Lugar, Hatcher to be honored for public service

GARY, Ind. (AP) -  Two longtime fixtures in Indiana politics are being honored for improving the economic and social conditions of Gary residents and Hoosiers.

Former Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher and former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar are co-recipients of this year's Katie Hall Public Service Award. The award is named for Indiana's first black congresswoman and recognizes excellence in public service.

Katie Hall Educational Foundation Board Member Lester Harris says Hatcher is a role model for past and future generations of Americans. Both Hatcher and Lugar contributed to the passage of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The award will be presented April 6 at the Marquette Park Pavilion in Gary.

Hall was a key sponsor of the King holiday legislation. She died in February 2012 at age 73.