Today's fire in downtown Valparaiso has caused some outages in the area of Lincolnway and Michigan. NIPSCO spokesperson Nick Meyer says they have about 38 customers, most of which are businesses, that are without power at last check. Meyer says crews are on-scene, waiting for the okay to switch the power back on, but with the damage, there is a number of inspections and steps that the city must take first before power is restored, but that process should be relatively quick, and they anticipate power being restored sometime tonight.
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Read more: NIPSCO: Power Could Be Back by this Evening Due to Fire

Several pieces of fire fighting equipment remained at the scene of a fire that was reported around 1:30 a.m. this morning in an over 100-year commercial building located at the southeast corner of Lincolnway and Michigan Ave.   

Valparaiso Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief, Dan Lamb says crews were still finding hot spots and were pumping water on those areas with some of the hot spots unreachable.   Chief Lamb says the fire destroyed and weakened the structure of the building making it potentially hazardous to the general public and because of that the remaining walls, especially located on the west side along Michigan Avenue will come down.

As of two o'clock this afternoon, Laura Waluszko of the Region News Team reporting from the scene, said a crane had begun to knock down the compromised walls of the burnt out structure.  Assistant Fire Chief Lamb earlier said that the fire department hopes to have Lincolnway reopened by four o'clock this afternoon, but that is no guarantee.  Currently, Lincolnway is closed between Morgan Avenue and Franklin Street.

The over 100-year old building was one of the first commercial buildings to be built in downtown Valparaiso. 
                                                                                                    
   
 






(photos courtesy of Jay Stevens)
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Read more: Fire Fighters Still On Scene Downtown Valpo

[Photo/Karl Berner, Region News Team]

Water collects in on Morgan St., a half block from the fire scene in downtown Valparaiso as officials discuss the situation. Crews remained on scene at the fire, contained to one historic building at Lincolnway and Michigan St., at 8:15 this morning, and were expected to be on scene most of the day.

[Photo/Courtesy Andy Urschel]

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[Photo/Camie Marfoe, Valparaiso]

Road closures -- Lincolnway, from Morgan to Washington... Michigan closed in both directions... The fire is at building at Lincolnway and Michigan.
There is a fire hose running down the middle of Lincolnway from the Porter County Courthouse all the way to the fire scene. The fire hose is also blocking Franklin.
City parking lot west of Round the Clock restaurant is closed with fire equipment
Expect fire crews to be on scene for most of the day
Llincolnway EAST of Morgan (where many people turn north to get to Calumet Ave) is open... CAN'T go south on Morgan, but you can go NORTH
Fire apparently under control, but heavy smoke still in the area, and winds from the west are blowing the smoke into the downtown area.
Also – there are some power outages, including the Lifestyles building... outages due to fire and power being shut off... NIPSCO has been on scene
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[Photo/Camie Marfoe, Valparaiso]

One firefighter has been transported to the hospital after a major fire breaks out overnight  in a building that takes up about a whole block,  in downtown Valparaiso. There's also fire damage to other structures on either side.  The extent of the firefighter's injuries wasn't available at this time.   The Valparaiso Fire Department got the call around 1:30 am.  Crews from Morgan Township and Washington Township were also on scene.  
Officials say the fire was in a two-story brick building at Lincolnway and Michigan, a structure that includes a mortgage company at that corner, plus businesses that face Michigan south of Lincolnway, including a barber shop and at least one other store.   Authorities say almost the entire inside of that building has been destroyed.   For those who are familiar with downtown Valpo, the building is a block east of Lifestyles.
Power is also out in some of the downtown buildings, east of the square, including the Lifestyles building from what we've been told this morning, and it's unknown how long those businesses will be without power.

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[Photos/Karl Berner, Region News Team]

In Valparaiso, crews are at the scene of a major fire in the downtown area overnight. Authorities are asking motorists to avoid Lincolnway this morning. Tipsters tell us the fire is at the corner of Lincolnway and Michigan. We do not have confirmed what businesses may have been affected at this time. Lincolnway is shut down just east of the downtown square and it's expected it will be closed for quite some time today.

    

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The removal of an MRI from the old hospital in the 800 block of LaPorte Avenue will require a road closure there later this month. The City of Valparaiso reports they will have to close LaPorte Avenue, in front of the hospital, from the east to the west end, to set up a crane and semi. The closure, which is scheduled to take place either March 20^th or 21^st, will begin at 6am, and the process will reportedly take approximately ten-hours.
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Read more: Road Closure on LaPorte Ave in Valpo Later This Month

The Times is reporting police in LaPorte are investigating a bank robbery. According to the article, 1^st Source Bank, located on the city's east side was robbed Thursday at about 12:30pm. Published reports say a man, who indicated he had a gun, but who reportedly did not display one, handed a note to the teller demanding money, and fled with an undisclosed amount of money. The Times reports this is the fourth bank robbery in LaPorte since November.
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Read more: 1st Source Bank in LaPorte Robbed Thursday

A 23 year old LaPorte man was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of child solicitation. Indiana State Police Lowell Post reports Christopher Albin was arrested without incident at his home in the 800 block of Virginia Avenue. State Police say the arrest stemmed from a joint investigation with Florida authorities into allegations the LaPorte man was having an inappropriate on-line relationship with a 14 year old Florida girl.
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Read more: LaPorte Man Arrested for Child Solicitation

A Gary Police Department ambulance was stolen Friday afternoon as it was left running while medics where checking on prisoner. The Times reports police medical personnel were dispatched at 2:30pm for an emergency call in the five-hundred block of Polk Street, and while inside attending to a prisoner, 59 year old Ricky Warren, of Gary, reportedly drove off in the medical response vehicle. Published reports say Warren struck a vehicle on 11^th Street, and was finally stopped by police on Ridge...

Read more: Gary Man Steals Ambulance and Strikes Vehicle

In a simple ceremony at the Hobart Police Station, Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor named Hobart police officer Rick Zormier as Hobart's new police chief, effective immediately. After nineteen years on the force, Zormier received a law degree from Valparaiso University in 2004 and takes the helm as top cop, vowing to resolve issues that have given the Hobart Police Department some recent negative publicity and to make sure the citizens of Hobart get the integrity and transparency they deserve....

Read more: Zormier Named New Hobart Police Chief