News

The City of West Lafayette and Indiana Department of Transportation are looking to reduce traffic delays for northbound Salisbury Street.

A second left hand turn lane is installed at the intersection of Salisbury and U.S 52.   Drivers headed northbound at U.S 52 (Sagamore Parkway) and Salisbury need to use the right lane to continue north or turn right, and use the center or left lanes to turn left (westbound).

Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes including North River Road, Happy Hollow Road, and Kalberer.

The United Way of Greater Lafayette still has 41 spots available for potential participants in the Leaders of Tomorrow program this summer.

Volunteer Associate Amy Wood says the eleven to 18 year olds gain valuable experience at area nonprofits.

"They have to fill out questionnaires each week during the program, and I remember one young lady who wrote that her mom made her volunteer, but that she came to love it and can't wait to do it again the next year."

Participants spend two days a week for one to four hours each day helping at such places as the Almost Home Humane Society and Tippecanoe County Childcare. Wood says the 14 agencies participating appreciate the help.

The Director of the Tippecanoe County Project Safe Neighborhoods Anti-Gang Initiative says gang violence is the number one threat to the community.

Kathy Redd says that type of activity is prevalent in the area and targets children even before elementary school.

She says to combat the problem, the entire community needs to become more proactive.

Redd says her organization has identified nearly two dozen gangs within the local school corporations and at least 48 national and regional gangs in the county, but says the amount is likely closer to 70.

She says one stigma is that gangs are often associated with people in poverty.

However, Redd says that is not true and gang affiliation is not confined to any socio-economic status.

Alcoa is celebrating the launch of construction of its state-of-the-art aluminum lithium casting plant.

The company held a groundbreaking this morning at its plant in Lafayette.

Alcoa’s president of Forgings and ExtrusionsEric Roegner says the expanded facility will allow the company to manufacture products that will revolutionize the airline industry.

The new venture will create approximately 75 full-time jobs, as well as approximately 150 additional jobs during the course of construction.

Production is expected to start in 2014.

As part of the groundbreaking, Alcoa donated 25-thousand dollars to the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

A proposal to build a 14-unit apartment complex in West Lafayette is stalled, for now.

The Area Plan Commission voted six-to-three in favor of the project, but eight votes are required to move forward. 

Some members were absent at Wednesday's meeting.

Gary Schroeder abstained from voting because he is the property owner looking to construct the three story complex across from Mackey Arena in the New Chauncey Neighborhood.

He says the project will help alleviate traffic at Purdue because students who move into the apartment will be able to walk to campus.

Wendy Flory lives in the neighborhood. 

She says a project such as this will have a number of negative ripple effects throughout the community.

The Lafayette Police Department is showing off its new training center.

The facility is at South and 13th streets, the site of the former Ford School, in a building that was once the U.S. Army Reserve Center. The city bought the property, in part, to alleviate overcrowding at the police department.

Chief Don Roush hopes the building serves as a regional training facility for agencies in northwest Indiana.

"We probably have a duty, I think, to provide not only a facility, but trainers and opportunities. We have hundreds and hundreds of police officers in Tippecanoe and surrounding counties that if they'd like a facility, they can come and use it."

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful John Gregg wants to eliminate the corporate income tax for Indiana businesses. He plans to make up the lost revenue by collecting taxes from online retailers.   

Gregg’s plan eliminates the corporate income tax for businesses headquartered in Indiana by providing them tax credits of anywhere between $500 and $2,000 per employee.  The former Indiana House Speaker also wants to provide a tax credit to businesses that create jobs in the state – whether those businesses are headquartered in Indiana or elsewhere.  And the job credits would only go to businesses in targeted, high-paying sectors, like health care, research and development, life sciences, energy and agriculture.

Delphi is one of two cities in the state being recognized as “stellar.”

Several Indiana organizations including the Department of Transportation and Community Development Authority picked the Carroll County community, as well as Princeton, for the second annual Stellar Communities Award.

Mayor Randy Strasser says the recognition and money that comes with it will serve as a tool for attracting and keeping businesses in Delphi.

More than 40 cities applied for the recognition, but only Delphi and Princeton were selected.

They will split more than $20-million for projects over the next three years.

Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman says completing those will make Delphi an important part of Indiana’s growth

As many as 100 new jobs are coming to Lafayette due to an expansion at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant.

SIA is investing approximately $75 million over the next two years to increase production capacity. Construction is expected to begin this summer on a 52,000 square-foot build out of the body assembly section.

Executive Vice President Tom Easterday say there is strong customer demand for the Outback and Legacy models.

"It's fantastic, the growth we've had over the last three years in particular. The whole U.S. auto market is growing and we're growing with it. And Subaru, with the innovative products it's come out with, and we're coming out with a new engine here in Lafayette for the 2013 models, will continue to help the company grow."

A national organization focused on more sustainable neighborhoods is giving advice to the city of Lafayette.

Global Green USA met with community leaders and residents of the Historic Centennial Neighborhood on how to make the area more environmentally responsible.

Members of the organization spent the past two days assessing what improvements are needed and what that part of the city is doing well.

Green Urbanism Program Director Walker Wells says the goal is to initiate change by using resources already in the area.

The analysis is based on a rating system from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design which examines a community’s green infrastructure, design, and transportation.