Local News

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) awarded more than $454,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants to 101 rural and volunteer fire departments from 58 counties. The awards will be used to fund training or purchase necessary firefighting equipment and gear to combat wildland fires. The grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Recipients were selected based on population density, acres of public lands protected, and wildland fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters. As in past years, emphasis was given to projects that involved the fighting

Thanks to the generosity and outpouring of love from our community, The Salvation Army has reached 107 percent of our Christmas Campaign goal of $230,000! This accounts for one-third of our annual budget, supporting holiday assistance as well as our year-round services to provide food, clothing, warmth, and other resources to those in need.Special THANK YOU to Gene and Linda Simmons, our campaign chairs; all of our bell ringers this season; and EVERYONE who donated food, toys, or financial contributions. You are all #DoingTheMostGood. Thank you Michigan City. #LoveBeyondChristmas

South Bend, Indiana (January 24, 2024) Goodwill is proud to announce the availability of free tax preparation services through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, designed to assist those with a household income of less than $64,000 per year. This service is available to U.S. citizens or resident aliens. This program is an essential resource for eligible taxpayers seeking assistance with their tax preparation without any cost. Please note that while VITA volunteers are equipped to handle a variety of tax situations, there may be certain complex issues that fall outside the scope of the assistance provided by the

The Valparaiso Police Department on Monday night recognized officers and citizens for their work in saving lives and making a difference in our community: 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗵 and citizens 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 and 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁, awarded the Life Saving Award for successfully saving a child found unresponsive in a swimming pool. 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗢𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘀 and 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻, awarded the Valparaiso Police Department Life Saving Award for helping to save the life of a man in a cardiac emergency. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗹, awarded the Valparaiso Police Department Honorable Mention Award for his success in apprehending an armed bank robber. WIMS congratulates

LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. — A man who was wanted for rape was arrested after he called the police for an unrelated matter, according to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office. On Tuesday at around 5:15 p.m., deputies responded to a residence located in the 2700 east block of County Road 450 South regarding a harassment complaint. Prior to arrival, responding deputies confirmed the complainant, 28-year-old Kyle S. Terusiak, was wanted for rape. The arrest warrant was issued following an investigation that began on Nov. 12. On Jan. 5, a sealed arrest warrant was issued for Terusiak for the offense.  Since

LA PORTE, Ind. – Franciscan Alliance will fully acquire Franciscan Beacon Hospital this spring, representatives announced today. Franciscan Alliance and Beacon Health System entered an agreement in 2018 for a 50/50 joint partnership for the creation of Franciscan Beacon Hospital at 1010 State Road 2 in La Porte, which included a building expansion project. The unique, 92,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility includes a 24-hour, 10-bed emergency department, eight inpatient beds for overnight care, laboratory services, an on-staff pharmacist, physical therapy, telehealth connectivity and the latest in imaging and diagnostic equipment. As part of the acquisition, all Beacon Health System nursing, imaging staff

Lubeznik Center for the Arts is looking for artists interested in showing at our annual Arts Festival (LAF) on August 17 & 18. Artists Apply Here! --> https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=11826 LAF is one of the highlights of summer in Northwest Indiana! Taking place on LCA’s grounds, just steps away from Lake Michigan, LAF connects festivalgoers to our dynamic programming and exhibitions. All artist applications must be received by April 5, 2024. Artists will be notified of their acceptance by May 12, 2024. Visit LubeznikCenter.org/Events for more information, or call 219.874.4900. #LubeznikCenterForTheArts #LCA #LubeznikArtsFestival2024 #CallForArtists #NWI

The latest update from Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch-Check out the press release below.  

Mayor of La Porte Tom Dermody announced that WM will operate on a one-day delay, beginning Wednesday. Dermody stated on his Facebook page that Tuesday’s trash will be picked up Wednesday’s trash on Thursday and so on. The City of La Porte stated on its Facebook page that Friday’s trash will be picked up on Saturday.

Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg announces the Indiana Sheriffs' Association (ISA) will again be awarding college scholarships to qualified high school seniors or college students who are pursuing a degree in criminal justice studies.  There will be approximately 40 - $750 scholarships awarded to qualifying students throughout the state. The ISA Scholarship Fund was established for the purpose of receiving, investing, and dispensing of funds to provide college scholarships to qualified students who are committed to pursuing an education and career in the law enforcement field. To qualify for one of these scholarships, the applicant must be an Indiana resident, be

Update #2 (Tuesday Jan 23): Chesterton Police announced that Bryanna Mahone has been found safe this morning in Valparaiso. Bryanna was transported to the Chesterton Police Department where she has been reunited with her family. Update #1: Chesterton Police say video surveillance footage in the area of Wabash/Waverly shows Bryanna walking north on Waverly Sunday (1-21-2024) at approximately 2:15 p.m.. Police say if you were in the area and saw her or live near the area and have video surveillance, to call them at 219-926-1136. Original story: The Chesterton Police Department needs your help in locating 38-year-old Bryanna Mahone of

The Michigan City Chamber of Commerce (chamber) announced Gina Alber as the Ambassador of the Quarter for the Fourth Quarter of 2023. “I thoroughly enjoy serving my community utilizing Ivy Tech workforce services to help build and grow our workforce. I assist with workforce boards, participate in committees to grow local training pipeline activities, and support local events bringing more attention to Northwest Indiana and LaPorte County overall. Serving as Chief Ambassador of the committee helps me to stay in the loop and be ready to support whatever business needs arise locally.” The Ambassador of the Quarter is given to

The following is a press release from the City of Michigan City:

A travel warning has been issued for LaPorte County according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS). A Travel Warning is the highest level of local travel advisory, means that travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only. During a "warning" local travel advisory, individuals are directed to: (A) refrain from all travel; (B) comply with necessary emergency measures; (C) cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and (D) obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers. Travel Status information is provided by each county's Emergency Management Agency.

The Indiana Toll Road has issued a Winter Weather Ban starting from LaPorte up to and including the Ohio state line exit (MM 153). The ban will take effect Monday, January 22 at 4:00pm ET (3:00pm CT) until Tuesday, January 23 at 12:00pm ET (11:00am CT). This ban only impacts: Triple-tractor-trailers, long-doubles (high profile only), high-profile oversize permit loads. Use extreme caution if you are out on the road and remember to reduce speed in hazardous conditions. The Customer Service Walk-In Center will be closed January 23.  

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service of Northern Indiana. Counties included: Elkhart-Starke-Pulaski-Marshall-Fulton IN-White-Cass IN-Miami- Wabash-Northern La Porte-Eastern St. Joseph IN-Northern Kosciusko- Southern La Porte-Western St. Joseph IN-Southern Kosciusko- Cass MI-Northern Berrien-Southern Berrien- ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ TUESDAY... * WHAT...Freezing rain expected. Total ice accumulations of one tenth to a quarter of an inch. Ice accumulations in excess of a quarter of an inch possible by Tuesday morning. * WHERE...Portions of northern Indiana, southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. * WHEN...Until 1 PM EST /noon CST/ Tuesday. *

CROWN POINT, Ind. – The emergency department at Franciscan Health Crown Point will move to the new hospital on Sunday, Jan. 28, when the hospital is scheduled to open to the public. At 6 a.m. Central on Jan. 28, the emergency department at the new Franciscan Health Crown Point hospital at 12750 Saint Francis Drive will open and the existing emergency department at 1201 S. Main St. will simultaneously close. The new hospital at U.S. 231 and Interstate 65 is accessible from the roundabout on U.S. 231 just east of Interstate 65 by turning right onto Saint Francis Drive. The

Celebrating another Brilliant Centenarian! Mary Dillow turned 100 on Saturday, January 20th! Mary has lived at Rittenhouse Village for 6 years! Her friends and team members at Rittenhouse believe part of her secret of living a long life is due to always having a smile on her face and keeping positive! She was married in 1943 and had four wonderful children (three daughters and one son). Tragically she lost her first husband at a very young age of 35 from brain cancer. That’s when Mary had to learn to drive and financially support her family with finding a secure job.

To help Indiana schools celebrate Earth Day 2024, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is offering free hands-on classroom presentations to elementary students across the state. Every year, IDEM staff visit schools to talk about their careers and share STEM-based lessons on air, land, water, and recycling. “I am pleased to have IDEM staff visit classrooms to work with Indiana’s leaders of tomorrow. Our STEM-based lessons are a great way to emphasize the importance of taking care of our environment while also introducing them to environmental-related careers,” said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess. “I hope Indiana’s teachers will take advantage

JOIN RIC FEDERIGHI AND TEAM WIMS LIVE AT Chesterton Physical Therapy, Inc. ANNIVERSARY EVENT happening on February 6th, 2024 from 3p-5p at their Portage location. Stop by and meet Dr. Dimple, Dr. Chandra and their staff. Check out the flyer for more infomation. Also, check under the Events tab on www.wimsradio.com for this event and others.