The Times from Munster, Indiana • A6

A6 Tuesday, January 22, 2019 The Times 00 1 Weather watchers recorded as much as 5.8 inches of new snow in Crown Point as of Sunday morning, 4.7 inches in Munster, 4.3 inches in Valparaiso, 4.2 in DeMotte, 3 in Chesterton, 3 in Lakes of the Four Seasons, 2.9 in Lowell and Hebron and 2 in Lake Village. The highest accumu- lations were recorded north of Chicago. Forecasters with the weather service had been predicting an additional 3 to 6 inches of lake-effect snow Sunday. Sunday snowfall totals ranged from 6.5 inches in East Chicago, 6 inches at the International Airport, 5 inches in Hammond, 3 inches at an- other Gary location, 2.6 inches in Crown Point and Hebron, 2 inches in DeMotte, 1 inch in Val- paraiso and 0.3 inches in St. John, the weather service said.

The challenge Monday morn- ing for those heading out was temperatures in the single dig- its. Wind chill values as low as 15 below zero were expected to con- tinue through mid-morning, ac- cording to the National Weather Service. Roads were slippery in spots, but traffic was moving along at normal speeds in most areas. Temperatures were expected to rise into the teens Monday, fol- lowed by a wintry mix beginning this afternoon. Air temperatures around freez- ing today could create a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, particularly during the evening commute, the weather service said.

Up to 0.1 inch of ice is likely to accumulate across much of Lake, Porter and Newton counties, es- pecially leading up to the evening commute. Greater ice accumula- tion is expected north of Chicago. Commuters should prepare for slippery conditions and allow ex- tra time for travel, expect sharp visibility changes, leave plenty of room between vehicles and slow down, forecasters said. An arctic air mass was expected to arrive Thursday, bringing un- seasonably cold conditions that could last through next weekend, the weather service said. Snow From A1 This would be the second car- train collision reported in less than 24 hours.

David Lawson 33, of Ches- terton, escaped injury Sunday night when his car became trapped on a railroad crossing near the in- tersection of Indian Boundary Road and Calumet Road, east of downtown Chesterton. Lawson told police his car skid- ded 7:30 p.m. on the snow-packed pavement and hit a curb. The im- pact flattened one of his tires and the car came to rest on the CSX railroad tracks as an Amtrak train approached. He and several other drivers in the area got out of their vehicles to help push 2007 Mazda off the tracks.

A Chesterton police officer arrived, told Lawson to exit his car and called radio dispatch to signal the train to stop, but, according to the conductor, they could not stop in time. The Amtrak train, heading from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Michigan, was carrying 148 passengers and four crew members. It was traveling between 10 and 20 mph at the time of the crash. Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll said there was only cos- metic damage to the train and it continued on its route after a delay of an hour and 40 minutes. Railroad safety has long been a concern in the Region, which has 700 miles of active railroad tracks, 905 at-grade crossings, three of the largest freight carriers CSX, Norfolk Southern and CN along with four smaller freight carriers and the South Shore Line and Amtrak passenger carriers.

Jessica Feder, executive director of Operation Lifesaver, which advocates railroad safety, said 25 died and 93 were injured between early 2017 and Oct. 31 last year in 221 car-train collisions. In- diana has the fifth-highest num- ber of fatalities in the country. She previously has said about 40 percent of those have happened in Northwest Indiana because of the high volume of traffic generated by local industry and the proximity to Chicago. She said most of the collisions are at crossings with full warning systems that include lights, bells and gates.

many disregard these active she said. She said some communities have installed plastic delineator posts to stop drivers from going around railroad warning gates, but some drivers just plow over them. State Rep. Ed Soliday said he was able to get the General Assembly to authorize $125 million in loans for communities around the state to improve crossings to reduce con- gestion and improve safety. He said he encourages commu- nities to enter into talks with the rail lines to close crossings little used by car traffic.

crossings were needed when farms were small. Only a few cars use them, but the railroads have to maintain them. Railroads will kick in money to help fund crossing improvements, if they will close some Soli- day said. Feder said Operation Lifesaver also is working with state police and local municipal departments to more intensely enforce regu- lations against drivers who cross tracks against warning signals. Times staff Writer Joyce russell contributed to this report.

Current law permits judges to lock up any non-indigent indi- vidual who defaults on their court costs at a rate of $20 credit toward the debt for every 24 hours of in- carceration. Pressel said his community service plan instead would en- able offenders to remain in their neighborhoods and the workforce, rather than continuing to spend time in jail at taxpayer expense. Of the $185 in court costs gener- ally assessed following a convic- tion, $138 is paid to the state and $47 to local government, accord- ing to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. A person would have to com- plete 26 hours of community ser- vice or volunteer work to satisfy the entire debt. The proposal now goes to the Senate where sponsored by state Sen.

Mike Bohacek, R-Mi- chiana Shores. Demolition of the entire struc- ture will be completed at a later date, he said. Three firefighters and two po- lice officers were injured while re- sponding to the fire, officials said. Reitz described the injuries as minor. Officer Adam Ahmad, 26, was treated for smoke inhalation after running into the building to help evacuate resi- dents, but returned to work the next day, police said.

Officer Noah Frizzell, 29, was injured when he lost control on a patch of ice and crashed into two trees as he responded to the fire. Frizzell was released from a hospital Friday, but remained off work to recover, police said. About a dozen residents on the second floor of the historic Guyer building were displaced by the fire. To donate items for displaced residents, go to Shout Green at 512 E. Third St.

in Hobart. Wrecks From A1 Bill From A1 Building From A1 KALE WILK, THE TIMES Jacob richard, left, of Munster, sleds down the hill sunday at Centennial Park in Munster. a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is forecast for commute. Call Now for a FREE In-Home Consultation WINDOWS PATIO DOORS OFF! NOMONEY DOWN INTEREST PAYMENTS PLUS FOR 12 OFFER ENDS Renewal by AndersenMidwest is independently owned and operated. Restrictions and conditions apply; see your local rep for details.

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