[Photo/Roxanne Collins]
Cleanup continues today around the Region after severe storms hit the area Wednesday night.
It was just two years ago, almost to the day, that Route 2 was shut down between Lowell and Hebron after powerful storms came through and toppled huge transformer towers just east of I-65.   Today, the Indiana Department of Transportation says State Road 2 between Hebron and Lowell could be closed up to three days because of downed power lines east of the interstate after last night's severe weather.   There is also a lot of debris in the Crown Point/Lakes of Four Seasons area. INDOT crews are patrolling state roads around the northwest Indiana district looking for high water and debris. Officials say it takes just inches to float a car and the results could be deadly – they're urging Region motorists to stay away from high water.
Today the National Weather Service was considering whether or not to visit the Lakes of the Four Seasons/Winfield area, to survey damage from last night's storm. A roof blew off a home in the 11-hundred block of Sunnyslope Drive. No injuries reported. A number of trees were down along 109^th Street not far from the entrance to Lakes of the Four Seasons.
The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana is gathering reports on wind damage, in particular from an area from Medaryville in Pulaski County here in northwest Indiana all the way east to Ohio. Golf ball size hail was reported near Winamac around 7:30 Eastern Time last night, lasting for a couple minutes, with minor damage to vehicles, according to a spotter report.
NIPSCO crews have been working around the clock to restore electricity. Northern Indiana Public Service Company says as many as 44-thousand customers lost power system-wide. That number was down to about 98-hundred early today this morning, with one of the hardest hit areas being Lake County with outages due to broken poles, downed wire and other storm-related damage from strong winds, lightning, and some isolated hail. Hardest hit communities include Crown Point, Lowell, Gary and Merrillville, and the tri-town area of St. John/Schererville/dyer, also Hebron and Valparaiso in Porter County.
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Read more: Storm Cleanup Continues

In the Hobart/Merrillville area, Route 51 north of 73^rd Avenue near Ainsworth was blocked by a train. Listeners have been using County Line and Randolph as alternates.  We got word the road may be blocked until about noon.
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Read more: Route 51 Blocked by Train

The Indiana Department of Transportation says a section of State Road 2 could be closed for three days.  Lanes are blocked in both directions between I-65 in Lowell and US 231in Hebron with downed power lines after last night's storms. Tipsters have reported to us large towers being down along Route 2 just east of the I-65 interchange. 
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Read more: Route 2 Could Be Closed for 3 Days

NIPSCO crews have been working around the clock to restore electricity to Region residents who lost power in last night's strong storms. Northern Indiana Public Service Company says as many as 44-thousand customers lost power system-wide. One of the hardest hit areas was Lake County, including areas of Crown Point, Lowell, Gary, and Merrillville with outages due to broken poles, downed wire and other storm-related damage from strong winds, lightning, and some isolated hail.  There are also outages in Hebron in Porter County; tipsters have reported to us that large towers were down on State Road 2 just east of the Interstate 65 interchange.
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Read more: 44,000 Lose Power in Storms

Severe thunderstorms moved through the Region earlier this evening with high winds toppling several large trees and power lines throughout the Region. According to the National Weather Service , a trained spotter clocked 80 mph winds in Griffith around 6:45 p.m. Social media sites were reporting several large tree branches down in Crown point due to thunderstorm wind damage.

The Times is reporting heavy winds also reportedly blew the roof off of a home in the 1100 block of Sunnyslope Drive in Lakes of the Four Seasons in Crown Point. There were no reports of injuries. Additionally, Fire Chief Graham Federico of the Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Department told the Times that about a quarter mile of 109^th Avenue west of the subdivision's entrance was blocked off due to trees that were blown down. That stretch of 109^th Avenue will reportedly remain closed until Thursday morning according to the article.

Emergency Management officials also report heavy tree damage near 108^th and 109^th Avenues near Cline Avenue in Crown Point. In addition, high tension power lines closed State Road 2 east of I-65 as several high tension towers blew down in the storm.

NIPSCO reported several power outages affecting over 34,000 customers mainly in Crown Point, Schererville, Merrillville and Lowell areas with a little over 14,000 customers without power in Crown Point.

The severe storms are also blamed for a semi trailer that jackknifed while traveling westbound on the Borman (I-80/90) just east of Kennedy Avenue around 6:50 p.m. INDOT reported that the accident block three lanes between Cline Avenue and Kennedy Avenue.

The National Weather Service reports that 2 to 3 inches of rain has fallen in the Region already with more heavy rainfall expected in some areas. As a result a Flash Flood Warning remains in affect for persons in southern Lake, Newton and Jasper counties are under a flash flood warning until 2:30 a.m.
Time line and storm damage reported to the National Weather Service office:
0645 PM 1" HAIL GRIFFITH 41.52N 87.42W
REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER
0645 PM HAIL 3 SSW MUNSTER 41.51N 87.52W

0653 PM TSTM WND DMG CROWN POINT 41.42N 87.36W
LARGE TREE BRANCHES DOWN. RELAYED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
0655 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 SE MERRILLVILLE 41.42N 87.24W
SEVERAL TREES UPROOTED AND LARGE BRANCHES DOWN. RELAYED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
0720 PM TSTM WND GST 60mph VALPARAISO 41.48N 87.05W
LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER
0732 PM TSTM WND DMG CROWN POINT 41.42N 87.36W
HOUSE ROOF BLOWN OFF REPORTED BY AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR
0805 PM HEAVY RAIN .94 inch CROWN POINT 41.44N 87.35W
0.34 inches in past 30 minutes
0822 PM TSTM WND GST 63 mph 2 SSW LOWELL 41.27N 87.43W
REPORTED BY THE NATONAL WEATHER SERVICE
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Read more: Severe Thunderstorms and High Winds Move Through Region

The Highland Police Department says due to the heavy rains, high winds and lightning that are expected in the area soon, that if you have a grate over a storm sewer in front of your house, please make sure it is open and free of debris or leaves in order to prevent flooding. Your help is appreciated.
Meantime, keep apprised of weather updates, and be prepared to seek shelter if conditions worsen. Winds of up to 60 mph are possible, so make sure items in your yard are secured and pets are sheltered.
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Read more: Highland PD: Residents Clear Grates From Storm Sewer

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) would like to warn of a potentially dangerous line of storms moving through the Midwest that could impact much of the state Wednesday evening and especially Northern Illinois counties.
The storms are expected to bring heavy rains, large hail and strong winds until midnight.  Flash flood watches are in place throughout portions of the state, with flooding possible in low-lying areas, river streams and viaducts.
IDOT is receiving regular updates from the National Weather Service (NWS) and is preparing all districts throughout the state for the possibility of severe weather.  IDOT will continue to coordinate with the NWS and other entities to provide information on pre-storm information as well as post storm response. 
Motorists are urged to take precautions on the roads, as storms could potentially impact driving conditions. 
Severe Weather Driving Tips:
·         Do not drive through flooded areas

• Be aware of vehicles around you
• High winds are most problematic for drivers of trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, campers, and drivers who are towing trailers
• Turn on your headlights (low beams) and slow down
• Allow extra distance for braking

·         If your car stalls in high water, do not attempt to push it out; seek higher ground

For a list of road closures, please visit http://www.dot.il.gov/road/roadClosures.htm. For real-time updates on today's storms, please visithttp://Ready.Illinois.gov /.
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Read more: IDOT Offers Severe WX Driving Tips

The Justice Department issued a press release on Tuesday saying it has entered into a consent decree with Griffith that, if approved, will resolve allegations that the Griffith Police Department discriminated against Marlene Starcevich based on her sex, a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the complaint, the department failed to assign Starcevich, a 22 year veteran, and the only female officer in the history of the Griffith Police Department, to a shift commander position because of her sex when a shift commander position became available in July of 2010. Starcevich has since been assigned to shift commander duties, and under the terms of the consent decree, the police department must also pay her five-thousand dollars in monetary relief, and the town must revise its equal employment opportunity polices to protect its employees from discrimination and conduct training of its personnel regarding these policies.
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Read more: DOJ Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Settled Against Griffith

Washington, D.C. –Senator Joe Donnelly released the following statement after voting in the full Senate Armed Services Committee National Defense Authorization Act mark-up on the issue of sexual assault prevention in the military.  Senator Donnelly voted against Chairman Levin’s amendment that removed and replaced existing language sponsored by Senator Gillibrand regarding the chain of command.  Chairman Levin’s amendment passed the Committee, 17 to 9.
“Two weeks ago, I attended a Clothesline Project event at the AmVets in Indianapolis, where dozens of Hoosier survivors of military sexual assault ‘aired’ their stories on t-shirts strung around the room.  Hearing and reading their stories of violent assault, of a lack of justice served, or the retaliation they faced from fellow soldiers was heartbreaking.
“I have concluded that only a significant, serious change to the status quo will lead to a truly ‘zero tolerance’ policy.  Survivors of sexual assault need to regain trust in the United States Armed Forces.
“I am thankful for Chairman Levin’s work on this issue, and I think his proposal is strong and moves us significantly in the right direction.  It goes a long way toward dramatically improving the current system.  Our military and its leaders are working hard to end this scourge against our servicemembers.  However, in light of the seriousness and size of this problem, I supported Senator Gillibrand’s proposal in the mark.  I think this is the right way to go as we seek to enact a zero tolerance policy for sexual assault in the Armed Forces.”
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Read more: Donnelly Votes Against Levin Amendment Which Passes 17-9

A Highland woman today was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in the death of man her boyfriend killed in 2009. The Lake County Prosecutor's Office reports Andrea Michelle Elliott was charged with felony assisting a criminal, for helping Calvin Peacock bury the body of Kevin Sperry, and also harboring and concealing Peacock. Peacock was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Novermber 2012, after pleading guilty to killing Sperry with a pickaxe during an argument at Peacock's home in October of 2009.
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Read more: Highland Woman Gets 2 Years in Prison for Assisting Killer