Local News

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will close the ramps from westbound I-94 and eastbound and westbound I-90 (Indiana Toll Road) to northbound U.S. 6/State Road 51 on or after Monday, Nov. 11. The ramps will be closed for approximately five days for structure replacement. Motorists should seek alternate routes. This is pre-work ahead of the U.S. 6/State Road 51 bridge over I-94 being replaced. Work will conclude for the season in mid-November and then resume in spring 2025. This extensive bridge replacement project will be ongoing through 2026.

An Indiana man who owns Glycerin Traders marketed and sold an “Ethanol Extraction” product as a pure food-grade product, when in fact, the product contained high levels of methanol leading to multiple deaths and severe physical injuries for those who consumed the product. Dennis R. Zeedyk, 53 years old, of La Porte, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to mail fraud and tax fraud by a distiller, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Zeedyk was sentenced to 48 months in prison, 1 year of supervised release, and was ordered to

The Indiana Uplands READI steering committee and Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) announced the allocation of READI 2.0 funding to advance Indiana University’s microelectronics research and development capabilities, enabling the development of resilient microchips and supporting the growth of the microelectronics sector in the region and across Indiana. Governor Eric J. Holcomb established the now $1.25 billion READI program in 2021, and it has since been nationally recognized for its success. READI 2.0, which was part of the governor’s 2023 Next Level Agenda and approved by the Indiana General Assembly, allocates another $500 million to regions across the state to accelerate

Press Release, City of Valparaiso: Bob Thompson has been named Planning and Transit Director for the City of Valparaiso, announced Mayor Jon Costas. “We’re so pleased to have someone with Bob’s experience and talent already on staff at the City of Valparaiso. His institutional knowledge of planning as well as city and county government make him an excellent choice for this position and we’re delighted to promote from within,” said Costas. Serving as Deputy Engineer for the City of Valparaiso for the past year, Thompson has more than 33 years of experience with Porter County government, most recently as Director

LA PORTE COUNTY — Forty-two grants were awarded to 38 organizations serving La Porte County during Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL)’s second grant cycle of 2024. Each year, HFL accepts applications for funding that will positively impact the health and wellness of La Porte County residents and make a difference in one of the foundation’s priority areas of Healthy Children, Healthy Living, and Healthy Minds. The foundation also funds projects and programs that fall outside of HFL’s priorities but meet a health and wellness need in the community. Cycle 2 grant awards support projects and programs ranging from fresh

MICHIGAN CITY, November 7, 2024 – The Salvation Army of Michigan City is ready to kick off another Red Kettle season,with a Christmas Campaign theme of “Love Beyond Christmas.” The annual Red Kettle Kick Off will take place on Tuesday, November 12 at McDonald’s Restaurant, 3507 Franklin Street from 7am to 10am with a short program at 8am.The public is invited to stop by and join in the festivities marking the official start of the Red Kettle season. “We continue our theme of ‘Love Beyond’ this Christmas as we ask the Michigan City community to ‘love beyond’ circumstances,” said Major

The National Park Service, along with the City of Gary, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 4 for the new pedestrian bridge at Indiana Dunes National Park’s Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. With the new pedestrian bridge in place, the center will again be able to safely host school children attending ranger-led education programs in addition to a wide variety of public programming for the community and national park visitors. During the ceremony, Indiana Dunes National Park Superintendent Jason Taylor emphasized, “The bridge isn’t really the main point,” Taylor said. “You can now safely, easily and quickly

Join us this Veterans Day as we honor the brave men and women who have served our country. The 37th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony will take place on Monday, Nov. 11 at the La Porte Civic Auditorium. The program, organized by the Mayor's Veterans Committee, begins at 10:30 a.m. Before the ceremony, donuts and coffee served from 9-10:15 a.m. in the lower level. For more information, see the flyer or call Lesa Rosenbaum at 574-315-8362.

To show our gratitude, all active-duty military personnel and veterans are invited to ride the South Shore Line for free November 8-11, 2024, on all weekday and weekend trains. “We are honored to once again offer free rides to active-duty military personnel, veterans, and reservists, as a gesture of our sincere gratitude for their service and sacrifices,” said Nicole Barker, Director of Capital Investment and Implementation at the South Shore Line. “This small token of appreciation reflects the deep respect we have for those who have served our country, and we hope it makes traveling with us even more accessible

The Michigan City Police Department has focused on the mental and physical wellness of their officers during this year. The department has started a Peer Support Team, which is made up of five police officers and one social worker. The department administration continues to focus on supporting the men and women who protect and serve the community of Michigan City, Indiana. The MCPD Administration has worked with organizations and businesses in the community to get funds and equipment to put together a decompression room that will be used by the department staff. The decompression room will be a private room

The Indiana Broadband Office (IBO), a division of the Indiana Office of Technology, is excited to announce Indiana has received $15 million to implement its statewide Digital Equity Plan. The funding comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program created through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act from 2021.  “We are excited to see Indiana receive funding from the Digital Equity Capacity Grant,” said Chief Broadband Officer Steve Cox. “This program will further bridge Indiana’s digital divide by supporting programming like digital literacy and internet affordability. With many services being delivered online, digital equity and accessibility are

A new traffic signal will be activated the morning of Thursday, Nov. 7 on State Road 152/Indianapolis Boulevard between 167th Street and 165th Street at the new YMCA facility. INDOT asks the public to use caution when navigating the new traffic pattern in the area. Check back with WIMSradio.com for more roadwork updates.  

The following are the final but unofficial election results in La Porte County:

Two people have been arrested after theft of a donation jar from a Porter gas station. On Nov. 4 at approximately 10:25 a.m., Porter Police received a call from the Porter Quick Stop gas station. An employee advised three males had entered the store and stole merchandise, as well as a donation jar on the counter. The trio then ran out to their vehicle and sped away Eastbound on U.S. 20. The vehicle used in the theft was a maroon Buick Lesabre with Indiana license plates. Porter Police arrived on the scene within minutes and checked the area but were

A Valparaiso teenager lost his life on Monday evening, when he was struck by a vehicle as he was riding his bicycle on County Road 500 West in Porter Township, the Porter County Sheriff’s Police said. The victim has been identified as 16-year-old Mitchell Sterling. According to PSCP, Sterling was northbound on his bike, north of State Road 2, when a motorist in an SUV, also northbound on County Road 500 West, struck him. “This area is not well lit and the driver reported they did not observe the bicyclist in the roadway when they collided,” the PSCP said. “The

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK, Ind.:  The National Park Service is planning to conduct four prescribed fires this fall at Indiana Dunes National Park. In the east end of the park, a prescribed fire will cover 77 acres around Dunewood Campground, clearing fallen leaves and branches to reduce wildfire threats for next year’s camping season. This prescribed fire occurs every fall, as conditions allow. Additionally, in the east end of the park, a burn will take place adjacent to Beverly Shores in the Derby Ditch area, covering 150 acres to support wetland restoration by removing overgrown vegetation. This area is bordered

The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department, with assistance from multiple fire departments responded to a house fire in the 600 north block of County Road  50 West on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2, the LTVFD and Town of Chesterton Facebook page are reporting. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire but for the family dog who was rescued, and no firefighter was injured at the scene, LTFVD said. Once it was deemed safe to enter the residence again, firefighters conducted a secondary search and succeeded in rescuing the dog from the house’s lower story and brought it to

The Indiana Department of Transportation Northwest District has given updates on recent roadwork projects that have been completed. U.S. 231 is open between Bell Street and Fathke Road in Lake County after a small structure replacement and utility delays. State Road 312 is open between Parrish Ave and State Road 912/Cline Ave after a box culvert replacement. Check back with WIMSradio.com and follow WIMS on Facebook for more roadwork updates.

Press Release, Indiana Department of Environmental Management: $2,500 Scholarships available to qualified Lake, Porter and LaPorte County High School Seniors VALPARAISO – The Partners for Clean Air (PCA) is offering scholarships for students focusing on environmental and health issues to further their education. The application deadline is April 30, 2025. The Partners for Clean Air Scholarship allows the coalition to give back to students in Northwest Indiana communities. One or more scholarship(s) of $2,500 will be awarded to qualified high school seniors in Lake, Porter or LaPorte counties to assist with postsecondary education expenses. Qualified students must have a cumulative

The City of La Porte Police Department is inviting the public to help the department identify families that could use extra support this holiday season. If you know of a family in need, write to the City of La Porte Police Department and share their story, explaining why they may require assistance this year. Letters can be sent to Det. Cpl. Ashley Adams at aadams@lpcitypd.com, and should be submitted by Sunday, Nov. 9. Their goal is to provide a meaningful celebration for a select group of families in La Porte who are in need this holiday season. In addition, the