Local News

All six Indiana Franciscan Health Family Birth Centers were awarded INspire Hospital of Distinction awards by the Indiana Hospital Association in partnership with Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver. The Family Birth Centers in Crown Point, Dyer, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Michigan City and Mooresville all received the honor. The awards were presented on Tuesday. The Family Birth Centers were judged based on the implementation of best practices in key maternal-fetal health categories, including safe sleep, breastfeeding, tobacco, perinatal substance use, Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) safety bundles and social drivers of health. AIM safety bundles are sets of practices that improve the quality of

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of two different phone scams. Agency employees were made aware on Tuesday of two different phone scams, both of which included Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg’s name being utilized during the calls. The first scam is related to the Sex and Violent Offender Registry (SVOR). Registered sex offenders are receiving unsolicited calls from a subject purporting to be Sheriff Heeg. The scammer is telling the registered sex offender a payment of $2,500 in Green Dot prepaid cards is necessary to satisfy a fine. The second scam is related to arrest warrants.

Walmart in Michigan City was evacuated Tuesday after a 13-year-old from Florida called in a false bomb threat. Police say on Tuesday at approximately 10:50 a.m. the LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an employee of the Walmart stating that an unknown person just called the store and indicated a bomb had been placed inside. The store was immediately evacuated. Due to the nature of the call, numerous officers, SWAT and the Investigative Division responded to the store as well as the Michigan City Fire Department and LaPorte County EMS. A thorough search of the store

A student was able to fire an officer's gun during at Eggers Junior High School in Hammond, according to the Hammond Police Department. On Monday morning, an officer from the Hammond Police Department observed a 14-year-old child attempting to leave Eggers Junior High School against regulations. Hammond Police said on their Facebook page that the officer promptly contacted the child’s mother, and efforts were made to bring her back to the office. During the attempt to restrain the female, who has a history of confrontations with law enforcement, a struggle ensued. The situation escalated when the officer, attempting to secure

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) today announced the recipients of the agency's Community Recycling Grant Program. IDEM awarded $541,245.00 to 15 applicants. “Community recycling grants provide direct investments that make recycling more accessible to Hoosiers. Historically, these grants have provided new equipment for recycling operators and improved local collection programs,” said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess. “These grants will make a significant impact on community recycling efforts across Indiana.” The grants are available to counties, municipalities, solid waste management districts, schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations located in Indiana. Here is the list of recipients and the amounts they were

Michigan City High School Student Council and JROTC volunteers sorted all of the food on Saturday, December 16, and received collections at Ames Field. The food drive more than doubled any previous record for collections. This year, 17,352.4 pounds of food items were gathered which equals 8.7 tons and is a new record. Last year, 4.1 tons were collected, and the previous year it was 4.6 tons. The school that collected the most was Joy Elementary School. Joy collected 5,538.7 (12.9 pounds per student). MCHS Student Council members will present the traveling trophy to them on Wednesday. Knapp Elementary School

MICHIGAN CITY – Mayor-elect Angie Nelson Deuitch has appointed an all-new Michigan City Board of Public Works & Safety. “The Board of Works is concerned with making sure the city operates both safely and efficiently,” Nelson Deuitch said. “I believe we’ve got a great group coming in who will work together to really ensure that we are following state and local statutes.” Beginning in January, the board will consist of Tim Bietry, Gene Simmons and Candice Antisdel. “In considering my Board of Works appointments, I focused on identifying people who have a passion for the city and who also have experience

Porter County Coroner Cyndi Dykes has released the name of the victim in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Ind. 49 in Morgan Township early Sunday morning, Dec. 17. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Ryan Fox of Kouts. “The accident is still under investigation,” Dykes said. According to the Porter County Sheriff’s Police, at 4:05 a.m. a 2020 Ford SUV was northbound on Indiana 49, at the intersection of County Road 600 South, it crossed the center line for an unknown reason and collided with a second vehicle southbound on Indiana 49. The driver of the Ford SUV was ejected

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced today a $127 million grant award received by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program. The funding will support the I-80/I-94 FlexRoad project in northwest Indiana. “FlexRoad represents a transformational opportunity to improve mobility and safety, while also providing better access to employment hubs and destinations for those who live and work near the corridor,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Strategies like dynamic shoulder lanes, variable speed limits, ramp metering and queue warning systems are innovative tools to help optimize traffic flow and make travel safer.” The funding

Press release by Office of Governor Eric J. Holcomb: As tax season approaches, Hoosier National Guardsmen, which number approximately 12,000 troops, will no longer pay state income tax starting with their 2023 tax returns. In April, the Indiana legislature passed the military exemption bill, House Bill 1034, and on May 1, Gov. Eric J. Holcomb signed it into law. “By completely phasing out state taxes on military veteran retirement in 2022 and eliminating the state income tax for Hoosier Guardsmen in 2023, Indiana continues to demonstrate our state’s enduring appreciation for the exemplary women and men who serve our local

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will honor Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the Honorable Diane Kavadias Schneider and Jeff Strack, president and CEO of Indiana Grocery Group, as its third annual PNW Alumni Hall of Fame class. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome these three accomplished PNW alumni and friends of the university to our Alumni Hall of Fame,” said PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon. “They have remained loyally connected and integrally involved in PNW’s forward direction as a catalyst for our region. Their induction attests to their fervor in helping make Northwest Indiana the best place it can be

News release by Franciscan Health: CROWN POINT, Ind. – Board-certified cardiologist Sheryl Christy, DO, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Crown Point. Dr. Christy is board-certified in cardiology and attended Midwestern University School of Medicine in Downers Grove, Ill. and completed residency at Midwestern University/Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields, Ill. in internal medicine with a fellowship in cardiology. Dr. Christy’s clinical interests include congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and preventative cardiology. She is accepting patients at Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Crown Point, 1205 S. Main St., Suite 101 in Crown Point.

Unity Foundation Vice President Graduates from Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute   Shannon Walker, Vice President of Unity Foundation of La Porte County, recently completed the prestigious Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute. Walker and other Mutz Institute graduates were recognized at the 2023 Philanthropy Leads Dinner on October 10 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Guest speakers included Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance CEO Claudia Cummings and Scott Dorsey, High Alpha and ExactTarget founder.   Launched by IPA in 2021, the Mutz Institute identifies and develops transformational philanthropic leaders in Indiana. Walker was one of 23 members of this year’s class,

Opediah Barnett, 31 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.   Barnett was sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release as well as $6000 in restitution.   According to documents in the case, in July of 2021 and January of 2022, Barnett persuaded two separate minors he met online to send him images of child sexual abuse material. Barnett also traveled out of state in an

Rep. Frank J. Mrvan announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded a grant to the Indiana Department of Transportation for the Flex Road Project to improve conditions on the Borman Expressway in the Northwest Indiana region. According to the Department of Transportation, the $127 million federal investment will implement Traffic System Management and Operations strategies to enhance travel time, reliability, safety, and decrease carbon emissions from the I-65 interchange in Gary, Indiana, to the I-294/I-80 and I-94 interchange in Illinois. Congressman Frank J. Mrvan stated, “The utilization of the Borman Expressway is a fact of life for countless residents

Press release by Health Foundation of La Porte: LA PORTE - In a strategic move to better align with its mission and vision, Healthcare Foundation of La Porte announces a name change to Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL). The new name captures the organization's focus, emphasizing HFL’s understanding of health and the many factors which influence health. The foundation was established from the sale of the IU Health La Porte Hospital in 2016, and the original name, Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, honored the history of the hospital foundation and its impact. Health has always been the essence behind HFL’s mission of empowering La Porte County residents to

News release by Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Wheelchair users and guests with mobility disabilities can explore more-challenging trails at Potato Creek State Park, thanks to a new trackchair, which they can borrow from the park’s nature center. The addition brings the number of trackchairs available for outdoor use at Indiana state park properties to 15. Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Fort Harrison, Mounds, O’Bannon Woods, Pokagon, and Spring Mill state parks and Salamonie Lake have one each. Indiana Dunes has four, and McCormick’s Creek has two. Potato Creek’s chair, manufactured by Action Trackchair, is joystick-operated and equipped with a seatbelt and

To ensure the South Shore Line provides the best experience possible to riders this holiday season, the holiday train and ticket office schedule is available in advance. Please see the schedule below for more information: Kids Ride Free, all trains To say Happy Holidays and take advantage of local school breaks, SSL will expand for a limited time its Kids Ride Free program to ALL trains and train times. Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Jan. 5, up to three children 13 years of age and younger may ride any train for free — ALL weekend, holiday, off-peak or rush hour

Firefighters rescued a pair of students stuck in one of the elevators at Chesterton High School on Thursday afternoon,according to a Facebook post from the Town of Chesterton. Firefighters responded to the high school at 1:23 p.m. On their arrival at Door 31, they were met by a School Resource Officer and led to the elevator. There they “found that the elevator had stopped between floors and was not responding to call signals,” the CFD said. After trying and failing to recall the elevator to the first floor and then the second, firefighters used a hoistway door unlocking key to

The Indiana State Police Bremen Post is welcoming its newest four-legged officer, K-9 Daisy. On Wednesday, Indiana State Police Master Trooper John Wilson graduated from the Indiana State Police K-9 Training School.  Trooper Wilson was joined by his new K-9 partner, Daisy, at the ceremony held in Indianapolis. The Indiana State Police K9 School is an annual 12-week school held in Indianapolis, with over 480 hours of instruction to include obedience, tracking, locating articles of evidence, apprehension of fighting or fleeing suspects, building searches, narcotics detection, and handler protection.  K-9 handlers also receive training in K-9 legal concepts and classes