26 new volunteer firefighters representing 11 region fire departments will celebrate the completion of a rigorous 6-month training academy at the Multi Agency Academic Cooperative (MAAC) Foundation. These men and women have spent nights and weekends, at their own expense, completing the necessary training to become certified firefighters in order to serve in one of our local fire departments. The graduation ceremony will be held on: Thursday, July 11, 2019 at 6:00 PM at Wheeler High School Auditorium located at 587 W 300 N Valparaiso, Indiana 46385.

The following South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers attending the Taste of Chicago taking place through Sunday, July 14, 2019, in Grant Park:Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:Alcohol will not be permitted on South Shore trains after 7 p.m. Please be advised that glass bottles are always prohibited.Saturday & Sunday:Westbound Train 606 and Train 506 will operate extras for additional capacity to accommodate passengers heading to Chicago. Train 606 and Tr 506 and their extras will make all regular stops to Chicago. An eastbound extra will depart Millennium Station at 4:25pm (Van Buren St. at 4:28pm), run

Attorney General Curtis Hill is warning Hoosiers to beware of a specific home-repair scam reported to his office following recent severe weather across the state. Callers have reported that certain home-improvement contractors have visited storm-damaged homes and offered to waive insurance deductibles for consumers who contract with them to make repairs. This practice is illegal under Indiana law. Specifically, Indiana Code section 24-5-11-10.5 prohibits a home-improvement contractor from advertising, offering or promising to pay (or rebate) any part of an insurance deductible to induce a person to enter into a home-improvement contract or otherwise purchase goods or services from the

The Ogden Dunes Police Department has received reports of thefts from cars overnight in Town. Call in to 762-4125 if you've had an entry or for information. ODPD Officers are investigating reports of entries to vehicles overnight in the areas of Ogden Rd and Sunset Trl. They discovered that vehicles have been entered and gone through with items missing. ODPD reminds Citizens to lock your vehicles at night and do not leave anything of value in them.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will host their annual State of the Chamber & Community Awards Wednesday, July 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton. The event will start with a lively welcome from AM 1420-WIMS’ Ric Federighi as the Master of Ceremonies. Immediately following are the Community Awards portion of the program. Many local organizations, businesses, and individuals are being awarded for their efforts in making the Duneland community a better place to live, work, and play. For more information about the Duneland Chamber of Commerce or upcoming events, or to

The Valparaiso Police are currently investigating the passing of multiple counterfeit bills. During the last week, counterfeit bills of various amounts have been passed in the Valparaiso area. These bills have been as large $100 bills and as small at $20 bills. The bills are passing common tests, such as the use of a detector pen to verify their authenticity. Many of the large bills are utilizing the same serial numbers and have been passed at the same locations. Most recently, $100 dollar bills of this nature were passed at the Dunkin Donuts, located at 1651 Morthland Dr. Please be

With the Taste of Chicago taking place, there will be no alcohol on the South Shore Line after 7pm this Wednesday through Friday. There will be no alcohol on trains at all on Saturday and Sunday.

All are invited to join the La Porte Hospital Wellness Outreach staff during one, or both, of their upcoming Walk into Wellness Weeks Monday July 15 thru Friday July 19th in La Porte. Meet Wellness Outreach staff at Kesling Park, 2150 A Street at 6:30 a.m. for a 45 minute walk. Walkers will gather at the entrance off of 18th Street near the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte Fitness Court and the entrance to the walking track. Walkers may attend every morning or just one; no registration is required. Another Walk Into Wellness Week will take place in Michigan City, Monday

Yesterday, Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission will launch a series of input sessions as part of his effort to make teacher pay competitive with surrounding states. The commission and advisory council, which includes education and business leaders, have been tasked with providing recommendations for how to achieve competitive compensation for teachers. The commission will deliver the recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly prior to the 2021 legislative session. During the input sessions, members of the commission and advisory council will seek ideas and solutions, and listen to issues and concerns. Of the 3

The community now has two convenient locations for urgent care with the opening on July 8 of a new Franciscan ExpressCare at the site of the former Michigan City hospital. The new Franciscan ExpressCare is in the emergency department area of the former hospital at 301 W. Homer St. It provides convenient, fast and complete urgent care for patients with non-life-threatening illnesses and conditions. No appointment is needed, and the facility is open Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4:30PM. For more information, visit FranciscanExpressCare.org or call (219) 214-4400. The new ExpressCare joins the existing location at 4111 S. Franklin St., which

The cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) honored our Nation by participating in two patriotic events. They carried an oversized flag in the Michigan City Patriotic Parade on June 29 with the help of the Michigan City Police Department summer campers. They also marched in the LaPorte Independence Day Parade on July 4th. Additionally in June, the cadets provided the Color Guard for the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association convention at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City and assisted the Salvation Army in a fundraiser. Cadets have been working over the

The next Diabetes Self Management Class at La Porte Hospital will be this Thursday, 5-7pm. A physician’s order and pre-registration are required. Classes begin at the start of each month and continue for four weeks. Call (219) 326-2478 for details and location, and to register. More information can be found at www.laportehealth.com/classes-events

The South Shore Line announced that construction is set to begin that will add a second entrance/exit to the East Chicago Station platform. The project is expected to continue through December 2019, and will help accommodate the large influx of passengers at East Chicago Station. The improvements include converting the low-level platform to the east of the station into a covered walkway to access a new head house, stairwell and tunnel leading to the eastern parking lot. Additionally, other East Chicago Station projects include improvements to the existing head house, and the installation in 2020 of higher speed track switches

INDOT announced that the Crumstown Highway bridge over the U.S. 20/31 Bypass in South Bend will close Monday for a bridge deck overlay project. The road will close between Wilson Manor and Grant Road, reopening by mid-August. Eastbound drivers on Crumstown Highway (which turns into Sample Street) will detour north on Pine Road, east on State Road 2 and south on Mayflower Road to Sample Street. Westbound drivers on Sample Street wishing to access will be detoured north on Mayflower, west on SR 2 and south on Pine Road to Crumstown Highway.

The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross announced that Leslie Montgomery will join its executive leadership team as the new Regional Disaster Officer in Indiana. Montgomery will start her new position on Monday, July 8, 2019. She brings extensive knowledge of disaster response and emergency management, and more than 14 years of experience with the American Red Cross. Montgomery has been an employee of the Red Cross since 2014. For more information on the Indiana Region: www.redcross.org/indiana

Attorney General Curtis Hill has filed a complaint against a Porter County woman alleging that she is acting as an unlicensed midwife for Indiana families. The complaint alleges that Julie Lentz, doing business as Sacred Lotus Midwifery Services, has failed to obtain either a certified nurse midwife license or a certified direct entry midwife certificate. Under Indiana law, an individual must achieve one of these designations in order to legally provide services as a midwife. The Office of the Attorney General also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), which the Porter County Superior Court granted. The TRO

Indiana State Police are investigating a crash on Interstate 80 that left one young woman seriously injured. Preliminary investigation by Trooper William Carlson determined that at 5:35 AM on Saturday a Ford F-150 pickup truck traveling eastbound on I-80, struck the rear of a semi-trailer and spun out of control. The crash occurred just west of Calumet Ave. The pickup came to a stop facing westbound in the eastbound lanes and the semi-truck stopped at the scene, also in the eastbound lanes. The pickup was a 2019 black Ford F-150 being driven by 33 year old Patrick Clinton of Bolingbrook,

Water searches were postponed late on Sunday for a 17 year old South Bend boy last seen Saturday night offshore in the area of Washington Park. The search for Rahem Mason was postponed until conditions improve on Lake Michigan, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The search for Mason began shortly after he was seen going under the water around 7pm on Saturday, the DNR said. The condition of the lake will be evaluated on a daily basis to continue the search.

Last week, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Investing in Main Street Act to increase investment in small businesses by permitting banks to invest up to 15 percent of their capital in Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC). The dramatic increase in capital for the SBIC program would be deployed to domestic small businesses at no cost to the taxpayer. SBICs have invested more than $451 million dollars in 135 Hoosier small businesses over the last ten years.