Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) released the following statement regarding recent reports that Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will close the Confucius Institute on its campus. Confucius Institutes are operated by China’s Education Ministry and are a part of the “United Front”—the Communist Party’s foreign influence operation. With 90 branches on college campuses across America, Confucius Institutes exert influence through Chinese language classes and cultural programming. Additionally, it was reported that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be severing its ties with Chinese telecommunications companies, Huawei and ZTE. These companies have a long history of cybersecurity risks and

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that a resurfacing project is scheduled to start Monday, April 8, on U.S. 12 in Porter County. The project will see all lanes resurfaced from approximately one mile west of State Road 249 to approximately one mile east of State Road 149. During the first phase, crews will do patching in the outside lane for around two weeks before moving to the inside lane for patching and paving. Then, at the end, they’ll move back to the outside lanes for paving. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of June.

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) announced they have introduced several bills to help boost retirement security for individuals and families during a time when many Americans are unprepared for retirement. According to the Department of Labor, more than 40 million people do not have access to any workplace retirement plan. Additionally, nearly half of households nearing retirement do not have a retirement savings plan. Senator Young introduced S. 1020, which would expand access to workplace retirement plans by giving small employers more flexibility when setting up 401Ks for their employees.

On Thursday, just after 3 PM, Sheriff's Office Deputies were dispatched to the 2000 south block of US 35, in rural Pleasant Township, reference a single vehicle crash. The crash investigation revealed a Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle was traveling north on US 35. While doing so, the vehicle left the northbound lanes for an unknown reason, traveled off the east side of the roadway and struck a large tree. The driver was freed from the vehicle after a short period of time. Immediately after being removed from the vehicle, emergency personnel provided medical attention to the driver. After a period of

Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced yesterday that some Indiana businesses have received a deceptive letter that may appear to come from the office’s Business Services Division. The letter is attempting to solicit Indiana business owners. It is not from the Secretary of State’s office.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers attending the Star Wars Celebration April 11-15th, at McCormick Place.The SSL will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Thursday-Friday, April 11-12, and Monday, April 15, in addition to regular service to McCormick Place during the weekend. All weekend trains except Train 601 utilize McCormick Place as a flag stop: While riding the train, please notify the conductor that you want to exit at McCormick Place. When waiting to catch an outbound train at McCormick Place, please stand on the platform in clear view

The La Porte Police Department announced that additional Operation Pull Over activities will take place April 1st through April 15th, furthering the effort to make the streets of the La Porte community safe. The focus of these patrols will be seat belt and child restraint violations. However, any dangerous and aggressive driving violations will also be addressed. La Porte PD would like to remind the community to make sure safety belts are used according to the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Recently, the Department has seen multiple drivers and passengers with shoulder belts run behind their backs, rather than across the chests

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) “dogbone” project at the US 20 & SR 2 interchange is full speed ahead. INDOT and contractor employees are outside of vehicles working in the area. A large fleet of heavy equipment is also being operated in the area. Motorists traveling through the work zone should reduce their speed, never follow other motor vehicles too closely and limit distractions within their vehicle. Motorists traveling around the major construction project on nearby roadways shall adhere to the traffic control signage. Patrol Deputies have increased their presence and enforcement efforts in the area. This shall serve

Hoosier high school students are gathering in Indianapolis today for the final round of the 2019 Innovate WithIN pitch competition, a statewide initiative hosted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Indiana Department of Education and Ball State University. The final 11 teams will pitch their ideas and innovations to a panel of judges for the chance to win a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 toward one year of in-state tuition, internship opportunities and mentoring services. This year, Innovate WithIN drew 158 online pitch submissions from 422 Hoosier students representing 88 high schools across the state. Additionally, more than 235 middle

Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) and Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) released the following statements after the introduction of the bipartisan E-FRONTIER Act, of which they are original cosponsors. Rep. Banks is the lead Republican cosponsor of the legislation. This bill would prevent the U.S. government from managing the construction of a nationwide 5G network and would instead rely on the expertise of the private sector to lead the U.S. mobile broadband expansion. Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Filemon Vela (D-TX) are the Democrat cosponsors. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Senate companion bill last week

In celebration of Autism Awareness month, the Michigan City Human Rights Commission (MCHRC) is proud to present the Autism Forum on Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. where a variety of autism experts will reveal the perplexities of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Autism Society of Indiana will explain what autism is and resources available in the state of Indiana. Kristen Robson, Director of The Autism Program at Ancilla College (APAC) will give an overview of the APAC program, while Michigan City Area Schools staff will introduce the mission of a newly-formed Autism Team. Dr. Bridget Harrison, Founder

Due to ongoing restoration issues with the Barker Mansion, the Mansion will be closed for the remainder of this week and all events scheduled this week at the Mansion, including the Trivia Night scheduled for April 5, 2019, have been canceled. The City is currently assessing the restoration issues and will make a further determination early next week regarding the re-opening of the Mansion.

Indiana is making great progress in placing foster children in family settings and kinship care, according to a new report. The Annie E. Casey Foundation research says over the past decade, the number of Indiana foster children placed with a foster or relative family rose 11 percentage points to 93-percent, compared with a five-percentage-point increase in the nation as a whole. Erin Murphy with the Indiana Department of Child Services says the state is prioritizing what?s best for each child in need of care. Nationally, although most children are still placed in foster families they aren't related to, placements with

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the retirement of 12-year-old K-9 Hokie, effective April 1, 2019.  Since May of 2008, Hokie has provided a loyal and dedicated service for the Sheriff’s Office and citizens of La Porte County. Hokie and his handler, Deputy Andrew Hahn, had a successful career that included 55 public demonstrations and approximately 1,000 grams of suspected narcotics seized during traffic enforcement on La Porte County roadways.  In addition, Hokie had several criminal apprehensions.During his last shift this past weekend, Hokie assisted with the seizure of suspected methamphetamine ultimately leading to a criminal arrest. Hokie will

Legislation authored by State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) providing offenders the option of performing community service in lieu of paying court fees heads to the governor’s desk and could soon become law.Under current law, a convicted person who does not pay their court fees by a specified date defaults and can be sent to jail. Under Pressel’s legislation, a court could reduce some or all of the costs owed by a person convicted of a felony or misdemeanor if they perform community service.According to Pressel, courts could determine the number of hours volunteered, multiply the hours by the state

Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced yesterday that some Indiana businesses have received a deceptive letter that may appear to come from the office’s Business Services Division. The letter is attempting to solicit Indiana business owners. It is not from the Secretary of State’s office.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers attending the Star Wars Celebration April 11-15th, at McCormick Place.The SSL will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Thursday-Friday, April 11-12, and Monday, April 15, in addition to regular service to McCormick Place during the weekend. All weekend trains except Train 601 utilize McCormick Place as a flag stop: While riding the train, please notify the conductor that you want to exit at McCormick Place. When waiting to catch an outbound train at McCormick Place, please stand on the platform in clear view

A fatal accident occurred on Thursday afternoon in LaPorte County Northbound US 35 had been closed in the 2000 south block for investigation. The Sheriff’s Office said they will release more details on the crash Friday.

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the retirement of 12-year-old K-9 Hokie, effective April 1.  Since May of 2008, Hokie has provided a loyal and dedicated service for the Sheriff’s Office and citizens of La Porte County. Hokie and his handler, Deputy Andrew Hahn, had a successful career that included 55 public demonstrations and approximately 1,000 grams of suspected narcotics seized during traffic enforcement on La Porte County roadways.  In addition, Hokie had several criminal apprehensions.During his last shift this past weekend, Hokie assisted with the seizure of suspected methamphetamine ultimately leading to a criminal arrest. Hokie will relax