Local News

Press release, Indiana Department of Education: The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) encourages schools and qualified community organizations to participate in the 2024 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In addition, IDOE is looking to expand access to free meals in eligible rural areas that have no congregate summer meal service sites and could benefit from the provision of non-congregate meal service. The SFSP reimburses local sponsors that serve healthy free meals and snacks to children 18 years old and younger. Sponsorship is open to public and private nonprofit groups, including local governments, summer camps, religious organizations and recreation centers. Organizations

Press release, Health Foundation of La Porte: LA PORTE – Since November 2023, Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL) has been partnering with Playon to increase awareness of community activities that support active living in La Porte County. Founded by La Porte natives Sam Maule and Marc Oestreich, Playon (www.playonapp.com) is a digital platform that houses all of La Porte County’s active living resources. Residents can easily search and filter through every venue, park, activity, and organization in the area, from walking trails to yoga classes and everything in between. Soon to be released as a mobile app, Playon empowers residents to

Press release, AK Smith Career Center: Michigan City, IN – January 25, 2024 – Students from across LaPorte County with an interest in robotics, technology, and automation will soon have the opportunity to train for a hot new career field: Smart Manufacturing. In August, the Laporte County Career and Technical Education program will offer a program in Smart Manufacturing at its new facility at 1001 US Hwy 20 in Michigan City, which formerly housed Brown Mackie College. Michigan City Area Schools acquired the facility last year, and it offers a Pre-K program there for 4-year-olds, the Little Wolves Early Learning

The Porter County Board of Commissioners is seeking two individuals to join the Opioid Committee. "This is your chance to contribute to crucial efforts in preventing addiction, supporting recovery and saving lives in our community," Porter County Government stated on their Facebook page. Visit https://www.porterco.org/1365/Citizen-Board-Appointments to submit your application by Jan. 29, 2024. The Commissioners will make the appointments at the Jan. 30, 2024 Commissioners' meeting at 10:00 a.m.

Press release, Office of Governor Eric J. Holcomb: JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. – Governor Eric J. Holcomb joined executives of Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) today as the company announced plans to establish a new $800 million data center campus in Indiana. The new facility in Jeffersonville will support approximately 100 operational jobs and hundreds of construction jobs in the coming years. “Today is a great day for Indiana and for our southeast region as we welcome another major investment to the River Ridge Commerce Center,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Indiana’s efforts to cultivate industries of the future are already paying dividends for

Press release, Michigan City Chamber of Commerce: Michigan City, IN –At its January meeting, the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors appointed its Executive Committee for 2024. Joining Board Chair Sandy Smith on the Executive Committee will be Greg Wilkerson as Chair-Elect, Blake Applegate as Treasurer, and Julie Krause as Secretary. Kim Giannetti also agreed to stay on the Executive Committee as Past Chair. In 2024, the Executive Committee will play an integral role in assisting the chamber staff in carrying out its mission. In the same meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously appointed Danny Hogan as the

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: ???????????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? and citizens ???????????????????? ???????????????????? and ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????, awarded the Life Saving Award for successfully saving a child found unresponsive in a swimming pool. ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? and ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ????????????????????????????, awarded the Valparaiso Police Department Life Saving Award for helping to save the life of a man in a cardiac emergency. ???????????????????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????????, 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.