The Times from Munster, Indiana • 24

I III, I i it SW BRIEF Robbery victim helped by heroes The two men who came to the aid of a 74-year-old Griffith woman during a robbery are being called heroes. RegkmB-3 TUESDAY March 31, 1998 SECTION 6 PAGES Story tip or comment? Call Times Hobart Editor Paulette Haddix, (219) 662-5339; or e-mail, haddixhowpubs.com Cities weighing future of Viking Village Hobart officials now are free to weigh the feasibility of bringing the subdivision of 100 homes into its boundaries. Hobart City Attorney John Bushemi said Monday the ruling, handed down Friday by Lake Superior Court Judge William Davis, has given Hobart the go-ahead to annex the area. "It's our position that Hobart has annexation jurisdiction over Viking Village should the city of Hobart wish to annex it," Bushemi said. Bushemi said Viking Village property owners have twice petitioned the Hobart City Council to annex their neighborhood.

He said those petitions, plus Lake Station's failure to annex the area in 1984 when a court case against its annexation was dismissed, has cleared the way for Hobart to move. Bushemi said he has been given no instructions by the City Council to prepare an annexation ordinance, and Hobart Mayor Linda Buzinec declined to speculate as to what her city would do. "That's a council decision, and Fm not sure at this time what will happen with that," Buzinec said. "We have to see if (Davis' ruling is) going to be appealed." Lake Station City Attorney Tim AVENUE BRIDGE REPAIRS DELAYED 1 lV -r I'nmmfmm i iimujh iw. I A quick look at the news M'ville, Hobart men fight over traffic incident MERRILLVTT.T.E A sudden lane change turned into a fight Friday morning when two drivers sparred on the side of the road, Merrillville police said.

A 24-year-old Merrillville man was driving on Broadway when a school bus stopped suddenly in front of him, police Sgt. Tim War drip said Monday. The Merrillville man Changed lanes in front of a 2 year-old Hobart man, who then sped up and cut in front of the Merrillville man. The pair pulled over near the intersection of 67th Avenue and Broadway, where they fought. Witnesses pulled them aj)art and called police.

Neither man was arrested. Work starts on portions of The Indiana Department of Transportation is starting work on portions of Interstate 94 as follows: Eastbound 1-94 from Ind. 49 (the Chesterton exit) to TJ.S. 421 will be reduced to one lane of traffic today, Wednesday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Expect major traffic backups from the seven-mile restriction. Eastbound 1-94 near Michigan City, from U.S. 421 to U.S. 35, will be restricted for work on the median. The left lane will be closed 24 hours a day; the center lane will be closed from 7 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. daily through Saturday. A five-mile stretch of westbound 1-94 near Michigan City, from U.S. 35 to U.S. 421, will be reduced to two lanes from 7 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. daily through Saturday. Work on U.S. 30 also will affect motorists: Eastbound U.S. 30 from Ind.

51 to Ind. 2 will be reduced to one lane daily through April 10 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. because a water pipe is being installed. First drawing today for house raffle prizes CROWN POINT -The Northwest Indiana House Raffle will hold the first of three incentive raffle drawings at 10 a.m.

today at the Marian Education Center of St. Anthony Medical Center. The winner of the drawing will be awarded a trip for two to the Bahamas and will remain a contender for the $300,000 house in the White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point More than 2,000 chances on the house have been sold in the fund-raiser to benefit St. Jude House and the Southlake YM-CA. Tickets cost $135 each and are available at the YMCA or at local branches of Bank One, Centier, Bank Calumet or Tech Credit Unioa For more information, call (888) 663-5810.

River Forest to post athletic director opening LAKE STATION The River Forest School Board will take a step toward hiring an athletic director at a special meeting at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday in the Ingot Room of the high school. The board will consider posting the vacancy for the job, which since November has been held by Monte Mof fett, who has been working as both athletic director and assistant principal at the high school. The School Board in December formally named fett as assistant principal to, replace Andrew Wielgus, who became principal at River Forest Elementary School after Joyce Breclaw resigned. Hobart works crews pick up brush HOBART The Department of Public Works crews are working their way from one corner of the city to another picking up brush.

The crews have started in the northeast corner and are working their way to the south--west corner, department director Tony Boren said Monday. Boren said if citizens call in 'requests for brush pickup after the crews have been in their neighborhood, the crews will return after they complete their first route through the city. Sendak would not say Monday whether the city will appeal Davis' ruling. Dave Stutler, a Viking Village resident who has led the subdivision's legal fight against Lake Station's annexation, said he and his neighbors prefer to remain unin corporated. Stutler says property owners in Viking Village are concerned about the prospect of higher property taxes after an annexation by either city.

But if it's a choice between being annexed by Hobart or Lake Station, Stutler See VIKING, B-2 Look-alike candidate removed from ballot Cornmissioner Clay succeeds in removal; two of his relatives might be subject of another challenge! BY JOE CARROLL Times Staff Writer CROWN POINT Lake County Commissioner Rudolph Clay won his battle Monday to have a look-alike candidate thrown off the primary election ballot. A new fight, however, is brewing over a pair of look-alikes Clay himself installed to scuttle a rival's chances of unseating the commissioner in the May 5 vote. In response to a lawsuit Clay filed late last week, Lake Superior Court Judge James Danikolas ordered the county election board to remove 1st District commissioner candidate Carlos Clay from the Democratic primary ballot. Danikolas ruled that Carlos Clay had shown himself to be a sham candidate by refusing to honor two subpoenas from the election board and by failing to show up in court to defend himself from Commissioner Clay's lawsuit. Carlos Clay, who has not actively campaigned for the office since signing up to run last month, could not be reached for comment because there is no directory assistance phone listing See REMOVED, B-2 Detective bureau reins change hands Det.

Sgt. Larry Thyen directs Hobart investigators until appointment by mayor, BY DEBORAH LAVERTY Times Staff Writer HOBART Det. Sgt. Larry Thyen is the interim head of the Police Department's detective bureau, replacing Lt. Lawrence Juzwicki.

Thyen, who has been second in command in the bureau, took on the added responsibilities Monday. The assignment is temporary until Mayor Linda Buzinec appoints a permanent replacement, Lt. Leo Finnerty said. "Due to his seniority, (Thyen) will run the bureau until Juzwicki's vacation time runs out," Finnerty said. Juzwicki's vacation time ends May 8.

Finnerty said Thyen has served as second in command in the detective bureau under Juzwicki and was next in line for the promotion. Earlier this month Juzwicki, 47, announced he was retiring from the Hobart Police Department after 24 years of service. He stepped down from that career to start a new one as chief of security for the Lakes of the Four Seasons, a community of 9,000 people that straddles the Lake and Porter county lines. Juzwicki started his new job there See DETECTIVE, B-2 The subdivision remains part of unincorporated Hobart Township at least for now. BY CLISTON BROWN Times Staff Writer HOBART TWP.

Officials of both Hobart and Lake Station are eyeing the Viking Village subdivision. Lake Station officials are contemplating whether to appeal the judge's ruling that the city's 1978 ordinance annexing that area was no longer in effect. 37TH Robert Swims of Hobart rides his bike home automobile traffic since Wednesday. County the bridge. An estimated 16,000 motorists are using other routes while crews repair the 37th Avenue bridge Police investigate Neighbors say they're 'scared' by Hammond incident.

BY DANIEL J. YOVICH Times Staff Writer- HAMMOND Neighbors expressed fear Morjiay that a weekend cross-burning in central Hammond was a warning sign against interracial dating. The neighborhood is racially mixed, said one mother of teen-age girls. The woman, who like others along the block declined to be identified, said she was afraid the cross burning was done to send a message to youngsters who interracially date. "There have been some incidents around here, name-calling and such" the woman said.

"Then to see this cross of fire lighting up the street Friday night kind of sent chills down my spine. I thought those days were over." Police Lt Richard Hoyda said juvenile investigators have been assigned to the incident, which occurred about 9:30 p.m. Friday on abandoned railroad property along the 7000 block of Lyman Avenue. ...11,. m.

(Ridge last hole lane. hoped were was made not said. find a on black white Monday after crossing the 37th Avenue bridge highway department crews in the background 1 ALDINO GALLO THE TIMES in Lake Station, which has been closed to Monday filled a hole that had developed in clearing the debris from the 2-foot by 1-foot hole took longer than expected, and crews were only able to pour the concrete patch at 7:30 a.m. Monday. It will take about 48 hours to solidify, he said.

"We had to take out the old portion of the concrete deck," Alverson said. "It's not as simple as just pouring some concrete in the hole." Alverson hopes the bridge would be open by noon Wednesday. In the meantime, he advises motorists to continue using Old Ridge Road in Hobart as an alternate route. It can be reached by taking Wisconsin Street or Liverpool Road. See CLOSED, B-2 MICHAEL GARD THE TIMES ROCKING THE CRADLE Joshua Lawrence, 9, of Jane Ball Elementary School In Cedar Lake competes Monday In a yo-yo tricks contest.

Yo-yos are a hot fad among students. Story B-2 y' Jt- BY CLISTON BROWN Times Staff Writer LAKE STATION Part of 37th Avenue Road) will remain closed through Wednesday while a concrete pothole patch solidifies. The Lake County Highway Department Wednesday closed a 59-year-old bridge spanning the Conrail tracks between Indiana and New Jersey streets after a large opened in the bridge's eastbound Duane Alverson, an engineer with the highway department, said last week he the bridge would reopen Monday. But Alverson said the tedious work of cross burning Residents along the block said they frightened by the incident. The woman whose husband called police to report the incident said the cross about five feet tall and seemed to be of thin lumber.

She said she had noticed any racist graffiti or other hateful messages in the area. "I don't know why this was done," she "I think (the cross burning) hurt everybody here." Hoyda said police officers arrived to the charred remains of the cross near gallon can of paint thinner. Another resident saw several juveniles in the area immediately after the cross was set ablaze. James Davis, president of the Hammond chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he did not want to comment the incident until "I've been officially informed on this issue." The last cross burning in Hammond reported to police was in 1996, Hoyda said. Police round that incident was the result of a fight between neighbors after a family moved into a predominantly neighborhood in South Hammond.

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