The Indiana Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that $155.6 million in federal transportation funding is being awarded to 51 cities, towns, and counties in rural portions of Indiana to invest in local road and bridge improvements and sidewalk projects. For this round of funding, rural communities will design, develop and purchase right-of-way for local projects. INDOT will also financially participate in design, engineering, and right-of-way acquisition components. INDOT says this round of funding awards emphasizes improving local bridge conditions. Nearly $90.3 million in federal funds were awarded for projects to rehab or replace 32 local bridges currently rated in poor

Press Release, Purdue University Northwest: Purdue University Northwest recognized several exemplary students, faculty and staff members, nominated by their institutional peers, for accomplishments relating to their on-campus community-building and leadership. The awards were announced at the university’s 2024 Founders Day celebration. PNW’s Founders Day is an annual campus tradition celebrating the anniversary of the university’s founding and the institutional mission of delivering transformational change for the metropolitan region. Founders Day serves as an opportunity to recognize nominees who advance the university mission of academics, scholarship and service to the campus and Northwest Indiana communities. PNW also honors select employees for

Press Release, Health Foundation of La Porte: The third cohort has completed the Nonprofit Leadership Academy, funded by Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL) through a partnership with the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. The Academy consisted of ten full-day classes, held at HFL’s Conference & Learning Center, from September 2023 through February 2024. Nineteen local nonprofit leaders participated in the Academy, and 13 received a certificate of completion from IU for attending all 10 sessions. All participants were invited to a celebration event on Friday, February 23, 2024, following the last course. HFL President

In Lake County an Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will close State Road 51 between Ainsworth Road and 62nd Place on or after Monday, March 11. State Road 51 will be closed through mid-July for a bridge superstructure replacement project over Deep River. INDOT says motorists should seek an alternate route. The official detour will follow U.S. 6, I-94, I-65 and U.S. 30.

The South Shore Line is advising passengers that track construction at Hegewisch Station is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 11, and will temporarily impact platform availability. The South SHore Line says that beginning March 11 after rush hour, the Track 1 platform at Hegewisch will be closed for several weeks to accommodate the construction. For the duration of this closure, all trains will utilize the Track 2 platform. There will also be various closures within the Hegewisch parking lot in order to allow equipment to access track and signal infrastructure. The parking lot located east of the station building

Lake Station- This morning at approximately 4:00 a.m., Indiana State Police received a call from an individual who stated he had been involved in a road rage incident that had resulted in a shooting on westbound I-80/94.  At this same time, reports began to come in of a single vehicle crash on I-80/94 westbound at the 12.8 mile-marker.  The original caller stopped their vehicle on I-65 near 61st Ave.  This is approximately 2 miles south of I-80/94.  Troopers responded to both the crash scene and to the caller’s location. As troopers arrived at the scene of the crash, they attempted to render

The following statement is from Hammer's Food & Drink regarding the restaurant permanently closing: "It is with an extremely heavy heart, LOTS of deliberation, and SO many mixed emotions that Hammer’s is saying “last call”. As I said in a previous comment, just a couple days ago, we wanted to stay open through the Summer, but we had a meeting yesterday, and it just isn’t feasible at this point. Even if we were busier than we’ve ever been, it just wouldn’t make up for the loss we have taken. . It breaks our hearts to be permanently shutting the doors

An employee of the La Porte Police Department was honored Tuesday for actions taken when he helped tend to a person involved in a crash back in January. On Jan. 16, LPPD Evidence Custodian Tony McClintock was driving home from work on Johnson Road nearing the Waterford Inn when he observed the vehicle directly in front of him cross the center line and collide head-on with an oncoming vehicle. Tony immediately stopped his vehicle, exited, and checked on the driver of the vehicle in front of him. He found her to be unconscious. He then checked the condition of the

A driver of an SUV died after a crash Monday on I-94 in Porter County, according to Indiana State Police. At about 7:19 p.m., troopers were called to an injury involved crash at the 31.6 mile-marker, eastbound lanes of I-94. This is about five miles east of State Road 49. A trooper responded and located a semi-truck in the right lane, and an SUV with heavy damage in the ditch off the right shoulder. The trooper was told that the driver of the SUV was unresponsive and needed medical assistance. The driver, who was the only occupant of the SUV,

The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) competed in a military drill meet at Ft. Wayne Concordia High School on Saturday, March 2nd.   The meet was very competitive with many of the best Army JROTC schools from Chicagoland drilling, along with Marine powerhouse schools Indianapolis Ben Davis and Louisville Fern Creek.  Concordia is an Army JROTC school, and all but one judge were Army soldiers.  MCHS earned a 4th place trophy for Color Guard out of 20 teams, as well as being very competitive in Armed and Unarmed Regulation, Armed Exhibition, and

Press release, Porter County Aging & Community Services: Porter County Aging & Community Services Executive Director Bruce Lindner is retiring after almost two decades of service. For 17 years, he has led the nonprofit, which serves seniors, low-income families and people with disabilities who live in Porter County. The agency’s offerings include: door-to-door transportation, energy assistance, emergency assistance, food box distribution, medical loan closet and ramp building. Lindner said his role has been a platform for purpose and servant leadership. “I’m very thankful for a fun and rewarding 17 years that have added meaning to my life,” he said. “I

An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will close State Road 49 between County Road East 400 South and County Road East 500 South on or after Monday, March 11. State Road 49 will be closed for a bridge replacement project over Ahlgrim Ditch through mid-June. INDOT says motorists should seek an alternate route. The official detour will follow U.S. 30, U.S. 421 and State Road 8. The project will be utilizing NEXT Beams, a bridge beam that INDOT is piloting. Two bridge projects in other areas of the state used these beams in 2023, but this will be the first

A woman is in critical condition and a shooting investigation is underway in Michigan City, according to police. On Sunday at approximately 5:50 p.m., the LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call indicating a person had been shot at the 500 block of Tremont Street. Officers and EMS responded to the residence. Upon arrival a 24-year-old female was located in a bedroom, and police determined she had sustained a gunshot wound. Life saving measures were immediately started, police said. The female was transported from the scene by EMS and flown to South Bend Memorial Hospital for advanced care.

The Michigan City Police Department is inviting the public to stop and chat with Police Chief Marty Corley and Asst. Police Chiefs Steve Forker and Dave Cooney between 8-9 a.m. on March 11 at McDonald’s, 2404 E. Michigan Blvd. Coffee with the Chiefs is hosted the second Monday of each month, and takes the three MCPD chiefs to a different Michigan City McDonald’s location each month. “Our new community outreach initiative allows citizens to meet and interact with us in a safe and comfortable environment,” Corley said. “We think it’s important for the public to get to know the MCPD

A man is in critical condition after a stabbing that stemmed from an argument according to the Michigan City Police Department. On Sunday, at around 8:30 p.m., the LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call indicating a man had been stabbed at the 700 block of East 11th Street. Four officers immediately responded to the residence as did EMS and the Michigan City Fire Department. Arriving first responders found 46-year-old Jason Clinton was found in the apartment with a serious stab wound to the neck. Life saving measures were immediately started and Mr. Clinton was transported from the

Press release, Michigan City Area Schools: Instrumental music students from several Michigan City Area Schools took part in the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) solo and ensemble contest on February 3 at Kankakee Valley Middle School, with nearly 40 receiving gold and silver ratings. During the ISSMA event on February 3, the following students participated in the Solo and Ensemble and received many high marks and gold ratings: Frank Anderson, Sophia Barczak, Jimmy Biela, Zoe Brooks, Yarnikqwa Crume, Ethan David, Andrew Deleon, Anthony Jaimes, Daniel Kohn, Arianna Lemons, Dylan Mashburn, Jada Mckendree, Jennifer Mezo, Torrey Morris, Kenneth Oviatt, Raina

Press release, Franciscan Health: Board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon Thomas Magill, MD, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in La Porte. Dr. Magill completed his training at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Mich. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. His clinical interests are sports surgeries for upper and lower extremities, hand surgery, joint reconstruction of shoulders, knees and hips and fracture surgery. Dr. Magill is accepting new patients at Franciscan Physician Network La Porte Health Center, 900 I St. in La

The Michigan City Police Department's Community Connections for March will include the following: Chatting with the Chiefs on Thursday, March 7th, 2024 from 8:15-8:45 am on 95.1 FM/AM 1420 WIMS with the Division of Professional Standards being the focal point of the conversation. Coffee with the Chiefs on Monday, March 11th, 2024 from 8:00-9:00 a.m. at McDonalds, located at 2404 E. Michigan Boulevard.  There will be information available about the camera registry program and the Chiefs will be available for questions. St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 16th, 2024 at 1:00pm with the route being Franklin Street north from

NICTD says the South Shore Line Double Track Northwest Indiana Project is nearing completion. They will announce the date for resumption of train service between Dune Park and Gary in coming weeks. Test Trains are running as part of their final commissioning and testing. NICTD is informing the public to be prepared for trains on any track, at any time, and in any direction at all grade crossings.

Now through Sept. 1, 2024, Hoosier parents of children with disabilities can apply for the Indiana Education Scholarship Account for the 2024-2025 school year. More than 180,000 Hoosier students in Indiana navigate life with disabilities, and many are potentially eligible for funding to help customize their education to meet their individual needs. “Having walked this journey with my own family, we know how crucial it is for parents to have options and support to meet their children’s unique education needs that come with disabilities,” said Indiana Treasurer of State Daniel Elliott. Elliott said parents caring for children with disabilities often