VALPARAISO, Ind. – The snow plows are barely off the roads but it’s time to think spring! Throughout the state of Indiana this month volunteers are strapping on safety vests and getting their hands dirty. They’re picking up trash as part of the Indiana Department of Transportation’s (INDOT) month-long “Trash Bash” for Adopt-A-Highway groups. The annual Trash Bash coincides with National Earth Day to join in the fight against littering on Indiana roads and highways.
On Saturday, April 13^th volunteers from Valparaiso University will do their part by picking up trash on U.S. 30 near Sturdy Road, near Valparaiso University. Volunteers will be along this stretch beginning after 12:30 p.m. The media is welcome to visit their work site. Volunteers will be available to talk about their hard work to keep Indiana’s Highways looking great.
In 2012, nearly 2,300 Adopt-A-Highway volunteers, along with INDOT crews and the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC), removed 15,812 bags of trash from 3,367 miles of state road and right-of-ways. Adopt-A-Highway volunteers logged more than 4,831 hours of hard work in that time.
Everyone is encouraged to clean up and prevent litter on Indiana’s highways:
·         Don’t litter: Set a good example for everyone, especially children.
·         Be responsible: Carry a trash bag in your car instead of tossing trash out the window.
·         Report it: Report areas where people have illegally dumped garbage.
·         Adopt it: If you are involved in a civic group, scouting organization or sports program, encourage the groups to adopt-a-highway. Visit http://www.in.gov/indot/2598.htm for details or contact the INDOT LaPorte District toll free at 1-855-GO-INDOT.
For the latest news on Trash Bash, in addition to INDOT project updates and road restrictions, like us at www.Facebook.com/INDOTNorthwest and follow us at www.Twitter.com/INDOTNorthwest.
You can find traffic restriction information at www.trafficwise.IN.gov.  Contact the LaPorte District toll free at 1-855-GO-INDOT.
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Read more: Valpo University Volunteers Picking Up Trash Tomorrow

The weather today has caused the postponement of the circus scheduled for this afternoon and evening at the Porter County Expo Center and Fairgrounds. Office Manager Debbie Garner says the Circus Pages performance maybe rescheduled for sometime in May, but at this time nothing has been set in stone.
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Read more: Circus Postponed at Porter County Expo and Fairgrounds

INDIANAPOLIS—It is an uncomfortable topic that people often don’t want to discuss; however, sexual violence affects many Hoosiers and it’s time to start the conversation about how to prevent it. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and aims to educate individuals about sexual violence prevention. This year’s theme is “It’s time…to talk about it.” 
“Even one person impacted by sexual violence is too many,” said State Health Commissioner William VanNess, M.D. “Sexual violence is a public health issue and as such there are evidence-based interventions that can be applied to help prevent it. It’s going to take the collaborative effort of the entire community, including the State and local health departments, schools, faith-based organizations and community groups to move the dial in the right direction.”
In Indiana, one in five women will be victims of sexual violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly three in ten women and one in ten men will be victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner. Youth also feel the impact as nearly 15 percent of young women and five percent of young men have been physically forced to have sexual intercourse in their lifetime.
The Indiana State Department of Health Sexual Violence Prevention Program is working to stop this violence before it starts. Working with Indiana’s Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Council, whose members are from around the state, the program partnered with the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University and the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction in releasing the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Policy Brief. This brief focuses on primary prevention and the state of sexual violence laws and policies in Indiana. Read the brief at www.in.gov/isdh/23820.htm.
In response to issues raised in the brief, WFIU/WTIU Bloomington created a documentary examining sexual violence among Indiana's youth. The documentary aims to educate people on sexual violence and encourages prevention efforts. View the documentary for free online at http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/special-features/shadows-of-innocence/video/
You can help prevent abuse. State health officials offer the following tips:
·         Be a role model by treating your kids and others with respect. Start talking to your kids about healthy relationships early, before they start dating.
·         Provide age-appropriate and accurate responses to questions about healthy and developmentally expected sexual development as children grow and learn.
·         Attend an awareness event during April, like the Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault balloon release at the Indiana Statehouse on April 23. Get more information on this and other events statewide at www.womenshealth.isdh.in.gov.
·         Promote boundaries and respect privacy. Practice respectful boundaries when it comes to touch and affection by not forcing hugs or other touch.
·         Learn what you can do as an active bystander when you see an instance of sexual violence. Visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) Bystander Intervention resource page to learn more at http://nsvrc.org/.
If you find yourself in a threatening situation, focus on getting out safely and then tell someone what happened. If you have suffered physical or sexual abuse, go to an emergency department immediately for an examination.  
To learn more about the efforts happening in Indiana, visit www.womenshealth.isdh.in.gov.
For more information about sexual violence prevention, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center at http://nsvrc.org/.
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Read more: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
Today's Times reports Ed Asner is feeling fit, and ready to continue his one-man FDR show. The actor had to be hospitalized during a performance in Gary last month for exhaustion. According to the article, a makeup date has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 23^rd, at the Wirt Emerson V-P-A Theater Auditorium, in Gary, at 7pm, and all tickets from the previous show will be honored.
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Read more: Asner's One Man FDR Show to Return to Gary

A bill to expand vision testing at Indiana schools has passed the General Assembly and now heads to the Governor's desk. Senate Bill 553 would expand vision testing to students entering 5^th grade, as well as establishing new standards for testing, like having a licensed optometrist perform the eye exams. The current law only requires annual vision screenings for students entering kindergarten or 1^st, 3^rd and 8^th grade.
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Read more: Bill to Expand Vision Testing in School Heads to Gov's Desk

Overnight lane restrictions are scheduled to begin Sunday night for both east and westbound I-94, between the State Road 249 exit and the State Road 51/Indiana Toll Road exit. INDOT reports the lane restrictions will begin no earlier than 9pm, and end no later than 5am, and will continue until this phase of the bridge rehabilitation project over U.S. 20 is completed, which is anticipated for this fall.
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Read more: I-94 Lane Restrictions Begin Sunday Night

(Photo Courtesy of the Times)
The Environmental Protection Agency will be investigating again today to find where a sheen of oil discovered Thursday on the surface of Cady Marsh Ditch originated. According to an article in the Times, the EPA believes the leak may have begun Wednesday, and it does not appear to be from any of the area's petroleum pipelines, and does not appear to endanger any municipal water supplies.
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Read more: Authorities Investigating Oil Sheen on Cady Marsh Ditch

A 36 year old Michigan City man was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Thursday for a July crash that killed a Valparaiso woman and seriously injured her two daughters. The Times reports John Mikle crossed the centerline on Joliet Road, near Westville, while under the influence of PCP, and hit Katie Atkins's SUV head-on.
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Read more: 16 Year Sentence for Mikle in Traffic Death of Valpo Woman

You can help make a difference in the Duneland Community on this year's annual National Rebuilding Day, Saturday April 27^th. Rebuilding Together Duneland is accepting volunteers, skilled or unskilled, to help rehabilitate 13 homes and two community improvement projects. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 15^th, and for information on to apply online, visit http://www.rtduneland.org
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Read more: Rebuilding Together Duneland Volunteer Deadline Monday

In East Chicago, the Indiana Department of Transportation says Dickey Road is scheduled to be closed from 7 am to 3 pm Friday, April 12, for lift bridge maintenance. INDOT advises drivers take Chicago Avenue to Indianapolis Boulevard as a detour.
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Read more: EC Traffic Advisory for Friday