Local News

News release via La Porte County Sheriff's Office: The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is partnering with other Indiana law enforcement agencies to keep drivers and passengers safe by raising awareness about the dangers of speeding and urging drivers to obey speed limits. Through the end of July, deputies will be on high alert for speeding vehicles while participating in the Speeding Slows You Down campaign, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and administered through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). Not only is speeding illegal, but it is also deadly. In 2021, speeding killed 252

The Indiana Toll Road says they are making great progress on the Northwest Indiana Bridge Rehabilitation Project. The Toll Road says since construction is moving along at a good pace, they are able to accelerate their project schedule with the closure of the Exit 10 westbound entry and westbound exit ramps, which is ongoing. The exit ramp will re-open on Aug. 31 and the entry ramp will re-open on Sept. 23. Additional details can be found in the photo attached to this story.

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - An Illinois man was arrested after a pursuit on I-65 Wednesday afternoon, according to the Indiana State Police. At approximately 3:15 p.m., a trooper was patrolling I-65 southbound near the scale barn.  This is approximately 3 miles north of State Road 2 (exit 240).  A citizen notified the trooper of a vehicle that was traveling at 5 mph in the right lane.  The trooper located the vehicle traveling 8 mph in the right lane and attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle to investigate the circumstances of the extremely slow speed. The driver failed

Press release by Franciscan Health: MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Board-certified interventional cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist Naseer Nasser, MD, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Michigan City. Dr. Nasser completed his training at the University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, in Iraq. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Nasser’s general cardiovascular fellowship training was at Cook County Hospital and his interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular intervention fellowship training was at RUSH University Medical Center, both in Chicago. His fellowship in cardiac electrophysiology was at the

Michigan City Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across the country to host a National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 1. This is a community crime prevention and safety event that will be held in Michigan City for the first time in several years. National Night Out will take place at Pullman Park, 550 West 4th Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. with a bike safety demonstration followed by a Community Bike Cruise with the MCPD Bike Unit at 6 p.m. Children and adults are invited to ride the Calumet Trail-Singing Sands Trail, starting at Pullman

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will have restrictions at the I-65 and I-94 interchange this weekend for ongoing concrete restoration work. The ramp from northbound I-65 to eastbound I-94 is scheduled to close the evening of Friday, July 14 for concrete patching and is expected to reopen the morning of Monday, July 17. The detour will be to exit at U.S. 12/20 and use Ripley Street / State Road 51 to access eastbound I-94. The ramp from northbound I-65 to westbound I-94 will have a single lane closure overnight on Friday, July 14, which will

Michigan City Police Department announced National Night Out will take place at Pullman Park, 550 W. 4th Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. with a bike safety demonstration followed by a Community Bike Cruise with the MCPD Bike Unit. Children and adults are invited to ride the Calumet Trail-Singing Sands Trail, starting at Pullman Park heading west toward County Line Road and returning to the Pullman Park (approximately a 2-mile ride). Afterwards, a community block party will take place at Pullman Park. This event includes a pop-up art project, free food, games, music, K-9 demonstrations, and the

News release by Indiana Department of Transportation: STARKE COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be conducting seal coating operations resulting in a road closure on State Road 23 beginning on or after Monday, July 17. State Road 23 will be closed between State Road 8 and State Road 10 for approximately three days. The official detour for this closure will follow State Road 8, U.S. 35, and State Road 10. Through traffic should utilize the detour or seek an alternate route. Local traffic should exercise caution and follow traffic directions carefully in the area where work

Press release by NIPSCO: MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – In the next step of its electric generation transition to a more balanced and reliable mix to serve customers, Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), today announced that its first two Indiana-based solar projects – Indiana Crossroads and Dunns Bridge I Solar – are online and operating, producing more cost-effective, cleaner energy for homes and businesses across Indiana. “The addition of our first solar parks to our electric generating portfolio represent meaningful investments in the state of Indiana and a direct benefit to our customers,”

Michigan City, IN – July 11, 2023 – Held annually right before the start of the new school year, the New Teacher Luncheon provides an opportunity to celebrate new educators in the Michigan City area. Hosted by the Lakefront Career Network (LCN), the Michigan City Chamber’s (Chamber) young professionals committee, the event’s presenting sponsor is Purdue University Northwest (PNW).   New teachers and administrators from Michigan City public and parochial schools will be treated to lunch and welcomed to the community by local businesses and organizations. Those in attendance will get a warm welcome from the event sponsor, an LCN representative,

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) announced on Monday the passing of retired K9 Joker. “It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the passing of retired K9 Joker, who peacefully passed away in his sleep last Thursday,” the PCSO said on their Facebook page.  “He was an 8 year veteran of our Agency and was involved in countless investigations over his time with us.” The PCSO said Joker and his handler, Captain Edwards, performed many tracks and apprehensions of suspects, tracked missing subjects, and aided in the discovery of numerous narcotics. “He had a great 13 years

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will close State Road 51 between Laura Lane and 10th Street on or after Monday, July 17.  State Road 51 will be closed through late October for a small structure replacement. Motorists should seek an alternate route. The official detour will follow U.S. 30, I-65, I-94, and U.S. 6/State Road 130.

Press release by Duneland Chamber of Commerce: Chesterton, IN – The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will host their annual Community Awards Wednesday, July 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Spa Speakeasy & Special Event Center in Chesterton. Many local organizations, businesses, and individuals are being awarded for their efforts in making the Duneland community a better place to live, work, and play. The winners are as follows: Putting Duneland on the Map – Aidan Torres Business Renovation Award – Glacial Sands Oral, Facial, Implant Surgery; Heartland Wellness Center; Lia’s Bella Cucina New Construction Award – Allen Law

An investigation is underway in Michigan City after two people were shot on Friday afternoon. Several 911 calls were received by the dispatch center at around 03:53 p.m. regarding gunshots being fired in the 400 block of York Street. Multiple officers arrived and located two people with gunshot wounds. The first victim was a 36-year-old Michigan City resident with multiple gunshot wounds. The second victim was a 28-year-old Michigan City resident who also had multiple gunshot wounds. Officers provided medical care to both victims until EMS arrived. The 36-year-old victim was flown from a nearby landing site to Memorial Hospital

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) has partnered once again with local health departments and other healthcare entities across the state to host summer back-to-school immunization clinics as part of a statewide effort to help families easily access required and recommended school immunizations prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year. Now in its second year, the Start Smart campaign includes a map showing dates, times and locations of community immunization clinics. The map can be found at https://startsmart.health.in.gov/. The clinics are open to children ages 5 and older. Families will not be charged at the site of the

Two local first responders were recently honored by the Indiana American Legion. The La Porte Police Department announced their own Detective Jared Schaefer was named Law Officer of the Year in District 3 by the Indiana American Legion. Each year, the American Legion presents an award for the officer of the year in each of the 11 districts in Indiana. Schaefer was selected as officer of the year in district 3, which includes La Porte, Marshall, Porter, and St. Joseph counties. Additionally, La Porte County Emergency Medical Service announced that their own Lt. Ronald Johnson received the American Legion 3rd

The Michigan City Police Department on Friday made the following announcement regarding a new community camera registry: "In response to community concerns about crime in the Michigan City neighborhoods, Chief Steve Forker and his administrative team are pleased to announce a new feature to assist members of the community in providing video footage of crimes being committed. Security cameras, ring doorbell cameras and the like are wisely utilized by numerous community members as a means of home security. Should someone attempt to break into your home or vehicle, those using security cameras will most likely have a video recording of

Attorney General Todd Rokita is alerting Hoosiers of important consumer protection concerns for products recalled in June. “Summer is a time to relax and for your kids to have fun playing outdoors,” Attorney General Rokita said. “You shouldn’t have to worry if your children’s toys are defective or could cause them any harm. If you purchased one of the recalled products, stop using it immediately and pursue resolution from the manufacturer immediately.” According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the following consumer products were recalled in June: Jetson Nova and Star 3-Wheel Kick Scooters from Jetson Electric Bikes Robo Alive

The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced Thursday it has awarded $18,215 to Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) through the Arts Organization Support grant program. During its June 9 Quarterly Business Meeting, the Commission approved funding recommendations for the Arts Project Support and Arts Organization Support grant programs. Over 480 applications were reviewed by 146 panelists from around the state and country with expertise in the arts, community development, and nonprofit management. “The projects and organizations selected to receive funding are strengthening our state,” said Anne Penny Valentine, Chair of the Indiana Arts Commission. “The Commission is excited and honored

Press release by Shirley Heinze Land Trust: Shirley Heinze Land Trust (SHLT) is excited and grateful to partner with NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation in 2023 for a second year to continue the Activating Green Spaces initiative. Shirley Heinze Land Trust introduced its Activating Green Spaces initiative at the beginning of 2022 with funding from NIPSCO through the NiSource Charitable Foundation. This program works with a variety of partners to connect communities that have been historically underrepresented in conservation with their local green spaces, which includes nature preserves, parks, greenways and waterways. The goals of Activating Green Spaces include