The La Porte County Sheriff's Office has announced that it is now seeking applications for the Neil Thompson Memorial Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship is available to any senior scheduled to graduate this year from a high school in La Porte County who has been accepted to a college or university and will be studying law enforcement, criminal justice or a criminal justice related field. Applicants are required to submit an essay, no fewer than 500 words, on why they will be pursuing a career in law enforcement. The scholarship was established soon after the 1980 death of Patrolman Neil Thompson,

The Indiana Department of Education has announced the recipient of the 2018-2019 Title III Distinguished Indiana School District Award. Hamilton Southeastern Schools was chosen to receive this distinction for demonstrating a commitment to English Learner success through strategic programming, rigorous instruction, inclusive school culture, and beneficial partnerships with families and the community.  Hamilton Southeastern Schools was selected after a review of English Learner performance data from all public-school districts and charter schools, followed by a two-part interview process, including an on-site visit. For more information on Title III funding, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/elme/title-iii-language-instruction.

Purdue Northwest recently hosted the eleventh annual Senior Academic Super Bowl Invitational competition with students from throughout Northwest Indiana competing on March 6 and 7 on the Westville campus.The first night of Academic Super Bowl competition included teams from all nine Porter County public high schools: Boone Grove High School, Chesterton High School, Hebron High School, Kouts High School, Morgan Township High School, Portage High School, Valparaiso High School, Washington Township High School and Wheeler High School.The team of students from Boone Grove High School placed first overall. Chesterton High School took second place and Valparaiso High School took third.The

With spring break right around the corner, the South Shore Line (SSL) is expanding its Kids Ride Free program from March 23 – April 6. SSL has selected this promotional time frame to cover an average portion of scheduled spring breaks across the four- county area.The Kids Ride Free Program allows up to 3 children 13 years of age and under to ride free with a paying adult on off-peak and weekend trains. However, in an effort to help families enjoy spring break, the program will be available on all trains during the promotion.To make your spring break planning easy,

In order to accommodate an expected increase in ridership due to the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade and dyeing of the river, the South Shore Line will offer additional capacity and extra passenger trains on Saturday, March 16. Westbound Train 502 and Train 606 will operate with additional capacity to accommodate passengers heading to Chicago in the morning. In the afternoon, two eastbound passenger Extras will run after the parade and dyeing of the river:The first Extra will depart Millennium Station at 4:25 p.m. (Van Buren St. at 4:28 p.m.).The second Extra will depart Millennium Station at 6:15 p.m. (Van Buren St.

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

Indiana Dunes Tourism (IDT) announces the election of two new members to its Board of Directors: Kurt Gillins and Matthew Soliday.Gillins was appointed by the Porter County Commissioners and will complete Jesse Harper’s term,  who was elected as a Center Township Trustee for Porter County. Gillins is the Vice President of Programs and Communications for the Valpo Chamber. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Valparaiso and has been involved with numerous productions at the Memorial Opera House. Gillins lives in Valparaiso with his wife, Patty, and daughter, Lilly. Soliday, who was also appointed by the Porter

Lisa Goodnight, Ph.D., a 25-year member of the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) faculty, has joined the senior leadership team as vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement.As vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement, Goodnight is responsible for all development, marketing and communications, alumni relations and strategic events functions of the university. She serves on the Chancellor’s Senior Leadership Team, chairs the Chancellor’s NCAA Division II Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Council and co-chairs the Multicultural Campus Council.Goodnight started her journey as a freshman on Purdue Northwest’s Hammond Campus in 1982. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication at Purdue Northwest and

On Wednesday, March 20, Michigan City Mayor, Ron Meer and the Human Rights Commission and will kick off DisAbility Awareness Month by saying “thank you” to Michigan City Area School Bus Drivers and Monitors and Student Support Services staff members who serve students with disAbilities.  A special early morning donuts and coffee event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at the MCAS Transportation Department where Mayor Meer, Director of Student Support Services, Stacy Attar and Carl Ridle, Executive Director of the Michigan City Human Rights Commission will say “thank you” to all who get our students to/from

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that nearly 3,400 Hoosiers will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and an estimated 1,100 will die as a result of the disease this year. Screening and early detection can save lives, and screening does not have to be expensive or uncomfortable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is urging Hoosiers to get regular screenings and make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce their risks of developing the disease, which is the third-most commonly diagnosed cancer among both

La Porte Hospital is opening the doors to its chapel for another “First Friday” concert.  On April 5, at noon, the musical ensemble, Knit Together will be playing and singing its popular southern gospel and folk music.  Instruments to be played for this performance include the soprano, baritone, and concert ukulele and a rain stick.Members of the group include Wayne and Lori Stefano, a local couple who have been married for nineteen years as well as Tammy Glanser who is married to her husband Gary.  The Glansers are proud parents of three children and many grandchildren.Selections for the April 5th,

Randall S. Moore, MD, MBA, will join Franciscan Alliance as senior vice president and COO for Franciscan Health and Care Solutions, Kevin Leahy, President and CEO of Franciscan Alliance, announced Monday. Dr. Moore will be responsible for assisting Franciscan Alliance achieve the quadruple aim of healthcare providers: improve the patient experience and satisfaction with care; improve the health of the population Franciscan is privileged to serve; reduce the cost of care; and improve the experience of providing care for the 18,000 coworkers of Franciscan Alliance’s healthcare ministry. Dr. Moore will work closely with all divisions within Franciscan to advance the

Barker Middle School held its third quarterly “STEM Community Challenge” on Friday, February 22. This quarter’s challenge was to design a paper airplane that would fly the farthest distance. Students on several Barker teams took on teams from elementary schools and area businesses and organizations.The winners were:3rd Place: Coolspring Elementary 6th grade "Apex Legends"2nd Place: Barker Mr. Trotter's IMPACT group1st Place TIE: Barker Ms. Pol's IMPACT group & Barker's Mr. Callaway's IMPACT groupThe first place teams both designed a plane that traveled the entire distance of the school gym and hit the wall each time in a 3-round “fly-off finale.”The

On Sunday at around 4:00 a.m., the Valparaiso Police responded to the Silhavy Rd. Holiday Inn Express in reference to a disturbance that occurred within a hotel room.  Upon arrival, police made contact with 40 year old Christopher Hotter, and 31 Lindsay Littlefield, both of Valparaiso. It was learned the two had been involved in a altercation while sharing a room at the hotel with three juveniles, all of whom were related to them.  During the investigation, police noted the extreme intoxication of both Hotter and Littlefield. It was determined they were unfit to care for the children, having placed

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 payment method,

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for January and remains lower than the national rate of 4.0 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana's unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than five years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 7,613 over the previous month. This was a result of an increase

South Shore Line will be offering 10% discounts on monthly passes during the month of March.During the February polar vortex, South Shore Line services were suspended for several days due to the extreme temperatures. Crews ran tests throughout the day and night during this time to determine whether rail lines were safe. Unfortunately, the record-breaking temperatures caused problems ranging from downed electrical lines on South Shore Line’s tracks to damage on Metra Electric District tracks that the SSL runs on in Illinois, resulting in cancelled service on both train lines. Metra and South Shore Line crews worked around the clock

Mayor Ron Meer is proud to announce the City of Michigan City’s recent inclusion in the State of Indiana’s Lead-based paint remediation program which is sponsored by Medicaid and administered through the Indiana State Department of Health. Home owners, Landlords, and Renters who live in a home, or own a home, built before 1978 can receive a free home inspection to determine if the residents are being exposed to lead-based paint hazards. Homes providing child care are also eligible for this service. If lead-based paint exists, this program will also pay for removal of the lead hazard. To be eligible

La Porte Physician Network has recruited a new family medicine physician, Dr. Tia Dorn, to Michigan City. Dr. Dorn’s office is located at the LifeWorks Campus, 3777 N. Frontage Road, Suite 400 in Michigan City. She is accepting new patients. She is board certified in Family Medicine. Her education and experience has left her with a special interest in women’s health, nutrition, homeopathy and outpatient procedures. To make an appointment with Dr. Dorn, call 219-877-3841. For more information, visit laportephysiciannetwork.com.

Work is set to begin Monday, March 18, on an intersection improvement project at U.S. 20 and SR 2 in Rolling Prairie. This project will see a “dogbone” interchange built at this location, eliminating the traffic signal and creating a bridge carrying motorists north-south with east-west traffic passing underneath. Roundabouts will be placed at the north and south ends of the bridge, creating the so-called “dogbone”. During the project, the corridor will be closed to north-south (LaPorte to New Carlisle) traffic between CR N 500 E and Oak Knoll Road, while east-west traffic (Michigan City to South Bend) will be