO ON A SCHEDULE TODAY. BUSSES ARE GOING TO BE OUT ON THOSE ROADS, BUT MAY HAVE SOME DELAYS. AND THE DISTRICT LEADERS ARE TELLING PARENTS IF THEIR KIDS CANNOT MAKE IT TO LAKE COUNTY SCHOOL SAFELY, THIS ABSENCE WILL BE EXCUSED. WE ARE LEARNING THAT BREVARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE ALSO IN CLASS TODAY, SIMILAR TO LAKE, THE DISTRICT SAYS IF YOU CANNOT GET YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DUE TO THE FLOODING, THEIR ABSENCE WILL BE EXCUSED. AND WHILE WE’RE TALKING, BREVARD COUNTY, MANY COMMUNITIES THERE ARE WAKING UP TO DAMAGE FROM FLOODING. AND THAT IN THAT SPOT, ESPECIALLY IN THE TITUSVILLE AREA. AND THAT’S WHERE WE FIND WESH TWO PAOLA TRISTAN ARUDA THIS MORNING. PAOLA, YOU’RE GETTING A CHANCE TO TALK TO PEOPLE THERE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA. YEAH, RIGHT NOW I’M IN THE SHERWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THIS WATER ALL AROUND ME. AGAIN, THIS IS SHERWOOD DRIVE NEAR POINCIANA AVENUE, AND NEIGHBORS ARE STARTING TO COME OUT THEIR DOORS TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. AFTER LAST NIGHT’S RAINFALL, A LOT OF THEM TELL ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. FOLKS. AGAIN, WALKING THROUGH, AND THEY’RE GROUPING UP, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY IF IT’S EVEN SAFE TO KIND OF CROSS WITH THEIR VEHICLES. AND I SPOKE TO ONE WOMAN WHO SAID THAT SHE HAS NEVER SEEN IT THIS BAD. AND LAST NIGHT’S RAINFALL WENT UP TO PEOPLE’S HOMES, THAT IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE IT WAS IN PEOPLE’S YARDS. IT WAS UP NEAR TREES. AND THEN IF WE CAN MOVE OVER TO THIS SIDE WHERE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF. WHERE THAT DIRT LINE IS, THAT’S WHERE KIND OF THE WATER PUSHED INTO. AND WE ACTUALLY DID SPEAK TO ONE PERSON IN A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE WERE IN EARLIER, HARRISON STREET, WHO TELLS ME THAT HE HAS NEVER SEEN IT THIS BAD BEFORE. THE RAIN WAS COMING FROM EVERY DIRECTION. WE GOT FLOODED PRETTY QUICK OUT HERE. I’VE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVER IN MY LIFE, SO IT WAS KIND OF A LITTLE SCARY FOR ME. AND AGAIN, THAT ROAD THAT WAS HARRISON STREET AND A PORTION OF IT WAS BLOCKED OFF. WE SAW ONE VEHICLE THAT WAS ACTUALLY STUCK IN THE WATER. ONE WOMAN WENT BY WITH A POLICE OFFICER TO TRY TO GET BACK INTO THAT VEHICLE, BUT SHE SAID THERE WAS WATER ALL INSIDE OF THE CAR. NOW BACK HERE ALONG SHERWOOD DRIVE, YOU CAN SEE WE’RE STILL SEEING PLENTY OF THAT WATER POOLING ALONGSIDE, EVEN NEAR THE SIDES OF THE ROADS. IT’S A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. YOU CAN SEE IT’S UP TO MY ANKLES IN SOME SPOTS. SO THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE’RE STILL SEEING A LOT OF WATER HERE ALONG THE ROADWAYS. NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE TALKING TO NEIGHBORS. AND WE’LL BRING YOU THE VERY LATEST COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR FOR NOW COVERING BREVARD COUNTY. LIVE IN TITUSVILLE, PAOLA TRISTAN ARUDA. WESH TWO NEWS. ALL RIGHT, PAOLA. AND REMEMBER OUR WESH TWO NEWS. FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM IS WORKING FOR YOU AROUND THE CLOCK. THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON CHANGES TO OUR FORECAST. AND YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WESH TWO MOBILE APP. ESPECIALLY TODAY BECAUSE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING DAY. AND MAKE SURE YOU TURN ON ALERTS SO THEY CAN P
19 inches of rain fell in part of Central Florida Sunday night | Photos, video
More than 19 inches of rain fell in Lake County on Sunday night, causing road closures and major flooding. At least one road was washed out, leaving a car flipped into the resulting hole. >> Flash flooding in Lake County prompts road closuresRain totals: Eustis – 19.70 inchesMount Dora – 17.86 inches Flooded streets in EustisPouring rain in nearby Apopka Road closures in Lake CountyLimit Avenue at Donnelly Street and Wolf Branch Road from Britt Road to Round Lake Road in Mount Dora experienced significant washouts following Sunday night’s flooding, a city and county spokesperson shared.Road closures at U.S. 441 at Wolf Branch Road were also reported, according to county officials.Meanwhile, in Eustis, Abrams Road at Orange Avenue and Waycross Avenue at Abrams Road are dealing with road closures.Why did Eustis get so much rain? Brevard CountyBrevard County also saw significant rain Sunday night, with totals of: Port St. John – 15.75 inchesTitusville – 14.67 inchesPort Canaveral – 14.42 inches
EUSTIS, Fla. —
More than 19 inches of rain fell in Lake County on Sunday night, causing road closures and major flooding.
At least one road was washed out, leaving a car flipped into the resulting hole.
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Pouring rain in nearby Apopka
Road closures in Lake County
Chopper 2
Several roads washed out after torrential rain in Lake County on Sunday
Limit Avenue at Donnelly Street and Wolf Branch Road from Britt Road to Round Lake Road in Mount Dora experienced significant washouts following Sunday night’s flooding, a city and county spokesperson shared.
Road closures at U.S. 441 at Wolf Branch Road were also reported, according to county officials.
Meanwhile, in Eustis, Abrams Road at Orange Avenue and Waycross Avenue at Abrams Road are dealing with road closures.
Why did Eustis get so much rain?
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Many folks asking why did we get so much rainfall last night. We had a slow moving warm front lifting nirthward, deep tropical moisture and a weak sterring flow that created the setup for this heavy rainfall event. Flood watches are up today as more heavy rain may fall. #weshwxpic.twitter.com/SM5D7PMFXD
