Category: News
Bob Pulford, who ran the Chicago Blackhawks front office for 30 years and had 4 coaching stints, dies at 89
Bob Pulford, a Hockey Hall of Fame player who spent three decades as an executive and coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, has died. He was 89.
A spokesperson for the NHL Alumni Association said Monday the organization learned of Pulford’s death from his family. No other details were provided.
Pulford ran the Hawks front office as general manager or senior vice president of hockey operations from 1977-2007, going behind the bench to coach four times during that span. He also had four separate stints as GM.
The NHL Alumni Association in a post memorializing Pulford called him “one of the most respected figures in the history of hockey.”
“Rest in peace, Bob,” the NHLAA said. “Your impact on hockey and on all who had the privilege of knowing you will never be forgotten.”
Bob Pulford speaks at a news conference after taking over as general manager and head coach of the Blackhawks on Dec. 2, 1999. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
A tough, dependable forward, Pulford helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup four times during his 14 seasons with them from 1956-70. The Newton Robinson, Ontario, native was part of the 1967 team that remains the organization’s last to win a championship.
He was picked for five All-Star games and led the league in short-handed goals three times. After recording 694 points in 1,168 regular-season and playoff games, Pulford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Off the ice, Pulford was the first president of the players union, taking part in early collective bargaining and laying the foundation for the modern NHLPA.
Pulford spent his final two playing seasons with the Los Angeles Kings before coaching them for the next five years, winning the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 1974-75. After feuding with owner Jack Kent Cooke over having a bigger role in player personnel decisions, Pulford left the Kings in 1977 for the Hawks, who hired him as coach and general manager.
In his four coaching stints with the Hawks (1977-79, 1981-82, 1984-87 and 1999-2000), Pulford posted a 186-179-68 record with three division titles and six playoff appearances. The 1981-82 and 1984-85 teams reached the conference finals.
Pulford was promoted from GM to senior VP in 1990 but resumed GM duties from 1992-97, in 1999-2000 and again from 2003-05. He put himself back behind the bench after firing coaches Keith Magnuson (1981-82) and Orval Tessier (1984-85) and demoting Lorne Molleken (1999-2000).
Upon relinquishing the GM role to his assistant Bob Murray in July 1997, Pulford said it was “something that’s been on my mind for quite a while.”
“I’m 62 years old,” he said. “I’ve got to step aside and let the young guys have their turn. It’s time for an old guy like me to sit back.”
Yet just 2½ years later, Pulford was back in both the GM and head coaching positions after Murray was fired and Molleken demoted to associate coach — though Molleken continued to handle daily operations of the team.
New coach Bob Pulford watches a Blackhawks-Red Wings game with associate head coach Lorne Molleken on Dec. 3, 1999. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
“Don’t get the idea that I’m taking away from Lorne,” Pulford said. “I’m going in to try to help Lorne and just be with him. I’ve been there. I know what a rookie coach is going through and I’m just there to offer guidance. I think I can do that on the ice and not hinder his respect with the players.
“I think (Molleken) has some question marks. I think he questions to a certain degree whether I’m going to take his position. We’ve tried very strongly to tell him that’s not the situation. He did a very good job last season and we think everything should be fine. I hope as time goes on, I am able to prove that.”
After that 1999-2000 season, the Hawks named Mike Smith GM and Alpo Suhonen head coach. Smith drafted several key pieces of the future Stanley Cup championship teams during his three-year tenure — including Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford — but he was fired in October 2003 and replaced by Pulford until Dale Tallon was promoted to GM in June 2005.
Pulford finally was reassigned to a non-hockey position in the Wirtz Corp. after Hawks owner Bill Wirtz died in September 2007 and was succeeded by his son Rocky Wirtz.
Chicago Tribune reporting contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/chicago-blackhawks-bob-pulford-dies/
The Grinch reminds families about ‘the spirit of the holidays’ as he dines with families at Morton Grove brunch
Dozens of families filled the Prairie View Community Center in Morton Grove for the second annual “Brunch with the Grinch,” spreading holiday cheer despite the green one’s iconic grouchiness.
The Saturday morning event included a breakfast buffet and photo opportunities, along with meet-and-greets with The Grinch, the character from the pages of the Dr. Seuss book, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!”
The book describes the transition of the fictional Grinch, who had focused on the misunderstanding of materialism but was transformed by love and holiday spirit into a helpful, caring being who became part of the community.
Pancakes and Grinch-green colored iced cookies were served to Skokie siblings Allison Lenhardt, 9, and Sophia Lenhardt, 8, and other attendees of the annual “Brunch with The Grinch” event Dec. 20, 2025 at the Prairie View Community Center in Morton Grove. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press)
The Grinch poses with families at the annual “Brunch with The Grinch” event Dec. 20, 2025 at the Prairie View Community Center in Morton Grove. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press)
“This holiday experience helps families make lasting memories together by combining festive fun, quality time and joyful interactions with a beloved character,” said Morton Grove Park District Superintendent of Recreation Sue Braubach. “For many families, attending a themed holiday brunch has become an annual tradition.”
There were two breakfast seatings for the Dec. 20 event, with the earlier time for the Maine-Niles Association for Special Recreation.
“This is a wonderful offering for their families as well,” Braubach said about the first of two seatings.
Park District Executive Director Jeffrey Wait helped serve on the buffet line. The menu included pancakes and Grinch-green colored iced cookies with a candy heart. Some adults wore festive holiday pajamas, many with The Grinch theme.
“We don’t always have to be Grinch-ey,” Wait said. “We can all remember what the spirit of the holidays are, and peace on Earth and goodwill to all.”
The Grinch walked around to each table, offering candy canes to youngsters.
Visiting with The Grinch was the Vicens family of Morton Grove, including Erica Vicens with her children Anakin, 8, and Isla, 5.
“The message of The Grinch,” said Erica Vicens, is that “there’s always room to grow.”
Jon Luecht, of Morton Grove, attended with his children Waylon, 4, and Wren, 3.
Waylon showed hesitation approaching The Grinch, but then smiles ensued.
Jon Luecht said the message of The Grinch is, “It’s never too late to change.”
Jacob and Erin Braslavsky, of Morton Grove, took their 3-year-old son Lucas to the brunch.
Jacob Braslavsky said the holidays are “about presence, not presents. It’s about love and being together and caring for each other.”
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/morton-grove-holds-annual-grinch-holiday-brunch/
Oswego panel to look at plan for residential development near Fox River
The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday night will review a concept plan for a proposed residential development near the Fox River.
Representatives for Property Addon are proposing to build 20 townhomes and 40 condominiums on about 6.7 acres of vacant land on the east side of Route 31 just north of River Run Boulevard near the Fox River.
The site would require annexation to the village and rezoning, village officials said.
The property is directly adjacent to the Fox River in an area designated as a downtown district, Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said in a report to the commission.
“This downtown district does not identify any density or lot size guidelines as they are not appropriate for downtown development. The intent of this district is to establish development that creates a pedestrian scale for retail and homes,” Zenner said. “Densities tend to be higher in downtown areas to create a population that is within walking distances to retail and restaurants that the village is working to attract to the downtown.”
The developer proposes to build the townhome units in five buildings on the west side of the site near Route 31.
The condominium building would be located to the east closer to the Fox River, Zenner said.
“Half of the condo units will directly face the river while the others will face west inwards towards the development,” he said.
The overall height of the condominium building has not been provided as it is a concept plan, he said. However, staff can assume that the height would be in the range of 50-80 feet based on typical construction, according to Zenner.
Zenner does specify in another section of the report that the proposed condominium units are shown as being in a five-story structure with the street level reserved for parking and the four upper floors containing residential units.
“By comparison, the single-family residential home located directly to the south is approximately 32-38 feet in height. The senior housing project adjacent to Village Hall has a height of 42.5 feet,” Zenner said.
“What helps the impact of the height of the condo building is that the property slopes down from Route 31 to the river. There is about a 20-foot drop in elevation from Route 31 to the foundation of the condo building, reducing its visual impact along Route 31,” he said.
Village staff is supportive of the proposed development, according to the report.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Flu season surged in the US over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic
NEW YORK — U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse.
New government data posted Monday — for flu activity through the week of Christmas — showed that by some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history.
The data was released the same day that the Trump administration said it will no longer recommend flu shots and some other types of vaccines for all children.
Forty-five states were reporting high or very high flu activity during the week of Christmas, up from 30 states the week before.
The higher numbers appear to be driven by the type of flu that’s been spreading, public health experts say.
One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that’s the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 90% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.
Flu seasons often don’t peak until January or February, so it’s too early to know how big a problem that mismatch will be.
“The fact that we’ve seen steady increases over the last several weeks without much of a decline or even a flattening would suggest to me that we’ve got the peak ahead of us,” said Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
The second bad flu season in a row
Last flu season was bad, with the overall flu hospitalization rate the highest since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. Child flu deaths reached 288, the worst recorded for regular U.S. flu season.
Nine pediatric flu deaths have been reported so far this season. For children, the percentage of emergency department visits due to flu has already surpassed the highest mark seen during the 2024-2025 season.
Hopkins said H3N2 typically hits older adults hardest, and rising rates among children and young adults suggest a severe flu season across all age groups.
Another ominous sign: The percentage of doctor’s office and medical clinic visits that were due to flu-like illness also was higher late last month than at any point during the previous flu season.
Deaths and hospitalizations have not reached last year’s levels, but those are lagging indicators, Hopkins noted.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths from flu have already occurred this season.
US government dials back vaccine recommendations
Public health experts recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine.
But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it’s a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.
However, flu vaccine will continue to be fully covered by private insurers and federal programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Vaccines for Children program, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said.
COVID-19 infections also have been rising, other federal data show, though so far this winter they remain less common than flu. The Trump administration stopped recommending COVID-19 shots for healthy children last year.
US will stop collecting Medicaid data
Hopkins voiced concern about a federal notice posted last week that said government Medicaid programs, which pay for medical services for low-income families, will no longer have to report on immunization rates.
CDC survey data suggests that U.S. flu vaccination rates are about the same as last year. But the Medicaid data — for flu as well as measles and other bugs — is a more comprehensive look at children who are at higher risk for many diseases, he said.
Federal health officials framed the move as part of an effort to distance how Medicaid doctors are rated and paid from how often they provided childhood vaccinations.
“Government bureaucracies should never coerce doctors or families into accepting vaccines or penalize physicians for respecting patient choice,” wrote Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was a leading voice in the anti-vaccine community before President Donald Trump put him in charge of federal health agencies.
“That practice ends now,” Kennedy wrote on social media last week.
But Hopkins said the move will “eliminate a major source of data” that allows communities to assess efforts to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“This is a disastrous plan,” he added.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/flu-season-nationwide-us/
Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes itself out of existence
Leaders of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private agency that has steered federal funding to PBS, NPR and hundreds of public television and radio stations across the country, voted Monday to dissolve the organization that was created in 1967.
CPB had been winding down since Congress acted last summer to defund its operations at the encouragement of President Donald Trump. Its board of directors chose Monday to shutter CPB completely instead of keeping it in existence as a shell.
“CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks,” said Patricia Harrison, the organization’s president and CEO.
Many Republicans have long accused public broadcasting, particularly its news programming, of being biased toward liberals but it wasn’t until the second Trump administration —- with full GOP control of Congress — that those criticisms were turned into action.
Ruby Calvert, head of CPB’s board of directors, said the federal defunding of public media has been devastating.
“Even at this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country because it is critical to our children’s education, our history, culture and democracy to do so,” Calvert said.
CPB said it was financially supporting the American Archive of Public Broadcasting in its effort to preserve historic content, and is working with the University of Maryland to maintain its own records.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-ends/
Trump’s Capture Of Maduro Exposed The Reality Of Great Power Geopolitics
Trump’s Capture Of Maduro Exposed The Reality Of Great Power Geopolitics
Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
Trump’s successful “special military operation” in Venezuela has prompted a flurry of reactions from governments across the world.
Venezuela’s strategic Russian and Chinese partners predictably condemned the US’ capture of President Nicolas Maduro while the US’ EU junior partner released a statement that lacked any criticism of the US but also didn’t endorse its actions either.
Therein lies the hypocrisy that was just exposed by the US’ “special military operation” in Venezuela since the EU would have certainly condemned Russia’s hypothetical capture of Zelensky in the harshest language possible.
Their implied excuse for these double standards towards the US’ capture of Maduro is that he’s illegitimate, but Russia now deems Zelensky to be illegitimate too, so third parties’ assessments of other leaders’ legitimacy is ultimately subjective and this leads to the reality that was just exposed.
At the end of the day, Great Powers like the US (which is arguably still a superpower even if it was hitherto in decline till Trump’s return to office) always pursue their perceived interests but cloak them in the language of international law or norms, which is more palatable for the global public.
The US previously relied on the “rules-based order” concept to justify its actions abroad, but this was eventually exposed by Russian media as pure hypocrisy, ergo why Trump 2.0 didn’t employ it this time.
Rather, it boldly explained how the US intends to restore its “sphere of influence” over the Americas in accordance with the new National Security Strategy (NSS), thus representing a Hyper-Realist approach in the sense of explicitly embracing the pursuit of power as a goal instead of denying it like before.
As the NSS portrays it, this “sphere of influence” is meant to ensure the US’ national security interests and prosperity, which is similar to what Russia aims to achieve in Ukraine through its own special operation.
Without the power that comes from the US restoring its “sphere of influence” over what it calls its “backyard” or Russia restoring its own over what it calls its “Near Abroad”, they’d remain exposed to a panoply of threats from their rivals, including economic ones that could reduce their people’s prosperity. Correspondingly, Great Powers therefore also try to undermine their rivals in their respective “sphere of influence”, which they perceive as a means towards giving them leverage or at least an edge over them.
This is the reality of Great Power geopolitics, which has up till now been covered up with rhetoric about “democracy”, “international law”, and/or the “rules-based order”, but the US is no longer playing these mind games.
Ideally, it’ll finally behave as a “benign hegemon” that still profits from those within its sphere (but not as excessively as before) and also genuinely provides for their security, since this Putin-pioneered model is the most sustainable way to ensure stability within a Great Power’s region.
The US’ history of “malign hegemony” led to the anti-hegemonic movements that arose in the Americas so repeating the same policy will inevitably lead to the same result and consequently harm the US’ Great Power interests.
It’s premature to predict whether Trump 2.0 will take a page from Putin’s model of “benign hegemony”, but regardless of one’s opinion about Venezuela, it’s still refreshing that the US just exposed the reality of Great Power geopolitics since no one needs to keep up the charade any longer.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/05/2026 – 16:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trumps-capture-maduro-exposed-reality-great-power-geopolitics
Trump Again Issues Veiled Regime Change Threat: “Make Iran Great Again”
Trump Again Issues Veiled Regime Change Threat: “Make Iran Great Again”
(Update1618ET): President Trump in a widely circulating photo held up a ballcap which says “Make Iran Great Again” cap in a photo alongside Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Monday, and he also posted this message:
Indeed these are some bizarre times we’re living in. Let’s hope he doesn’t spend too much time with Graham, who is probably lobbying hard for ‘muscular action’ against Tehran…
You can’t make this up pic.twitter.com/1z11Ky0yyq
— Liam McCollum (@MLiamMcCollum) January 5, 2026
And there’s this unexpected and rare headline today:
Israeli PM Netanyahu asked President Putin to reassure Iran, “We will not attack them”: KANN
The Iranians have every reason not to believe Netanyahu.
* * *
Three Iranian officials have told Reuters that Tehran leadership believes the United States or Israel may take military action against the Islamic Republic soon, coming off the heels of the US intervention to remove Venezuela’s Maduro.
There are reports of Iranian ’emergency meetings’ of top leadership to examining options for self-defense, and the country overnight engaged in fresh ballistic missile drills to signal its preparedness.
Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters
The NY Times has separately cited Iranian officials who view the country as being in “survival mode” – amid a week of economic protests driven largely by the impact of US sanctions: currency collapse and soaring prices.
The past two years has seen Hezbollah leadership decimated, Assad removed in Syria, and now Iran-ally Maduro taken out – he’s now facing federal charges in a New York court.
Islamic Republic leadership is fully aware that it remains in a very delicate position:
Ali Gholhaki, a hard-line pundit in Iran, said in a phone interview that the dire state of the economy had played a central role in the downfall of the leaders in both Venezuela and Syria, creating a maelstrom of public discontent and dispirited security forces. “The lesson for Iran is that we must be extremely careful that the same scenario does not happen here,” Mr. Gholhaki said. “When the anti-riot police, security forces and the military are struggling for their livelihood, the defense lines collapse.”
The large-scale internal protests come at the worst possible time, the NY Times continues:
The three officials said that as the protests raged, senior officials in private meetings and conversations had acknowledged that the Islamic Republic had been thrust into survival mode. Officials appear to have few tools at their disposal to deal with either the pressing challenges of a tanking economy fueling unrest or the threat of further conflict with Israel and the United States. President Masoud Pezeshkian has repeatedly said as much publicly in recent weeks, at one point announcing that he had “no ideas” for solving Iran’s many problems.
“Any policy in the society that is unjust is doomed to fail,” Mr. Pezeshkian said in a speech on Thursday, his first public address since the protests began. “Accept that we must listen to the people.”
While at least a dozen people have died amid clashes with police (including at least one security forces member), the ongoing protests still aren’t as big as the 2022 wave.
But Iran also has to always be on the lookout for subversion from the outside, as even Israeli media has increasingly acknowledged…
Jpost has indications that calculations about intervening in Iran to actively help the protesters may have changed: https://t.co/eDFVISIaMM
— Yonah Jeremy Bob (@jeremybob1) January 5, 2026
Mossad has long acknowledged that it has many assets inside Iran, and already Israeli officials have expressed that they ‘stand with’ the Iranian people. Of course, even the protesters themselves are wary of being coopted by outside intelligence. And then there’s the professional activists and subversives of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) – which is believed to frequently coordinate action with the Israelis and Americans.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/05/2026 – 16:19
Illinois moves to ‘very high’ flu levels, as federal government decides to no longer recommend flu vaccine for kids
Illinois is now at “very high” levels for flu activity – a designation that coincides with the federal government’s decision Monday to no longer recommend many vaccines for children, including the flu vaccine.
Flu activity has been increasing in Illinois and across the country in recent weeks. The “very high” designation for the week that ended Dec. 27 is a jump from the “moderate” level of flu activity Illinois reported for the week that ended Dec. 20.
COVID-19 levels in Illinois have also risen to moderate levels, according to the state health department.
“Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, in a news release. “Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV.”
But as the state health department urged Illinois residents to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 on Monday, the federal government moved in the opposite direction.
The head of the CDC on Monday formally accepted recommendations to remake the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule to recommend children be vaccinated against 10 illnesses, whereas it previously recommended 17 immunizations.
Medical assistant Loreal Velastegui prepares a flu vaccine to be administered at the Esperanza Health Centers Brighton Park North Clinic, Dec. 31, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The CDC will continue to recommend all children be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and human papillomavirus and chicken pox.
Other vaccines will be recommended for children in certain high risk groups including shots against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B.
Still, for other vaccines, decisions about whether to give them to individual children will be left up to doctors and parents. Vaccines in that category include those against the flu, rotavirus, COVID-19, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B. Previously, the CDC had recommended an annual flu shot for everyone ages 6 months and older.
The new federal recommendations follow a memo issued by President Donald Trump to federal health care leaders in December instructing them to examine how other countries give vaccines to children, look at the scientific evidence and potentially update the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule.
“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in a news release Monday. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health did not immediately provide comment on the new recommendations Monday. But late last year the state health department adopted the CDC’s immunization schedules from early August — before federal health leaders began making controversial changes.
Gov. JB Pritzker also signed a bill into law last year formally establishing a process for the state to issue its own vaccine guidelines. Illinois has already broken with the federal government’s recommendations on COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccines.
Nationally, more than half of states had “very high” levels of flu activity for the week that ended Dec. 27, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With Chicago area hospitals also reporting higher numbers of patients with the flu, it’s not yet clear whether this flu season is peaking earlier than last season or if it will be worse.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/federal-vaccine-recommendations-flu/
3 seriously injured in North Lawndale shooting
Three people were seriously injured in a shooting Monday morning on the city’s West Side.
Shortly after 10 a.m., two men, ages 28 and 29, and a 27-year-old woman were in the 3400 block of West 15th Street in the North Lawndale neighborhood when a gunman approached and opened fire, according to Chicago police. The gunman then proceeded to flee north in a gray sedan.
The 28-year-old man was shot in the back and neck and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, police said. The 29-year-old man was shot in his arm while the woman was shot in her stomach. They were also transported to Mount Sinai, where they were both initially listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
No one was in custody as Harrison area detectives investigated.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/chicago-police-north-lawndale-shooting/
Chesterton officer diagnosed with mental health issues before arrest
A Chesterton Police officer, who is on paid leave, was being treated for a mental health issue before his felony arrest for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman on New Year’s Eve.
That revelation came during the initial hearing for Ryan Joseph Miller in Porter Superior Court 2 Monday morning.
Miller, 32, is charged with two Level 5 felonies of domestic battery and strangulation, which accuse him of assaulting a pregnant woman at his Portage house. The woman is 25 weeks pregnant.
During his hearing via video feed from the Porter County Jail, Miller admitted that he has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
Attorney Jesse Harper, who is representing Miller, said that his client recently learned of his diagnosis.
When Miller is released, his sister will be taking him for further evaluation at Franciscan Health, Harper said.
Judge Jeffrey Clymer entered preliminary not guilty pleas to the two felony charges on behalf of Miller.
The judge approved an agreement between Harper and Assistant Porter County Prosecutor Kire Pavlovski that bond be set at $2,000 cash. Harper said that Miller’s sister has agreed to post the bond.
In addition, Judge Clymer ordered that Miller have no contact with the victim.
As part of the no-contact order, Miller is also not permitted to possess firearms.
Harper said that the firearms will be removed from Miller’s home and stored at the home of Miller’s father. Miller will be staying at his sister’s residence.
Judge Clymer granted Harper’s request for a hearing to consider a modification of the no-contact order involving the victim. That hearing is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 13 in Porter Superior Court 2.
The victim told Portage Police that there had been prior incidents involving Miller assaulting her over the previous months, according to a police report.
On New Year’s Eve, Miller is accused of grabbing the woman by the shoulders and throwing her against a wall. Then, Miller placed his hands around her neck and applied pressure, causing the woman to experience difficulty breathing, a court document states.
Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson in early December had placed Miller, who holds the rank of corporal, on paid administrative leave. The chief said he couldn’t discuss the reason why, citing the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act law that restricts the release of information.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
