The Times from Munster, Indiana • 3

f1 Story tip or comment? Contact West Lake Editor Sharon Ross at 219.852.4328 or srossnwitimes.com More local news, A7 '1 localnews.nwitimes.com HG FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3 2006 PAGE A3 MR nn Jl lrl jvlI La Feds: Woman accused of bilking Gary Housing Authority found in Georgia fell Ell in Hammond. "Justice finally caught up with her," outgoing Gary Housing Authority attorney Logan-Tinae Thomas said. See ARREST, A4 BY JOE CARLSON jcarlsoninwitimes.com 219662.533? Nearly two weeks after she was indicted, a former Gary Housing Authority financial manager accused housing agency for seniors and low-income residents. Officials at the Dougherty County Jail, where she was expected to be held, could not confirm her arrest, which was reported by an official in the U.S. attorney's office of embezzling more than $100,000 was arrested Thursday in Georgia.

Federal agents have been searching for Patricia A. Bobo, 59, since she was indicted Oct. 23 on two counts of embezzlement and two counts of tax evasion from Gary's Jo -laeimmsim "vnsTT" itsmr, Police increase Hessville patrols i JOHN J. WATKINS PHOTOS THE TIMES Purdue University Calumet students Anthony Moody, left, and Krystal Kadar, right, trade barbs, while Gavin lllsley and Fraser Campbell, of Great Britain, take notes. The British National Debate Team visited Purdue Calumet in Hammond on Thursday.

Purdue Calumet professor William Robinson was the moderator. mark kiesling times columnist Get your wings off my pierogi Is it not enough that the people of Buffalo have their hot wings? Must those food fiends now lay claim to our sacred pierogi as well? Mrs. T's, a national distributor of admittedly rather tasty pierogi of varying ingredients, has just awarded the New York town its prestigious "Capital of the Pierogy (its spelling) Pock- et" award, and I say prestigious because the award carries with it a check for $10,000. If you are thinking what I am thinking, with all respect to Buffalo, the people at Mrs. T's must have had their heads in their dupas to pass over Whiting, the Little City By The Lake of Butter, which has since 1994 hosted Pierogi Fest.

As an aside, I am not going to translate terms like "piero- gi" or "dupa" to you. You either know it, you may ask your neighbor or you may turn to the crossword puzzle. Pierogi Fest grew from a street festival to a blowout that attracts thousands of people and clogs 119th Street like kiel-basa clogs an artery. Despite international praise lavished on Whiting's silly but oh-so-successful Pierogi Fest, the sponsors of the Mrs. T's contest narrowed their finalists to Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; Lancaster, and Garfield, N.J., in addition to Buffalo.

I'll give you Pittsburgh, and I'll give you Detroit or Cleveland, which aren't even on the list. But Lancaster? There are a lot of great things done with noodles in Amish country, but pierogi aren't one of them. Mrs. T's said Buffalo demonstrated its passion for pierogi with its Aug. 25 "Pierogi Pride Day," which included a pierog cook-off and a pierog toss, culminating in a proclamation by Mayor Byron Brown.

Leaving aside the question of whether a man prosaically named Byron Brown can preside over a legitimate pierogi festival, the only thing that should be tossed with a pierog is an ice-cold Miller High Life. Mrs. T's defines its geographic "pierogy pocket" as "the Northeast and parts of the Midwest throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and parts of New York, southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic." If this was a game of battleship, pierogi would have landed on all sides of Indiana except Kentucky, where they stick to making bourbon. Not one direct hit. It's possible Whiting did not enter the contest, in which cities and towns were invited to participate.

I tried getting hold of Whiting's mistress of the pierogi, Gayle Faulkner Kosalko of the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, but she may have been home making kiszka, kapusta or kolacky when I called. Look, I already told you I am not going to translate this column for you. Ask somebody. The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markknwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170.

Grea ebate BY STEVE ZABROSKI JJmesJoxrespondjnt HAMMOND Hessville patrols by marked squad cars have been increased in the wake of a recent string of carjackings, and police are asking residents to be vigilant. "Anyone seeing anything suspicious should call 911 immediately," Police Chief Brian Miller said. "The primary responsibility of the added patrols is responding to these calls." Police have logged five incidents of carjacking or attempted carjacking on 165th Street since Sept. 20. One victim was severely beaten, and another was shot.

Police are investigating the cases as if they're related, Miller said. Descriptions of the assailants have been consistent: two or three black males in their late teens or early 20s wearing hooded sweatshirts and driving a dark-colored, four-door vehicle with a loud muffler. "Multiple detectives are working on these cases," Miller said, "And the additional assigned units in Hessville will remain there until the perpetrators are caught." Most of the thefts involve late-model vehicles, with some evidence that they have been "cased" in advance, Miller said. The police chief recommended residents be aware when driving if they are being followed. "If you think someone may be following you, make three consecutive right-hand turns.

If the same car is still behind you, call police on your cell phone," Miller said. If confronted by a possible car-jacker, Miller said people should give up their keys, as those victims injured in the recent attacks were those who resisted or fought. Anyone with information about the Hessville carjackings is asked to call the Detective Bureau at (219) 852-2906 and remain anonymous. British National team visits Purdue Cal to help debate students master their craft i British debate team member Gavin lllsley takes notes as his teammate Fraser Campbell talks. 7 -i 1 fsl British team member Fraser Campbell makes a point.

Briar Ridge asks Dyer for help with police patrols processed the crime scene and FBI officials recently joined local law enforcement in the investigation. Enslen said Briar Ridge is willing to pay for officers' time, and to reimburse Dyer for use of its patrol cars. A number of details would have to be worked out first, he said, particularly in terms of paying officers. police dogs to search the area. Briar Ridge is partly in Schererville and partly in Dyer.

The woman told police that a male abruptly entered her home through an unlocked service door. He raped her and stole an unknown amount of cash from her home, police said. Lake County's crime lab day night to ask about Dyer police officers doing patrols in the gated community. Briar Ridge, a private community, has its own security force. But when police received a call Oct.

18 reporting a home invasion and sexual assault in the 1400 block of Prestwick Drive, Schererville officers responded and Dyer used BY MARY WILDS Times Correspondent DYER Briar Ridge is looking to bolster its security and has asked for Dyer's help. A representative of the Briar Ridge Homeowners Association approached Town Attorney Bill Enslen at a study session Wednes imm im MA.