The Times from Munster, Indiana • 2

I Times THIS The Friday March 14. 1986 si A-3 Police process stolen vehicles Region briefly Times photo by John J. Watkint By THOMAS FLN'N Times Staff Writer HAMMOND FBI agents and Hammond police today continued the process of identifying 27 stolen vehicles seized Thursday from a Calumet Township home and a Lake Station body shop. Acting on information developed during a year-long investigation, authorities raided a garage at 3455 W. 45th the home of Norwood (Nordie) Fitzgerald, and Fitz Body Shop, owned by Fitzgerald, on Liverpool Road.

They took mostly cars, a few pick-up trucks and some vehicle parts, but made no arrests pending further investigation of what appears to be a major car theft operation, according to Michael Kahoe, head of Gary's FBI office. U.S. Attorney James Richmond said he expected "eight to 10" persons to be indicted by a federal grand jury as a result of the raids. Richmond declined to say when those indictments would be returned. The vehicles that were seized were among 40 for which warrants were obtained.

They were taken to the Hammond Police Department garage for storage until they can be identified and returned to their owners or insurance companies. Kahoe said the identification process "may take some time" because some of the cars were rebuilt while others were "retagged," which means their vehicle identification numbers were removed and phony VINs placed in their dashboards. Many of the cars were "owner giveups," in which the cars were reported stolen by their owners to defraud their insurance Cops get By ANDREA HOLECEK and CURTIS VOSTI Times Staff Writers CHICAGO Four Sauk Village police officers convicted of beating a prisoner were sentenced Thursday to jail terms ranging from two weeks to one year and a day. U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Aspen also sentenced Sgt.

Gerald Poppers, former Sgt.Timothy Crose and officers Kurt Madsen and Gary Ridge each to five years probation and community service work for the brutal Jan. 28, 1983 beating of Gregory David Moore while in custody at the Sauk Village police station. In November, a federal court jury found the policemen guilty of conspiracy to deprive Moore of his civil rights. Poppers, Hammond Assistant Chief Richard Yanek, Chief James Bobowski companies, he said. Chicago area.

He was acquitted of a con- Fitzgerald, 26, formerly of Hammond, spiracy charge Nov. 16 when a U.S. was among eight persons indicted in April District Court jury in South Bend was for alleged involvement in a car theft ring unable to reach a verdict and prosecutors that operated in northern Indiana and the decided not to retry him. to 1 year in beating Incinerator firm waging tough Indiana WHITING The Robertsdale Women's Democratic Club will have a chicken dinner April 17. Dinner will be served from A to 8 p.m.

at the American Legion Post No. 80, 2003 Indianapolis Blvd. MERRILLVILLE The Lake County Poetry Club will open their 1986 season at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the reference library in AAerrillville. Lake County residents with an interest in poetry are encouraged to share an afternoon with some of the area's poets.

HAMMOND The office of North Township Trustee Horace Mamala will sponsor a senior citizens luncheon at noon, April 23, at the Wicker Park Social Center. Only senior citizens with even numbers are invited to attend. Reservations must be called in from April 7 through 11. Illinois SOUTH HOLLAND The Madison School Parent Teacher Association will hold a fun fair from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Saturday at the school, 1144 E. 170th St. The event will include games, a boutique, sale of used items, prizes, food and a coffee shop. SOUTH HOLLAND The South Suburban Chiselers Wood-carving group will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Thornton Township Hall, 333 E.

162nd St. Displays and carving techniques will be demonstrated. Region GARY A children's pre-surgical tour of the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus takes place Saturday. The tour begins at 2 p.m. Children who are 14 years old and younger, who are anticipating surgery, and their families are invited to attend.

The monthly tours are designed to relieve anxiety often accompanying a child's hospital stay. The tour lasts one hour, and features a slide show and refreshments. Participants will also be given a special, pre-surgical kit. The tour is free, but requires registration. For more details call the Methodist Hospitals department of marketing and public affairs.

FLOSSMOOR The Anita M. Stone Jewish Community Center, 18600 Governors Highway, will sponsor a day camp for children 2'2 through 9th grade. The sessions will be held from June 23 to Aug. 15. Transportation will be available for Northwest Indiana children.

Camp activities include sports, crafts, nature study, shop and cooking. Speciality programs will include overnights atjthe camp, swimming lessons and trips. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the center. HOBART Hobart Elks Lodge 1152 will hold a St. Patrick's Day dinner-dance at their hall, 3580 W.

61st March 22. Reservations must be made in advance by contacting the lodge office, or Thomas Joyce, Donald Olson, or J.R. Lautzenhiser, chairmen. Cocktails with Irish Cream will be served from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dinner at 7:30 p.m.

will be followed by dancing to the music of "Continental Touch." WHITING The Al Kowal Amvets Memorial Auxiliary Post No. 64 will have a pre-Easter bake sale March 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Post Home, 1914 New York Whiting. MUNSTER A one-night workshop on wardrobe and accessories takes place Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m.

There is a fee for the program, sponsored by the Munster Parks and Recreation Department and Image Improvement, Inc. Deadline for registration is been on the bench. The judge said he has a great deal of respect for police officers and it "hasn't been pleasant to deal with four officers who find themselves in the paradoxical position of finding themselves convicted felons." "I don't minimize the fact that their fall from grace has caused them as much suffering as anyone I know," Aspen said. "I'm also aware that this particular offense is not an offense of bribery or complicity or a case of these police officers selling their office for personal profit." But, he said, society expects police officers to act in a professional manner regardless of whether they're dealing with a convicted felon (Moore) or the local banker. with Winfield six months ago, and Winfield now picks up the hospital's infectious waste and transports it to another site, Manning said.

At St Margaret, spokesman Valerie Harder said a Winfield contract began Feb. 1. Hospital administrators are waiting for the company to pick up its first load "anytime now," Harder said. Under the contract, Winfield must meet all incinerator permit requirements for the agreement to continue. Winfield hasn't won the business of some other hospitals, however.

"I don't know what reason there would be to switch," said Gloria Uziel, Porter Memorial Hospital's assistant administrator. Porter Memorial uses East Chicago's city-owned incinerator. "They take our waste (and) we're pleased with them," she said. Twice yearly, work crews collect the hospital's waste in By JERRY PEARSON Times Staff Writer HAMMOND At least two Calumet Region hospitals already have signed contracts to send their infectious wastes to a proposed incinerator in Hammond, even though city officials are still reviewing -an application for the unit. Representatives of Winfield Environmental of San Diego, have signed contracts with St.

Margaret Hospital, Hammond, and Our Lady of Mercy, Dyer even though the incinerator still needs city approval before construction can begin. The venture marks Winfield's first entry into the hospital waste incinerator market. Thfe firm, which supplies hospital waste containment products, has applied for a permit to build at the old Pullman Standard property in Hammond. Hammond look over gutted car's interior Richmond praised Hammond police for their efforts to crack the theft operation, particularly Det Cpl. John Novosel, who has been assigned to special car theft in- vestigations with the FBI.

Aspen sentenced Poppers to one year and one day in jail for obstruction of justice and five years probation and 500 hours of community service for the civil rights violation. Madsen and Crose were sentenced to five years probation with two conditions: four months in custody one in straight custody (jail) and the other three in a work release program and 250 hours of community service. Ridge, Aspen said, is the only one of the men who has "come to grips with what he has done." Aspen sentenced him to five years probation with two months in custody. Two weeks of the two months will be spent in jail and the other six weeks in a work release program. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community ser vice.

campaign 40 12-gallon drums. "We just got a new incinerator," said Andrea Collier, promotional project coordinator for the Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville. "This won't impact us at all." At St. Mary Medical Center, Gary, Mike Adler said: "To the best of my knowlege we will continue to incinerate our own debris." St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights won't be affected, either.

Chuck Kennedy, supervisor for buildings and maintenance said, "We don't really need (Winfield)." he hospital has a steam sterilizer that kills infectious agents by maintaining a 288-degree temperature for up to an hour. The waste goes onto a landfill after leaving the sterilizer. But Kennedy said St. James administrators still plan to meet with Winfield representatives. for the course.

Kuruzovich emphasized it is not a remedial class, but is a strengthening of weaker areas. A fifth grade computer programming course for gifted and talented students will be offered if it meets a nine or 10 student minimum. The same applies to seventh grade computer programming and science classes, seventh and eighth grade band class, and eighth grade remedial language arts and math. High school summer classes include personal typing, English composition for nine to 12th grades, U.S. history for first and second semesters, aerospace science, art appreciation, economics, geology and astronomy, band, health, basic math and pre-algebra and industrial materials and processes.

Prison reform to be appealed INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A federal judges call for reform at the Indiana women Prison will be appealed, according to the head of the state Department of Correction. Correction Commissioner Gordon H. Faulkner said Thursday he was "disappointed and amazed" by U.S. District Court Judge S. Hugh Dillin ruling that women inmates are to criminated against 2 weeks Madsen and Crose were also found guilty of obstruction of justice for attempting to cover up the incident Another officer, William Crafton, was acquitted in the case.

Sauk Village Mayor Edward Paesel said after the hearing he's been told the men will resign from the force before they begin their jail terms. Poppers is scheduled to begin his April 21, the others, April 22. Crose has already resigned. Disciplinary hearings "before the Sauk Village Fire and Police Commission were scheduled for April. The officers were suspended following their indictments but the hearing was delayed pending federal court action.

Before announcing the sentences, Aspen said his decision was probably "as difficult a sentencing as I've had in the time I've Air Quality Control Director Robert Novak said he will announce his decision on Win-field's permit either today or Saturday. Novak said Winfield representatives will get first word of his decision, which is expected to come in a 48-page report, now being completed. "We intend to provide the service," said James Siltanen, Winfield's technical director. "Our feeling is that we're operating it on a regional basis." That operation already has started for St. Margaret and Our Lady of Mercy hospitals, which have signed one-year contracts with Winfield.

The contracts came after an aggressive marketing campaign by Winfield agents. "Before Winfield, we did our own (steam) sterilization and incineration," said James Manning, manager for Our Lady of Mercy's engineering and plant operations. The hospital signed a contract iihf stations operate on Channels 14 and above. Although same band swaps can occasionally help both stations as well as the public, the commission said old rules, requiring consideration of additional applicants when a channel reserved for educational use is involved, had the effect of eliminating swaps because stations didn't want to take a chance on losing their license. Under terms of the new ruling, the educational station must use any money from the swap for broadcasting purposes.

Commissioner James ft Quello said the provision was put in the rule so that universities wouldn't use the profit from a swap "to build a new football stadium." Key members of Congress and several public broadcasting organizations oppose the idea of allowing educational stations to swap away their more-valuable VHF licenses. Roderick K. Porter, deputy chief of the urs mass media bureau, said, "We don't have a specific timetable as to when we win Dnng it torwara." He said no work is being done on the proposal. The public will have a brief period of ume to comment on the Gary swap as soon as notice of the proposal is published in the Federal Register. Each swap must be approved individual ly Ruling clears the way Tri-Creek schools win computer grant aui urttrj station swap WASHINGTON (AP) Commercial and superior, orjerate on Channels 2 tn 13 superior, orjerate on Channels 2 to 13 noncommercial educational TV stations on the same band may swap channel assignments without risking loss of their licenses, the Federal Communications Commission ruled on Thursday.

The commission said it would immediately begin consideration of a proposed swap between two UHF stations in Gary. The commission emphasized that the decision to allow UHF-UHF or VHF-VHF exchanges would have no bearing on another proposal before the commission that asks approval of UHF-VHF swaps. In the Gary case, officials said at a briefing after the FCC meeting, Great Lakes Broadcasting would trade $650,000 and its permit to operate on Channel 56 for Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting Inc's permit to build a station on Channel 50. The commercial station would benefit because technical differences allow WDAI to operate its Channel 50 from the Sears Tower in Chicago, a transmitter location that will allow it to serve a wider area. In addition to the money, which it plans to use to produce programs, WCAE, the educational station, will be able to more easily use an antenna and transmitter that had been donated to it Adjusting that equipment to operate on Channel 50 would have been quite expensive.

VHF stations, which are technically By MELANIE CSEPIGA Times Correspondent LOWELL A grant application has computed a win for the Tri-Creek school system. Tri-Creek is one of nine Indiana school districts to win elementary computer education grants, according to Assistant Superintendent Joseph Schuster. Schuster told the Tri-Creek School Board Thursday night that the minimum it will receive is a $19,373 computer grant. Schuster, who developed the competitive grant application, said money will be used for a fourth grade closed computer classroom for the 1986-87 school year. Superintendent John Kuruzovich commended Schuster for his grant efforts and pointed out that 10 other Lake County school districts competed for the grant.

In another academic matter, Tri-Creek is about to embark on its biggest-ever summer school program. Kuruzovich said the expanded summer school program could be the beginning of an "ongoing, comprehensive summer program." The popular Project Beginnings Summer Fun Plus Class is scheduled again. It is open to children who will be entering kindergarten the following fall. Classes are held at Oak Hill Elementary School. Students in another summer offering, the elementary language arts and math program, are recommended by their teachers.