Local News

UPDATE: The Silver Alert 143-2022 issued on September 28, 2022 on Blake Nielson has been cancelled as of September 28, 2022. The Porter County Sheriff's office stated on its Facebook page that the juvenile had been located. ORIGINAL: A Statewide Silver Alert has been declared. The Porter County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of Blake Nielson, a 13 year old white male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 150 pounds, brown hair with hazel eyes, last seen wearing a green baseball cap, black / tan T-shirt, grey sweatpants, and Nike Jordan shoes. Blake is missing from Portage, Indiana and was

UPDATE: The Silver Alert issued on September 26, 2022 on Lauren Schmidt has been cancelled as of September 27, 2022. No further details were provided by police.   ORIGINAL: A Silver alert has been issued as the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of 17-year-old Lauren Schmidt. She is described as a white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds, with brown and blond hair with blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Lauren is missing from Mill Creek, and was last seen on Thursday, September 22, 2022

Two former detectives with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department were indicted by a grand jury in connection to a case involving missing evidence, according to Indiana State Police. Following a lengthy investigation by detectives with the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division Lowell Post, evidence and testimony was recently presented to a grand jury. The subject matter of the grand jury involved missing evidence from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. At the conclusion of the proceedings, the grand jury issued indictments against 50-year-old Adam Gray of Knox and 54-year-old Don Ferguson of South Bend. Gray faces 4 counts of official

Two separate truck crashes late Monday and early Tuesday gridlocked traffic along eastbound I-80/94 for hours Tuesday morning, according to Indiana State Police. The first crash occurred last night at around 9:30 p.m. Preliminary investigation shows that a 2022 Freightliner was traveling eastbound in the far-right lane when it rear-ended a 2003 Freightliner that was pulling an empty box trailer. The 2003 Freightliner was in the process of being towed by a tow truck. As a result of the impact, debris and vehicle parts were scattered across all the lanes, as well as a large amount of oil and diesel

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved Indiana’s plan to use funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to build out a statewide electric vehicle charging network. The plan approval clears the way for the state to work with private and public partners to begin investing nearly $100 million over the next five years to bolster the availability of EV charging infrastructure across the state. “A robust network of convenient, reliable charging infrastructure is essential to addressing range anxiety for electric vehicle owners,” INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said. “Through the NEVI program, Indiana will work with private and

An Indiana State Trooper was injured Monday morning when her police car was sideswiped in Jasper County Monday morning. At 5:00 a.m., troopers were investigating a crash on I-65 northbound lanes at the 224.3 mile-marker. Troopers were assisting a towing company with the removal of a semi that had been involved in an earlier crash. Two troopers were blocking the right lane with all their emergency lights activated when Trooper Jordin Bilthuis’ police car was side swiped by a tanker truck. Trooper Bilthuis was sitting in her patrol car, with her seatbelt buckled, when the crash occurred. Bilthuis was transported

In La Porte County, there will be alternating lane closures on State Road 2 west of La Porte. Crews will begin a resurfacing project between S 700 W and S 400 W starting on or after October 3 with work expected to take a week. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change. During construction, traffic will utilize one lane that will be controlled by flaggers. INDOT says that drivers should watch for stopped traffic at times in the area. INDOT encourages drivers to consider worker safety by slowing down, using extra caution and driving distraction free when

A body was recovered on Monday from Lake Michigan in the Village of Michiana located in Berrien County, Michigan, according to police.  At around 12:04 p.m., the Grand Beach/Michiana Police Department was called to the 4000 block of Lakeshore Drive in the Village of Michiana for a body that was floating in Lake Michigan. Police say the victim is a white or light skin black male in his 30’s, and is 6 feet to 6 feet, 1 inch tall, with a medium build. The body was recovered with the assistance of the New Buffalo Township Fire Department and Michiana Shores

In Lake County, watch for lane restrictions on U.S. 12/Cline Avenue. A single lane will be closed in each direction between U.S. 20 and Gary Road for roadway repair. Work is scheduled to start on or after Oct. 3 and is expected to wrap up by the end of the week. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change. INDOT encourages drivers to consider worker safety by slowing down, using extra caution and driving distraction free when traveling in and around all work zones.  

A vehicle pursuit on I-94 that started in Porter County and ended in Lake County led to the arrest of a Crown Point man on Friday, according to Indiana State Police. On Friday, at around 4:50 p.m., an Indiana State Police trooper was patrolling the I-94 westbound lanes near the Portage exit, when he observed a Chevrolet Camaro aggressively driving.  Police say the driver was weaving in and out of traffic and speeding.  The trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver drove onto the shoulder and accelerated away from the trooper.  A pursuit was initiated as the

Indiana Dunes National Park is hosting a hike to the Summit of Mount Baldy in Michigan City on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. Those attending are to meet at the Mount Baldy parking lot for the ranger-led hike to the top of Mount Baldy.  National Park passes are required. For more information, visit https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/fees.htm. Additional information about this and other events can be found on the Indiana Dunes National Park Facebook page.     

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation says it will receive $300,000 in competitive grant funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support export opportunities through the Indiana State Trade and Export Promotion (IN-STEP) program, which helps Indiana small businesses identify, market and sell Hoosier-made goods in international markets. IN-STEP, which supports company growth and job creation by expanding and diversifying small businesses’ customer bases, offers eligible companies reimbursements of costs associated with export-related activities, such as participating in international trade missions, trade shows, export educational programs, and export services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The program first

Governor Eric Holcomb is directing flags in the State of Indiana to be flown at half-staff in honor and remembrance of Richmond Police Officer Seara Burton. Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, Sept. 26. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents in Indiana to lower their flags to half-staff.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says it recovered two utility vehicles that were stolen from a NIPSCO job site. At around 7:30 a.m. Friday, an officer with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Auto Theft Unit responded to a report of two utility terrain vehicles stolen from a NIPSCO job site near 157th Avenue and U.S. Highway 41 in unincorporated Lowell. Lake County and Newton County police officers worked together to use GPS tracking technology and discovered that the vehicles were moving. Police officers searched multiple locations and eventually requested assistance from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit. A Newton

An Illinois man died Thursday after crashing into Ames Field in Michigan City. Michigan City police said that on the evening of September 22nd, 2022 at approximately 7:30 p.m.a juvenile reported a domestic battery to an officer at the Michigan City Police Department. Officers initiated an investigation into the domestic violence allegation. Michigan City Police say that an adult male suspected in this domestic violence allegation met with officers in the front lobby of the Michigan City Police Department to return property to the juvenile. Officers attempted to gather information from the man, however, he fled from the Michigan City

Dozens of students from La Porte County were able to get a close-up look at some cutting-edge technology in manufacturing recently, thanks to a donation from the Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City (EDCMC). Around 60 students from the La Porte County Career and Technical Education program attended the International Manufacturing Technology Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on Sept. 15. EDCMC sponsored the trip by contributing $1,500 toward the cost of a charter bus. “The Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City is proud to partner with Michigan City Area Schools to provide students with an opportunity to gain real-world

The Porter County Coroner’s Office has released the name of the victim in Wednesday’s fatal crash that occurred in Washington Township on State Road 2, the Town of Chesterton reported on its Facebook page. The victim was identified as 57-year-old Tony Passafume, of La Porte. The Town of Chesterton reported that Passafume was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to a statement released Thursday.   Original: Porter County Sheriff’s Police investigating fatal accident in Washington Township Porter County Sheriff’s Police were investigating a fatal accident on Ind. 2 in Washington Township, Wednesday, according to the Town of Chesterton. According to

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced several I-65 ramp closures for concrete restoration projects. Construction is scheduled to begin on or after Sept. 23, with work expected to wrap up by mid-October. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change. The closures include: Eastbound and westbound U.S. 30 ramps to northbound I-65 Eastbound and westbound 61st Street to northbound I-65 Northbound I-65 offramp to Ridge Road Drivers needing to access I-65 or Ridge Road will need to seek another route. INDOT encourages motorists to consider worker safety by slowing down, using extra caution and driving distraction-free when traveling

Franciscan Health Michigan City is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic as part of a combined effort with other regional healthcare systems to increase education and vaccination rates in underserved communities. The clinic will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. 4th St. Pfizer first and second vaccines and boosters will be available for ages 5 to 11. Anyone 12 or older may receive their first, second or Pfizer bivalent booster vaccine. The vaccines will be administered by Saint Joseph Health System. Anyone receiving their booster or second shot from

Kiwanis Club of La Porte is having a Community Pop-Up Picnic at Koomler Park on Saturday. The club will be serving free hot dogs, chips, cookies and bottled water from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The City Police and Fire departments will also be there to interact with residents and the Fire Department will bring an engine for kids to explore.