The Times from Munster, Indiana • A1

00 1 OBITUARIES A7 BUSINESS A10 OPINION A11 SPORTS B1 PUZZLES B8 TV B10 $2 Vol. 110, No. 172 (USPS 629-960) and Vol. 108, No. 132 (629-960).

A Lee Enterprises Newspaper Copyright 2019 Follow us online: facebook.com/nwitimes twitter.com/nwi ICY MIX IN THE AFTERNOON 40 24 FORECAST, A4 TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2019 nwi.com Have you shot any photos of the wintry weather? Email them to and add them to a gallery AT NWI.COM DISCOVER DIGITAL legacy honored Hammond remembers MLK with annual early-morning march LOCAL, PAGE A3 Shooting at Orland mall 19-year-old man dies PAGE A2 Chance to make history Senators to play for PCC title SPORTS, PAGE B1 Crime down in Portage: City sees drop in seven years LOCAL, PAGE A3 LAUREN CROSS lauren.cross@nwi.com, 219-933-3206 GARY For years, Marvin Clinton had been forced to stare into a dark past each time he braved the trip to the timeworn, boarded-up abandoned home on 19th Avenue. the same home where the decay- ing body of his ancee, Teaira Batey, was found by detectives in October 2014, nine months after she was mur- dered by serial killer Darren Vann. Vann, who is serving life in prison without parole for the killings of seven women, confessed to his involvement in murder shortly after his arrest in 2014. He even ered to lead detectives to the home at 1800 E. 19th giv- ing turn-by-turn di- rections down streets with instructions on how to nd body: Walk inside and enter a room that had been propped shut by a dresser, he said.

He left her body to decompose, he said, beneath a wooden bench. done is On Monday, only snow-covered teddy bears, two wooden crosses and a makeshift headstone bearing name remained on the property. TIMES STAFF This snowstorm quite measure up to forecasts, but it proved deadly Saturday after an 82-year-old man collapsed after shoveling snow, cials said. The man was was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest Saturday afternoon and rushed to Porter Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes said. The storm lead to mass gridlock on Region roads, but a storm system today and an arctic air mass later this week could deliver another one-two punch of wintry weather, according to the National Weather Service.

Snowfall totals in many areas fell short of a predicted 3 to 7 inches by Saturday morn- ing followed by several inches of lake-e ect snow Saturday and Sunday. 1 dies due to snow JOHN J. WATKINS PHOTOS, THE TIMES Marvin Clinton on Monday maintains a memorial to his ancee, Teaira Batey, on the property where her body was found. She was one of the victims of serial killer Darren Vann. Clinton wanted to be present when the house where her body was found was demolished, but it was razed without his knowledge.

Murder houses to be razed SARAH REESE sarah.reese@nwi.com, 219-933-3351 HOBART An cial said Monday a re last week that left several emergency workers injured, displaced about a dozen people and led to the partial demolition of a downtown building was electrical in nature and accidental. Hobart re investigators came to that preliminary determination Monday, Lt. John Reitz said. The Jan. 15 re at the historic Guyer building, which was built in 1897, started inside the Copper Penny Tanning Salon on the rst oor and eventually caused part of the second oor and roof to col- lapse.

The exact origin of the re remained under investigation. cials were fo- cused on a particular item, but Reitz declined to identify the item to protect the integrity of the investigation. Hobart re investigators have been working closely with insurance compa- nies for the building owner, business and renters, he said. Crews on Saturday tore down the second oor of the building, follow- ing discovery Friday that the walls had shifted within a couple of hours. With heavy snow and high winds in the forecast last weekend, Hobart cials signed on an emergency dem- olition to ensure the safety of people in the downtown area, Reitz said.

Renters were not permitted to enter the building to retrieve property before the partial demolition, he said. The Fire Department understands how di cult that was for tenants, but the de- cision was made to protect public safety, he said. want anyone to go through he said. Fire-damaged Hobart building torn down PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM JARACZ Crews demolish the second story of the historic Guyer building Saturday in downtown Hobart following a re Jan. 15.

The emergency demolition was ordered after investigators noticed the walls had shifted within a couple of hours Friday, an cial said. DAN CARDEN dan.carden@nwi.com, 317-637-9078 INDIANAPOLIS State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, wants to give Hoosiers convicted of crimes or tra infractions who are unable to pay the $185 in required court costs an option to satisfy the debt besides spending 10 days in jail. Pressel last week won unanimous chamber ap- proval for House Bill 1087, awarding individuals credit against a court cost assess- ment equal to the $7.25 per hour minimum wage for each hour of com- pleted court-ordered com- munity service or other volunteer work. service is a great pay- ment alternative for enders who will never a ord their court Pressel said.

only would this legislation make it so that enders who would never pay their fees give something back to society, but it could also help with the overcrowding of our Bill oers alternative to jail time BILL DOLAN (219) 933-4197, GARY Authorities are investigating a report of a train colliding early Monday af- ternoon with a truck at a crossing outside U.S. Gary Works. Public safety communications indicated the accident involved an 18-wheel trac- tor-trailer. Meghan Cox, a spokeswoman for U.S. Steel, said Monday that although the acci- dent involve the steel mill, its re and rescue crews did go onsite to provide assis- tance and they found no injuries.

One police communication indicated the truck driver was able to escape his vehicle in time. Authorities closed the railroad crossing for a period to clear it of debris. Drivers escape 2 vehicle-train wrecks in a day Shift in walls prompts razing of second says hurt he see building torn down Marvin Clinton talks about the death of his ancee, Teaira Batey, as their son, Trevon, looks on in 2016. Vann Sleet, freezing rain expected today with arctic air later in week 2019 INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY court costs by community service Pressel Please see SNOW, Page A6 Please see HOUSES, Page A4 Please see WRECKS, Page A6Please see BILL, Page A6 Please see BUILDING, Page A6.