Unity Foundation of La Porte County is now accepting applications for the 2022 cycle of scholarships and awards. The deadline for submission is Friday, March 25, 2022. Scholarship awards average over $2,000 each. In addition to graduating high school seniors and continuing college students, many of the scholarships are also open for adults looking to get a professional certificate, or associate, undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree. For the 2021-2022 school year, Unity awarded more than $330,000 in scholarships to approximately 150 students. “While Unity loves investing in our students, we can only do so because of forward-thinking donors. It is these unsung heroes who established these

Holcomb unveils 2022 Next Level Agenda Governor Eric Holcomb on Monday announced his 2022 Next Level Agenda, which focuses on strengthening the state’s economy and focusing on areas that support that growth, including workforce training expansion, improving early childhood education efforts, advancing infrastructure projects, and increasing access to public health services. The 2022 Next Level Agenda details both legislative and administrative priorities in five categories for the year ahead.   Economic development To continue the momentum of a robust economic development environment, the agenda focuses on working with the legislature to eliminate the business personal property tax on new equipment

CLH, CPAs & Consultants, an accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Michigan City and Valparaiso, recently announced Senior Manager Kylee J. Fraze Norman, CPA, is taking on a new role as Tax Department Lead.   In her new role, Kylee Fraze Norman will oversee tax software for the firm, including the implementation and oversight of tax department protocol. She will also be responsible for coordinating staff development and training in areas of taxation, developing internal processes, and upholding quality control standards.   Conducting tax research will also be an important part of her role, as Fraze Norman will

Sheriff John T. Boyd of the La Porte County Sheriff's Department officially announced the transfers of Deputies Marvin McCoy and Deputy Derrick Deck, effective Jan. 1, 2022. Deputy McCoy returns to the Patrol Division while Deputy Deck assumes the role of School Resource Officer (SRO) for the La Porte Community School Corporation, specifically as the primary SRO for La Porte High School (LPHS). Deputy McCoy is a 26-year veteran of the LCSO. Since August of 2013, he has served as the SRO at LPHS. Deputy Deck is a 3-year veteran of the LCSO. Until now, he was assigned to the

The cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) supported MCHS by providing the Color Guard for the basketball game against Penn and helping set up and then tear down for the MCHS wrestling tournament on December 23rd.  The military drill team was also practicing for their competition at Portage on February 26th.  This meet is a precursor to the MCJROTC Regional Championship meet on March 12th at Purdue University in West Lafayette.  The winner of that meet will compete in the MCJROTC championship in Orlando, Florida in April.  The cost of

The Town of Chesterton is sharing information that Tuesday is the start of the Street Department’s annual Christmas tree recycling program, according to Chesterton Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg. Weather permitting, crews will start collecting natural Christmas trees on Tuesday, Jan. 4. The Town of Chesterton says to leave your Christmas trees at curbside on the regular scheduled day of your refuse and recycling pickup. If a crew doesn’t collect it, call the Street Department at 926-2222. They are also reminding that all lights, ornaments, and decorations must be stripped off the tree first.  

The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 3 is investigating an officer involved shooting involving officers from the Bradley Police Department (BPD). Bradley is located in Kankakee County, Illinois, which borders Lake and Newton counties in Indiana. On Dec. 30, at approximately 12:20 a.m., ISP DCI Zone 3 was requested to investigate the shooting of two Police Officers from the Bradley Police Department. Preliminary reports indicate that BPD officers responded to a hotel in the 1500 block of North State Highway 50 for a noise complaint. While investigating the incident, BPD officers initiated a conversation with

The LaPorte County Health Department Thursday gave a COVID-19 update.   "The FDA has issued an extension of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) allowing the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in individuals 5 years of age and older. The La Porte County Health Department is offering the Pfizer pediatric vaccine at our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic located at 1007 Lincolnway, La Porte, IN. No appointment is necessary. Pfizer Boosters are now approved for teens 16-17 years old. La Porte County is again designated as RED this week. The table below shows La Porte County’s daily COVID-19 positive cases for the past 7 days. Total positive

The City of Michigan City says the fast-spreading Omicron variant along with the Delta variant are causing COVID-19 cases to surge, which has prompted Michigan City mayor Duane Parry to issue an executive order regarding City Government meetings. To help combat the spread, Mayor Parry has issued an Executive Order Thursday, which will go into effect January 4, 2022. The new order will require that all City government meetings will be held virtually as long as Governor Holcomb continues to extend his public health emergency. In addition, City Hall will be open to the public by “appointment only”. All the

The Porter County Health Department is  offering PCR testing (no vaccinations) at the Porter County Expo Center on Thursday, Dec. 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday, Dec. 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pre-registration is highly recommended. Walk-ins may experience long wait times. A link to register can be found on the Porter County Government Facebook page. 

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed two executive orders on Wednesday regarding COVID-19. The first order is a renewal of the public health emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic. This renewal continues through Feb. 1, 2022. The second order is for further continuation of limited provisions to address the impact and spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The executive orders can be found here.

Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released the 2021 state graduation rates, with data showing 86.69% of students in the Class of 2021 graduating. This is compared to the 2020 rate of 87.69% and the 2019 rate of 87.29%.  The IDOE says these graduation rates correspond with research that shows that the academic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are substantial. According to research from IDOE and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc., the academic impact ranges from moderate to significant across schools, academic subjects and demographic groups. In response, IDOE launched several accelerated learning programs,

A $20 million project to reimagine the site of the former Franciscan Health Michigan City hospital is coming to fruition as community-focused services providing care for new mothers and the elderly begin. The campus at 301 W. Homer St. has undergone partial demolition and renovation for the arrival of an inpatient behavioral health unit, the new Franciscan Senior Health and Wellness Program for the All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and the Prenatal Assistance Program. On Dec. 6, the Prenatal Assistance Program opened its doors to expectant mothers, helping them receive access to vital prenatal care. The program is part

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office has released information on a fatal crash that occurred along U.S. 20 Tuesday morning. At 11:57 AM, deputies were called to US 20 and Wilhelm Road in reference to a head-on crash.  Deputies arrived at the scene at 12:02 PM and determined one of the involved drivers was deceased. The investigation determined a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, being driven by 22-year-old Chance M. Van Dyne of Omaha, Nebraska, was traveling eastbound on U.S. 20. The vehicle began to slide on the snow-covered roadway, left the eastbound lanes of U.S. 20 and drove left of

The LaPorte County Health Department says their COVID testing location in Michigan City has temporarily stopped taking in walk-ins due to increased demand for testing.  To schedule an appointment go to scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov . Locations and times can be seen in the photos posted to the LaPorte County Health Department Facebook page. 

The Indiana DNR is warning the public of a campsite booking scam. The DNR says campers that used a third party on social media to reserve a campsite site for the upcoming year at Spring Mill or McCormick’s Creek state parks, Trine State Recreation Area, or Morgan-Monroe or Greene-Sullivan state forests may be a victim of a potential campsite reservation scam. Indiana DNR Law Enforcement is investigating a potential scam where a third party fraudulently advertised and rented campsites to Hoosiers, who upon arrival, found their paid site unavailable. The DNR says if you believe you have been or are