Governor Eric J. Holcomb offered the following after signing two Next Level Agenda bills designed to help cultivate a strong and diverse economy. HEA 1010 Military Tax Deductions “Our talented, patriotic veterans are some of the most experienced, focused and loyal workers anywhere. I’m grateful lawmakers approved the exemption of military pensions from our state income taxes. This will give veterans yet another reason to stay in Indiana or move to Indiana after their military service is over.” SEA 563 Economic Development “Hoosiers expect us to keep the economy growing and new jobs coming, so we are modernizing economic development

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) this week sent Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross a second letter in as many months to outline her growing concerns that U.S. manufacturers and small businesses seeking relief from steel and aluminum tariffs are being treated unfairly. Walorski has not yet received a response to her letter dated March 11th, that raised questions about the product exclusion process.

On the final day of National Donate Life Month, Franciscan Health Michigan City honored organ donors and their families with a remembrance celebration and by raising a Donate Life flag in front of the hospital. The celebration was held in partnership with Indiana Donor Network and VisionFirst on April 30 in the hospital chapel. The Donate Life flag raising ceremony was followed by a donor registration drive.

INDOT announces that roadwork is set to begin Wednesday on State Road 933 in St. Joseph County, as part of a resurfacing project between State Road 23 and State Road 331 (Capital Avenue). In the case of rain, the start of work will be pushed to the next day.Milling will begin on the east end of the project (near Capital Avenue) and feature moving lane closures with flaggers directing traffic around where work is taking place. Milling work is expected to wrap up by early June with the paving work and new lane configuration (one lane each direction with a

Full Circle Young Professionals, in partnership with EPIC and Young United Leaders, will be hosting a Region Games from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Saturday, May 18 at Dogwood Park in Chesterton, IN.Lace up those tennis shoes for a field day with a purpose. Join the region’s young professionals for a day of fun, complete with; Tug-O-War, Relay Games, Trivia, yard games and volleyball. Food and drinks will be available to purchase. Each participant and spectator will get a chance to vote for their favorite non-profit. The top three voted non-profits will win cold, hard cash! All proceeds from the

In celebration of Better Hearing & Speech Month, the Michigan City Human Rights Commission (MCHRC) would like to invite the community to attend the Better Hearing & Speech Forum on Thursday, May 9 from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at the Michigan City High School in Room A142.  The Director of Michigan City Area Schools’ (MCAS) Student Support Services, Stacy Attar, along with Susan Baldwin and Lori Jones, MCAS Deaf & Hard of Hearing Educators and Allison Hauser and Collin Oswald, Speech Language Pathologists at MCAS will discuss services, therapies and devices available at Michigan City Area Schools, along with

The LaPorte Police Department received a report of an attempted armed robbery on Tuesday involving a knife at Long John Silver, 602 J St. The employees of the business were able to provide a detailed description of the alleged suspect and advised that the suspect did not obtain any money. As Det. Sgt. Airy arrived in the area, he observed a subject matching the suspect’s description walking away from the business. Officers detained the individual within five minutes of the original call and were able to have employees of the business identify this individual as the suspect. The weapon the

Last Saturday, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office and a group of area high school students teamed up on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  Sheriff’s Office personnel, along with area students, accepted unwanted and expired prescription medications. Throughout the six-hour event, a steady flow of citizens braved the inclement weather and dropped off pills.  The entire amount of collected pills were recently weighed.  The event yielded a total of 51.5 pounds of pills.All the collected pills have been secured within the Sheriff’s Office and will later be burned in an incinerator.  As a reminder, there is a secure collection

Yesterday, Governor Holcomb announced Kristina Kantar as his appointment to the Lake County Superior Court to succeed Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider who retired in February. Kantar was one of three finalists selected by the Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission. Kantar currently serves as the corporation counsel for the City of Hammond, a position she has held since 2004. In addition to this position, Kantar has also served as judge of the Lake Station City court for two different periods of time and engaged in private practice. Prior to becoming the chief legal officer for Hammond, Kantar served as a juvenile

Indiana Landmarks today announced the 10 Most Endangered, an annual list of Hoosier landmarks in jeopardy. The list includes two churches, a hotel, a county courthouse, and more.Places that land on the 10 Most Endangered list often face a combination of problems rather than a single threat—abandonment, neglect, dilapidation, obsolete use, unreasonable above-market asking price, owners who simply lack money for repairs, remote location.The 10 Most Endangered in 2019 includes two sites repeating from last year’s list and eight new entries [see addendum for more information on each]:-Cannelton Historic District, Cannelton (repeat entry from 2018 list)-Church of the Holy Cross,

The regular monthly meeting of the Michigan City Human Rights Commission will be held on Tuesday, May 7, at 4:30p.m. In the West Conference Room, City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Boulevard. The meeting is open to the public

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency (NSA) granted for a second time the National Center for Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE 4Y) designation to Purdue University Northwest (PNW) through its College of Technology.Purdue Northwest is one of only two Indiana institutions to receive the CAE-CDE 4Y designation, which runs through 2024, and the only one within the Purdue system.In a letter announcing the award, NSA National CAE Program Manager Karen Leuschner said Purdue Northwest’s ability to educate a highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage. The designation was granted based

Governor Eric J. Holcomb, joined by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray and other lawmakers, today signed into law a balanced budget with historic education funding.The two-year state budget provides $763 million in new money for K-12 including paying down a $150 million schools pension liability that will free up funds that can go into teacher paychecks.The 2019 General Assembly helped advance Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level legislative agenda as outlined in December, including:Economy Approved 8th straight balanced budget and maintained at least 11 percent in reservesModernized economic development tools to increase competitiveness, economic

Secretary of State Connie Lawson is pleased to announced that Senate Enrolled Act 570, which contains important updates to election and cyber security, passed the General Assembly and was signed by Governor Holcomb on Wednesday, April 24th.SEA 570 addresses a number of critical cybersecurity safeguards for voters and voting systems, including the following:         Requires the Secretary of State to adopt standards for county election worker training        Increases security for delivery of voting systems and electronic poll books        Requires that voting equipment be stored in a secure facility        Prohibits non-election software from being installed on poll equipment        Authorizes counties to use voting systems with a

Spring Clean-Up is for City of La Porte residential customers only and will be May 13 through May 17, on your regularly scheduled trash pick-up day. Collection will not include commercial or apartment buildings.All residents must have their garbage out for collection no later than 6:00 a.m. on their regular garbage collection day.Items Not Accepted: auto parts, engines, tires, batteries, lumber, chemicals, paint, flammables, siding, plaster, drywall, fencing, concrete, building materials, appliances, electronics

State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) recently met with local students who served as pages at the Statehouse.As House pages, students toured the Statehouse, helped staff with daily tasks and met with Pressel to learn more about the legislative process:The students were from Marquette High School, South Central High School, LaCrosse High School, Boston Middle School, New Prairie Middle School, and a homeschooled student.Students between the ages of 13 to 18 who are interested in paging next legislative session can learn more at www.indianahouserepublicans.com/pageprogram. Participants receive an excused absence from school and groups can request to page together.

Every day is a great day to go to Indiana state park properties, but there will be a special incentive to travel to them during Visit Indiana week, which is May 5-11. The event is put on by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and encourages people to get out to see what the Hoosier state has to offer. State parks will participate in Visit Indiana week by offering promotions and posting stories about different properties on social media. From tasty treats to reminders of Indiana’s past to beautiful scenery, there will be a reason to take part in this

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office is now accepting applications for the position of Merit Deputy.  Applicants who successfully complete and pass the various stages of the hiring process will be ranked on a list for any future vacancies that may arise within the Merit Division of the Sheriff’s Office.  The hiring process will include the following stages: application phase, physical agility testing, written examination, computerized voice stress analysis examination, background investigation, Merit Division interview panel and a Merit Commission interview.     Applications can be found online by accessing the Sheriff’s Office website: www.laportecountysheriff.com or by picking them up at the front desk

There’s no way to predict when or where an accident will happen. That’s why the American Red Cross needs donors to give blood during Trauma Awareness Month this May and throughout the year to help ensure that trauma centers are prepared the moment an injured patient arrives. Donors of all blood types are urged to give now to help meet the needs of trauma patients and others with serious medical conditions. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). In thanks, all those who come to

Currently, more than 113,000 people nationwide and 1,300 people in Indiana are awaiting life-changing organ and tissue transplants. April’s Donate Life Month is a special time to honor those donors and their families that said yes to donation.Franciscan Health, VisionFirst and Indiana Donor Network are working together to honor donors and recipients during this month-long celebration. Organ, eye, tissue and cord blood donors and recipients will be recognized in a National Donate Life Month Flag Raising Ceremony at Franciscan Health Michigan City at 8:30 AM, Tuesday, April 30.  This celebration will provide opportunity for members of the media to hear