Bill Dolan
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Staff writer for The Times since 1997. Journalist since 1972
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Articles by Bill Dolan
Bank of America expands NWI footprint
Bank of America is opening two locations in Northwest Indiana this fall to serve customers. Barry Mullan, a consumer banking region executive at Bank of America, said the branches will serve the Schererville and Hobart communities.
AMERICA 250: A Gary century hard as steel
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Betting on Northwest Indiana
JNE Group of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, moved a team of engineers to Merrillville. Da Bears aren’t alone in the hunt to secure home field advantage in Northwest Indiana. Eighteen months ago, JNE Group of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, moved its team of engineers here. “We do a lot of heavy industry work, so this is an area we are familiar with,” said Keith Taylor, JNE Group sales vice president.
Trending careers in trades
Valparaiso University engineering students work on a water purification project in Guatemala. High school students sold on the traditional college-to-professional career track face the prospect of graduating into an AI-shattered job market. Local employers, labor and education officials hope to pivot many graduates onto another path — Northern Indiana’s booming construction industry.
A value-added food chain
Dan Perkins, shown here with his family, sells his organic produce grown in DeMotte to restaurants. He learned about the opportunity from Region Roots, a nonprofit food hub, run by the NWI Food Council. Anyone doubting the power of northern Indiana agriculture needs only to try buying some of its cropland. Halderman Real Estate & Farm Management auctioned a 37-acre Newton County farm in December for a hammer price of $18,024 an acre.
Math without the paperwork
Photos provided by stock.adobe.com / Hubba Bubba, sevector, jat306 Olivia Diaz didn’t feel as confident as she looks in her publicity photos when she opened Frankie’s Barbershop in the Town of Porter a year and a half ago. “I had to deal with more customers, pay rent and the contractor who did $12,000 of work renovating my new space, keeping up with tax forms and the (utility) bills. And I sell ice cream here,” Diaz said. “So, how do I, as a new business owner, do all of this?
Soulful benefits of nonprofits
The crowning moment of John Freyek’s work on Opportunity Enterprises’ board of directors didn’t come easy. But persistence paid off with the grand opening of a respite center in Valparaiso for intellectually disabled children the nonprofit serves. “It took years to raise $8 million and build the Markiewicz Center to give their parents and the children a break to do fun stuff in a beautiful and safe environment,” he said.
Relationships still count
Some things never change in Northern Indiana’s banks, like spacious lobbies or pens chained to check writing counters. But banking has progressed from dollars and cents to apps and Zelle and other ingenious online transaction systems. Pioneering consumers crave these online banking services that large financial institutions push — particularly tech-heavy banking giants and internet-only neobanks that substitute automation for branch offices and manual labor.
Attorneys on fence about AI
Artificial intelligence is Exhibit A in the case of driving the tradition-bound law community into the modern age. Area legal practices are shopping for the newest machine-learning research, writing and management tools to work more efficiently in fewer expensive hours. Westlaw, LexisNexis and Bloomberg Law are among platforms promising better lawyering through algorithms and data processing.
Home grown lending • Northwest Indiana Business Magazine
The Regional Development Co. hopes to provide fledgling entrepreneurs with enough money to push their dreams across the finish line. The RDC, a nonprofit partnership of public and private lenders with a history of advancing nearly $1 billion of capital investment to small businesses, is launching the Northwest Indiana Regional Growth Fund later this year.
Controlling costs
Commercial construction is booming in Northern Indiana with contractors erecting millions of square feet of medical facilities, data centers and warehouses. They’ve done so profitably, in the face of rising material and labor costs, by turning to novel strategies and technologies like modular construction and a design/build approach to bringing projects under budget and ahead of schedule.
Technology’s Latest Remedies
Taking biopsies of nearly inaccessible lung tumors is now as easy as mastering a joystick, said Dr. Marvi Bikak, a pulmonologist for Northwest Health-La Porte. She uses a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy system to perform minimally invasive lung biopsies, allowing for early detection of potential cancer without the need for open surgery. “You drive a catheter into the trachea with a joystick.
NWI business community applauds E-Day entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship is like running a marathon, veteran lawyer Larry Evans told a crowd Nov. 13 at the E-day awards ceremony honoring himself and 10 other business owners. “You have to take that first step. Do a great job. Don’t let negative thinking slow you down. See that finish line and run for it,” said Evans who has run more than a dozen marathons and practiced law for more than six decades.
Region manufacturers join movement toward Industry 4.0
More than corn is growing in Northern Indiana’s productive soil. Hammond Machine Works flourishes as its 70-person workforce bends, grinds and assembles precision metal parts for sale in a variety of industrial applications. Peter Nau began working for the business in the 1970s and bought it from his father in the 1990s.
GENEVA uses large language models for interactive game narrative design
This paper was presented at the IEEE 2024 Conference on Games (opens in new tab) (IEEE CoG 2024), the leading forum on innovation in and through games. Mastering the art of storytelling, a highly valued skill across films, novels, games, and more, requires creating rich narratives with compelling plots and characters.
Players, creators, and AI collaborate to build and expand rich game narratives
This paper was presented at the IEEE 2024 Conference on Games (opens in new tab) (IEEE CoG 2024), the leading forum on innovation in and through games. In the fast-evolving landscape of video game development, crafting dialogues and narratives is a labor-intensive endeavor. Traditionally, creating these elements involved meticulous hand-coding, resulting in static interactions that limit player agency.
Capital requirement
Athlete Nate Richie’s passion for exercise sparked his interest in launching a small business. Next came Bear KompleX fitness gear and KompleX Nutrition outlets in Crown Point. But in between, he needed a commercial lender. He might have chosen any one of the dozen-plus community and regional banks operating out of more than 200 branch offices from Hammond to South Bend.
Ready to litigate
The newest Region lawyers have navigated the academic demands of law school in the face of a pandemic, landed work at area legal firms and are litigating in our courts. They arrive as the number of Indiana attorneys is shrinking, and technology threatens to disrupt their professional pursuits. But, they’ve also won the admiration of seasoned litigators.
‘Community builders’
Northwest Indiana, growing in population and fresh, new commerce, is also framing the walls and pouring the foundations of a strong housing market. Hundreds of contemporary, craftsman detached single-family ranches, cottages, patio homes, townhouses, villas, and paired villas are under construction. Ready-to-move-in and existing homes are listed for sale throughout the Region. Sellers received 96 percent of their asking price, said Peter Novak, CEO of the Northwest Indiana Realtors Association.
Patient care closer to home
Northern Indiana has been the workshop of the Midwest where blue-collar workers trooped across factory floors. Now, some of its top employers are more than a dozen hospitals, a legion of outpatient clinics and a workforce that is 75,000 strong — and growing. Four of the top 10 largest hospitals in Indiana by bed size are in the Region, according to Hospital Management, a B2B website. And new ones are either under construction or just opening.
Griffith prepares to give traffic roundabouts a spin
GRIFFITH — It will soon be time for town residents to join the traffic roundabout revolution. Council President Rick Ryfa said plans are in the works to replace the conventional intersection at Broad Street and 61st Avenue/Avenue H with a two-lane rotary configuration. Ryfa said he knows many drivers find these circular intersections a nuisance. “I wasn’t a big fan of them myself, but traffic backups get really bad on South Broad Street.
Vision for Steel City
Gary is a long way from being one of those charming Midwest burbs social media gushes about — but supporters can’t help imagining it will be someday. “I believe in the Gary of the future,” said Vanessa Allen-McCloud, president of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and a longtime city resident.
EC police officers sue over suspensions
EAST CHICAGO — Two recently suspended East Chicago police officers are asking a judge to overturn their penalties. Randy T. Morris, a 33-year veteran of the police force, and Saraj Qureshi filed suit Monday in Lake Superior Court alleging city officials didn’t follow proper procedures in disciplining them over allegations of violating police regulations.
ELECTION: Mayor Land wins in Crown Point
CROWN POINT — Pete Land, career cop turned mayor, will keep on treading his new beat for the next four years. Land, a Democrat, outpolled his Republican opponent Shirlene C. Olson in Tuesday’s mayoral election by a better than two-to-one margin. Olson said Tuesday night she called and congratulated Land. Five of the six City Council members on Tuesday’s ballot appear to have won reelection Tuesday, as did City Judge Kent A.
Energy incentives
The federal government is betting that Americans can be enticed to decarbonize their cars and homes with a little tax deduction love. The Inflation Reduction Act is a package of new and enlarged energy tax incentives designed to spur a buying frenzy of electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances and home improvements to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Climate change roiled public discourse years before Congress passed last year’s legislation.
Lake County treasurer warns of fake tax-bill mailings
CROWN POINT — Lake County Treasurer John Petalas is warning the public to beware of phony tax bills being sent from an address in Texas. Petalas said he received an inquiry recently from Humane Indiana in Munster about a letter from the “Tax Resolution Unit Lake County." It claimed that the animal shelter owed $707 in delinquent taxes. “The letter is a scam. The Humane Society is a nonprofit organization, so they don’t owe any property taxes,” Petalas said.
Woman may sue over misconduct during 2016 police ride along
HAMMOND — A federal court will let a local woman press claims she was sexually harassed during a 2016 Hammond police ride-along. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled Wednesday the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, can sue Jaime Garcia, a former officer she alleges fondled and frightened her with sexually disturbing remarks. This overturns a 2022 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Jon DeGuilio in Hammond to dismiss the woman’s suit.
Feds detain a local man accused of brandishing a machine gun on social media
HAMMOND — The U.S. Attorney is charging a man with the illegal possession of a machine gun he is accused of brandishing on social media. Federal prosecutors allege Augustus Kyritz was armed with a Glock 29 semi-automatic pistol during a police traffic stop last spring. They allege the pistol was equipped with a “Glock switch" that converted it into a machine gun. U.S. District Court records show Kyritz appeared Monday with Crown Point defense attorney Michael A.
Gary man pleads to federal firearms violation
HAMMOND — A Gary man is admitting he committed a federal weapon’s violation earlier this year. Clinton Retic II appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joshua P. Kolar to plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a black .40-caliber Model 22 Glock pistol. Retic admitted he was legally barred from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of Aggravated Battery, a Class B Felony, in Lake County 19 years earlier.
Gary man freed after serving five years on federal drug charges
CROWN POINT — A judge freed a Gary man Tuesday more than five years after he was jailed for his ties to a violent criminal enterprise that sold crack cocaine across his home town. U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon imposed a 63-month sentence Tuesday on 44-year-old Cornell D. “Knuckles” Allen. Defense attorney Sheldon B. Nagelberg, who represented Allen, said Tuesday Allen already had served more the five years in federal detention, so the judge effectively released Allen.
DeMotte man imprisoned for collecting child porn
HAMMOND — A federal judge has imprisoned a DeMotte man for collecting child pornography for the second time in a decade. U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon imposed a 210-month sentence Wednesday on 42-year-old Thomas Scott Spangle. Spangle pleaded guilty to receiving sexually graphic images of children in the spring of 2021 while on court supervision for a prior conviction involving child pornography.
Bogus insurance agent pleads guilty to fraud
HAMMOND — A Crown Point man is pleading guilty to a federal charge he defrauded insurance companies. Marlon Underwood appeared Thursday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge John E. Martin to admit he stole money from one East Coast insurance firm. A federal grand jury indicted the 49-year-old criminal defendant two years ago on allegations he tricked insurance companies into paying him for insurance policies he sold to Northwest Indiana residents.
Gary man imprisoned over firearms violation
HAMMOND — A federal judge sentenced a Gary man to prison Wednesday for illegally possessing a shotgun during a 2022 domestic dispute. U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon imposed a 92-month sentence on 33-year-old Michael Davis. Davis pleaded guilty last month to being a previously convicted felon in possession of a 12-gauge Rock Island Armory VRBP-100 semi-automatic shotgun Feb. 22, 2022.
Sin City Deciple member admits to 2003 killing of Gary police chief’s son
HAMMOND — A member of a violent motorcycle gang is agreeing to admit he murdered the son of a former Gary police chief 20 years ago. U.S. District Court documents state 60-year-old Bernard Smith has signed an agreement with the U.S. Attorney to plead guilty to federal racketeering and drug charges.
Illinois man sentenced for bringing a machine gun into NWI
HAMMOND — A judge sent an Illinois man to prison Thursday for fleeing police while illegally armed with a machine gun. Senior U.S. District Court Judge James Moody imposed a two-year sentence on Levar Tyms, 20, of Country Club Hills. Tyms pleaded guilty Feb. 15 to possessing an unregistered machine gun last year.
Prison sentence in identity theft scam
Share this article paywall-free. HAMMOND — A federal judge has imprisoned a man who joined a consumer fraud scheme that victimized hundreds across North America. Senior U.S. District Court Judge James Moody imposed a 54-month sentence Wednesday on Rico Prunty, 41, of Sierra Vista, Arizona. Prunty pleaded guilty in December 2020 to aggravated identity theft and knowing disclosure of another person’s health information with intent to sell, transfer, or use it for personal gain.
One of Gary’s biggest landowners hit with tax ruling
Share this article paywall-free. A judge is prepared to sell off one of the largest collections of private property in Gary to pay off a man’s $8 million overdue property tax bills. Andrew L. Young has been shielding his troubled real estate business in bankruptcy court from a mountain of tax bills owed on hundreds of parcels he owns in and around Gary.
Man pleads guilty to defrauding pandemic aid program
HAMMOND — A Crown Point man pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding a federal business aid program of $149,000. Victor R. Adebisi, 36, born in Nigeria, Africa, appeared earlier this week before U.S. District Court Judge Philip P Simon on a charge of wire fraud. Adebisi admitted to the judge he lied on an application form for a federal loan, claiming he needed to keep the money to keep his company afloat during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago.
Chicago man imprisoned for lying about gun purchase
HAMMOND — A Chicago man who lied to skirt firearms regulations is going to prison. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio imposed a 30-month sentence Wednesday on 25-year-old David R. Valentine. Valentine pleaded guilty in early 2022 to making false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.
Porter County man imprisoned for child pornography
HAMMOND — A federal judge imprisoned a Porter County man Wednesday for trafficking in photos of naked underaged boys and girls. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon DeGuilio imposed a nine-year sentence on Tommy K. Watkins, 40, of the town of Porter on his guilty plea to distribution of child pornography. Defense attorney Adam Tavitas argued in an earlier memo to the court that it was Watkins’ first crime and that Watkins suffers from depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
South Haven family sues over 2021 fatal police shooting
HAMMOND — Police who responded to the home of a reportedly suicidal South Haven man in 2021 are now being sued over claims they killed him. The family of Alexander Thor Tuzinski are seeking monetary damages from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff David Reynolds, and at least eight other county police officers. Chesterton attorney David E. Baum filed the wrongful death suit last month in Porter Superior Court. Baum declined comment Tuesday on the case.
Gary is charged $67,000 over voter redistricting snafu
The Gary city council didn’t do anything, and because of that a federal court judge rang them up for tens of thousands of dollars. U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon in Hammond is ordering the city to pay more than $67,000 for slacking off last year when they were supposed to be redistricting the city to give every resident equal representation on the city council.
Gary man pleads guilty to illicit possession of shotgun
HAMMOND — A Gary man’s fractured love life and love of guns have put him in jeopardy of going to prison again. Michael Davis pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to a weapon’s violation arising from his arrest last year during a domestic dispute. Judge Philip Simon accepted Davis' guilty plea to knowingly owning a 12-gauge Rock Island Armory VRBP-100 semi-automatic shotgun in spite of federal law banning gun ownership to previously convicted felons, like Davis.
EC man sues cops over 2021 broken jaw
A man is suing three East Chicago police officers over claims he suffered a broken jaw during a 2021 arrest. Jesus D. Lopez-Puentes, 33, of East Chicago is seeking monetary damages against Police Chief Jose Rivera, former Police Chief Hector Rosario and Officer Kayvionne Cook. Rivera, who was East Chicago’s deputy police chief in 2021, became police chief, in place of Rosario, last year. Griffith attorney Benjamin W. Murphy, who represents Lopez-Puentes, filed a civil rights suit.
Jury finds two Gary man guilty of 2017 drug homicide
HAMMOND — A federal murder trial ended late Monday with the conviction of two 29-year-old Gary men. A U. S. District Court jury found Taquan “Boonie” Clarke and Devontae “Lil Cuz” Martin guilty of armed drug trafficking and a related 2017 homicide. The six-day trial, which began May 1, took place five years after a federal grand jury first indicted Clarke, Martin and several other individuals five years ago on felony counts alleging they conspired to possess and distribute cocaine and heroin.
Gary man admits assaulting postal worker who got in his way
HAMMOND — A Gary man is pleading guilty to firing gunshots two years ago at a postal worker in a moment of road rage. Jerron D. Williams appeared Thursday before U.S. District Court Judge Magistrate Judge John E. Martin to admit he assaulted a female letter carrier with a firearm. The 32-year-old defendant was awaiting trial next month on three felony counts and facing a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if a jury had found him guilty.
PRIMARY ELECTION: Copeland wins Democrats nomination for fourth term as EC mayor
EAST CHICAGO — The conflagrations and speed traps of city politics had Mayor Anthony Copeland worried earlier this spring. But Tuesday night, he hugged and thanked his supporters at the East Chicago Shrine Center on Pulaski Street, as if he knew he would win all along. “Was I nervous, yeah. But I give out before I give in.
EC School City suspends administrator for wipes giveaway controversy
EAST CHICAGO — The school district has suspended its chief financial officer over a donation of school property that many complained was a political campaign stunt. CFO Lela Simmons will be on administrative leave until an investigation is completed into how disinfectant wipes for school use were handed out free April 11 to city residents by the city parks department. Superintendent Javier Abrego announced the suspension at the Monday school board meeting.
Federal trial begins for two Gary men accused of a 2017 murder
HAMMOND — The U.S. District trial is underway for two 29-year-old Gary men accused of a six-year-old drug-related murder. Taquan Clarke and Devontae Martin are pleading not guilty to a charge of killing Kevin Hood, 43, of Gary during an armed robbery July 28, 2017, outside the ‘Shine On’ car wash near 15th and Massachusetts in Gary’s Midtown neighborhood.
Federal judge declines to jump into EC political fight for now
HAMMOND — A federal judge refused Wednesday to step between warring East Chicago politicians in the run up to Tuesday’s primary election. U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon denied a temporary restraining order requested by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 59 to safeguard members supporting candidates opposed to the city administration.
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