Police in Maywood, Illinois, have confirmed a child abduction that took place today at 6^th and Main in Maywood. An Amber Alert has been issued for Bryeon Hunter, a one-year old, black male, described as two-feet tall, weighing 30-pounds, wearing a two-toned blue stripe long sleeve shirt, blue jeans, blue and brown Nike boots, and that he was last seen by his mother at 2:15 this afternoon. Maywood Police described the suspected vehicle as a black two-door car with tinted windows. Authorities say three Hispanic male suspects were in vehicle, one described as a heavy-set, bald, and with a patch of hair in the back, while the other two are described as stocky. Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1.
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Read more: Child Abduction in Maywood, Illinois

An autopsy to determine the identity of a man whose body was discovered in a rural area of northwest Indiana late Monday afternoon has been completed by the Porter County Coroner's Office. Coroner Chuck Harris says the victim was a white or Hispanic male, who died of an apparent gunshot wound, and no further information is being released at this time.  The Porter County Sheriff's Office says the body was found in a drainage ditch about twenty-feet wide near County Road 500 West in Boone Township, south of Hebron, and that they are now considering this a homicide investigation. Authorities ask that anyone with information, or who may have seen any suspicious activity recently in the area of 500 West and County Road 1000 South, are asked to contact Porter County Sheriff's Commander Jeff Biggs, at 219-477-3141, or to their anonymous tip line, WeTip, at 1-800-782-7463, which offers up to a $1000 reward for information aiding in the arrest and conviction of any suspects involved. 
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Read more: Man Found Drainage Ditch Died of Gunshot Wound

Disastrous events like the bombings in Boston have an affect on everyone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, used social media today to remind us that everyone who sees or experiences a disaster is affected by it in some way...and that includes those of us who experience a disaster “second hand” through exposure to extensive media coverage.
FEMA points out that it's normal to feel anxious about your own safety and that of your family and close friends...and everyone has different ways of coping. Children and older adults are of special concern in the aftermath of disasters. FEMA urges citizens to contact local faith-based organizations, voluntary agencies, or professional councilors for counseling, and says events like Boston can also serve as a reminder to update your family disaster plan to prepare locally. For more information visit http://www.ready.gov/coping-with-disaster .
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Read more: How to Cope with Disasters Like the Boston Bombings

Nearly three-hundred people from Indiana... about twenty from the Region were registered to participate in the Boston Marathon, an event marred by two deadly explosions Monday afternoon. ABC's Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos spoke to Highland native Rebecca Roche, who had just finished the race when the bombs went off. She was okay. But her mom, Beth, and a friend who were there to support her were badly injured. Roche told Good Morning America she felt guilty that her mother and friends were injured because they would not have been there if it were not for her.  Roche says the double bombings happened right about a minute after she finished the race, and the scene was chaotic panic– with people being pushed out of the way, running with the police, and that people were hiding under buses. Roche says her mother and friends are recovering from surgery.
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Read more: Highland Native Speaks to GMA About Mother Injured in Blasts

A brief power outage around 2:30 this afternoon has left about 200 NIPSCO customers without power. According to NIPSCO's Outage Map, crews have been assigned, and power is anticipated to be restored by 5:30pm.  To view the outage map, http://www.nipscooutages.com/WSSNisourceOutageMap/outagemap.html?action=city&reloaded=true...

Read more: Over 200 Without Power in Valparaiso

Officials in Highland say in order to prevent flooding issues due to the heavy rains expected in the area, the city's street department is out checking the grates over storm sewers to make sure they are not blocked by any debris. Authorities are asking residents of Highland, if you have a grate over a storm sewer in front of your home, please make sure it is open, in case crews are now able to check all of them.
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Read more: Crews Clearing Storm Sewer Grates in Highland

Indiana Governor Mike Pence issued a statement today saying the April revenue forecast is great news for Hoosiers and good news for the budget process. Governor Pence says the forecast has 290-million dollars more in revenue than the December forecast, giving him more confidence than ever that a balanced budget can be crafted to fund priories like roads and schools, and provide the kind of tax relief Hoosiers need and deserve. To view the April revenue forecast, visit http://www.in.gov/sba/files/rev_forecast_20130416_ECONOMIC_OUTLOOK_APRIL_16_2013.pdf...

Read more: Pence Calls April Revenue Forecast Great News

INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Michael R. Pence is proclaiming April 15-19, 2013 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana. Work Zone Awareness Week marks the ceremonial start to highway construction season and aims to bring awareness to motorist and worker safety in work zones. The danger is real. In 2012, Eight people were killed and more than 500 were injured in Indiana work zones.
This year the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) produced a new public service announcement (PSA) titled “No One Drives Through Your Office at 70 mph”. The new video showcasing the dangers of speeding through work zones is featured on the INDOT YouTube page. INDOT encourages the media to share the new PSA and inform the public about Work Zone Awareness Week. Find the PSA at this link: ">
Highway workers aren’t the only ones at risk. Four out of every five deaths in highway work zones are drivers and their passengers. The majority of work zone injuries and deaths are caused by rear-end collisions, following too closely, or making improper lane changes.
The penalties in work zones are stiff. Motorists face fines of up to $1,000 for speeding, up to $5,000 for driving recklessly, and up to $10,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to eight years for injuring or killing a highway worker. These fines are used to fund additional Indiana State Police work zone patrols.
For more about Work Zone Awareness Week check out our Northwest District’s social media sites: www.Facebook.com/INDOTNorthwest and www.Twitter.com/INDOTNorthwest.
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Read more: INDOT: Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                      April 16, 2013
 
 
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
 
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
 
11:30 A.M. EDT
 
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  I've just been briefed by my national security team, including FBI Director Mueller, Attorney General Holder, Secretary Napolitano, and my Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco, on the attacks in Boston.  We continue to mobilize and deploy all appropriate law enforcement resources to protect our citizens, and to investigate and to respond to this attack. 
 
Obviously our first thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families, and the city of Boston.  We know that two explosions gravely wounded dozens of Americans, and took the lives of others, including a 8-year-old boy.
 
This was a heinous and cowardly act.  And given what we now know about what took place, the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism.  Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror.  What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why; whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual.  That's what we don't yet know.  And clearly, we’re at the beginning of our investigation.  
 
It will take time to follow every lead and determine what happened.  But we will find out.  We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice.
 
We also know this -- the American people refuse to be terrorized.  Because what the world saw yesterday in the aftermath of the explosions were stories of heroism and kindness, and generosity and love:  Exhausted runners who kept running to the nearest hospital to give blood, and those who stayed to tend to the wounded, some tearing off their own clothes to make tourniquets.  The first responders who ran into the chaos to save lives.  The men and women who are still treating the wounded at some of the best hospitals in the world, and the medical students who hurried to help, saying “When we heard, we all came in.”  The priests who opened their churches and ministered to the hurt and the fearful.  And the good people of Boston who opened their homes to the victims of this attack and those shaken by it.
 
So if you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil -- that’s it.  Selflessly.  Compassionately.  Unafraid.
 
In the coming days, we will pursue every effort to get to the bottom of what happened.  And we will continue to remain vigilant.  I’ve directed my administration to take appropriate security measures to protect the American people.  And this is a good time for all of us to remember that we all have a part to play in alerting authorities -- if you see something suspicious, speak up.
 
I have extraordinary confidence in the men and women of the FBI, the Boston Police Department, and the other agencies that responded so heroically and effectively in the aftermath of yesterday’s events.  I’m very grateful for the leadership of Governor Patrick and Mayor Menino.  And I know that even as we protect our people and aggressively pursue this investigation, the people of Boston will continue to respond in the same proud and heroic way that they have thus far -- and their fellow Americans will be right there with them.
 
Thank you very much.  And you can expect further briefings from our law enforcement officials as the day goes on.  When we have more details, they will be disclosed.  What I’ve indicated to you is what we know now.  We know it was bombs that were set off.  We know that obviously they did some severe damage.  We do not know who did them.  We do not know whether this was an act of an organization or an individual or individuals.  We don’t have a sense of motive yet.  So everything else at this point is speculation.  But as we receive more information, as the FBI has more information, as our out counterterrorism teams have more information, we will make sure to keep you and the American people posted.
 
     Thank you very much, everybody.
 
                             END                11:35 A.M. EDT
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Read more: Obama: The American People Refuse to be Terrorized

Minor flooding is occurring on the Kankakee River at Shelby, affecting Lake and Newton Counties. The National Weather Service reports at 9:45 this morning, the river was a half-foot above flood stage, which is nine-feet. Officials reports the river will continue to rise to over ten-feet by tomorrow morning, and the the impact of that could causing flooding of some county and local roads in that area. A flood warning continues until Friday morning.
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Read more: Minor Flooding on Kankakee River at Shelby