Local News

The Michigan City Civil Service Commission promoted five Michigan City police officers due to the recent retirement of Sergeant Darren Kaplan and other vacancies.   Both ranks became available and filled due to the retirement of Sergeant Darren Kaplan: Corporal Hood was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  Sergeant Hood is a 12 – year veteran and is currently assigned to the Detective Bureau. Officer Aaron Bass was promoted to the rank of Corporal.  Corporal Bass is a 12 – year veteran and is currently assigned to Uniform Patrol Shift 1.   All three ranks became available due to recent vacancies within

Franciscan Physician Network is welcoming a board-certified family medicine doctor to its La Porte location. Victor Benavides, M.D., a board-certified family medicine doctor, has joined the Franciscan Physician Network at the LaPorte Health Center in La Porte. Dr. Benavides received his training at the Universidad de Montemorelos in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. His residency was at Mayaguez Medical Center in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. His clinical interests include adult medicine, hypertension, diabetes and preventative medicine. Benavides is fluent in Spanish. He is accepting new patients at the LaPorte Health Center, 9001 I Street in La Porte. For more information or to schedule

The La Porte High School Students in Mary Beth Lebo’s art class painted Salvation Army kettles and unveiled their masterpieces this week. Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, Mario Rosa, partnered with the Salvation Army and presented the project to Mrs. Lebo. The school says the kettles will be used this holiday season to provide much needed assistance to members of the La Porte community.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced lane restrictions for I-94 in La Porte County.  Eastbound and westbound I-94 will be reduced to two lanes to the east and west of U.S.  421 on or after Thursday for a pavement patching project. Approximately 4 miles of roadway will be impacted, and work will be ongoing through the end of November. Traffic will be shifted to the left inside lanes during phase one and to the right outside lanes during phase two.

Franciscan Health Woodland Cancer Care Center Michigan City is helping to expand local cancer care with the addition of medical oncologist Meshaal Khan, MD. Dr. Khan received her training at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kan. Her residency in internal medicine was at the University of Missouri Department of Medicine in Columbia, Mo., and her fellowship was at the University of Illinois Department of Hematology and Oncology in Chicago in hematology and oncology. Her clinical interests include immunotherapy, cancer survivorship, breast cancer, benign hematology and GI malignancies. Dr. Khan joins medical oncologists Saud Rana, MD,

This weekend will be the start of the Water Department's biannual water system flushing, In the City of La Porte. Beginning Sunday, and continuing for the next three to four weeks, crews will be out to flush fire hydrants throughout the community Sunday through Thursday between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. According to La Porte Water Superintendent Tim Werner this critical process helps to maintain the city’s water quality and infrastructure. "Hydrant flushing is nothing new to our residents, as it happens twice a year," Werner said. "Still, we like to the opportunity each time to remind our community just

The City of La Porte has set dates for this year's Fall Clean Up, according to La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody.     Running Monday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Nov. 11, city residents will be able to discard of their large and heavy trash. Dermody said the clean up is a bit later this year due to scheduling conflicts with RTS, the City's third-party trash vendor. "We normally provide Fall Clean Up during the month of October, but we are hopeful that these extra two weeks will give residents the time they need to get rid of unwanted items before we head

The La Porte County Family YMCA will have a couple of upcoming Halloween events. There will be a Trunk or Treat and Dance Party at Elston on Thursday. The Trunk or treat is from 4-5 p.m.  The dance party is from 5-7 p.m.  La Porte Halloween Family Fun Night is Friday Games are from 5-6 p.m and ‘splashing pumpkins’ from 6-7 p.m. The events are free. 

The National Park Service plans to conduct seven prescribed fires this fall totaling more than 1,400 acres. Several of the burns are carryovers from the spring that could not be completed due to unfavorable weather conditions, according to the National Park Service (NPS).   The NPS announced that at the east end of the park, near Central Avenue Beach, the 215-acre Kansas Avenue unit, will be burned. At the nearby Dunewood Campground, another 77 acres are planned.   They also announced that near the center of the park adjacent to Dune Acres, the 547-acre Howes Prairie/Lupine unit will be burned. Near Ogden

The City of Valparaiso will begin its annual curbside leaf pick-ups from October 24 through Dec. 2, weather permitting, announced Mayor Matt Murphy. The City has four leaf collection zones and will rotate continuously. Progress updates will be provided to residents, so they have a better idea of when to expect leaf collection in their own neighborhoods. Some areas of the city take longer due to more trees and the weather also affects the collection efforts. To view the progress updates and learn your zone, visit https://tinyurl.com/ValpoLeaf. The Valparaiso City Services Department of Public Works (DPW) will post periodic progress

Franciscan Health recently announced $450,000 in funding for community health improvement through its Social Impact Partnership Program (SIPP). Fifty-seven non-profits located throughout Franciscan Health’s Indiana service regions and south suburban Chicago were selected from applications to receive funding of up to $9,750 per organization. Partners in the Hammond/Munster/Dyer area are Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana, Girls on The Run of Northwest Indiana, Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana, Hope Christian Church, Housing Opportunities, Indiana Parenting Institute Inc. (IPI), Indiana Women in Need (IWIN) Foundation, Mental Health of America of Lake County Inc., St. Michael’s Wheelchair Ramp Ministry,

Chesterton residents are encouraged to take three minutes to complete Downtown Chesterton Usage and Parking Survey. The Town of Chesterton says the Chesterton Branding Leadership Team (CBLT) is asking folks to take three minutes to complete its Downtown Chesterton Usage and Parking Survey. The Town of Chesterton says, “If you spend much time in the Downtown—or possibly if you don’t, because you find it difficult to find accessible parking—you’ve got a stake in the results of the survey.”  Surveys need to be completed by Sunday, Oct. 30. See more on the Town of Chesterton Facebook page.  The survey can be

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) recently gained approval from the Higher Learning Commission to begin offering a Doctor of Technology degree. PNW’s Doctor of Technology, which will be offered through the College of Technology, is the university’s second applied doctoral program and will begin enrolling students for spring 2023. The new program joins PNW’s Doctor of Nursing Practice. PNW also is in the process of developing a Doctor of Psychology degree program. “This program will develop leaders at the highest end of the professional and expertise spectrum who are in high demand by start-ups, emerging industries and established corporations operating in

The Valparaiso Police have added two additional police officers Monday, with the swearing-in of Ethan Biggs and Nathan Cashman. Mayor Matt Murphy performed the ceremony within the council chamber of City Hall. Chief Jeff Balon, with numerous officers and civilian staff in attendance, joined the family and friends of the new officers to witness the event. During the ceremony, Chief Balon welcomed the new hires to the VPD family and congratulated them on their appointments. Ethan is a 2012 graduate of South Central High School. Ethan further comes to VPD with prior police experience, having served with the Starke County

Nearly 70,000 fingerling walleyes are planned to be stocked by DNR during the next few weeks in 14 northern Indiana lakes. The fingerlings being stocked average 4 to 7 inches long. Adult walleye typically reach 14 inches in length after two years of growth and 16 inches by their third year. These walleye were purchased from Gollon Bait and Fish Farm and grown at Fawn River State Fish Hatchery. Lakes and (county) to be stocked include:         Adams (LaGrange)         Pretty Lake (LaGrange)         Big Turkey (Steuben)        

Residents who would like weekly pickups of their leaves, may use compost/yard waste bags available from area merchants. No plastic bags and no toters are to be used. Leaves in paper yard bags or 32-gallon trash cans should be placed in the front of property, and will be picked up, by the Refuse Department with regular compost day until the week ending Nov. 18. Leaf pickup is split up into three areas during different periods for several weeks. More information can be found on the flyer provided.

(LA PORTE, Ind.) - The Pax Center, a nonprofit working to engage food insecurity and loneliness in LaPorte County since 2015, has named Yiakeshia (Keshia) Herma as its new Director. Herma's background in nonprofit work, her passion for food justice issues, and her belief in social entrepreneurial innovation will help advance the Pax Center's mission of keeping LaPorte County well-fed and well-loved. Herma previously served as the Career Center Manager for Goodwill Industries of Northern Indiana in Griffith, Indiana. She oversaw programs and staff that provided resources, guidance, skill training, and job placement for the unemployed and underemployed. Herma has

Mayor Duane Parry is making a change in leadership at the Michigan City Police Department. Parry stated in a press release on Friday that Officer Steven Forker will assume the position of Chief of Police beginning Oct. 19. Current Chief of Police Dion Campbell was not mentioned in Parry's statement. A copy of the press release can be found below. The following is the statement from Mayor Duane Parry: Dear Michigan City Residents, After extensive review of the excessive number of officers leaving the Michigan City Police Department and the impact this is having on our City, and the steadily

A Westville Correctional inmate was found after not being accounted for Friday morning, according to the Westville Police Department. Police were notified Friday morning by Westville Correctional that an inmate was not accounted for during a head count. Police stated they immediately contacted the Westville Schools to inform them of the situation and advised to put the school on a precautionary lockdown until the subject could be located. During the course of the incident, police were advised that the subject was still on the prison’s grounds. The inmate, 31-year-old Dustin Lappin, was found Friday evening inside the facility not having

A Michigan City man was arrested on charges of arson after an investigation into two vehicle fires earlier this month, according to the Michigan City Police Department. Dispatch received a call on Oct. 1, at around 01:19 a.m. about a vehicle fire at the Garden Estates West apartment complex. Officers responded to the scene and discovered one vehicle that was fully engulfed in fire and a second vehicle parked close by that also started to catch fire. The Michigan City Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and  extinguished the fire to both vehicles. Officers began an investigation into the