Amy Lavalley
chicagotribune.com
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Past articles by Amy:
Jasper County dairy farm under fire for abuse allegations, denies affiliation with Fair Oaks Farms
An animal rights organization released a video this week depicting horrific abuse of dairy cows and calves taken at a Jasper County farm it claims is affiliated with Fair Oaks Farms, and while the owner of the farm admitted to the abuses and said he is working to rectify them, both he and Fair Oaks deny he is connected with the agribusiness tourist attraction. → Read More
Director of Memorial Opera House leaving for job with theater in North Carolina
Scot MacDonald, director of the Porter County-owned Memorial Opera House, submitted his resignation “with mixed emotions” in a letter to the county’s human resources director and elected officials Thursday, citing a new opportunity in Charlotte, North Carolina. → Read More
Family, friends recall Washington Township family killed in Pennsylvania car wreck
A little more than four hours after they left Quakertown, Pennsylvania, the Feicks' car was struck by one semi truck and then another on Interstate 80 in Centre Township, Pennsylvania. The family of three died at the scene; dog Hazel escaped and has yet to be found. → Read More
Former Portage Mayor James Snyder ordered to report to federal prison in October
The saga of the federal court case against disgraced former Portage Mayor James Snyder inched closer to a conclusion when a judge on Friday ordered him to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on Oct. 16 to begin serving his 21-month sentence on convictions for bribery and defrauding the IRS. → Read More
Murder, robbery charges filed in death of Hobart man by Portage fishing pond; details not released
Charges of murder and felony robbery have been filed against two men in connection with the homicide of a Hobart man whose body was found June 13 next to a Portage fishing pond, a case Porter County Sheriff Balon called “a heinous crime,” but authorities are mum so far on further details in the case. → Read More
Indiana AG files for dismissal of lawsuit against Valpo U over artwork sale
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is backing up Valparaiso University’s contention that a lawsuit to stop the sale of three of the Brauer Museum’s most valuable pieces of artwork to fund dorm renovations for first-year students should be dismissed because the plaintiffs who filed the suit don’t have standing to do so. → Read More
Federal prosecutors seek to revoke former Portage Mayor James Snyder’s bond, orders him to report to prison within the week
Having failed at his most recent attempt to have his federal convictions for bribery and obstructing the IRS overturned, former Portage Mayor James Snyder now faces revocation of his bond and being ordered to surrender to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons within the week. → Read More
Federal appeals court keeps former Portage Mayor James Snyder’s two convictions in place
Former Portage Mayor James Snyder’s bid to have his federal convictions dismissed for a $13,000 bribe for a garbage truck contract and hiding income from the IRS with his mortgage business have come to an end as an appeals court ruled Thursday that the convictions will stand. → Read More
Upgraded charges expected Friday after Hobart man’s death declared a homicide by Porter County coroner
The Porter County Coroner’s Office has ruled the death of a Hobart man found near a Portage Township fishing pond as a homicide, while documents for felony auto theft charges against two suspects who police said crashed the victim’s car on an Ohio highway provide more details in the case. → Read More
Police investigate connection between body found by Portage Township pond, crash of stolen car in Cincinnati
Police in Porter County and Cincinnati, Ohio are working to put together the pieces of a case that started with the discovery of a body in a Portage Township fishing pond Tuesday morning and ended with a highway crash early Wednesday in Cincinnati. → Read More
Driver charged in death of Duneland teacher seven months after six-car wreck in Portage
Seven months to the day after a Portage car crash involving six vehicles in which a Chesterton Middle School teacher died, a Portage man was charged with felony counts of reckless homicide and criminal recklessness after, according to court documents, driving well over 100 mph in the seconds before the crash. → Read More
Shuttered NWI homeless nonprofit put clients at risk with delays, state agency warned
Inaction by a now-defunct nonprofit charged with assessing the needs of homeless people and those at risk for homelessness failed to provide services in a timely manner, putting victims of domestic violence at higher risk. → Read More
Valparaiso pauses to reflect on military sacrifice with wreath laying, recitation of names of the fallen
When Reg Gustafson was growing up in Valparaiso, he used to tag along when his dad, an Army veteran, would go on his milk delivery runs to Dixie Dairy in Gary. On any holiday honoring the military or veterans, Gustafson said his dad would stop what they were doing at 11 a.m., get out of his truck, take off his hat and spend a moment of reflection. → Read More
Fired Porter County highway worker alleges misuse of county resources
A former Porter County Highway Department employee made a slew of what county officials call “serious allegations” against that department’s supervisor at the end of Tuesday’s Porter County Council meeting, including misuse of county resources to do work on private property. → Read More
Valparaiso woman charged with felony theft from band parents association
A Valparaiso woman is facing a felony theft charge after, according to charging documents, she stole at least $3,200 from the Valparaiso Band Parents Association over the course of three years. → Read More
Officials: Criminal charges for wetlands violations a rarity as Union Township man faces six felonies
A Union Township man has been charged with six felony counts related to wetlands violations after, according to court documents, he was told multiple times by county and state departments not to fill in the wetlands but did so anyway. → Read More
Chesterton Middle School student struck by train recalled as “cool kid” by family
Sylis Wilfinger was “a cool kid,” according to his aunt, an honors student who liked to work out, play video games and loved all kinds of music. → Read More
Ensign resigns from Boone Twp. school board following arrest on child solicitation charge
Shawn Ensign has resigned from the school board of the Metropolitan School District of Boone Township, according to a letter to the school community from the board president that went out Monday. The resignation comes after his May 4 arrest for a felony charge of solicitation of a minor in Goshen. → Read More
Boone Township school board member, Little League VP arrested on child solicitation charge
A member of the Metropolitan School District of Boone Township who also was on the board of Hebron Little League was arrested Thursday in Goshen on a felony charge of child solicitation after allegedly trying to meet up with a 14-year-old girl named “Payton” who was actually a member of Bikers Against Predators, an organization that goes after alleged child predators. → Read More
Attorneys: No need for temporary restraining order to halt sale of Brauer artwork as any sale wouldn’t come until fall
An attorney representing two retired Valparaiso University professors with long standing relationships with the university’s Brauer Museum of Art agreed to drop a request for a temporary restraining order to stop the sale of three cornerstone pieces of artwork after learning during a Tuesday court hearing that sale of the artwork is not imminent. → Read More