Local News

VOICE, Indiana’s statewide youth empowerment program, and the Indiana Department of Health hosted a Youth Day of Action Wednesday at the Indiana Statehouse to highlight actions that can be taken to lessen the impact commercial tobacco products have on young Hoosiers. Chief Medical Officer Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP, peer educators, and youth advocates from around the state were in attendance. Local VOICE groups and young people from across Indiana came together at the Statehouse to “Link Up” (the theme of the day) with their local representatives and other adult advocates to work towards preventing youth tobacco use. Each VOICE group

Dan Barriball of Chesterton, who has volunteered more than 1,200 hours for Indiana Dunes State Park during the past five years, received a national award as the 2022 Outstanding Interpretive Volunteer of the Year at the recent National Association for Interpretation (NAI) conference. The annual award is presented to an NAI member who has worked five or more years as a volunteer interpreter, whose educational background is not in interpretation, and whose current volunteer duties are in frontline interpretation or administration of an interpretive program. To be nominated, the individual “must demonstrate a mastery of interpretive techniques and program development

Mayor Matt Murphy of Valparaiso has announced that Frank Dessuit was named to the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission. “Frank is an active community leader with diverse interests and experience. He will be an excellent addition to the Redevelopment Commission,” said Mayor Murphy. Dessuit is retired after 41 years of service with NIPSCO where he worked primarily with electric grid computer systems. He also volunteered as a basketball coach and managed the intramural sports program for Washington Schools for 20 years. Today he works part-time at BucherTech, serves on the Washington Township School Board and is an active volunteer with Grace Chapel.

Indiana State Police are investigating an officer involved shooting that took place Tuesday in Gary in which a man sustained fatal gunshot wounds, according to a press release from the ISP. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Indiana State Police were requested by Chief Jerry Williams to investigate an officer involved shooting that took place at the 1500 block of Chase Street in Gary. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division Lowell Post and Crime Scene Investigators responded to the scene. Preliminary investigation shows that at around 3:00 p.m., patrol officers with the Gary Police Department responded to 911 hang up calls

MICHIGAN CITY, Indiana – Franciscan Health Michigan City in December performed the first patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure procedure in the hospital’s history, thanks to the addition of a new interventional cardiologist to the Franciscan Physician Network. Interventional cardiologist Kamal Sadat, MD, and his team performed the procedure via a cardiac catheterization technique on Dec. 1 without having to do cardiac surgery. Dr. Sadat joined the Franciscan Physician Network at the Franciscan Health Heart Center Michigan City in the fall of 2022. For many patients born with a PFO – also known as a hole in the heart -- the

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) presents its annual Homecoming celebration with a week’s worth of activities for the campus community, alumni and public through Feb. 3. Homecoming is one of PNW’s most anticipated spring semester festivities. Philanthropy, student life, networking, and sporting events capture the spirit and energy of the metropolitan university and its Pride Athletics teams. The celebration kicks off today (Wednesday) with “Decorate the House,” in which the PNW community is invited to brighten up its campuses with creative designs on designated office and building windows. The PNW community also actively supports its students during Homecoming through the Chancellor’s

Vice President of Unity Foundation, Shannon Walker, of La Porte County has been selected as a member of the 2023 class of the Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute. Launched by Indiana Philanthropy Alliance in 2021, the Mutz Institute provides a leadership training experience to skill-up professionals serving in board and executive roles at foundations, corporations and social impact organizations across Indiana. Walker successfully completed a competitive application process to gain one of 23 spots statewide in this year’s 10-month cohort. Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations from Franklin College and a Master of Science in Technology,

Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) online bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs offered by the College of Nursing earned recognitions in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Program rankings, released Tuesday, Jan. 24. PNW’s nationally recognized RN-to-BSN program ranked 42 among Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. The university says “The program offers busy nursing professionals an accelerated and convenient degree option to earn additional skills and credentials in order to advance their careers.” “Our online RN-to-BSN program rankings represent our nearly 15 years of experience,” said Lisa Hopp, dean of the College of Nursing at PNW. “Our faculty design courses that represent

The Indiana DNR announced the Fish of the Year award winners for 2022. Each year anglers from around the state submit their biggest hook-and-line catches from Indiana waters hoping they will top the list for their species. Winning entries for Fish of the Year are determined by the total length of the fish. Participants are required to submit information about their fish, including where they caught it and the bait they used. They must also include a photo documenting the measured length of the fish. In 2022, 71 anglers submitted entries for 55 different species. Submissions included numerous entries for

The DNR Division of Law Enforcement has announced that Indiana Conservation Officer Tim Janowski has been selected as the 2022 District 10 Officer of the Year. District 10 includes Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper, Starke, and Pulaski counties. Janowski is assigned to Lake County where he has served since 1998. In addition to his normal duties as a field officer, Janowski has served as a field training officer, public safety diver, boat accident investigator, background investigator, and passenger-for-hire inspector. The district award places Janowski in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is presented to the top overall conservation officer

A Michigan City Man was arrested Friday for allegedly stealing wire and selling it, according to Indiana State Police. The Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division Lowell Post was requested In early December of 2022, to investigate a theft that had allegedly occurred at the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD). The NICTD Police Department had requested the assistance in investigating a theft of wire that they believed was a theft by an employee of NICTD. During the investigation, it was determined that an employee was on video removing a spool of wire from a storage area without authorization.  The

Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) is hosting the first Nonprofit Excellence Symposium, Leaders Learn, on Friday, Jan. 27. The Symposium, held at HFL’s Conference & Learning Center, is a one-day event welcoming more than 40 La Porte County nonprofit leaders to learn from experts and each other, network, share best practices, and grow as leaders. La Porte County’s nonprofits provide a range of needed services for residents of all ages, from prenatal care to senior support. HFL’s mission is to empower La Porte County residents to live healthy and well. HFL advances its mission through strategic thought leadership, grantmaking,

Horizon Bank has announced a partnership with Valparaiso University for a 16-week internship program for university analytics students. The program will provide students with the opportunity to work on a real-world analytics project for the bank, while also giving them the chance to learn about the challenges and opportunities involved in the data science space. "We are excited to partner with Horizon Bank for this program," said Valparaiso University President José D. Padilla. "Our students will have the chance to work on a real-world analytics project for a leading community bank and apply their analytical skills to solve business challenges.

A Valparaiso man was arrested Friday after he led police on a vehicle pursuit in La Porte County. The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office says on Friday just before 6:40 p.m., a deputy was working the Driving Under the Influence Task Force grant funded project / initiative when he stopped from traveling southbound on U.S. 35 at Boyd Boulevard for the traffic control device.  As he waited for the device to cycle, two vehicles turned left onto U.S. 35 from Boyd Boulevard and began to travel south. As the deputy continued to travel south on U.S. 35, he noticed that

An investigation is underway in Michigan City after the death of a 3-year-old, according to Michigan City Police. The LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call on Friday at around 2:40 p.m. regarding an unresponsive child at the 800 block of West 6th Street in Michigan City. At the residence, first responders started life-saving measures and continued while the child was transported to Franciscan Hospital, but the resuscitative efforts were unsuccessful. The Investigative Division was summoned to the residence. No further information will be released at this time. Cpl. Mark Galetti is the Lead Detective for this case.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement Friday regarding refocusing its summer efforts: "The Duneland Chamber of Commerce regrets to inform the public that they will no longer organize Fireworks on the Lakefront at Indiana Dunes State Park. If another entity is interested in the organization of the event and willing to seek all town and state approvals, we will share all relevant information in the organizational process of the event. "This difficult decision was made after many years of weighing the needs of the chamber membership. In addition, the limited community staffing resources, which has been graciously

NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation support the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond through a contribution of $100,000. This donation will further the Challenger Learning Center’s mission and help continue its work to reach many students through STEM education each year. Challenger Center and its global network of Challenger Learning Centers use space-themed simulated learning and role-playing strategies to help students bring their classroom studies to life and cultivate skills needed for future success, such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. NIPSCO leaders and Challenger Learning Center board members and employees gathered at the Challenger Learning Center

Two people were arrested Wednesday after a pursuit through La Porte and Lake counties, according to the La Porte County Sheriff's Office. At around 11:16 a.m., a deputy was traveling westbound on the Indiana Toll Road near the 48-mile marker when they came upon a passenger vehicle traveling westbound in the passing lane that was not overtaking or passing another vehicle. The driving lane was open for the vehicle to merge and the vehicle was driving under the speed limit. As the deputy moved closer, the vehicle swerved over the center line into the driving lane, and abruptly swerved back

The Valparaiso City Council hosted an Opioid Solutions Forum on Tuesday night. The educational session featured local experts in the field of substance abuse and addiction. Ideas were shared on how to advance solutions that will benefit the community. Click here to view a recording of the forum.

John Nuppnau has been named to the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission, Mayor Matt Murphy announced. “John is a lifelong Valparaiso resident with excellent leadership skills and a background in public service. We look forward to his expertise on this important commission,” said Mayor Murphy. Nuppnau is co-owner of Nuppnau Lawn & Snow and served for seven years with the Valparaiso Police Department where he was a patrol officer, director of the bicycle program and a field training officer. He also served as a baseball coach at Valparaiso High School for six years. He is a graduate of Valparaiso High School and