As the three or four of you know, we’ve been covering a lot of murders allegedly committed by young people. There’s the death of Adriana Saucedo, 27, of Portage. Police say she met some kids on social media, agreed to buy some weed from them, got picked up by them… and they found her body in a gymnasium of one of the many abandoned schools in Gary. One of the alleged killers is 15 years old.
There’s Katelyn Golden, 26, killed in the parking lot of Coaches Corner in Hessville. We’ve also discussed recent shootings at River Oaks in Calumet City. I’ve come to the conclusion, by the way, that we should pay more attention to what’s happening right across the state line.
The three or four of you know this, but just in case a newcomer stumbles across My Radio Life – WJOB broadcasts almost exclusively about the Indiana portion of the Calumet Region, even though we’re a mile from the Illinois border. On Tuesday at 8am, I’ve agreed to do a half hour on just what’s happening on the Illinois side. This is something new. Murder and violence are not new, but it seems like there’s way more than usual happening on both sides of the state line.
Near the end of the show today, Ryan motioned for me to take a break –
“We have a news item,” he wrote on the board. I took the break and Ryan handed me a news release from the Griffith Police Department.
Shooting Death in Griffith
…. “A witness reported to have heard what sound like a gunshot… and upon going outside to investigate, found the victim lying injured in the lot.”
Another killing, this one in the parking lot of the old Mansards, which is now called Park West. Several callers bemoaned the violence. It is not a Merry Christmas in the Region right now. Our Region hearts go out to the families of all of the victims. There are several more of late that I can’t even get to in this blog.
…. At least there’s Petey. He and his wife, Tina, have been lighting up Hessville from 3033 Crane Place for 32 years. Petey stopped by in his landscaping attire and we talked about his man-made phenomenon.
- His display stretches across the front yards of five houses
- NIPSCO had to install special 200 amp service to his house
- On a clear night, 1000 people will stop by
- There’s a tunnel with 13,000 lights on it
“If you just drive by, you miss half the show,” Petey said. “You gotta get out of your car and push the buttons and listen to the corny jokes of Jack Frost. It reminds you of downtown Hammond back in the day.”
Thanks, Petey, for a ray of sunshine. Best way to find Peteyville is to search for it on Google, which has given him a landmark pin. Talk later. Keep the faith.