🌱 Patch AM: How a Merrillville man’s alleged fraud spree finally unraveled

Good morning Merrillville! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• How a Merrillville man's alleged fraud spree finally unraveled
• What a judge's ruling means for Gino's-linked gambling case

Also on today's calendar: The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Is there anybody completely useless? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Cloudy, with a high of 65 and low of 54 degrees.
• Thursday: Periods of sun, temps: high: 67, low: 52.
• Friday: Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 67 and low of 50 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Merrillville man arrested in Rensselaer after multi-county fraud spree (wlfi.com) — A Merrillville man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he used fraudulent checks to buy expensive equipment and a golf cart across several Northwest Indiana counties. Investigators link him to at least three incidents and active warrants in four counties, with more charges possible tied to a police chase and additional fraudulent purchases.
   

• Magistrate grants Gerodemos' release, but it's delayed as prosecutors plan appeal (chicagotribune.com) — A long-running federal gambling case tied to Gino's Steakhouse in Merrillville took a turn as a magistrate recommended releasing alleged ringleader James Gerodemos on a $5 million unsecured bond, though prosecutors plan to appeal. The indictment claims an illegal gambling operation ran for years through the Merrillville and Hobart restaurants, with concerns about witness intimidation and flight risk still under review.
   

📸 Around Merrillville

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Merrillville

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★ Featured events ★

Saturday October 17
• The Wellness Retreat: A Festival Where Mind, Body, and Music Meet →
  1521 S. Linn White Dr., Northerly Island, Chicago, IL 60605,
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday September 24
• Influential Women Awards →
  Avalon Manor Banquet Center, 3550 E Lincoln Hwy, Merrillville
  4:30 pm
Friday September 25
• Kingdom Image Bearers Conference →
  Advancing Christ's Kingdom Global Ministries, 6220 Broadway, Merrillville
Sunday September 27
• Fall in Love with a Rescue →
  PetSmart - Merrillville, 2881 E. U.S. Hwy 30, Merrillville
  11:00 am
• Fall in Love with a Rescue / PetSmart - Merrillville →
  PetSmart - Merrillville, 2881 E. U.S. Hwy 30, Merrillville
  11:00 am
Wednesday September 30
• Region 1 Event →
  Merrillville IN
  6:00 pm
• Orchestra Concert featuring CPMS
  Merrillville High School, 276 E 68th Pl, Merrillville
  6:30 pm
Saturday October 3
• Bluey and bingo friendship fall breakfast →
  Family Life Center, 7950 Marshall Street, Merrillville
Tuesday October 13
• Lactation Education Consultation →
  Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus, Maternal Fetal Medicine Conference Room, 8701 Broadway, Merrillville
  8:00 am
Sunday October 18
• Howl-O-Ween Party - Adoption Event / PetSmart - Merrillville →
  PetSmart - Merrillville, 2881 E. U.S. Hwy 30, Merrillville
  11:00 am
• Howl-O-Ween Party - Adoption Event →
  PetSmart - Merrillville, 2881 E. U.S. Hwy 30, Merrillville
  11:00 am
• VIP Behind the Scenes Pre-Show Tour of Haunted Hills →
  Wicked Wonders Gift Shop, 7611 81st Avenue, Merrillville
  5:00 pm

📣 Merrillville Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• So I learned something new with Nipsco.
  We lost power twice on Saturday and it was restored Sunday morning. The operator told me to put in a request to have Nipsco come check our yard and… (Nextdoor Turkey Creek)

• Urban Air Adventure Parks posted a job opening for Maintenance Technician in Merrillville. Apply here.
• KFC posted a job opening for ShiftSupervisor in Merrillville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Merrillville here.

🗞 Nearby News

Hobart

• Douglas Cup Hits Quarter-Century Mark This Saturday (decaturtribune.com)

Crown Point

• Regional Rotary Clubs partner for public business networking event in Crown Point (wbiw.com)
• Amazon Plans 1.2M Square Foot Crown Point Facility (inkfreenews.com)
• University of Chicago Medicine to expand in Northwest Indiana with 43,500-square-foot medical care facility in Valparaiso (newswise.com)

Ok Merrillville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: No because they can always be used as a bad example! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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