Charges dropped against couple after 3 children die in fire
An Indiana couple will no longer face neglect charges in the deaths of their three children during a fire in an apartment which had no gas, electricity or water service.
Lake County
Articles
Tightrope act: Judges balance social issues, impartiality
Scenes from protests have dominated television screens for months. People of all ages, sizes, races, genders and backgrounds have participated in events calling for an end to racial inequality. But how do judges fit into the mix?
In push for poll workers, lawyers are coveted recruits
Anticipating a shortage of poll workers on Election Day, the Indiana Supreme Court has joined the recruitment effort. Lawyers who serve on Nov. 3 will be able to claim up to one hour of continuing legal education credit for going through the training and report the time worked as pro bono hours.
AG Hill appeals ruling striking ‘abortion complications’ reporting statute
A district court ruling that struck down a Hoosier abortion law requiring the reporting of “abortion complications” has been appealed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced.
Police: Highland man’s 2005 death wasn’t homicide after all
Cindy Neizgoda couldn’t sleep ahead of a scheduled meeting with Highland police Aug. 5 to talk about her son’s case, which had been ruled a homicide 15 years earlier. The news she and her family received left them reeling.
Man, 19, arrested after standoff, caught after escaping hospital
A 19-year-old Lake Station man was arrested Friday by police in northwestern Indiana hours after he escaped from a hospital where he was taken following a standoff with officers, police said.
Reversal grants estate compelled arbitration in nursing home med-mal case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of an estate’s motion to compel arbitration against a nursing facility after concluding that the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act does not apply in the case.
COA reverses summary judgment denial in patient negligence, wrongful death suit
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of partial summary judgment in a wrongful death case brought by the estate of a woman killed while in the care of a professional health care group.
Applications open to succeed Lake Superior Judge Murray
Applications are now being accepted to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Lake County Superior Court bench.
Whiting mayor, wife enter pleas in $250K campaign fund fraud
The mayor of Whiting has pleaded guilty to wire- and tax-fraud charges related to allegations he and his wife used more than $250,000 in campaign funds for gambling, paying credit card debt and other personal expenses, then filed false or misleading campaign reports or tax returns.
25 years after son’s killing in East Chicago, mom seeks answers
William “Bill” Graber died after he was shot once in the chest Aug. 2, 1995, while hanging out with friends on a corner in the 800 block of West 149th Street in East Chicago — about a block away from the apartment he shared with his mother. Graber’s family didn’t know anyone who’d been murdered before he was killed, said his mother, Mary Katherine Laird. “We lost a son,” she said. “We lost our home.”
2 teens charged in slaying of Gary pizza delivery driver
Two teenage boys, one of whom already faced a murder charge, have been charged in the fatal shooting last fall of a pizza delivery driver in Gary.
Public defender report underscores need for additional resources
The Indiana Public Defender Commission last month released an analysis of caseloads in Indiana, showing disparities between actual and ideal workloads. That data has led public defense experts to one conclusion: there’s still work to be done to ensure indigent Hoosiers receive quality defense.
New Indiana COVID-19 cases top 1,000 again as testing surges
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,046 new COVID-19 case, the fifth time in the last eight days that new cases have exceeded 1,000.
Suspect in Wisconsin officer shooting arrested in Gary
A 29-year-old man suspected of shooting and wounding a Kenosha police officer last weekend is under arrest in Indiana, authorities said Wednesday.
State reports highest daily COVID-19 death toll in 2 months; cases top 75K
The Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 884 new COVID-19 cases, sending total cases in the state past 75,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. The state also reported 25 new deaths due to COVID-19, the highest number of deaths in a daily report since June 11.
Meeting tenants’ legal needs in looming eviction cases could cost billions
As Indiana’s moratorium on evictions is set to end in a week, legal aid providers are estimating the national price tag for helping tenants facing the prospect of losing their places to live will top $2.5 billion.
Ex-Lake County Sheriff Buncich resentenced for bribery, fraud
A former northwestern Indiana sheriff has been resentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for accepting bribes from towing businesses. The sentence is about three years less than long-serving former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich received after he was convicted in a 2017 public corruption case.
Indiana reports another daily high in COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,051 new COVID-19 cases, an all-time daily high.
Indiana’s death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 2,800
The Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 740 new COVID-19 cases, the ninth time in the past 10 days that new cases have exceeded 600.