Local News

Monday the Great Lakes Fire Management Zone, based at Indiana Dunes National Park, received a new piece of equipment for their firefighting fleet. This new engine is one of 8 new Wildland fire engines recently delivered to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Fire staff received a new Type 3 Wildland fire engine. The off-road capable engine built on a Freightliner Trucks chassis has an 800 gallon water tank with a Waterous Class A firefighting foam system and an eDarley.com fire pump. The new engine, designated Engine, replaces a 2008 Type 3 engine. The new engine carries more water in

Indiana state police say a cattle hauler crash Monday caused gridlocks on westbound I-80/94 in Lake County. Police say a tractor trailer was attempting to enter the westbound lanes of I-80 from the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) Monday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. when the crash occured. Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver entered the curve at a speed too fast and lost control of the truck. The truck, operated by Kash Livestock Express LLC, and trailer then entered the westbound lanes of I-80/94 where it rolled over. The vehicle rolled into the path of a van which resulted in

Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) has increased fees for hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses for the first time since 2006. Commercial license fees also increase, some for the first time since the 1980s. The increases will be applied to personal licenses starting with the 2022-2023 license year (April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023) that will go on sale in January. The fee increase does not affect licenses for the remainder of the 2021-2022 license year (April 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022), even if those licenses are purchased after Jan. 1. The new fees allow DFW

  Rich Mrozinski, President of The LaPorte County Board of Commissioners released details on the Commissioners' ARP Plan for lump sum Retention Stipends to be paid to employees. Mrozinski attached copy of a Nov. 5 request of Commissioners for Pandemic Pay, which can be seen in the photo along with this story. The County Council is holding a special meeting on Tuesday. A statement from Shaw Friedman, LaPorte County Attorney, which is dated December 16, 2021, was released and states the following: “I want to emphasize for the record as I did at last night’s County Commission meeting that thanks

Two people were arrested after a police pursuit Thursday afternoon in La Porte. Trooper Jacob Raupp observed a Ford Taurus traveling 80 m.p.h. At around 3:20 p.m. on State Road 2 east of La Porte. Raupp caught up to the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on it, however, as the officer exited his patrol vehicle and walked towards the Taurus, the driver sped away and drove westbound towards La Porte. The trooper then called out a vehicle pursuit and followed the vehicle as it fled. The suspect attempted to turn onto Clay St. from SR 2 in downtown La

Michiana Humane Society says they’ve had a full house all year and as soon as a pet is adopted, they fill the empty kennel with a new pet. The shelter says to help homeless pets when they have no room, they call on their network of foster families and partner rescues. Friday, their Shelter Manager, Karen, and Rescue Coordinator, Brianne, spent the morning coordinating the transfer of 15 kittens. Luckily, their colleagues at Pet Refuge had the available space. Michiana Humane Society says they are optimistic they will find new homes quickly while they're still kittens. Senior Shar Pei, Clyde,

Four alumni of Michigan City High School returned to MCHS on Thursday to share their college experience, advice, wisdom, and tips with another generation of Wolves – specifically speaking with juniors and seniors in the MCHS Early College Program. All four of the guest speakers were once enrolled in the Early College Program, which focuses on preparing MCHS students for college and careers through personal attention and classes that result in both high school and college credits. More information about Michigan City High School’s Early College program is available by visiting www.EducateMC.net/earlycollege.

Drop $20 on the 20th The mayors from Michigan City and La Porte will battle it out on Monday as they compete for the title of “Bell Ringing Champion,” and raise funds for The Salvation Army in their respective cities. On Dec. 20, Mayor Duane Parry of Michigan City will be ringing a bell at Al’s Supermarket, 3535 Franklin St., from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. to raise money for The Salvation Army of Michigan City. Meanwhile, Mayor Tom Dermody of La Porte will be ringing at Kroger, 55 Pine Lake Ave., for The Salvation Army of La Porte from

As another year comes to an end, I am saying thank you to the people who keep healthcare moving forward in Northwest Indiana Top of mind for me is a thank you to the outstanding members of our team across Northwest Health. They are the foundation of our ability to deliver safe, quality healthcare and they continue going above and beyond in this second year of the pandemic. They attend to the ebb and flow of patient surges and adjust to ever-changing guidelines. Currently, our hospitals are experiencing the largest surge of COVID-19 patients to date. And our team members are there for our communities, delivering

Election officials from across the Indiana attended the Indiana Election Administrators Conference in Indianapolis this week to prepare for the 2022 election cycle. More than 450 election officials attended the conference on December 14th and 15th. The conference educated participants on changes to state and federal election law to prepare them for the upcoming elections. County clerks, voter registration officials and election board members from all 92 Indiana counties attended the meeting. At the conference, seven officials were honored for their work and dedication serving Hoosiers through elections. Locally, Jeannie King and Sharon Slusher of Porter County were honored with

Northwest Health has new visitation restrictions in place at all three Northwest Health hospitals and their outpatient centers. Northwest Health says this change is aimed to protect its patients, visitors and staff from unnecessary exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Northwest Health’s new visitor guidelines state: •For all patients, one visitor is permitted to visit. The following are exceptions: oPediatric patients may have both parents/guardians visit at the same time oMaternity patients may have two visitors at a time oExceptions may be made for end-of-life and other special situations. •Visitors under age 18 are not permitted to visit hospital patients. •Visiting

Although they are often produced by legitimate medical use, discarded needles and other medical sharps present a safety hazard to businesses and individuals throughout Porter County. To assist with safe and proper disposal, the Porter County Substance Abuse Council (PCSAC) is providing free needle disposal collection boxes to any entities or individuals that wish to have a box on site. To clarify, this is not a syringe exchange program. It is a collection for proper disposal program. Anyone wishing to receive a free needle disposal box can simply visit portercountysac.com/safe-needle-disposal and fill out the application form. Applying is free and easy. The

When it comes to enabling success and inclusion, sometimes the best ways to provide support comes down to the fundamentals. It’s even better when you can make someone else’s holiday merry and bright. CLH, CPAs & Consultants, an accounting and business consulting firm with offices in Michigan City and Valparaiso, believes that a space to work and learn is also a space to launch opportunity. That’s why CLH was proud to provide Paladin, Inc. recently with an executive desk set, a staff workstation, and additional office equipment. Paladin, a Michigan City-based nonprofit, has a wide-ranging and vivid history serving children, seniors, and persons with disabilities in Northwest Indiana.

The Indiana State Department of Health Wednesday updated the weekly COVID county advisory levels. LaPorte, Porter, St. Joseph, Starke and Newton counties remain at the highest score of 3, red level. Jasper County has moved up from a score of 2.5, orange level to a score of 3, red level. Lake County remains at a score of 2.5, in the orange level. In the past week positivity has risen in Lake, Starke and Jasper counties and has lowered in LaPorte, Porter, St. Joseph and Newton counties.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) announced Wednesday that more than 200 police agencies will be increasing patrols during the holiday season, as part of a statewide crackdown on impaired driving. Starting this week until Jan. 1, officers will be on high alert for anyone driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Law enforcement will also be watching for seat belt violations and other forms of dangerous driving. This is part of the Safe Family Travel campaign aimed at reducing crashes and traffic fatalities around the holidays, when statistics show an increased potential for drunk driving. The high-visibility patrols

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Wednesday that an estimated 4.3 million taxpayers will receive a $125 refund after they file their 2021 taxes. An estimated $545 million will be returned to Hoosiers after taxpayers file their 2021 state taxes. The Governor is working with leaders of the general assembly on legislation that will streamline the process and make an additional 910,000 taxpayers eligible for the credit. The typical taxpayer liability is approximately $1000. This payment represents a 12-13% one-time tax cut. Once legislation passes, the Department of Revenue (DOR) will begin processing payments for taxpayers. The form of taxpayer payments

Unity Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for La Porte County— Jolie Klimczak and Macy Mrozinski. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership. Jolie Klimczak, a South Central High School Senior, has demonstrated leadership in her school and community through participation in a variety of extracurricular and volunteer activities including Future Farmers of America (FFA), National Honor Society, and 4H. Her lifelong goal of studying veterinary medicine led her to a volunteer opportunity at a local veterinary center, where she was later hired and promoted. Klimczak has excelled academically, including in advanced placement, dual credit and honors courses, and is