Local News

Press release, Michigan City Police Department: The Michigan City Police Department is looking for members of the community who would like to experience the inner workings of what it is like to be a police officer. Beginning Thursday, October 10th, through November 21st, 2024, from 6pm-9pm, we will be sponsoring an opportunity for members of the community to become closely acquainted with the roles and responsibilities of the Police Department. The Michigan City Police Department Citizen's Police Academy (MCCPA) brings the police and the community together in a setting that offers a sample of police training to each participant. Academy

CROWN POINT, Indiana -- Franciscan Health Crown Point is hosting a doula certification workshop over two weekends in October, with a limited number of needs-based scholarship applications being accepted to cover the registration fees. Doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their clients before, during and shortly after childbirth. A doula may help communicate a woman's birth plan, create a comfortable environment during delivery or simply provide the general support a family may seek during this pivotal time. A doula does not perform clinical tasks. The Franciscan Health Crown Point Family Birth Center offers

An Indianapolis man who was wanted in Colorado was recently arrested and transported to the Porter County Jail on charges of child solicitation, vicarious sexual gratification and possession child pornography. On Aug. 30, Portage Police Detective N. Heuberger obtained an arrest warrant for Daniel Roberts, a thirty-one-year-old male. Detective Heuberger had been investigating accusations that Roberts had been engaged in sexually oriented communications with a twelve-year-old juvenile female in the city of Portage via the Snapchat app.  This relationship came to light after the child spoke with a school counselor and her phone had been provided to police for examination

A Statewide Silver Alert has been declared for a missing man from La Porte. The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of Ronald Bowling, a 66-year-old white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 160 pounds, gray hair with blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a cowboy hat with polka dots, white shirt, and black shorts. Ronald is missing from La Porte and was last seen on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 3:30 p.m.. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. If you have any information on BOWLING, contact the LCSO

HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — The Sinai Forum at Purdue Northwest’s 71st season begins Sept. 15 with former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney. A limited number of single program tickets remain for Cheney’s program, “Defending Democracy: A Conversation with Liz Cheney.” Cheney served as the U.S. representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2023. She chaired the House Republican Conference from 2019 to 2021 and served as the Vice Chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Mary Ann Ahern, political reporter with NBC 5 Chicago, will join Cheney on stage

Press release, Indiana State Police: Northwest Indiana- This past Friday, Troopers stationed at the Indiana State Police Lowell Post and Troopers assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, conducted a 24-hour blitz focusing on traffic and criminal activity along I-80/94 and I-65. The focused patrol culminated in over 300 traffic stops which resulted in traffic citations, warnings, and arrests. Here are the results posted by the Indiana State Police. Traffic Stops:          327 Citations:                 237 Moving Violations:  147 Warnings:                231 Police Services:     47 Crashes:                  13 Defendants Incarcerated:  12 Criminal Charges:  36 Felony Charges:    5 Drug Arrests:          6 O.W.I. Defendants:  9 Driving

The City of Michigan City announced the following locations will be milled (surface removed) on Friday, Sept. 6: -- Lindenwood Drive from Northbrook Drive to Duneland Beach Drive -- Northbrook Drive from Duneland Beach Drive to the East Dead End -- Elmwood Drive from Northbrook Drive to Duneland Beach Drive Paving will begin at those same locations on Monday, Sept. 9, and continue on Tuesday, Sept. 10. All road construction is weather permitting. The city says updates will be provided as they become available.

News release, Indiana Department of Natural Resources: The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Forestry has awarded $2 million in grants to 16 communities to support tree planting and maintenance, workforce development, education, and tree inventory projects. The projects were selected by the DNR’s Community and Urban Forestry (CUF) program and are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry program. Communities and organizations receiving the USDA funds, which are set aside for underserved or disadvantaged areas, include: City of Mount Vernon-$212,800 Unity Gardens-$200,00 City of Hammond/Delta Institute-$198,587 Save Maumee-$177,823 City of

CHESTERTON, Ind. - To show appreciation and to say thank you for their service to the community, the South Shore Line (SSL) is inviting all doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, other medical personnel, and law enforcement to ride the train free of charge Saturday, September 7, through Wednesday, September 11, 2024, on all Westbound and Eastbound weekday and weekend trains. To ride free, medical and law enforcement personnel must only present a valid work ID to SSL train personnel that shows they are employed at a hospital, doctor’s office, medical facility, fire department, police station, prison, or aforementioned related agency.

Residents looking to discard of large unwanted items will be able to do so in the coming weeks, according to La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody. Running Monday, Oct. 7 through Friday, Oct. 11, city residents will be able to place large and heavy trash on the curb for pick-up on their regular trash day. Different from the city’s previous Fall and Spring Clean Ups, Dermody reminds residents that WM’s Large/Heavy Trash Pick Ups will take place once annually and include some different guidelines that residents should be aware of. “Thanks to the expansion and accessibility of the Dumpster Program throughout

Valparaiso Police Department, IN, K9 Camo will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Camo’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “Gifted by Charley Coleman”. Delivery is expected within ten weeks. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S. made, custom fitted, and NIJ certified.

Press release, Office of Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales: LA PORTE COUNTY – Secretary of State Diego Morales is continuing to visit several counties hand delivering local Election Improvement Grants.  Today, Secretary Morales made stops in Elkhart County and La Porte County. More visits are planned. Since the start of the year, Secretary Morales has delivered grant checks to more than 85 Indiana counties for local election security, safety, and voter outreach projects. The counties are receiving grant dollars from the Federal Help America Vote Act to go towards local election improvement and security efforts. This new round of

CROWN POINT, Indiana – Franciscan Health’s partnership with the Lake County Courts to provide volunteer advocates for elderly and incapacitated adults who are unable to represent themselves now has five new members. Lake Superior Court Probate Commissioner Ben Ballou swore in a class of five Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults (VASIA) in a ceremony Aug. 28. The new advocates are Barbara Cerwinske of St. John, Abigail Gidley of Crown Point, Karen Hill of Crown Point, Jaquelyn Mojica of Hammond and Quiana Scott of Merrillville. The court collaborates with Franciscan Health to provide trained, supervised volunteers to serve as

Local seniors, retirees and caregivers are invited to explore local resources and opportunities at an upcoming expo, according to Assistant Director of the La Porte Park and Recreation Department Emily Archambault. The La Porte Activity Center for Older Adults will host A Gallery of Lifestyle & Health: Expo for Older Adults and Caregivers from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sep. 27 at the La Porte Civic Auditorium. Archambault said whether you seek information or assistance, interested residents are sure to find the resources they are looking for at one of the many vendor booths. “After a very successful event

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office was host to Porter County Crisis Intervention Team training at the Sheriff’s Office last week. This is the first time the training has been offered in Porter County since 2009. Last week, 24 first responders, social workers, and clinicians became CIT certified, leveling up their skills to respond to mental health crises and substance use to ultimately divert individuals from the justice system. The Valparaiso Police Department announced the graduation of six officers and their Police Social Worker from the CIT training hosted last week. The Porter County Sheriff’s Office says they look forward to

Press release, Global Engineering and Surveying: Beginning the week of September 16, 2024, construction will commence to convert Franklin Street from one- way to two-way along with re-alignment from North of 11th Street to 4th Street. As the project engineer for the City of Michigan City, Global Engineering would like to invite you to attend a meeting to view the full-size plans and answer any questions you may have. The meetings will be held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Global Engineering’s first floor conference room located at 601 Franklin Street on the following dates: Tuesday, September 3 Wednesday, September 4 Thursday,

Press release, Franciscan Health: Franciscan Health Crown Point is hosting a two-day trauma symposium aimed at helping better understand trauma in its various forms. “People rarely think of trauma care until they need it, but healthcare professionals know it is a vital part of the services we provide,” said Franciscan Health Crown Point Manager of Trauma and Injury Prevention Jennifer Homan, RN MSN CPSTI. “Having healthcare providers who are trained to manage the many facets of trauma care is key to successful outcomes. This symposium will serve to celebrate the successes in Indiana’s trauma system while helping to further strengthen

A bicyclist died of injuries sustained when he was struck Monday morning by an SUV on East Porter Avenue, the Chesterton Police Department is reporting. The victim has been identified as 65-year-old Salvador Mujica, of Porter. According to the Chesterton Police Department, at 7:30 a.m. a 54-year-old motorist from Port St. Lucie, Fla., was northbound on Ind. 49 when he began “experiencing a medical emergency” and turned right onto eastbound East Porter Ave., where “he blacked out.” The vehicle veered off East Porter Avenue to the south, continued eastbound through the grass near the soccer fields, then crossed Dickinson Road,

The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a commitment of $50 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds to support safety improvement projects on local road networks across Indiana. The commitment solidifies the agency's renewed focus on safety and related goal of reducing fatal and serious injury crashes on Indiana roadways by 25% over the next ten years. A Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is now available and the call for projects is open through Friday, Oct. 11, providing opportunity for local agencies to implement specific safety countermeasures on local roads. Eligible countermeasures are systemic, low-cost improvements that do not

HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is pleased to announce the members of the Alumni Advisory Board.  The board includes 14 accomplished PNW alumni with diverse backgrounds working in a variety of industries. Board members’ perspectives and leadership will be influential in contributing to university initiatives and driving impactful change for Northwest Indiana and beyond. “We are fortunate to have accomplished and motivated alumni sharing their time and energy to advance their alma mater’s impact,” said Katie Holderby, director of Alumni Engagement. “The PNW Alumni Advisory Board members’ collective experience and community connections will help us continue