The staff of Indiana Dunes National Park is pleased to announce that one of the park’s volunteers, Rob Albrecht-Mallinger, is the national recipient of the National Park Service’s George and Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. This award recognizes and honors the efforts of exceptional "Volunteers In Parks," or VIPs. Rob won under the individual category for his leadership work on making the East Branch of the Little Calumet River accessible to the public. In 2019, the park’s volunteer office partnered with the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association to create the national park’s River Restoration Crew. This volunteer crew does log jam

La PORTE, IN (Aug. 26, 2022) – City of La Porte firefighters were working into the early hours Thursday morning after a fire broke out at a local storage facility. Firefighters were dispatched at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25 to Infinite Self Storage, located off West 18th Street in La Porte. Due to the severity of the blaze, an all-shift page was issued, calling in additional department personnel. Center Township Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene to offer assistance. La Porte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said after many hours of work, the fire was finally put out

This weekend Tour de La Porte at Soldiers Memorial Park The La Porte County Family YMCA is going the distance for healthy living!  Tour de La Porte is a bike ride, running and walking event to benefit the La Porte County Family YMCA's Scholarship Fund. At the Y, we don't turn anyone away due to the inability to pay. 100% of funds will go directly to these program. For details and registration go to www.tourdelaporte.org.

The La Porte Park and Recreation Department announced that sharrows were painted along certain streets last week. Sharrows are shared roadway bicycle markings used to assist people riding bicycles with positioning on the road and to alert other roadway users of people riding bicycles in the roadway. The Park Department gave a special thanks to the Unity Foundation of La Porte County for its support in funding assistance to complete the City to Shore Bikeability Project. The City was able to paint 26 total sharrows along the route. The City to Shore Bicycle Route is a 1.66-mile on-street bicycle route

Marsh Elementary is thanking Enchanted Backpack for the large donation of supplies that were delivered to the school Thursday. Marsh received about $40,000 in items including classroom supplies, shoes, coats, books, and more.  Marsh also thanked the Michigan City Police Department volunteers who helped unload the donation. 

A beach hazards statement remains in effect from 4 a.m. CDT Friday through late Friday night for LaPorte and Berrien counties.  This is for high wave action, strong currents, and dangerous swimming conditions expected. Piers will be heavily swamped by waves. North winds will be 10 to 20 mph. Waves will be 3 to 5 feet Friday, subsiding late Friday night. Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water and high waves can sweep people off piers. The National Weather Service says to remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions and do not venture out on piers.

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra’s (LCSO) Hoosier STAR is taking place Sept. 17 and will have three celebrity guest judges. Dr. Carolyn Watson of the LCSO will be at the helm leading the orchestra as they accompany the contestants. Grammy nominated Music Director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Alastair Willis, will still be there again for Hoosier STAR 2022, though with a bit of a twist: Willis is returning as a celebrity judge. Willis has guest conducted many orchestras around the world in addition to his position in South Bend, including the Chicago Symphony, Orquestra Sinfonica de Rio

Franciscan Health Michigan City’s Midwest Bariatric Institute is hosting a series of free, surgeon-led seminars for those interested in learning more about surgical weight loss options. The seminars will take place at 5 p.m. on select Wednesdays in the Mother Maria Theresia Conference Room at Franciscan Health Michigan City, 3500 Franciscan Way. The seminars are scheduled for Sept. 7 and 21, Oct. 5 and 26, Nov. 2 and 9 and Dec. 7. Bariatric surgeons Dr. Thomas Shin, MD, FACS, and Dr. Sandra Wischmeyer, DO, will lead the seminars. The Midwest Bariatric Institute received accreditation earlier this year as a Comprehensive

Governor Eric Holcomb concluded an economic development trip to Taipei Wednesday, fostering economic and academic ties between Indiana and Taiwan. During the trip, the Holcomb-led delegation including Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers and Purdue University officials discussed opportunities for collaboration across industry, academia and government, and established four new partnerships. In Taipei, Holcomb met with Taiwanese government officials, including Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen; Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Wu; and Minister of Economic Affairs Mei-hua Wang; to strengthen innovation-driven cooperation between Indiana and Taiwan. On Monday, Gov. Holcomb solidified this commitment in a memorandum of understanding between the state

The Indiana Department of Health detected two pools of mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile Virus from samples collected on Aug 18. The Porter County Health Department says residents should take precautions when going outside. Precautions such as eliminating standing water around, practicing bit prevention using EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long sleeves, and avoid going outside during peak feeding at dusk and dawn. Lists with preventative measures and more information can be found on the press release from the Porter County Health Department.  

In 2022, Shirley Heinze Land Trust launched a new initiative “Activating Green Spaces,” which is aimed at connecting traditionally underserved Black and Latinx communities in Gary, Indiana with environmental education and experiences with local nature. This initiative was made possible through the generous financial support from NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation.  By connecting communities directly with the work of habitat conservation, we hope to foster a deep love and appreciation towards local green spaces in order to forward their continued care and preservation. Guided hikes, community service workdays, stewardship workdays, student science projects, and trail building are among the

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Wednesday announced the launch of Indiana Learns, a statewide grant program that will provide qualifying families with up to $1,000 to spend on math and English/language arts high-dosage tutoring and approved out-of-school academic programs for their students. The initiative’s goal is to increase access to effective, out-of-school academic support to help students recover from learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, Governor Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1251 to create a microgrant program for families that could provide additional learning support for students most impacted academically by the COVID-19 pandemic. IDOE

Road projects are getting ready to take place in North Judson. On or after Aug. 29, crews will begin working on curb ramps and sidewalks on State Road 10/39 between Mint Road and Oakwood Avenue. Work is expected to wrap up by early November. During construction, traffic will be maintained by flaggers when needed, but most of the work will be taking place outside of the roadway. On or after September 6, S.R. 10/39 will be closed for utility work between Schricker Avenue and Oakwood Avenue. That work is expected to wrap up by the end of October. During construction,

The City of Valparaiso announced the candidates for the 2022-2023 Mayor’s Youth Council and swore in the new class during the City Council meeting on Aug. 22. The Mayor’s Youth Council was introduced last year with support from Valparaiso High School, inviting 11th graders to apply to participate. The Council meets monthly, learning from elected and appointed officials, participating in volunteer opportunities, and cultivating leadership skills, beginning with a Youth Retreat on Aug. 27. The inaugural Mayor’s Youth Council completed their year in May 2022, culminating with a fundraiser they created to benefit Valpo Parks.  See a list of the

Franciscan Health and BroadStreet recently launched a new collaboration with the hope of leveraging data into action using nationally available dashboards for promoting violence prevention across communities. The dashboards present evidence-based interventions specific to a community's demographics and socioeconomic factors. To create the dashboards, Stacey Quick, Franciscan Health community health improvement coordinator, worked alongside BroadStreet CEO and Cofounder Tracy Flood and her team. Together, they envisioned a data-driven, solution-focused framework for preventing violence at both the individual and community levels. The dashboard is designed to showcase what prevention-based interventions are available along with resources for different populations.  The Violence Prevention

The City of Portage is reminding drivers that Mulberry Avenue between Eleanor and Vivian streets is closed to all traffic during construction hours, through Friday, Sept. 9 for a water main replacement project. The road will be open to all traffic when the contractor is not working on-site during nights, weekends, and “foul weather days”. Dates are weather dependent and detour routes will be marked.

Eight Probationary Officers were sworn in Monday at the Michigan City Police Department. The officers have undergone an extensive hiring process which began with over 20 potential candidates, MCPD said. These Probationary Officers will endure 6 weeks of in-house training with the Division of Professional Standards. Upon completion of the training, they will begin the Field Training Officer Program where they will be working within the community with their respective training officers until spaces are available for them to attend the 16-week Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Basic Course. Sworn-In during the service at City Hall were: -Officer Katherine Doperalski -Officer

There will be lane restrictions on State Road 51 starting next week in Hobart. The northbound right turn lane from S.R. 51 to U.S. 6 will be closed for crews to install a water main. Work is scheduled to start on or after August 29, with construction expected to wrap up in early September. During construction, traffic will still be able to turn right but will need to utilize the center through lane to do so. The Indiana Department of Transportation urges drivers to consider worker safety by slowing down, using extra caution and driving distraction-free when traveling in and