The Times from Munster, Indiana • 11

I i IM SUNDAY tl April 21, 2002 Li SECTION VV THE REGION Volunteers fix Valparaiso homes Saturday marked the 13th annual Christmas in April bringing small repairs to homeowners. B3 If I Mtn Local "i-S-lJ'-lil. i West Lake Editor Joe Puchek, (219) 9333250; or e-mail, jpuchekhowpubs.com lift Five Democrats vie for 1st District in primary contest Story tip or comment? Call Times 1 BY MARK KIESLING Times Staff Writer It's a struggle between the haves and have-nots in the race for the Democratic nomination for Lake County commissioner in the 1st District. The 1st District encompasses all of Gary and portions of Highland, Griffith, Calumet Township and Merrillville. What incumbent Rudolph Clay and challenger Suzette Raggs have is the support of time-tested, powerful political machines, the same thing the remaining three challengers do' not have.

But hopefuls Tony Walker and Epifanio "Eppje" Marrero say they are not letting that get in the way of what they believe are the issues, or of their enthusiasm for their candidacies. The fifth candidate, Daniel Spoljoric, did not respond to written and telephone requests for an interview. Clay, who has been a commissioner, a Lake County councilman, Lake County recorder and a state senator, also is chairman of the Democratic precinct organization in Gary. Raggs, who is Gary's deputy mayor, has the backing of Gary Mayor Scott King and his organization. Clay supported Vernon Smith against incumbent rf See NOMINATION, B7 4 rtK XAI AW PR0PER REMOVAL Rich Edgeworth, an Illinois Fire Service instructor with the Chicago Fire Department, demonstrates Saturday the proper techniques on how to remove a firefighter or victim from a house.

About 25 firefighters from local departments participated in the daylong rescue training. saving their own A quick look at the news GRIFFITH St Mary Garden Club holding fund-raisers The Garden Club at St. Mary Catholic Church is hosting a fund-raiser Sunday and April 27 and 28. Flower vouchers redeemable at Zandstra's Green House in Highland will be sold at all Masses and at the Parish breakfast from 9 to 11:30 a.m. April 28 at Hildebrandt Hall.

All proceeds benefit the Garden Club, which oversees all plantings on the church grounds. Vouchers are $10. For more information, contact Garden Club Presi- dent Mary Ann Marshall at 1 (219) 924-0931 or Barb Kolisz, club secretary, at (219)924-9016. CALUMET CITY Country-Western Night kicks off May 18 Our Lady of Knock Church will be holding a Country-Western Night from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. May 18.

Dinner will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and includes hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans and dessert. Beverages include beer, wine and pop. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children younger than 12. A cover charge for entertainment only is $5.

The church is located at 497 163rd St. For more information, call (708)862-3011. CALUMET TOWNSHIP Candidate forum to be broadcast A videotaped telecast of a candidates forum involving the Calumet Township Advisory Board and Trustee races wul be shown on Broadband Channel 16 prior to the May 7 primary The forum, which was taped April 5, will be shown in the at 6:30 p.m. today in the Griffith, Merrillville, Crown Point, Calumet Township area and at 9 p.m. April 29 in the Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting area.

HAMMOND Calumet Avenue bridge to close Monday The Board of Public Works and Safety on Thursday learned that the state has postponed the closure of the Calumet Avenue bridge until Monday. There is a temporary pedestrian bridge allowing students to access Spohn School. Lake County is about to begin work on the Columbia Avenue bridge, from Michigan Street to Summer Street. Tiif fic will be restricted lane in each direction, Repairs to the Hohman Avenue bridge are running approximately one month behind schedule, In other business: A hot dog sidewalk cart was granted permission to operate near the Rotunda in downtown Hammond from May 1 to Sept 30. A hearing about the demolition of property at 2747 New York Ave.

will be held at next week's meeting. The board also voted to demolish a structure at 4759 Calumet Ave. for unsafe conditioning following the collapse of the roof. SCHERERVILLE Town plans public auction Saturday The town of Schererville will hold a public auction Saturday. Registry and viewing will begin at 8 a.m.

Bid-. ding begins at 10 a.m. Items to be auctioned include police, public works and waste water treatment plant vehicles, a lawnmower, computer equipment, a fax machine, photo copier, pumps, office equipment, kerosene heaters, humidifiers, and a grass and leaf catcher. All items will be sold as is. For more information, contact Sgt.

Dennis Zagrocki at (219) 322-5000. Highland's Griffin has town's numbers S3" rt li'V 'I rfl Ccn I dhtricts 1 I Lake County is composed of I three commissioners' districts, i The 1st District encompasses all of Gary and portions of -j i Highland, Griffith, Catumet Township, Merrillville and East Chicago. The Indiana Election i Commission approved new 4 maps late last year that will be used for the next decade. I ijZi 1st 1 2nd J3rd 7 sUa 1 jJ Michigan East Chicago I Gary mmond Hobartj i i MerriTlvflle f5 23 Crown Point i Cedar Lake Lowell o5 iMWi THE TIMES SOURCE: Lake County NATALIE BATTAGLIA THE TIMES Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin will pass on the title of president of the Indiana League of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers at next week's annual meeting. recently by winning a successful tax appeal suit this month that he filed as a private taxpayer against the state.

The suit later joined by Lake County fought unfair taxation by the state for disproportionately taxing the county's taxpayers to fund the state's Health Care for the Indigent fund. The state HCI program provides free emergency medical care for patients ineligible for Medicaid. See NUMBERS, B6 state line, whether you are a police officer or a citizen acting under the color of the law making a citizens arrest," attorney Stanley Pagorek said. The case brings into question an agreement between Calumet City and Hammond signed in December 2000 that has been touted as giving arresting powers to officers if an offender tries to run from the law by crossing the state line. Pagorek is representing Manuel Collazo who was ar-Tested in the early morning hours of Jan.

20, 2001, and See ARRESTS, B2 1,1 -LI RESCUE MANEUVERS: Firefighters rescue fellow firefighter Joe Sheets of the Munster Fire Department from a house as part of a training session Saturday in Calumet City. The training session included various drills, such as falling through a floor and window rescue. Clerk-treasurer leads state association convention this week. BY ELIZABETH EAKEN Times Staff Writer HIGHLAND Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin likes the idea that in ancient times the Hebrews called the person holding his office the "Town "I love the fact that it's one of the oldest municipal offices," Griffin said about his job. Griffin, now in his third term, has been in his post since 1991.

His expertise and knowledge about his field is something other clerk-treasurers say they admire. Griffin is the official record keeper for the town and Town Council. He also prepares the town's budget and is the record keeper of the town-operated water and sewer utilities. In addition to his official town duties, Griffin has served the taxpayers of Lake County badly or killed from floors collapsing on them, walls caving in and things like that," said Ginny Davis, director of external relations for the Fire Service Institute. "We want to minimize the risks they are taking." Firefighters from Calumet City, Lansing, Munster, Lynwood, South Holland, Homewood, Chicago Heights, Flossmoor and Oak Forest participated in the event.

The program, dubbed "Saving Our Own," was free to participants through a grant from the Illinois Fire Marshal's office. ten local fire departments converged on Calumet City Saturday for a daylong course in rescuing firefighters trapped in buildings. The Rapid Intervention Training, led by the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign, focused on such exercises as rescuing firefighters who fall into a basement or become trapped in tight spaces. "Other than just the basic dangers of the job, like getting burned or having smoke inhalation, a lot of firefighters are hurt pretty Border arrests again called into question TIMES PHOTOS BY TASOS KATOPODIS Construction mirrors development Attorney: Hammond police should have handled Cal City case. BY LAURI HARVEY Times Staff Writer MARKHAM A Lansing attorney is challenging an arrest made by Calumet City police officers, saying his client was apprehended in Hammond by citizens and should have been turned over to Hammond authorities.

"There are statutes and under due process of law, you can't drag a person over the Schererville officials keeping the pace with town's building boom. BY JASON THOMAS Times Staff Writer SCHERERVILLE Town officials are keeping up with local development by tidying up the streets that run through downtown. The final phase of the Joli-et Street reconstruction proj ect began Thursday. Crews with Walsh and Kelly Construction are resurfacing the street, building curbs and fixing drainage basins as well as doing ornamental things like installing street lamps. The first portion of the project includes Joliet Street beginning at Britton Drive west to Austin Avenue.

Bob Volkmann, director of the Public Works Department, said that portion should be finished midway or toward the end of June. The second phase will start at Britton Drive and go east to Cline Avenue. The entire project should be completed in September or early October, according to Volkmann. Motorists traveling on Kennedy Avenue are being de-toured at Division Street to Cline Avenue. Those driving down Joliet are detoured See MIRRORS, B7 13.