Local News

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) recently announced changes to its COVID-19 dashboard to reflect new publishing schedules and additional surveillance tools. The COVID dashboards at www.coronavirus.in.gov will be updated each Wednesday by 5 p.m. The IDOH says this change reflects a national shift to evaluating weekly metrics rather than daily case counts and will ensure that trends in COVID-19 activity remain available to the public and healthcare providers to help inform decisions. The IDOH said in a news release, "Breakthrough case counts and hospitalizations have been removed from the vaccine dashboard at www.ourshot.in.gov and from the youth dashboard in recognition of

Starting Monday, the Indiana Toll Road will be working on the structures over U.S. 41 in Hammond until the beginning of December. Watch for the right lanes of 41 to be closed in each direction. The work is being done by the Indiana Toll Road.

There were no injuries reported after a kitchen fire Friday morning at a duplex in Liberty Township within Porter County. On Friday just before 11 a.m. in the 700 block of Ravinia Drive West, the residence filled with smoke pushed out of the house when the homeowner, who was mowing the lawn, went to investigate a burning smell. The homeowner had opened his sliding door and found his house filled with dense smoke. The homeowner called 911, which helped save his duplex as the fire was able to quickly be contained to the kitchen. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Wineland estimates

The Indiana State Excise Police has requested that the Indiana State Police investigate an officer-involved shooting that took place in South Bend, at around  9:30 p.m. eastern time on Thursday. The Indiana State Excise Officer had been in the area working a special detail around local convenience stores when he began to follow a silver vehicle that is believed to be an early 2000’s or late 90’s Honda Civic northeast on Rockne Drive.  Near the intersection of Rockne Drive and North Jacob Street the driver of the suspect vehicle stopped in the street, exited his vehicle, and began to fire

Area fire departments are supplying Porter Regional Hospital with water after a vehicle accident left a hydrant damaged, cutting off supplied water to the area. The crash occurred in the early Thursday morning along U.S. Highway 6 near county road 75 West.  The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department (LTVFD) says the crash left a hydrant damaged, causing supplied water to the area to be shut down for an extended period of time. This is the same water line that supplies Porter Regional Hospital (Northwest Health) further down the highway, according to the LTVFD. The Liberty Volunteer Fire Department stated on

More than 1.5 million automatic taxpayer refund (ATR) checks have been printed and mailed, State Auditor Tera Klutz confirmed Thursday.  “We successfully completed printing on September 21 and sent the last batch of automatic taxpayer refund checks to the postal service on September 22,” stated Auditor Klutz. “Most Hoosiers who filed a 2020 tax return in 2021, should have received their automatic taxpayer refund via direct deposit or mailed check by now.” Klutz continued, “While most eligible recipients have received their refunds, we are aware that many need further assistance to claim it. Due to the checks being issued from

After the death of his wife, Paul Willy realized he needed help.   He sought the Franciscan Health Dyer Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly or PACE. The experience, he said, was life-changing. “They actually saved my life,” Willy said. “I would not be here. They say, ‘all your health care needs.’ That’s true.” PACE is a national, community-based healthcare program created for people 55 and older who are eligible for nursing-home level care but prefer to remain in their own familiar surroundings. The PACE model of care is centered around the belief that the well-being of seniors with chronic

The La Porte Community School Corporation Strategic Action Planning Initiative is underway and with the intent to understand the perspective of the community, they are announcing two engagement opportunities.  This week, they have launched an online survey and invite everyone to share their thoughts and perceptions to help guide continuous improvement efforts in the areas of curriculum, safety, as well as staff, parent, and community engagement throughout the Slicer community.  The survey can be accessed at this link, and will be open until October 19, 2022.  All data collected from this survey is completely anonymous.  Additionally, the LPCSC would like

The City of La Porte’s transportation service will extend its hours next week, according to TransPorte Manager Beth West. Beginning Monday, Oct. 3, TransPorte buses will run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., extending one hour later than busses currently run. West said this comes after nearly two and a half years of restricted operations due to COVID-19. "It’s been a long couple of years filled with a wide variety of restrictions, but we are finally ready to return to our normal hours of operation,” West said. “Our ridership and demand have increased to beat even pre-COVID years, and we

Edgewood Elementary School is celebrating the heroic efforts of a fifth-grade student. The entire student body gathered on Wednesday as the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office recognized Jonathan Mendez-Osornio for saving a man’s life. On Aug. 25, Jonathan was selling chocolate bars for a school fundraiser. He was going door-to-door in his neighborhood when he came upon a home where he heard someone calling out for help. There was no answer at the door, so Jonathan used his cell phone to call 911. Emergency responders arrived and found an elderly man who was in need of medical help. Deputy Jacob

Individual income tax rates will increase in five Indiana counties, including LaPorte County, starting Oct. 1, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue. Local income tax rates are determined by county officials and provided to DOR for review regarding compliance with Indiana law, according to the Department of Revenue. Below are the five counties impacted along with their new tax rates: Boone County: 0.017 (increased from 0.015) Johnson County: 0.014 (increased from 0.012) Knox County: 0.017 (increased from 0.012) LaPorte County: 0.0145 (increased from 0.0095) Monroe County: 0.02035 (increased from 0.01345) These tax rates affect businesses with employees who live

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.