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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Ten years later, family still searches for Diamond Bynum and King Walker
When Lashann Walker thinks about the last 10 years, the only way she can describe it is heartbreaking. For 10 years, Walker and her other family members have searched for Diamond Bynum and King Walker — her daughter and nephew who went missing in Gary. 'I try to put it into words, and it's hard,' Walker said. 'It's a pain that lies in my heart every second and every day. I wake up every morning with them on my mind, and I go to sleep with them on my mind.' On July 25, 2015, then 21-year-old Diamond Bynum and then 2-year-old nephew King Walker went missing after they left their Gary home, according to Post-Tribune archives. The two likely went for a walk on that Saturday morning. Bynum has Prader-Willi syndrome, which leads to slow mental development, so family members had to help care for her. At the time, she was also unfamiliar with the area. 'A lot can change in 10 years,' Walker said. 'At the time, King could hardly talk. He was just a baby, saying some words, but not full sentences. … They were both just kids.' Since the disappearance, Walker said she and other family members have searched for them, and there are still no leads on what happened. 'Someone out there knows what happened,' Walker said. 'If you know anything, please come forward.' A Gary Police Department officer was unable to speak about Bynum and King Walker's case this week. Gary spokesperson Erika Blackwell sent a statement on behalf of the department, saying they recognize the disappearance with 'deep respect and unwavering commitment.' The department has worked with multiple law agencies, including the Indiana State Police and Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force. 'The case remains open and active,' the statement said. 'Our investigators continue to pursue every lead, re-examine evidence, and work closely with local, state, and federal partners in the ongoing search for answers. We recognize the profound and lasting impact this tragedy has had on Diamond and King's family. Their strength and resilience continue to inspire our commitment to uncovering the truth.' Those with information can contact the Gary Police Department or submit an anonymous tip at 219-207-8477, according to the statement. Walker expressed frustration with the Gary Police Department on this case and asked them to cooperate more with her family. As of Wednesday, she had not heard anything from police about Bynum and King Walker's case. 'I know they have a lot of cases and a lot they're dealing with, but I feel like Diamond and King have been swept under the rug,' Walker said. 'It feels like they don't matter anymore, and I don't know what else to do to make them matter.' In January, Bynum and King Walker were two people recognized at a Team NWI-Independent Search and Rescue's awareness event. At the time, 82 people in Gary were missing, according to the Indiana Missing Person Bulletin. In a January statement, Cannon said the information was outdated, and it's critical for residents to have the most accurate information. 'We take every missing person case seriously and dedicate all necessary resources to locate the individuals and bring them back safely to their families,' the statement said. 'It is our goal to work with the families of missing persons to protect their privacy and ensure the integrity of each case.' Multiple families of missing people have done search parties to look for their loved ones. Walker said search parties have continued to look for her daughter and grandson, even if she's unable to go along. 'They have people searching, but I have to work, so I'm never able to search,' Walker said. 'I wish I could work on the case fully and have time to investigate, but I have to pay my bills.' Although Walker might not be able to physically search for her daughter and nephew, she won't give up until they're found. 'All I can do is try to keep their name out there,' Walker said. 'And that's what I'm doing.'
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Nephew of East Chicago councilman in stable condition after he was shot by police
An East Chicago man shot by police Tuesday evening is in stable condition, according to his uncle, who says witnesses to the shooting claim his nephew didn't start the issue. East Chicago Councilman Terence Hill, D-3, told the Post-Tribune Wednesday his nephew — 40-year-old Curtis Hill — is 'moving his arms and legs' despite an East Chicago officer shooting him in the back and side. The nephew was originally taken to St. Catherine Hospital 'in serious condition' but was airlifted to the University of Chicago Hospital, where he's awaiting surgery, Hill said. A release the East Chicago Police posted on their social media page said officers at around 5:54 p.m. July 22 responded to a Spotshotter alert in the 5000 block of Melville and Kennedy Avenues. They arrived to find a man with a graze wound to his leg in the alley there, according to the release. While aiding the victim, officers spotted another man — who Hill said was his nephew — still in the area. Officers pursued that man and ended up shooting him, the release said. East Chicago then contacted the Lake County Sheriff's Department to investigate; both departments said no other information will be released at this time, but East Chicago did say they 'recovered a weapon from the suspect at the scene,' according to the release. Hill denied that was the case. 'Not to my knowledge (did his nephew have a gun),' he said. Hill told the Post-Tribune that witnesses to the shooting told him his nephew spoke to the man, who became agitated with him but left the scene. He returned, however, with his face painted black and a hammer with which he started attacking Hill's nephew, Hill said. 'All those witnesses told me they shot him in the back,' Hill said. 'Police came after they detected a shot on Spotshotter; they came and grabbed the camera footage from (a local business) too because they're trying to save their (expletive). 'I'm real hot, very pissed off. I'm friends with (East Chicago Police Chief Jose Rivera), but I'm trying to protect my family. I've already contacted a few lawyers.'
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Convention authority to pay for Gary Air Show with commissioner's help
After a slow start in fundraising, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority will fully foot the bill for the Gary Air Show – with a little help from a Lake County Commissioner. Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen Jr., D-1, is chipping in $25,000 toward the show, SSCVA Events and Facilities Chief Kristin Taylor told the CVA Board at its July 18 meeting. The board approved an interlocal agreement with commissioners with a 9-0 vote. 'We've now raised $200,000 more than last year and $150,000 more than in 2023,' Taylor said. 'We keep having bad weather, but you keep raising more money each year,' Board President Andy Qunell said. Allen had the money to give via a lawsuit settlement with Monsanto, he told the Post-Tribune Tuesday. He and Commissioners Mike Repay, D-2, and Jerry Tippy, R-3, divided the settlement three ways to spend in the community as they see fit. 'I've spent mine on various charitable causes, anywhere from $500 to bigger donations like the air show,' Allen said. The Gary Air Show came back to Northwest Indiana in 2023 — with the SSCVA as its sponsor — after a seven-year hiatus for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and financial challenges, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Launched in 2000 by former Gary Mayor Scott King, the city of Gary took over the airshow operations from SSCVA in 2015 after SSCVA started sponsoring it in 2006 because of the city's financial woes. Back then, officials estimated the two-day show cost about $350,000 and drew thousands to the lakefront. The city offset some of that cost in 2015 when it started charging $30, $20 and $10 for parking, the Post-Tribune reported. Last year, the air show cost $580,000, including a $50,000 monetary contribution and an in-kind security donation from the city of Gary, the Post-Tribune previously reported, while it cost $630,000 in 2023. The city will provide in-kind security again this year, Taylor said. In other business, the CVA is 'working really hard' to reconcile a -$266,198.48 balance in its legal fund, Chief Financial Officer Nicole Wolverton and President and CEO Phil Taillon told the Post-Tribune. Between scaling back event sponsorships and other costs, and Taylor's fundraising efforts, Wolverton expects they'll be able to transfer funds to cover the shortfall before the end of the fiscal year, she said. According to the organization's June Appropriations Report, the CVA has spent $406,198.48 in legal fees this year after allocating $150,000 for legal funds in 2025. 'I'm not concerned that we won't be able to cover it,' Taillon said of the deficit, adding that he plans to go before the Lake County Council before it's time for the CVA to work on its 2026 budget to explain where they are in the lawsuit with former CVA President and CEO Speros Batistatos. Batistatos sued the SSCVA in August 2022, one month after being fired, alleging the agency violated the law and mishandled contract renegotiations because of his age and misspent federal Payroll Protection Plan funds in violation of the CARES Act. The county council on Nov. 12, with Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, voting against it, approved the SSCVA's proposed 2025 budget of $6,614,000, a $15,000 increase from the agency's 2024 numbers, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Chicago Tribune
22-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Gary to accept convention center design RFQs
The city of Gary is moving forward with the Lake County Convention Center process, starting with requests for quotation. City officials have filed a legal notice asking for design-build services to design and construct the convention center, which Gary received the bid for at the end of May. According to the legal notice, qualifications are due at noon July 28. The city expects the applications to have an exhibit hall, ballroom and breakout meeting rooms. The 'all-inclusive project cost' should not exceed $143 million, according to the legal notice, and occupancy is expected for late 2027. Money from gaming taxes will be put toward the convention center, and Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana plans to give $1.5 million a year for 20 years toward the construction. State matching grants of $100 million will be made available as well. A design selection will be made the week of July 28, according to the legal notice. The city expects the convention center to be about 70,000 sellable square feet and about 145,000 gross square feet, according to the request for design-build qualifications. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton was unable to immediately comment on Tuesday, including whether this marks the start of the convention center process and what the city would like to see from applicants. When Gary was selected May 21, Melton said it was a 'historic and monumental day' for the city and Lake County, according to Post-Tribune archives. Gary is working with Hard Rock Casino on the convention center, and a Hard Rock Hotel is planned near the casino. The plan is for the property to also have space for two additional hotels, including one REVERB by Hard Rock hotel, and two restaurants and retail spaces, according to Post-Tribune archives. 'We are honored to be selected and grateful for everyone who stood with us throughout this bid process,' Hard Rock President Matt Schuffert said in a statement. 'Together, we have the chance to create a world-class destination that generates economic opportunity, creates jobs, drives tourism and supports local businesses.' In May, Melton said it's possible that construction on the convention center will start this year, but he wouldn't commit to that. In 2023, as an Indiana state senator, Melton created Senate Bill 434, which established a fund for the Lake County Convention Center, the blighted property demolition fund and new train station funding in downtown Gary. The city of Hobart, partnered with Garfield Public/Private LLC, also submitted a proposal in October 2024. The two cities first presented proposals in early November 2024, and commissioners issued a request for proposals from potential developers in 2024. 'Whatever happened in the past is in the past,' Melton said following the May 21 selection. 'All of the naysayers and folks that didn't want us to have it, they've got to deal with it now, so we just have to move forward.'
Chicago Tribune
19-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Chesterton sent email invitation for council meeting, but commissioner says he didn't get it
Chesterton Town Council President Sharon Darnell, D-4th, produced an email she sent July 3 that invited Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs to attend the July 14 council meeting to discuss concerns he raised about the performance of the Chesterton/Porter police dispatch. The Town of Chesterton on its Facebook page posted Darnell's invitation email, sent on behalf of all five council members, as a rebuttal to a statement from Biggs made to the Post-Tribune on Monday that he 'was never formally invited through email, phone call or written letter to attend this meeting.' But Biggs, R-North, said that he never received the email from Darnell. He said he had the county's IT Department review the email account for July 3 and posted screenshots on his Facebook page, which did not show an email from Darnell. Among the things the council wanted to discuss with Biggs was his call for the Chesterton/Porter dispatch center to join the Porter County E911 system on June 18, about 75 minutes after Chesterton's police-involved shooting. An officer was wounded and Joseph Gerber, 45, died from a self-inflicted gunshot after being hit several times during a gunfire exchange in front of the Hilton Garden Inn on Gateway Boulevard. The Indiana State Police are investigating. In addition, the Chesterton Town Council, with the support of Porter's town council, has called for the resignation of Debby Gunn, the director of the county E911 system, for her remarks about the performance of the Chesterton/Porter dispatch center. The county has contended that it took nearly five minutes to call an ambulance to the shooting scene at the Hilton Inn, which Chesterton and Porter denied. A possible explanation for why Biggs didn't receive the email is Darnell sent it to Biggs at a address, which was listed as the contact information on the county website, said Kevin Nevers, Chesterton's spokesman. The county changed its email domain name during the past year. The website now lists the email for Biggs with the correct address. However, Biggs said that even if an email was sent to the old address, he should have received it. Biggs said after he learned that the old email address was on his commissioner page website, he called and had it changed this week. Darnell's email invitation called upon Biggs to come to the meeting 'to openly discuss the concerns and topics you raised during your July 1 press conference.' 'As you rightly stated, this is not about any one individual or group – it is about our residents and the broader community. With that in mind, we believe that any meaningful discussion regarding public safety, inter-agency communication, and improving collaboration between the town and the county should be held in a transparent and public forum.' 'Your presence would provide an opportunity for both the Council and our community members to engage directly with you, ask questions, and work together toward shared solutions. Please let us know at your earliest convenience if you are available to attend. We hope that you will take the opportunity to join us in fostering open, constructive dialogue on issues that affect us all,' the invitation email states. When asked if he would have attended the July 14 meeting if he had received and read the email, Biggs replied: 'Had I received it, I would have taken that as an olive branch of sorts.' Biggs, who lives in Chesterton, said he would have followed up with a phone call to Darnell, whom he has known for years. He said he would want to know exactly what was going to be discussed to determine if he would have come to the July 14 meeting. At this point, Biggs said he didn't want to get into an 'argument' or an 'inquisition.' He said he would be open to meeting with Darnell. The Post-Tribune contacted Darnell via email, and she didn't reply. Darnell during the meeting Monday stated her disappointment that Biggs wasn't there. 'I am not a person who likes to meet anywhere but in a public forum,' Darnell said. 'Maybe we'll figure something else out, but that's the only way we're going to figure this whole thing out. We're not going to do it in a closed room.' Porter County has reached out to Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson, along with new Porter Police Chief Dan Dickey, to discuss ways that the E911 system could improve the working relationship with the Chesterton/Porter Police dispatch, Biggs said. Biggs said that Chesterton and Porter certainly can keep their dispatch center, and he doesn't fault the performance of the Porter Police dispatcher the morning of June 18. He said that the local dispatch, though, doesn't have the capabilities of the E911 system. He said the problem is when Chesterton or Porter police need an ambulance, they have to call the E911 dispatch and there can be a delay. On the morning of June 18, an E911 dispatcher happened to hear the radio transmission of the officer being shot and immediately dispatched an ambulance. The financial realities posed by Senate Bill 1, in which town governments are projected to lose revenue, could cause a reconsideration by Chesterton and Porter in the coming years, Biggs said. The E911 system already handles 911 calls, fire and ambulance dispatch for the two communities. Councilwoman Erin Collins, D-2nd, who with Darnell briefly met with Biggs after his July 1 news conference, said that the intent of inviting Biggs to the Town Council meeting 'was not an ambush.' 'He has concerns, we want to hear them in a public setting,' Collins said.
