Local News

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- A Plymouth man died in a crash Friday afternoon, according to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office. Just before 3:30 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the intersection of U.S. 30 and State Road 39, in rural Hanna Township, regarding a two-vehicle crash. The initial on-scene investigation determined that a 2008 Honda, driven by 39-year-old Brent L. Freyenberger of Plymouth, Indiana, was traveling westbound on U.S. 30. Police say Freyenberger disregarded a red light at the intersection and was struck by a commercial motor vehicle which was a 2021 Kenworth semi-tractor traveling southbound on State Road

News release by Indiana Department of Transportation: The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has submitted U.S. Bike Route 37 to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to be designated as part of the U.S. Bike Route System (USBRS). The proposed route connects the Erie Lackawanna Trail (USBR 36) in northwest Indiana to the Monon Trail (USBR 35) in central Indiana. The comment period for USBR 37 will remain open through Monday, May 10. Additional information and instructions on how to submit a comment are available on the INDOT website. Indiana currently has four designated USBRs --

The new traffic configuration for I-65 between U.S. 30 and U.S. 231 is expected to be put in place on or after the evening of Monday, May 1. Northbound I-65 traffic will be crossed over into the southbound lanes, with two lanes in each direction. Two ramps will be closed: Northbound I-65 to 109th Avenue and U.S. 231 to NB I-65. Traffic will be in this configuration through late August.

The Michigan City Police Department announced Friday that the LaPorte County Drug Task Force and the Fugitive Apprehension Street Team (FAST) recovered firearms, illegal drugs, money and effected an arrest as a result of a residential search warrant that was executed in Michigan City. Taken into custody in conjunction with the investigation was 40-year-old Bobby Franklin of Michigan City. Police said in recent weeks, the LaPorte County Drug Task Force began receiving complaints of illegal activity happening at the 3000 block of Cleveland Avenue. In response, LCDTF opened an investigation. The result of the investigation was the arrest of Franklin

Press release by Healthcare Foundation of La Porte: On Tuesday, April 25, 4,500 pounds of donated ground beef were delivered to 16 La Porte County food pantries and soup kitchens. The meat comes from a $10,000 grant, “Meat” the Need, that Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) awarded to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry encourages hunters and farmers to donate large game and livestock to one of 85 participating meat processors. Donations are processed, packaged and provided to area hunger relief agencies for distribution in the community. The $10,000 HFL grant covers the meat processing fees and

Streetlights that were emitting a purple hue in Michigan City were found to be defective and replaced, according to a press release from the Office Of Mayor Duane Parry. “For quite some time we were aware that our new LED streetlights in numerous locations in Michigan City were emitting a purple hue rather than the standard white light, the City of Michigan City said in a press release on Friday. “There was speculation over the color having to do with saving energy, which was not true. We discovered that these streetlights were safe and did not impact visibility, however caused

Portage Police notified the public on their Facebook page that Thursday afternoon their officers were made aware of a group of individuals soliciting donations along the Highway 6 corridor near POW/MIA Way. Officers contacted the subjects and determined they were professional solicitors who travel the country making false claims that they are fundraising for various causes relating to children. The Portage Police Department said their investigation shows this group has been “plying their trade” in Louisville, Indianapolis, and the south Chicago suburbs over the past thirty days. Police said the subjects were warned they were “in violation of city ordinance

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) has announced the 2023 Hoosier Star finalists.   In the youth division - 17 and under: Molly Cooper La Porte Sophia Grubbs Elkhart Landon Mitchell Buchanan, MI Makayla Mitchell Buchanan, MI Eleanor Nohos Hobart   In the adult division - 18 and up: Kelly Bourget Griffith Jessica Johnson Michigan City Raul Palma South Bend Mary Pasyk Griffith Shania Povlock and Evan Wooding La Porte   These individuals will compete, in their respective divisions, for the title of HOOSIER STAR! First place Adult and Youth Winners will receive a $1,000 prize. Second place Adult

Press release by Purdue University Northwest: Donor participation in day-long event increases by 34% from 2022 HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Generous donors to Purdue University Northwest (PNW) lifted the university’s one-day fundraising total to a record level of nearly $2.9 million during PNW’s 10th annual Day of Giving on April 26. PNW raised more than $2.85 million from more than 1,895 donations in 24 hours. “This is the highest one-day total amount raised in the history of Purdue Northwest. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the enthusiastic response of our community,” said Lisa Goodnight, vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement.

A man has been arrested in connection to a homicide that happened over 2 years ago in Michigan City. On Jan. 23, 2021, the dispatch center received a call for an adult female suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at Crown Food Mart on East Michigan Boulevard. Officers responded to the scene and found a Michigan City woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Responding Officers immediately began providing medical aid to the victim before LaPorte County EMS transported her to Franciscan Hospital for advanced care. Her injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening. Dispatch received a second call moments after receiving the

News release by Michigan City Area Schools: The cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS)  Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC)  continued to support MCHS and the community in April.  Cadets assisted in MCHS track meets, helped clean-up Routes 421 and 6 in Westville, and provided the Color Guard for the opening ceremony for the Indiana Letter Carriers convention at the Blue Chip Casino. May will be a busy month for the cadets, as they will be supporting a number of community service projects, to include cleaning veterans’ headstones at Greenwood Cemetary, assisting the Humane Society at

Press release by City of Valparaiso: After more than 34 years of service to the City of Valparaiso, Valpo Parks Director John Seibert has announced his retirement, effective July 1, 2023. “Serving as Director of Valparaiso Parks has been the professional privilege of my life and I am so thankful for the relationships and the opportunities we have been given to serve our exceptional community,” said Seibert in his letter of retirement. “We are extraordinarily grateful for John Seibert and his leadership. Under his guidance, our parks and programming have been recognized nationally and become an integral part of what

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. - A Lowell man was arrested for a shooting that happened Wednesday on I-65. Just before 12:30 p.m., dispatch received a call of a road rage incident and shots fired on Interstate 65, southbound near the 180 mile marker. The victim was driving a semi-truck and was uninjured in the incident. Dispatchers determined the suspect vehicle was a black Chevrolet Tahoe. While troopers were searching for the Tahoe, dispatchers received a call of a road rage incident. Dispatchers advised the driver, who was later identified to be 53-year-old Kevin Perfetti of Lowell, to stop at a safe

A juvenile has been arrested in connection to a shooting and an incident of arson, the Michigan City Police Department said. On the morning of Jan. 26, dispatch received a call regarding gunshots being heard in the area of East Michigan Boulevard and Vail Street. The same gunshots were also heard by an officer at the police station who was able to determine a more precise location of the 200 block of Poplar Street. Officers arrived in the area and located a Poplar Street residence with a wide-open entrance door. Several bullet casings were seen behind the residence in the

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) announced the appointment of Jared Coller as education manager. Coller will begin the newly created position effective June 5. Coller is currently the band director of Rensselaer Middle and High Schools as well as a percussion section member of the LCSO. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University and is an endorsing artist with Artifact Percussion and Soultone Cymbals. “Jared will bring a passion for music education to this position,” stated LCSO Executive Director, Tim King. “His experience as an educator as well as his vast network of contacts in the region will

News release by Purdue University Northwest: HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Two of Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) graduate programs were recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Graduate Programs rankings, released Tuesday, April 25. PNW’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, offered by the College of Nursing, was ranked No. 100 nationally in the Best Nursing Master’s Programs category. PNW’s MSN offers advanced nursing practices and clinical training to gain additional skills and qualifications for the healthcare field, such as its Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist concentrations. “Our position in the rankings represents the

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced that in Lake and Porter counties, U.S. 231 will be resurfaced between I-65 and State Road 2 starting on or after Monday, May 1. U.S. 231 will be reduced to one lane with flaggers directing traffic in the area where work is occurring. The project will be ongoing through late August.

The #LCSO is investigating the theft of approximately 60 feet of guardrail from along a roadway in rural Hanna Township. During the morning of April 24th, employees from the La Porte County Highway Department discovered three sections of guardrail missing from along CR 400 West near CR 1650 South. The three sections, each 20 feet in length, have a total value of approximately $2,500. If anyone has information related to this theft investigation, please contact Detective Austin Howell (ahowell@lcso.in.gov).

On Tuesday May 2nd, most City offices, including City Hall and non-emergency City Operations will be closed for Election Day. There will be no interruption in Transit services as they will be operating their normal schedule. The Refuse Department will be closed for the day, when trash pickup will resume on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 and will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week.

The Michigan City Police Department was made aware of a telephone hoax that is currently taking place in town as well as the greater LaPorte County area. Based on what we know thus far, the caller is portraying himself to be a Michigan City Police Officer and informing the call recipient to come to the police station to obtain a subpoena that has been issued for them or to surrender themselves at the police station because a judge has ordered them held in jail. This is a complete hoax and the MCPD does not conduct business in this manner. The