A customer at an Indiana diner leaves her waitress a nearly 450-dollar tip. CeCe Bruce fits in her full-time job at the Steak n-Shake in north Indianapolis alongside her studies, thought there had to be a mistake when she saw the total sale written on the $5.97 bill. The generous customer known as Miss Jo, who regularly enjoys a breakfast on Wednesdays at the diner, had watched while Bruce waited on her table, as well as a table of four.
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Read more: $450 Tip for Indiana Waitress

(Photo Courtesy of the Cook County Sheriff's Office)
A stop for a traffic violation Tuesday in Harvey, Illinois, led to the recovery of a loaded handgun and the arrest of a 20 year old Sauk Village man. The Cook County Sheriff's Office says they discovered the loaded handgun under the front passenger seat of the vehicle while taking inventory, after officers learned the car's driver had a revoked driver's license. The Sheriff's Office says the gun belonged to one of the three passengers in the vehicle, who did not have a Firearm Owner's Identification, or FOID, card. Sheriff Tom Dart says in the last three months the department's Gun Suppression Team, formed to remove guns from those who possess them illegally and confiscate revoked FOID cards from those who are no longer allowed to have them, have recovered 98 guns, 113 revoked FOID cards, and have resolved 74 FOID cases. The Sheriff says in Cook County alone, nearly four-thousand revoked FOID card holders have not returned their FOID cards to Illinois State Police.
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Read more: Loaded Gun Found During Harvey Traffic Stop

(Photos Courtesy of the Times)

The Portage Police Department today released two surveillance photos showing two people suspected in a purse theft from a vehicle on May 7^th. The Times reports the photos were taken at a Hobart store on May 8^th, and also shows the vehicle they were driving. According to the article, a purse was taken from a vehicle in the 61-hundred block of Robbins Road and the woman in photo allegedly used the victim's credit and debit cards at the Hobart store where the photo was taken. Police say the vehicle appears to be a late 1990's model Ford or Toyota. Anyone with information is asked to contact Portage Police.
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Read more: Portage PD Seek Help to ID Purse Theft Suspects

The Indiana Farm Bureau today applauded the House Agriculture Committee's approval of the 2013 farm bill Wednesday night. According to a release, the Farm Bureau says they are optimistic that approvals now from both the House and Senate Ag Committee will lead to the passage of a long-term farm bill yet this year. The Farm Bureau says the proposed legislation in both cases provides Hoosier farmers with what they need most: risk management tools that are built around crop insurance, and thanked U-S Senator Joe Donnelly for his work on the Senate Ag Committee in moving its version of a five-year farm bill forward.
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Read more: IN Farm Bureau Optimistic for Long-term Farm Bill in 2013

A man who allegedly pointed a gun at officers in the Village of Riverdale, Illinois, on Wednesday was shot by officers. According to a release, Riverdale Police observed a rather large group of people at the corner of School and 142^nd Street, around 3pm. Several people then ran from that location, one of which was holding a gun, who reportedly pointed it at police, who shot him. The victim was hospitalized and an investigation is being conducted by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and Illinois State Police.
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Read more: Man Shot by Riverdale Cops After Pointing Gun at Them

The Lt. Governor will be in the region tomorrow, the second time this month. Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann is scheduled to meet with elected officials and local business leaders at the Hoosier Bat Company in Valparaiso tomorrow afternoon, at 3pm, to discuss her day of activities in Porter County as part of her “Listen and Learn” tour. Ellspermann visited Lake County on May 3^rd, for a roundtable meeting with county business leaders and business owners at Merrillville's Albanese Confectionery, in an attempt to understand the needs and concerns of local economic development. Ellspermann says the tour, with stops in all 92 counties, is an opportunity for the Governor's Office and local government and economic-development teams to get on the same page.
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Read more: Lt. Governor Ellspermann to Visit Porter County Tomorrow

Today's released jobs report for Illinois shows a slight drop in unemployment for April. The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports the April rate came in at nine-point-three percent, down from nine-point-five in March, but still above the seven-point-five percent national average. Meghan Lockhart, Public Relations Manager for Robert Half International, contributes the dip to growth in professional and business services, education, and health services, as well as trade, transportation and utilities.
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Read more: Illinois April Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.3%

Porter County, Indiana – The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County will help Porter County residents with their spring cleaning by providing a One Stop
Drop collection event that will accept old and unwanted appliances, electronics, tires and household hazardous waste.

The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Porter County Expo Center/Fair Grounds, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso.  Restrictions or fees may apply. For more information, call the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County, 465-3694, or visit www.ItMeansTheWorld.org to
 learn more.

The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission will be at the event to present new environmentally friendly 2.5-gallon gas cans to residents who bring their old gas cans in for disposal at the collection. Limit one new gas can per vehicle/family, while supplies last.

The One Stop Drop is an opportunity for residents to properly discard materials that are harmful to the environment. Appliances accepted include refrigerators, stoves, dish and clothes washers, dryers, water heaters, air conditioners, freezers, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, furnaces, and just about anything metal. Water softener holding tanks will not be accepted.

Not only do old appliances contain hazardous components, including used oil, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury, they are much less energy-efficient.  Additionally, the refrigerant used in refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, water coolers and air conditioners is extremely harmful to the environment and must be extracted safely.

Many companies certified to remove refrigerants from appliances often charge for the removal of this toxic substance, leaving residents to dispose of the remaining appliances. Once old appliances are brought to the One Stop Drop, the refrigerant is extracted and properly discarded. The appliances will ultimately be taken apart and recycled.

According to Indiana law, households can no longer mix unwanted computer monitors, computers, televisions, printers, computer peripherals (such as keyboards and mice),
DVD players, video cassette recorders, or fax machines with trash that is intended for disposal at a landfill or intended for disposal by burning or incineration.

Electronics can contain lead and other toxic materials that pose serious threats to human health. Porter County residents can bring their old electronic devices to the May 18 event for safe disposal. Accepted items include anything with electrical cords or run by batteries.

Porter County residents also can drop off electronics at the Valparaiso and Boone Grove compost sites any time during their hours of operation. Additionally, Porter County residents can drop off their electronics at the following locations: Portage Street Department: 2302 Hamstrom Road, 762-4564; Valparaiso Public Works: 406 Don Hovey Drive, 462-4612; Porter Street Department: 550 Beam Street, 926-2771.   Residents should call the departments to determine hours of operation. Visit www.ItMeansTheWorld.org for more information, or call 465-3694.

Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients are considered to be “household hazardous waste” or “HHW,” and require special care when they are discarded.

Improper disposal of household hazardous wastes can include pouring them down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers, or in some cases putting them out with the trash, which can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health.

HHW items accepted at One Stop Drop include aerosols; anti-freeze; oil; batteries (household and automotive); corrosives; mercury containing products (fluorescent tubes, CFLs, thermometers, thermostats, etc.); oil-based paint, thinners and solvents; pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and other poisons; diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, other flammable liquids; ammunition and expired medications.

Explosives, commercial hazardous waste and radioactive materials (like smoke detectors) will not be accepted. Old smoke detectors should be sent back to the manufacturers for recycling. Though latex paint is not considered household hazardous waste, it will be accepted at the collection thanks to the district’s intergovernmental agreement with the City of Hobart for paint recycling.

Approximately 300 million used automobile and truck tires are discarded by Americans annually. At landfills, tires take up large amounts of space and have been known to damage landfill linings. Around town, discarded tires become prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents that carry diseases such as West Nile virus and encephalitis.

Tire storage piles pose fire hazards that are extremely difficult to extinguish.  Burning tires release toxic gases into the air and leave behind a hazardous oily residue that pollutes streams and ground water. Once recycled, the rubber in tires can be used for paving material, fuel, mulch, floor mats, drain pipes, and more!

Porter County residents can dispose of their first four tires up to 20 inches for free at the One Stop Drop. The disposal fee for each additional tire up to 20 inches is $3. Residents can dispose of tires from 20 to 25 inches for $5 each, and tires over 25 inches for $15 each.
The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Porter County Expo Center/Fair Grounds, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso.  Restrictions or fees may apply. For more information, call the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County, 465-3694, or visit www.ItMeansTheWorld.org to  learn more.
Hear more about Saturday's event at News Audio On Demand at:  http://www.regionnewsteam.com 

(Photo Courtesy of the Recycling & Waste Reduction Dist of Porter County)
The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County is a government agency dedicated to improving the environment and quality of life for Porter County residents by providing convenient, voluntary waste reduction services. Visit www.ItMeansTheWorld.org for more information or call 465-3694.
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Read more: Unwanted Appliance, Electronics, Tires, Drop Off on Sat.

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana State Department of Health has named Gayla Hutsell Guignard as the director for the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, set to open July 1, 2013. She currently works as a contractor for the State Health Department as the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program Director.
“We are very pleased and excited to have Ms. Guignard as the director for the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education,” said State Health Commissioner William VanNess, M.D. “Her extensive experience, education and proven track record of success make her the ideal choice to lead the Center. Of course, the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education would not be opening if it were not for the coordinated efforts of many people and organizations. I would like to thank Senator Pete Miller, former Representative Cindy Noe and Secretary Connie Lawson for working to establish the Center, as well as each member of the transition team for providing expertise and guidance.”
Ms.Guignard has a Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech Sciences from Purdue University and Masters Degrees in both Audiology and Speech Language Pathology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She has 13 years of experience as an instructor of speech-language pathology, audiology and deaf education at UT-Knoxville and served for nearly four years as the Chief Programs Director for the Alexander Graham Bell Association for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Washington, D. C. She has worked as a contractor for the Indiana State Department of Health for the past five years. Over the course of her career, she has served on numerous related national-level committees.
“I am truly honored to accept the position as the director of the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education,” said Gayla Hutsell Guignard. “Every child is a unique being whose own life and that of his or her family is impacted in various ways because of being deaf or hard of hearing. I am dedicated to ensuring that families receive clear, comprehensive information about all options available to them and that schools around the state receive the support they need to best educate deaf and hard of hearing students.”
The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education was established in 2012 by House Enrolled Act 1367 and will be housed within the Indiana State Department of Health. The Center’s central office will be located on the campus of the Indiana School for the Deaf in Indianapolis. The Center will also have a presence across the state through the establishment of regional locations.  
 
The Center will be responsible for the educational needs of all deaf and hard of hearing children in the state, including:
·         tracking and monitoring individual child progress from birth through school exit
·         coordination with the various state agencies involved in providing services to deaf and hard of hearing children
·         training and support for both professionals and parents/guardians about all communication options
·         assessment services and support of schools in meeting the needs of the children in their districts
 
The State Health Department will be forming a committee of stakeholders to provide guidance as the Center is created.
Each year, approximately 225 to 250 babies are born with hearing loss in Indiana; more than 90 percent of those children are born to hearing parents. The Center will act as an unbiased resource for parents/guardians to educate them about their child’s language options, including American Sign Language, Listening and Spoken Language, Signed English, Cued Speech and combinations of these options to assist families in meeting their child’s individual needs.
For more information about the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, visit www.IN.gov/omb.
To visit the Indiana State Department of Health’s website, go to www.StateHealth.in.gov.
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Read more: Dir of Center for Deaf Hard of Hearing Education Named

Eastbound South Shore Train 9 is running 15-20 minutes late due to mechanical problems.
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Read more: EB S Shore Train 9 Running 15-20 Minutes Late