Local News

News release by Indiana DNR: An attractive but highly destructive invasive insect is making headway in Indiana, and the Department of Natural Resources seeks help in identifying the insect so that it can work to stop its spread. Called spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), the pest is a major concern across most of the United States because of its adverse effect on fruit orchards, nurseries, and the logging and wine industries. Adults and nymphs of spotted lanternfly (SLF) have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on the vascular tissue of leaves, young shoots, branches, and trunks of its hosts. Adults and older nymphs

The South Shore Line announces the continuation of its “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” promotion, applicable for May monthly tickets. All monthly tickets purchased for the month of May 2023 will remain valid for June 2023. Passengers purchasing a paper May monthly ticket should plan to keep that ticket and use it through June, and passengers purchasing a digital May monthly ticket via the mobile app will see a June ticket uploaded to their accounts prior to June 1. For passengers who receive tickets through an employer benefit program such as Wage Works or Commuter Benefit Solutions, these passengers should

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. – Fire crews in Liberty Township spent several hours Easter Sunday controlling a brush fire that had spread out of control leaving fire crews to hike in with water packs strapped to their backs to extinguish the fire. At around 12:45 p.m. an unattended fire had spread into the woods leaving nearby residents scrambling to find out what was on fire behind their homes. Soon after Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department was called to respond to extinguish the fire resulting in around six acres of scorched surface fuels, a mix of leaves and short brush. The fire

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – An employee of the Indiana State Prison was hospitalized after being assaulted with a steel pipe, according to the Indiana State Police. Police say preliminary investigation revealed that at around 12:30 p.m., inmates were working in the steel shop when an argument took place between an inmate and a civilian employee. The disagreement turned physical when the suspect, 39-year-old Jeremy W. Davidson, from Logansport, Indiana, struck the supervisor on the head with a steel pipe.  Police say the force of the impact caused potentially life-threatening injuries. The victim was flown to South Bend Memorial Hospital where

A Michigan City man was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. after pleading guilty to transportation of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Earl Rauschenberg, 46, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 7 years of supervised release. "According to documents in the case, in July 2020, Rauschenberg uploaded to the internet a video depicting child pornography. A year earlier, July 2019, Rauschenberg had been released from prison following his conviction for possession of child pornography," a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of

Press release via LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau: XINSURANCE and the award-winning Great Lakes Grand Prix are happy to announce the creation of a long-term partnership. An agreement has been reached that makes XINSURANCE the Title Sponsor of the Great Lakes Grand Prix Race through 2027. “Bringing XINSURANCE on board is a perfect fit!” said LaPorte County Convention and Visitor Bureau CEO Jack Arnett. “They bring so much to the partnership from an added-value marketing perspective. Even more exciting is the fact that they will also be one of 7 Class One powerboats competing in the APBA series,” said

The Hobart Police Department is participating in the DEA National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. You may bring unwanted or expired medications to 705 E. 4th St. Hobart, IN. They are unable to collect sharps, needles, lancets, and inhalers.  For questions contact Suzanna at 219-942-1125 ext. 1070. The Hobart Police Department also gave the following information on its Facebook page: Where can you turn in the sharps, needles, lancets, and inhalers? At the 2023 Lake County Solid Waste Management District Household Hazardous Waste Collection on Saturday, May 20, 2023 9 a.m. to

A man was found dead with gunshot wounds in an East Chicago liquor store Thursday night, according to police. At around 11:33 p.m. officers responded to shots fired in the area of the 3800 block of Euclid Avenue. Shotspotter alerted to 8 rounds fired near this location. Arriving officers entered the store and located an unresponsive man lying face down on the floor. The victim suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest area and was pronounced dead on scene by responding medics. The East Chicago Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division,  Lake County Sheriff Crime Scene Division and the Lake County

The Valparaiso Police Department is continuing its active partnership with the Northwest Indiana African American Alliance by inviting a new group of 11–15-year-old students to participate in its Mentoring Program for the 2023 season. The NWIAAA will partner each student with a VPD mentor and share education and social opportunities. "The interactions will help to foster positive long-term relationships, leadership opportunities and career conversations," VPD said on its Facebook page. In an effort to share more about the Mentoring program, the NWIAAA and VPD are hosting a free Bowling Event for perspective mentees, at Inman’s Bowling Alley, 3201 Evans Ave.

The Valparaiso Police Department announced the promotion of Erik Palleson to patrol sergeant. Palleson is a 10 year veteran of law enforcement, having served in Kouts and Chesterton prior to joining VPD in 2019. He has been serving in VPD’s patrol division, also acting as a field training officer and drone operator during this time. Palleson is a 2007 graduate of Boone Grove High School and earned his associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College (2010) in Criminal Justice.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is stocking nearly 50,000 trout across the state this spring in preparation for trout fishing season. Thirty-three bodies of water across 21 counties will be stocked before opening day of trout season on Saturday, April 29. Lake stockings of rainbow trout started the week of March 20. “Anglers do not have to wait for opening day of stream trout fishing season to fish for these aggressive biters because trout fishing on lakes is open all year, the DNR said in a news release. For streams, 18,000 rainbow trout are expected to be stocked by

Press release by: La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership G.M. Fedorchak & Associates, La Porte-based architects & developers held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the East Shore Preserve Townhomes, a new residential development on McClung Road in La Porte, on April 5th at 169 McClung Road, Unit 302 from 4-5 p.m. CDT with the ribbon cutting officially taking place at 4:15 p.m. CDT followed by tours of the development. “Increasing options for residential housing continues to be a priority for our city,” said 1st Ward City Councilwoman Julie West. “The new townhomes on Fish Trap Lake are an exciting and

News release by Franciscan Health: Victor Benavides, MD, has seen firsthand the benefits of respect for cultural diversity in healthcare. “It’s important to have good communication with patients and to understand and respect their culture,” Dr. Benavides said. “When you have mutual respect with your patient, the outcomes are better.” Dr. Benavides, a board-certified family medicine doctor, joined the Franciscan Physician Network at the LaPorte Health Center in La Porte in the fall of 2022. A native of Lima, Peru, Dr. Benavides was curious about medicine at a young age. “When I was little, my mother worked in a hospital

The Vibrant Michigan City initiative is hosting a community input session at 6 p.m. April 20 at HOPE Community Center and the community is invited to attend. Anyone wanting to learn more can join. The year-long Learning Lab will include research, meetings, discussions, interviews, public input and more that is pinpointed to areas identified as needing additional assistance to flourish. The process is guided by the Brookings and LISC leaders who will aid in the mobilization and cultivation of what is needed to boost the selected Midtown, East and West areas. The mission is to put together a Community-Centered Economic

The MCAS Transportation Department will be representing Michigan City Area Schools in the United Way of LaPorte County Lip Sync Contest, which takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, April 14 at the LaPorte Civic Center. Eighteen bus drivers and monitors are in on the MCAS act, which is based on their viral video from 2019. They have been working on props, costumes, and dance moves. Michigan City Area Schools says they need your help. “Please either plan to attend the event (tickets are $50) or vote online for their act (votes are only $1 each!). Follow this link to

The Town of Chesterton has announced the Norfolk Southern railroad grade-crossing on North 15th Street that had been closed since Monday, Feb. 27 is now open. The crossing was re-opened to traffic on Wednesday. “Norfolk Southern informed Chesterton Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg late in the day on Friday, Feb. 24, that the grade-crossing would be closed for five days beginning the following Monday, for ‘immediate repair’ of the track, the Town of Chesterton said on its Facebook page. “It was Schnadenberg’s understanding, however, that once the actual repairs were completed, Norfolk Southern still had to cool its heels until the

News release by Purdue University Northwest: HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Parents looking for fun and engaging programs for their children for summer 2023 should check out Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) upcoming summer camps. The slate includes more than 35 programs in a variety of interest areas, with additional camps still being added. The PNW camps offer participants the opportunity to have fun while gaining memorable hands-on experience. Robotics, artificial intelligence, forensics, nursing, leadership, environmental sciences and volleyball are only a few of the camp offerings this summer. Students from K-12 will be able to explore topics of interest, deepen

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) will be working to safeguard students this spring. Over the next couple of weeks, deputies will be positioned along bus stops and routes looking for stop-arm violations and motorists driving dangerously. The overtime patrols are part of Indiana’s Stop-Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) program. SAVE was developed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) and is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As part of the effort, deputies will work with local school corporations and bus drivers to identify problem areas where the highest number of violations occur. “We take stop-arm violations

All month, police officers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department will wear special police badges and uniform patches symbolizing their unity with families and individuals affected by autism. According to a Facebook post by Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr., on April 1, the department featured their Autism Awareness patrol car at a party hosted in Munster to celebrate the hard work, diversity and success of people with autism in the community.  One of their officers attended the party and shared information on their Project Lifesaver rescue program, which could help find a person with autism quickly if they wander away and

The Chesterton Police Department worked 48 hours of extra patrols in March, concentrating on the State Road 49 corridor, as part of three grants sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the Town of Chesterton. The grants were Click It To Live IT, Driving Under the Influence Task Force and Blitz No. 121, which focused on impaired driving. Between March 1 and April 3, officers saturating the State Road 49 corridor between I-94 and the Indiana Toll Road compiled the following numbers: *130 traffic stops. *23 citations (seatbelt violations, speeding, driving left of center). *136 warnings (speeding,