Local News

Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) is informing customers that based on positive shifts in recent market trends, near-term prices for natural gas have dropped to levels that haven’t been seen since the early 2021 time frame. Meanwhile, the trend also has had a positive effect on electric bills, combined with upcoming credits that will soon be applied from the sale of excess electricity generated by the company’s wind and solar farms. Natural Gas Prices 25 to 35 Percent Lower Throughout 2022, natural gas commodity prices have been unusually high because of lower production volumes from domestic supplies compared

A 22-year-old man died after a crash Friday in Griffith, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Just before 4:30 p.m., The Lake County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Reconstruction Unit was requested to respond to a collision involving a car and a motorcycle at Johnson Road and East Main Street in Griffith. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department says it is believed the driver of a passenger car was traveling eastbound on East Main Street, attempting to turn north on Johnson Road when the car was struck by a motorcycle traveling westbound. The person riding the motorcycle was transported by helicopter to

A 7-year-old is dead and three others were injured after a crash in La Porte County early Sunday. Just before 12:05 a.m., deputies were called to the area of U.S. 35 and Schultz Road, for a single vehicle crash. An off-duty deputy located the crash scene in the 3000 north block of U.S. 35. The initial on-scene investigation determined a 2000 Chevrolet was traveling south on U.S. 35 when for an unknown reason, the vehicle left the southbound lane, traveled off the west side of the roadway and struck a tree.  The vehicle continued and struck a second tree before

A Rensselaer man was arrested Friday after a pursuit, while trying to enter the La Porte County Complex. Just after 2:00 a.m., a La Porte County Sheriff’s deputy saw a vehicle traveling westbound on U.S. 20, west of Fail Road.  A radar check measured the vehicle’s speed at 63 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone. The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on U.S. 20 near Wilhelm Road, but the driver failed to stop the vehicle and a pursuit began. The driver turned south onto Wilhelm Road and then west on Springville Road. The driver failed to

The Norfolk Southern railroad grade-crossing on North 15th Street in Chesterton will close at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, and remain closed through Friday, March 3, according to the Town of Chesterton Facebook page. The Town of Chesterton stated that Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg learned of the closure late Friday, Feb. 24. According to the town's page, Schnadenberg said that Norfolk Southern will be performing “immediate track repairs” at the grade-crossing. The closure will be in effect at all times, 24/7.

Two deputies of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office on Friday graduated their Basic Recruit Training. On October 31, 2022, Deputies Margarita Velazquez and Jared Buford started a 17-week journey of intense paramilitary based law enforcement training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy - South Bend Regional Training Site. The academy consisted of training that included blocks of instruction in emergency vehicle operations, physical tactics, firearms, criminal and traffic law and other areas of law enforcement. With their family members and agency administrators in attendance, the members of Basic Recruit Training Session 228 received their certificates and officially graduated on

A search is underway for a suspect who robbed a bank Friday in La Crosse, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announced. Deputies were dispatched on Friday, at 3:03 p.m., to the 1st Source Bank at 218 North Washington Street in La Crosse, in reference to a hold-up alarm.  While responding, deputies were advised a robbery had just occurred at the bank. The initial on scene investigation found that at 2:55 p.m., a white male approached the rear of the bank on foot.  The man walked to the front of the bank, entered the lobby and approached the teller counter

Porter-Starke Services, a not-for-profit community mental health center serving Northwest Indiana, was recently awarded a $925,532 grant to expand access to permanent supportive housing in Starke County. The three-year Rural Set-Aside grant supports Porter-Starke’s efforts to help people with mental health challenges, who are also chronically homeless, to secure and maintain housing. “We have a long history of caring for people with housing instability, and it can impact their health and overall quality of life,” said Matthew Burden, President/CEO of Porter-Starke Services. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to help connect the people we serve with a safe and stable

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – The Burn ‘Em Brewing team and community leaders celebrated the brewery’s new spot at 1215 E. 2nd St. with the turn of a shovel at a recent ground-breaking event. “This has been a long time coming, and we are happy to be here. Hopefully, we will be open by the end of the year,” said Steve Murray, Burn ‘Em Brewing head brewer and one of the Michigan City friends who opened the brewery in 2014. “We can’t wait to see you here when we open the doors.” “There is progress inside the walls despite the fact

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced two more Merit Division hires. Both deputies will begin serving the citizens of La Porte County right away. Deputy Jet Balenia returns to the agency following a brief hiatus. Deputy Pablo Pesa joins the agency having over a decade of law enforcement (LE) experience and holding several specialty certifications. Deputies Balenia and Pesa join the other recent hires with LE experience, Deputies Jeff Loniewski and Joe Walker, in the Patrol Division. More information will be released by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office in the coming weeks relating to all the

A new Treasurer of the Duneland Chamber Board of Directors has been elected. Lisa Human, CPA, senior manager and QuickBooks ProAdvisor with CLH, CPAs & Consultants, was recently elected to serve  the roll. She was elected at the board’s annual membership meeting this year, after previously serving as an at-large member of the Executive Committee, according to Building Indiana Business. Human has a long history of community volunteerism, including having served Homeward Bound, an organization dedicated to creating community through affordable housing in La Porte County. Additionally she serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Ivy Tech Community

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public that area law enforcement are investigating several reports of banking check thefts and fraud. Personal and business checks are being stolen from mailboxes and by other means then altered and cashed, police say. “We strongly encourage the citizens of Jasper County to be vigilant, monitor your banking accounts, and report any suspicious activity to the local authorities,” the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said. “If you have any information, please contact the Jasper County Sheriff's Office at 219-866-7344 or by using the ‘Submit a Tip’ in the Sheriff's Phone App.”

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health has awarded an additional $1 million in grants to eight organizations working to improve Hoosiers’ health as part of the Health Issues and Challenges program, which was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2021 with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. This is the third round of grants through the program and brings the total awarded since June to nearly $45 million. Entities were invited to apply for funding for programs to help improve health outcomes related to one or more of the following priority areas: tobacco use, food insecurity/obesity, lead

Photographers of all ages are welcome to submit photos of the Duneland area for a chance to be featured on the next Chesterton town banners. The winner's name will be announced via a press release to the media. Banners will be displayed by mid-May 2023 for a full year. The image must be in a portrait orientation and high resolution for large format printing. Only two submissions are allowed per participant. The deadline for submissions is March 10, 2023. You can enter by either emailing your image(s) to info@dunelandchamber.org or mailing to 220 Broadway, Chesterton, IN 46304. Include your name,

On Feb. 17 in the Stardust Room at Blue Chip Casino, the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) held its annual dinner and awards celebration. During the event, the chamber recognized the achievements of various members as legacy owned businesses or milestone years of membership in the Chamber. The Chamber also announced winners in several different awards categories. The winners (pictures provided of each of the award recipients) included: Large Business of the Year: GAF Small Business of the Year: Duneland Landscape Community Impact of the Year: RL Roofing Young Professional of the Year: Seth Spencer of Sera Group Ambassador

A Lowell trooper recently had an eventful day while patrolling in the district. On Saturday, February 18th, at 7:00 a.m., the trooper stopped a Chevrolet Cruze on I-94 at the 40 mile-marker for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and also observed marijuana products in the passenger area of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in approximately 1 lb. of marijuana products in the front seat.  Additionally, 60 grams of cocaine, 96 Xanax tablets and 76 Adderall tablets were also discovered in the vehicle.  The driver,

"The LaPorte County Board of Elections held a public meeting on Tuesday to address the primary candidate challenges put forth by the Democratic and Republican Party Chairs. It is the sole responsibility of the Chairs to ensure the voting record of a candidate aligns with the party they claim to represent. A candidate is only eligible to represent the party if the last two primaries they pulled align with the chosen party. Two candidates, Edward Hueston and Todd Saturday were removed from the ballot on the basis of their voting record. In addition, Angie Henzman, the Democratic Party Chairwoman brought

The Valparaiso Police Department announced the promotion of five individuals from within their ranks. Effective immediately, Jon Watson and Cassidy Schafer have been promoted to Lieutenant, while Ryan Sobierajski, Peter Castillo, and Kaci Morris have been promoted to Sergeant. Jon Watson is a seven-year veteran, who has served in various roles within the Valparaiso Police Department, including as part of the Porter County Highway Interdiction Team. Jon has also served VPD as an Accident Reconstructionist and Field Training Officer (FTO), acting as the Coordinator of the FTO program for the last few years. Jon is a 2011 graduate of Chesterton

To accommodate South Shore Line passengers attending the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting taking place Feb. 23-25 at McCormick Place, the South Shore Line will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Thursday, Feb. 23, and Friday, Feb. 24. In addition to regular SSL weekend service to McCormick Place, the following weekday trains will make special flag stops at McCormick Place on Feb. 23-24: Note: Eastbound Trains 109, 113, 119, 121, 123 terminate at Carroll Ave.; Train 209 terminates at Gary Metro Center; Trains 9, 17 & 19 terminate at South Bend. All weekend trains except

La Porte Community Schools, School Board President Jim Arnold and Vice President Ryan Seaburg attended the Indiana School Boards Association’s fifth annual State House Day in Indianapolis on Tuesday. The gathering featured  briefings on the status of current K-12 education bills, discussions with legislative leaders and bill authors, and an opportunity for school board members to engage with their local representatives and senators. The event opened with ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin and ISBA General Counsel Lisa Tanselle providing an update on bills affecting the education community and an overview of ISBA’s advocacy efforts and focus. ISBA President Tom Simpson