Indiana governor closes restaurants, bars to dine-in customers

Indiana restaurants, bars and nightclubs are being required to close to dine-in customers through the month of March, according to one of several new directives from Governor Eric Holcomb.

Those restaurants may provide take-out and delivery services.

From the Office of Governor Eric J. Holcomb:
In a continuing effort to slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Governor Eric J. Holcomb has announced additional efforts.

The governor and other state officials will conduct a COVID-19 briefing today at 2:30 p.m. in the south atrium of the Indiana Statehouse with the latest updates on testing and cases.

Here are additional directives from Governor Holcomb.

• Indiana will adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for large events and mass gatherings. The guidance recommends no in-person events of more than 50 people. Here is a link to the guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html

• Under the current guidance for schools, 273 public school districts are closed, using e-learning days, or on spring break and have announced a future closure. The Department of Education is working with the remaining 16 school corporations to determine their next steps and needs

• Bars, nightclubs and restaurants are required to close to in-person patrons and may provide take-out and delivery services through the end of March

• Hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers should cancel and/or postpone elective and non-urgent surgical procedures immediately. This action will help the healthcare system conserve resources and personnel necessary to meet emerging health needs

o Physicians should continue to perform critical procedures necessary to prevent short-term and/or long-term adverse effects to their patients’ overall health

• The state’s Emergency Operations Center has been raised to a Level 1 status and will work in conjunction with the incident command center at the Indiana State Department of Health for planning, coordination, predictive analysis and other functions

• State employees will maximize the use of remote work and meet virtually whenever possible while maintaining operations. Non-essential in-person meetings will be limited to 10 persons or less and should meet virtually whenever possible. High-risk individuals should not attend meetings in person.

• State employees over the age of 60 with underlying health conditions are advised to work from home, and agencies should identify work that can be accomplished remotely for those individuals

• The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, which are closed on Mondays, will close to the public beginning Tuesday

• The visitors center at White River State Park will close

• Indiana state parks and recreation centers, including state park inns, remain open. Restaurants will convert operations to take-out and delivery

• State agencies already are developing remote work plans for employees and will continue to implement them while maintaining necessary state services. Employees who work outdoors are encouraged to practice social distancing

• The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has suspended rules requiring certain unemployment insurance claimants to physically appear at a Work One location to engage in reemployment services for the next four weeks. This will ensure that individuals who may be symptomatic do not have to physically appear to continue their unemployment insurance eligibility.

o The DWD will also request flexibility under federal and state law to expand eligibility for claimants and ease burdens on employers.

• The Indiana Economic Development Corporation will postpone the inaugural Indiana Global Economic Summit, scheduled for April 26-28

• Communities are encouraged to work together to provide child care options for all who need assistance and delivery services of meals and other necessities for senior citizens

• Hoosiers who can donate blood are encouraged to visit local blood centers. Blood supplies are low. Please follow the guidance at www.redcross.org

More information may be found at the ISDH website at https://on.in.gov/COVID19 and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Fireworks

With the July 4th holiday fast approaching, Hebron residents are reminded of the town’s ordinance regarding fireworks usage within town limits. Due to recent concerns this ordinance will be strictly enforced by the Hebron Police Department without exception.

Ordinance 18-34(e) Time of use. A person may utilize consumer fireworks on the following specific days and no other, without a special permit as follows:

·    Between 5:00 p.m. and two hours after sunset on June 29, June 30, July 1, July 2, July 3, July 5, July 6, July 7, July 8, and July 9

·         Between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on July 4; and

·         Between the hours of 10:00 a.m. on December 31 and 1:00 a.m. on January 1.

Please note that this applies to consumer grade fireworks only. Display grade or “special” fireworks are strictly regulated by Indiana State code. Use or possession of Display grade or “special” fireworks without a permit may constitute a crime.

Please visit the Indiana Department of Homeland Security website for addition information on Indiana State laws concerning fireworks.

 http://www.in.gov/dhs/files/Fireworks_Safety.pdf 

Fireworks Safety Tips

• Never let children handle, play with or light any fireworks.

• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place away from the reach of children.

• Always purchase your fireworks from reliable, licensed fireworks dealers.

• Use in a clear, open area. Keep audience a safe distance away from the shooting site.

• Safety glasses are recommended for those individuals lighting the fireworks or those in close proximity to the fireworks.

• Do not alter any fireworks device or make your own fireworks.

• Light only one firework at a time.

• Never attempt to re-light, alter or fix any "dud" firework item.

• Have a fire extinguisher, water supply, hose or bucket of water nearby.

• Be cautious of lighting any fireworks during strong wind conditions and light fireworks with prevailing wind blowing away from spectators.

• Do not use alcohol with fireworks.

• Never aim, point or throw fireworks at another person.

• Use fireworks outdoors, never indoors.

Porter County School Officials: Time To Snuff Out Juuling

The days of easily catching students smoking at school by picking up on the scent or sight of smoke are pretty much over.

Vaping, and an even newer variation called Juuling, now make it much tougher for school officials to catch on to students ingesting nicotine, marijuana or other drugs, even when it's occurring right in the building, according to Michael Wagner, director of toxicology at Witham Toxicology Laboratory in Lebanon, Indiana.

There is also an enhanced threat to students in that these sleek e-cigarettes are marketed with young people in mind and deliver the desired drug to their still-developing minds with much more intensity than traditional forms of smoking, he said.

"It could turn into another type of epidemic," Wagner said.

Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds and members of the county's safe schools commission are attempting to get ahead of the problem.

"We need to inform the public, primarily parents, what is going on regarding the Juuling throughout the county," Reynolds said. "Also we need to inform the students, with Dr. Wagner, (about) the negative physical effects of Juuling."

Police are responding to the problem by training their dogs to notify handlers when they pick up on the scent of THC (marijuana) oils, known as dabs, which are used in the vaping and Juuling process, he said.

Reynolds said he met Wagner at this past summer's statewide opioid summit and struck up the conversation about about Juuling.

Wagner, who is helping to present a drug awareness program at Lebanon High School, said Juuling is a little different than vaping in that the device used appears very similar to a USB flash drive, but is a little longer. This can make it tough for school officials to immediately notice it and be aware something is up in the classroom.

Like vaping, Juuling works with a heated coil that combusts the oil for inhalation, he said. There is far less smell or visible output than traditional cigarettes that rely on burning plant matter.

At the same time, the oils and solutions used by these vaping devices are far more concentrated with nicotine, THC or other drugs, Wagner said. This poses a greater threat of addiction or other problems, particularly among young people, whose brains are still developing.

Young people also are more vulnerable because these vaping and Juuling products are marketed directly to them with the sleek designs of the vaping devices and candy-flavored versions of the vaping solutions and oils, he said.

While traditional smoking has built-in deterrents such as coughing and other initial health ailments, the same is not as true with vaping and Juuling, Wagner said.

Reynolds said he would like to see Wagner talk to students in the county about these threats. There also is talk about the possibility of implementing random drug testing in the schools.

Porter County Police Team Up To Crack Down On Motorists Violating School Bus Laws

VALPARAISO — The Porter County Sheriff's Department is teaming up with police in Valparaiso, Chesterton and Hebron in a shared effort to crack down on motorists putting students on school buses at risk.

If a bus driver or aid witness a driving violation by another motorist, they will record the license plate number and vehicle description, which will be provided to the school resources officer to investigate, according Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds.

If the information proves credible, citations will be issues or charges filed, he said.

"By the officer listing the driver as a truthful and credible witness, the law puts the burden of proof on the registered owner (of the vehicle) to prove it was not them driving the vehicle if charges are filed," Reynolds said.

"If there proves to be a need, we will then place officers on those buses," he said. "If a violation is then observed, the officer will have the ability to relay the information in real time to the patrol units working that area to stop the driver(s) and issue citations."

"If we find there to be one violation a day in Porter County, that is one too many," Reynolds said.

The effort mirrors the Stop Arm Violation Campaign used by the Hobart Police Department.

Please be mindful of our children as they board and depart school buses. Additional police presence will be in and around our schools, particularly during arrival and dismissal times.

Hebron Police Department has adopted a no tolerance policy when dealing with stop arm violations or school zone traffic violations.

Drunken drivers kill people in Northwest Indiana at higher rate than state

Region authorities are struggling to get ahead of drunken drivers who are causing a higher percentage of fatal road crashes in Northwest Indiana than the rest of the state and nation.

It's not a race police, prosecutors, judges and mental health officials are winning, a Times investigation of fatal road crashes in the Region shows.

From 2010 to 2014, drunken driving was linked to 35.1 percent of the deadly crashes in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, compared to 27.9 percent nationally and 25.1 percent statewide, according to a Times computer-assisted probe of federal road fatality data.

LaPorte County had the highest percentage of fatal accidents linked to drunken driving in that time span, at 39.2 percent, followed by Lake County at 35.5 percent and Porter County at 29.5 percent.

Why Northwest Indiana?

In the five-year period The Times analyzed, 140 people were killed in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in drunken driving-related wrecks.

So what Region circumstances could be leading to these tragedies?

Region health and public safety experts said some answers may come from the data pertaining to drinking behavior — and the way we seek to treat those behaviors.

In 2016, the percentage of adults reporting binge or heavy drinking in Northwest Indiana was 17 percent in Lake County, 20 percent in Porter County and 19 percent in LaPorte County, according to data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The state average was 19 percent, while the top 10th of counties in the entire country averaged 13 percent.

But Bob Krumwied, president and CEO of Merrillville-based Regional Mental Health Center, said with all the focus on the opioid epidemic, alcohol abuse often is overlooked. He estimated that about two-thirds of the people his agency treats for drug addiction also suffer from alcoholism.

A 2017 study in the journal "Psychiatry" found alcohol use in the United States rose significantly between 2002 and 2013, with the researchers deeming it a "public health crisis."

Help with substance abuse can sometimes be difficult to access in the Region and state as a whole. Indiana ranks ninth-worst for the number of adults who need but don't receive treatment, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Krumwied said there's a greater lack of treatment for adolescents.

As for why there are so many fatal accidents related to alcohol, Krumwied said, "Part of it's just the area we live in and just the high congestion and the two interstates. It's a terrible place to be if you're not an intoxicated driver. It's a death trap if you are one."

"Really it's because of the roads we have and the amount of traffic that goes through our three counties," Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds agreed. "(Interstate) 94 is one of the busiest roads in the country, and it goes through our three counties."

Lt. Steven Trajkovich, head of traffic investigations for the Lake County sheriff's office, also believes the heavy traffic in Northwest Indiana plays a role, as does the weather.

"You can have one day where it's sunny and beautiful, and the next day you have a rainstorm or ice storm. People aren't prepared for that," he said. "When you mix bad weather with drunk driving, obviously that's not a good combination."

However, the Region's fatal accident data don't show weather to be a main factor.

Of the 131 drunken-driving-related fatal crashes, 97 accidents, or 74 percent, occurred on clear days with clean roads, The Times probe shows.

Of the remaining crashes, 21 occurred on cloudy days, eight on rainy days, four during sleet, snow or hail and one during fog.

Trajkovich also said Region police agencies put less of an emphasis on enforcing drunken driving laws, pursuing grants less aggressively than their counterparts in other parts of the state, namely central and southern Indiana.

"Up here, they're more focused on the drugs and the guns, and traffic crimes kind of take a backseat to those in Northwest Indiana. They think those (other) crimes are sexier," he said.

Continue reading on NWI Times

Scott McKee was a great family man, father and husband

HEBRON — Family and friends remember Scott McKee as a great guy and a family man, supportive of his wife and three children.

McKee, 37, died Saturday of massive blunt force trauma at the scene of a neighborhood party in the town's Brookwood subdivision. Authorities said he placed a fireworks mortar into the tube when it exploded prematurely, and it struck him in the head.

A second man, who was standing near McKee and was seriously injured, was airlifted to a Chicago hospital, police said.

Lisa Caccavale, a friend of the McKee family, especially McKee's wife Stephanie, said he supported his wife's passion for running.

"She joined the Calumet Striders about three years ago and really enjoyed running," Caccavale said. "He would come to the events and bring the kids to watch her run. They'd be standing at the end of the race so they could cheer their mom on.

"We are all really sad about what happened to Scott. They live in a very family-oriented neighborhood. The neighbors often get together and hang out with their kids. There are several children in the neighborhood, and hanging out with their kids and the other families is pretty normal for them," Caccavale said.

She also said McKee worked hard. McKee worked at Methodist Hospital as a systems administrator, and before that he was a former programmer at Netnitco.

"Scott was a very hardworking man, and he supported his family in every way," she said. "Stephanie works part time at the Southlake YMCA. He was a great father to their kids. Their kids are adorable, and the oldest girl is getting into running. Stephanie also began coaching a Girls on the Run team."

Methodist Hospital spokeswoman Evelyn Morrison said the thoughts and prayers of the Methodist Hospital staff go out to his family. "Methodist Hospital is praying for his family," she said.

Hebron schools Superintendent Nate Kleefisch said all three McKee children — two girls and a boy — attend Hebron Elementary School.

"It's a sad event," Kleefisch said. "My heart goes out to the family. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. Hebron is a small community, and this incident has touched everyone. We're going to let the family have some quiet time before we reach out to them for any assistance they may need.

"There were several other neighborhood children out there who witnessed this tragedy. When school begins, we plan to have counselors at the schools to talk to the children. That's the great thing about the Hebron community; when something like this happens, we all pull together. It doesn't make it any better, but it lets the family know that we care," Kleefisch said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family, and can be reached at gofundme.com/stephanie-mckee. As of 6:15 p.m. Monday, the page had raised $18,197 of a $25,000 goal. Friends also set up a meal train for the family where people offer to make meals to save Stephanie McKee from having to deal with that responsibility during this difficult time. 

Police: Traffic stop in Hebron yields 115 grams of meth, three firearms

HEBRON — Police say they found 115 grams of meth and three firearms after a traffic stop Friday.

At around 11:15 p.m., officers pulled over a 1997 Mercedes in the parking lot of Casey's General Store, 215 N. Main St., for failure to signal a turn and almost striking an unmarked cop car.

Officers said they detected an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and later located 115 grams of crystal meth, as well as cocaine and marijuana, inside the car. They also reported finding three loaded firearms and a large sum of cash in the passenger compartment. None of the occupants had a valid firearms permit.

The vehicle was also found to have a fake license plate, police said.

Crystal Scott, 26, of Mishawaka, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and carrying a handgun without a permit. Shaquille Quentin-Onell Delaney, 27, of Niles, Michigan, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and carrying a handgun without a permit.

The Kouts Police Department assisted.

Police: 2 arrested, 1 tased during alleged drunken driving traffic stop in Hebron

HEBRON — Police said they had to use a Taser to subdue a Crown Point woman who was pulled over Saturday night for alleged drunken driving. 

Taylor A. Thomas, 22, faces charges of operating while under the influence, resisting law enforcement and reckless driving, according to a news release from the Hebron Police Department. 

Police say Thomas was observed speeding and crossing the center line at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday near 100 S. 725 West in Hebron just east of the Lake of the Four Seasons subdivision.

When police attempted to pull her over, Thomas allegedly pulled into a parking lot and tried to turn around, but the officer blocked her from exiting with his squad car, a police report states. 

Backup was requested as Thomas' passenger, Zakary R. Torkelson, 24, of Hebron, tried to run from police. He was arrested for resisting law enforcement and public intoxication, records show. 

Taylor allegedly exited her car and "became combative with officers," prompting officers to deploy a taser until she was subdued, the police report states. 

Both were arrested and taken to the Porter County Jail.