North Judson Town Attorney Presents Council Members with Railroad Bylaws

Railroad Committee bylaws were up for discussion during Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting. Town Attorney Justin Schramm informed members that he received the bylaws from Rachel Arndt, the town’s former attorney.

He told the council that part of the bylaws indicates that the committee would be comprised of at least four members. It would consist of one town council member, a representative from Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum and representatives from Chesapeake and Indian Railroad and Co-Alliance. He mentioned that any freight carrier who hauls more than 20 percent of product on the railway would be able to appoint a member as well. Continue reading

WKVI Wins Indiana Broadcasters Association Award

WKVI's Bridget Markin, Lenny Dessauer, Mary Perren, Michael Gallenberger, Tom Berg and Tony Ross at Saturday's Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Awards banquet
WKVI’s Bridget Markin, Lenny Dessauer, Mary Perren, Michael Gallenberger, Tom Berg and Tony Ross at Saturday’s Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Awards banquet

WKVI fared well at Saturday’s Indiana Broadcasters Association Awards in Indianapolis. News director Mary Perren’s April 16th report from LaCrosse after the Co-Alliance Elevator there exploded, injuring four employees, won in the Market 3 Breaking News Story category. Continue reading

LaCrosse Co-Alliance Employees Recovering After Explosion

Boom 28All of the employees injured last month when a LaCrosse grain elevator exploded are all out of the hospital. That’s according to officials with Avon-based Co-Alliance, which owns the elevator. The company operates the elevator where the April 16 explosion occurred. Of the four injured men, two were airlifted immediately to Fort Wayne and a third was taken from Porter Memorial in Valparaiso to Loyola. The fourth was treated in Valpo. Continue reading

Grain Accident Prompts Reminder of Facility Hazards and Occupational Injuries

Boom 28Last week’s grain elevator accident in LaCrosse has prompted the Indiana Department of Labor to urge employers and employees to review grain handling facility hazards and how to prevent occupational injuries and fatalities.

Four employees at Co-Alliance were injured in an explosion caused by an industrial accident on April 15.

According to the Department of Labor, the grain handling industry is a high hazard industry where workers can be exposed to serious and life threatening hazards including fires and explosions from grain dust accumulation. Other hazards include suffocation from engulfment and entrapment in grain bins, falls from heights and crushing injuries, and amputations from equipment.

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Co-Alliance Official Releases Updates On LaCrosse Explosion Victims

Boom 28A Co-Alliance employee injured in yesterday’s grain elevator explosion in LaCrosse has been transferred from Porter Regional Hospital in Valparaiso to the burn unit at Loyola Medical Center in Chicago. Company officials confirm 26-year-old Chris Ford was moved yesterday. He suffered first and second-degree burns and remains sedated. A hospital official tells WKVI News he is in critical condition. Continue reading

Initial Findings Indicate LaCrosse Grain Elevator Explosion was Accidential

Boom 28A Thursday morning grain elevator explosion in LaCrosse that badly burned four Co-Alliance employees appears to have been the result of an industrial accident, according to officials with the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, OSHA and Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office are continuing the investigation, which could take a couple of days to conclude. Continue reading

LaCrosse Grain Elevator Explosion Critically Injures Four Employees

Boom 28A grain elevator explosion in LaCrosse this morning critically injures four employees. Jonah Pacione, 19, and Emilio Galicia, 43, were airlifted to St. Joseph Burn Center in Fort Wayne. Craig Chase, 34, and Chris Fort, 26, are patients at Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso. All four sustained burns, but none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Co-Alliance CEO Kevin A. Still says company personnel will be on-site at the hospitals to provide support and assistance to the employees and their families. Continue reading