Local News

The following is a statement from Michigan City Mayor Duane Parry to the City Council, which was released on Tuesday and signed by Parry:   Good Evening Mr. President and Council Members,   I am here tonight to talk about a very serious matter. Last week, the 2nd of 5 scheduled Finance Committee 2022 Budget Hearings was suddenly adjourned, and all remaining meetings suspended, without completing any of the 13 budget reviews scheduled. Department Heads on the schedule were present and prepared to discuss their proposed Budgets. The meeting adjournment, and suspension of future meetings was conducted abruptly, by unanimous

Franciscan Health says the Franciscan Health Breast Care Center Crown Point continues to offer the most advanced treatment options to breast cancer patients by adopting the Savi Scout® Wire-Free Radar Localization System to provide easier, more compassionate care with less discomfort. The Scout system is a zero-radiation, wire-free solution for marking tumors, lymph nodes and biopsy sites. The traditional process to mark tumors is wire localization, placing a wire inside the breast tissue immediately before surgery. Because the wire sticks out of the breast, patients must restrict their movement. The Scout system, however, places a tiny “reflector” into the tumor

The Porter County Sheriff’s Department says it has again been receiving reports that citizens have been getting telephone calls in which people were fraudulently claiming to be Law Enforcement Officials recently. Sometimes callers can mask the caller ID information to make it appear as if the call is coming from a police department or other government entity, police say. The Sheriff's Department says if you receive a call from a person claiming to be one of their Officers and are concerned they are not who they say they are, hang up and call 219-477-3000 to verify their identity. Police say

The Portage Police Department is seeking information on a hit and run. Police are asking for anyone who was at the Rusty Nail Sports Bar and Grill, located at 2420 Dombey Road, on the night of  Friday, Oct. 1 into Saturday Oct. 2, to contact Detective Heuberger at 219-764-5707 or email at nheuberger@portage-in.com .

Michigan City Police are investigating the robbery of a bank and attempted robbery of a bank. The incidents occurred two days apart.  On Wednesday Sept. 29, at around 1:50pm, Michigan City Police were dispatched to a bank alarm at Members Advantage Credit Union, located at 3064 Ohio St. Officers immediately spoke to witnesses involved. A preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect entered the bank and requested money.  The suspect left prior to obtaining any US Currency from employees.  Officers canvassed the area and determined that the suspect had fled north on foot towards St. John Road, but were unable to

Art Barn School of Art, located in the Valparaiso area, is partnering with Opportunity Enterprises (OE), whose organization is well established in the community for providing programs that serve adults with disabilities. The specialized art education program brings OE clients to Art Barn for weekly art education programs. OE offers five different educational curriculum-based programs for small groups of 4-10 people with a variety of educational modules including art, music, technology, cooking, science, reading, exercise, and opportunities to be social with friends. Art Barn provides art instruction for one of these modules. The course includes individual and group projects and

The Chesterton European Market has been voted the number 1 farmers market in Indiana by the public. The vote was put on by the American Farmland Trust. The market placed fifth in the Midwest and 21st nationwide.   Chesterton’s European Market every Saturday through the end of October in downtown Chesterton from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The market is at Broadway and Third Street, next to Thomas Centennial Park.

The Michigan City Police Department announced Friday that  an arrest was made in the case of two armed robberies that recently occurred at Wendy’s and Burger King in Michigan City.   On Sept. 28, an officer located a dark SUV matching the suspect vehicle used in the Burger King robbery, near the old Marquette theatre.  A traffic stop was performed, and the driver was identified as 59-year-old Michigan City resident Vincer Lee Mitchell. Detectives from the Investigative Division were in the area and came to assist. A search was conducted of the SUV and officers “located evidence connected with both robberies.” 

The Valparaiso Police Department and Chesterton Police Department are advising that the DEA has issued a rare Public Safety Alert warning of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.  The DEA’s Public Safety Alert, the first in six years, seeks to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate. Police say to please be safe and continue to use prescription medication in the proper

A Statewide Silver Alert has been declared for two Mishawaka girls.  The Mishawaka Police Department is investigating the disappearance of Lilli Davis, described as a 14-year-old black female, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 125 pounds, brown hair with brown eyes, last seen wearing blue jeans with a hole in the knee and gray Nike Jordans, and Ashley Taulbee, described as a 16-year-old white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 140 pounds, blond hair with green eyes, last seen wearing a blue tie-dye shirt, black and gray jogger pants and black tennis shoes. Lilli and Ashley were last seen on Tuesday,

In Lake County, there will be overnight lane closures between mile marker 2 and 5 (Kennedy Ave).  The schedule is subject to change but is currently as follows: On the evenings of October 1 and October 2, one left lane of westbound I-80/94 will be closed and two left lanes of eastbound I-80/94 will be closed (one lane after 8 p.m., two lanes after 10 p.m.).  On the evening of October 4, three left lanes of eastbound I-80/94 will be closed (one lane after 8 p.m., two lanes after 10 p.m. and three lanes after 3 a.m.). On the evenings

Summer’s end brought community recognition to the heart of Indiana as Pastor Dennis Meyer and Outreach Director Carey Garwood of Bethany Lutheran Church were honored with Good Scout Awards from the local LaSalle Council, Boy Scouts of America. In a ceremony hosted at the church on August 20, local Scouts and volunteers joined together to celebrate the impact Meyer and Garwood have had on local Scouting programs. The legacy of Bethany Lutheran Church’s involvement in Scouting was also commended. Decades ago, church leadership was majorly involved in the fundraising of Camp Topenebee, a local BSA camp that still serves youth

A $1,000 grant from CAPTRUST Community Foundation helped support the Franciscan Health Michigan City backpack project to provide a positive start to the school year for local students. The funds were part of the effort supported by the hospital medical staff and the Franciscan Health Foundation to provide 500 backpacks for Michigan City Area Schools and 100 backpacks for local Catholic elementary schools. Volunteers stuffed the backpacks with notebooks, binders and other school supplies for distribution at the MCAS Back to School rally. “The donation from CAPTRUST Chesterton was a huge part of helping us pay for the backpack project,”

Northwest Health is welcoming Stella Kyung, M.D., cardiologist and Dr. Owen Young, M.D., colorectal surgeon and general surgeon to Northwest Medical Group. Both physicians are based in the Medical Plaza on the Northwest Health – Porter campus in Valparaiso. Dr. Kyung is board-certified in cardiovascular medicine and completed two advanced fellowships after attending Medical School in New York. She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in advanced cardiovascular imaging at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Some of her interests include cardiac MRI, Cardiac CT imaging, preventive cardiology, heart

The Indiana State Department of health updated their weekly COVID county advisory level map on Wednesday. Lake County has moved down from an orange level with a score of 2 to a yellow level with a score of 1.5. Porter County has moved up from an orange level with a score of 2 to orange with a score of 2.5. La Porte and Jasper counties have moved down from an orange level with a score of 2.5 to orange with a score of 2. Starke County has moved up from an orange level with a score of 2.5 to a

Northwest Health is adding a new Northwest Medical Group location in La Porte County. The organization broke ground earlier this month at 6923 W. 400 North in Michigan City. The 9,372 square foot facility is expected to house new providers as well as two existing practices that will move to the new location. “We understand the need for additional primary care providers in La Porte County and want to continue to meet that need” said Ashley Dickinson, CEO of Northwest Health. “With this new location we are relocating three busy practices and creating space to recruit new providers to the area. We

On Wednesday, NIPSCO submitted a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adjust its base natural gas rates. NIPSCO sys the proposed increase will undergo a thorough regulatory review process, including the opportunity for public input. If approved by the IURC, it is anticipated that the new gas rates would be phased in over two steps. The first phase would go into effect no earlier than September 1, 2022. “Maintaining a safe system and ensuring the safety of our customers and communities is ingrained in all facets of the work we do now and it will continue to drive