With spring break right around the corner, the South Shore Line is expanding its Kids Ride Free program from March 23 – April 6, 2019. SSL has selected this promotional time frame to cover an average portion of scheduled spring breaks across the four-county SSL service area.From Saturday, March 23, through Saturday, April 6, up to three children 13 years of age and younger may ride any train for free — ALL weekend, holiday, off-peak or rush hour weekday trains — when accompanied by a paying parent or guardian.The children riding free do not need to purchase a train ticket

Franciscan Health is offering a free baby and child care informational session titled, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Baby Shower, from 9 AM to noon on Saturday, April 6 at the Wicker Memorial Park Social Center, 2215 Ridge Road in Highland.The program will provide advice from health care professionals and information booths on car seat safety, breastfeeding, prenatal care, smoking cessation and community resources.Food, refreshments, gifts and prizes will also be available.Registration is required. Call (800) 931-3322.

Representative Pat Boy (D-Michigan City) led Indiana House members in recognizing Adrian Huizar as a 2019 top youth volunteer and state honoree in a resolution yesterday .Huizar, an eighth-grader at Queen of All Saints Catholic School, was awarded the title of 2019 top youth volunteer and state honoree at the annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for his outstanding record of volunteer service, peer leadership, and contributions to the education of his fellow students.The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was started in 1995 by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary Schools Principals (NASSP) to emphasize the importance

On Wednesday, at just around 8:00 p.m., Valparaiso officers responded to the report of a gunshot and a projectile coming through an apartment wall in the 1900 block of Beech St. Upon arrival, officers followed the path of the bullet to an apartment belonging to 52 year old Gerald Lefere, of Valparaiso. Gerald admitted to having “accidentally” discharged his firearm while manipulating the weapon inside his bedroom. It was also discovered that Gerald had been consuming alcohol prior to the firearm being discharged. A .22 caliber pistol was located inside the apartment and Gerald further explained he had discarded the

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is warning taxpayers to be on alert when getting phone calls claiming they have unpaid tax bills. These phone calls are often scams designed to threaten individuals with some sort of law enforcement or legal action in order to get them to send money towards bogus tax bills. The federal government’s Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) reports that 14,700 victims have paid more than $72 million as a result of phone scams since 2013. Customers should be aware that DOR and the IRS will never: Call demanding immediate payment using a specific

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at approximately 1:48 pm, a male subject entered Fifth Third Bank, 2604 Franklin St. Michigan City, IN. He announced he is robbing the bank and demanded money from a teller. The suspect fled with an undetermined amount of currency with no one physically hurt during this robbery. Subject is described as a black male approximately 5’7”, 140 to 150 lbs., thin build wearing dark clothing. Any information on the possible identity of this subject or witness information, please contact lead Detective Cpl. Jillian Ashley at 874-3221 Ext. #1082, or email at jashley@emichigancity.com

Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. and the Hammond Marina are pleased to announce the return of the Annual Fishing Derby for the 21st year. The Derby will be held on Saturday, April 13 (no rain date) from 7a - 4p at the Hammond Marina, 701 Casino Center Drive. This event is FREE and is open to all adults and children, with free parking and refreshments. Fishing will take place on the outer Lake Michigan break wall, on the inside, west end docks of the marina break wall and on land. There will be no boats. Live and/or artificial bait will

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) launched a joint Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign addressing a nationwide telephone impersonation scheme. Social Security and the OIG continue to receive reports from across the country about fraudulent phone calls from people falsely claiming to be Social Security employees. Calls can even “spoof” Social Security’s national customer service number as the incoming number on the caller ID. The new PSAs will air on TV and radio stations across the country to alert the public to remain vigilant against potential fraud. Social Security employees do occasionally contact

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) has launched a new free smoke alarm program for Hoosiers with a goal of installing 10,000 smoke alarms in homes in two years. The Get Alarmed program (GetAlarmed.in.gov)—managed by the Indiana Fire Marshal in partnership with the American Red Cross—offers up to three free smoke alarms for Indiana homeowners. The program works with local fire departments and service providers to properly install the alarms and educate residents about fire prevention and safety. Get Alarmed is funded via a federal Fire Prevention and Safety Grant awarded to the Indiana Fire Marshal, who oversees the

Alzheimer's & Dementia Services of Northern Indiana, a division of REAL Services, will host its 19th annual fundraising walk on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at Lake County Fairgrounds, Shelter #6, Crown Point, Indiana. Registration starts at 9:00 am CST, and the walk begins at 10:00 am CST. The theme is Stand By Me. The cost to participate in the Lake County walk is $20 per walker, and to register to walk or donate to this year's Stand By Me Lake County walk, click here or contact Stephanie at 219.789.2470 or via email at lakecountywalk@alzni.org.

Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) this week sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin asking for clarification of the Trump administration’s policy on sanctioning the perpetrators of atrocities committed against the Rohingya people during the 2017 security operations by Burmese military forces. Acknowledging the decision by the administration to already sanction five officials, the senators point out that additional targeted sanctions against the senior-most ranks of the Burmese military, including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, is needed to send a strong message

La Porte Hospital offers a variety of diabetes education and programs to the community, some free of charge. Classes are as follows: Diabetes Support Group This free Diabetes Support Group provides a place for those with diabetes and their support team to share ideas, experiences, and problems related to diabetes. The group meets from 11 a.m.- noon, the fourth Monday of the month in the Heart & Vascular Center First Floor Conference Room, 901 Lincolnway, La Porte, or 11 a.m. – noon on the fourth Tuesday of the month from in the First Floor Conference Room at Starke Hospital, 102

The American Legion Department of Indiana is proud to announce that enrollment is open for the second annual Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy and they are currently accepting applications for the 2019 class. The Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy, a partnership between the Indiana Troopers Youth Services and The American Legion, Dept. of Indiana, provides first-hand experiences and insight into the operations of law enforcement agencies. The program also allows these highly motivated young people to consider law enforcement as a potential career choice. The 2019 Academy will be held at Anderson University, July 14 through July 19,

It is with profound sadness that the La Porte Police Department announces the passing of Police Service Dog Rambo “Bo” on Friday, March 15, 2019, after a courageous battle with lymphoma cancer. Rambo served the department for 5 years as a dual-purpose narcotics and patrol utility canine. Rambo, a German Shepherd Dog/Belgian Malinois mix, was born in the country of Belgium in 2012. He was acquired by the department in 2013 from Shallow Creek Kennels in Pennsylvania, and was assigned to handler La Porte Police Specialist Matt Drangmeister. The duo trained with Midwest K9 and was certified through the National

During the past several months, the La Porte County Drug Task Force has received multiple citizen complaints in reference to suspected drug activity that was occurring at 912 Ridge Street in La Porte, Indiana. The La Porte County Drug Task Force was able to infiltrate the drug trafficking organization that was being conducted out of the residence. A search warrant was obtained for 912 Ridge Street as a result of this investigation. During the early morning hours of Tuesday March 19th, 2019; the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Response Team (ERT) executed the search warrant at 912 Ridge Street.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) has received a favorable rating of Medium High for its West Lake Corridor Project. The rating was released Friday as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Annual Report. To advance to receive funding in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA’s) Capital Investment Grant Program a project must receive a rating of Medium, or higher. NICTD is leading the effort with its funding partners from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) and the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA). Over the next year, NICTD will select a firm to design the project, commence real estate

Get ready for the 21st Annual Michiana Humane Society Spring Fling. This year the theme is "Spring Time in Paris", and it will be held at Traditions Event Center at 2107 Welnetz Road, in Michigan City on Saturday, April 13. There will be cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and live music beginning at 5pm central, dinner by Froehlich's beginning at 6:30pm, and a live auction conducted by Scheerer McCulloch Auctioneers at 8pm. You can now buy tickets online at www.michianahumanesociety.org, mail your RSVP to the shelter, or call the shelter with your information. All proceeds benefit the homeless animals at Michiana Humane Society &

The Michigan City, Refuse Department will conduct its Annual Spring Clean-Up beginning on March 26, 2018. The Refuse Department requests that all residents separate the debris that is to be discarded into the following three (3) categories: Brush, limbs, shrubs, yard waste, and unpainted concrete (no black-top rubble); Rugs, lumber, furniture, mattress, and box-springs; and Appliances and tires.  Tires can be rimmed or un-rimmed, and appliances include items such as stoves, refrigerators, air conditions, water tanks, etc. Please keep the above items separated as described above.  Residents may place items on curbside or in the alleys, whichever is most convenient.

The Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department announces that beginning Mon, April 1, Washington Park 2019 parking stickers will be issued at the North Pointe Pavilion in Washington Park, 6 on the Lake, Michigan City, IN  46360. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 am-4 pm (excluding holidays), and on Saturdays from 9 am-12 noon beginning May 4th through July 27th. Stickers will be available at the Michigan City Senior Center FOR ONE DAY ONLY during their annual Trash & Treasure Sale to be held on Saturday, March 30th from 8am-12noon.  The Sale itself will continue until 1:00pm

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will offer its first Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) Summer Camp weekdays from Monday, July 8 through Friday, July 19 on the Hammond Campus. The PNW Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will host the camp, which will offer high school students the opportunity to learn AI/ML concepts and implement them in fun game-based programming platforms. Participants will discover the science and engineering that runs their technology, and see how AI/ML techniques have improved many professional fields and created a number of job opportunities in the last few years. Camp details. The two-week session will last from