Local News

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Dunnet Bay Construction Company will conduct overnight lane closures on I-94 between U.S. 421 and U.S. 20/35 beginning on or after Monday, September 29. Lane closures will take place during the overnight hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for two evenings to switch traffic into the next work zone configuration. Lane closures will be on I-94 eastbound the first night and I-94 westbound the second night. Once complete, traffic will have two lanes shifted to the right in each direction with the work zone on the left. Construction work

Press Release by Superior Court IV: VALPARAISO – After much deliberation, the six (6) Porter County elected Judges have selected Attorney Karin Brown as Title IV-D Commissioner to replace Commissioner Lisa Moser who served Porter County in that role for almost 13 years. The Title IV-D Commissioner is a Porter County judicial officer handling all aspects of Title IV-D cases, including paternity establishment, child support order enforcement, and modifications. In her new role, Commissioner Brown will conduct hearings as a judicial officer serving at the pleasure of the elected judges, determine child support and calculate arrearages, and issue legal orders

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrests of two New York City men along I-80/90 earlier this week. Highway Interdiction Deputies initiated two traffic stops on Tuesday (9/23) hours apart from each other on the same vehicle with both stops producing an arrest. Shortly after 11:00 AM, a deputy was monitoring westbound traffic along I-80/90. A sport utility vehicle (blue Kia Telluride) traveling in the passing lane passed a deputy and left the lane of travel. The SUV traveled left of the yellow fog line and onto the rumble strip for several hundred feet. A traffic stop was

La Porte County Sheriff's Office Deputies Wells and Sikorski were recognized last week in Indianapolis at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute 2025 Traffic Safety All-Pro Awards Ceremony, according to the department's Facebook page. The annual ceremony recognizes those who make a significant impact by removing impaired drivers from roadways to increase traffic safety. To qualify for a Traffic Safety All-Pro Award, one must have generated at least 25  OWI arrests in 2024.

Unity Foundation President Maggi Spartz Honored with State Award and Permanent Park Dedication  LA PORTE COUNTY, IN— More than 200 community members gathered Wednesday night to honor Maggi Spartz, founding President of Unity Foundation of La Porte County, for her more than three decades of leadership and impact. The evening included multiple tributes, culminating in the presentation of the prestigious Circle of Corydon Award and the announcement of a permanent dedication in her name at Unity Park. Spartz, who has served as Unity’s president since its inception in 1992, will retire later this year. Under her leadership, Unity Foundation has

Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL) is excited to announce its second round of 2025 grants awarded. In this round, HFL has awarded 43 grants totaling $2,310,943, which brings HFL’s total investment in the community since 2017 to more than $50M! “Since our first grants in November 2017, we have had the privilege of collaborating with dedicated partners throughout La Porte County working to make this a healthier place to live,” said Eric DeWald, HFL President & CEO. “We are so grateful to all of our nonprofit and governmental partners working together on the community conditions that affect our health.

Officer Rachel Davis of the Michigan City Police Department was recently recognized in Indianapolis at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute 2025 Traffic Safety All-Pro Awards Ceremony. The annual ceremony recognizes those who make a significant impact by removing impaired drivers from roadways to increase traffic safety.

Burns Harbor- On September 24, 2025, Timothy John Olson, 36, of Burns Harbor, was arrested as a result of an extensive and collaborative investigation which began in Illinois in 2024. The Lake County (Illinois) State’s Attorney’s Office began an investigation after receiving multiple Cyber Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to the activities of several Kik Messenger accounts. Multiple search warrants and subpoenas were issued as the investigation progressed.  The investigation revealed that the suspect was residing in Burns Harbor, Indiana, and the case was transferred to the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

Check out the Commercial and Real Estate Breakfast on Wednesday October 8th , 2025 from 7:30a-9a at Uptown Social in Michigan City.  For more information see attached flyer or check out edcmc.com.

MICHIGAN CITY, Indiana – On September 23, 2025, Michigan City experienced a disruption to our computer network. As soon as we became aware of the disruption, we took immediate action to secure our systems, which included taking parts of our network offline out of an abundance of caution. We partnered with network specialists to bring our network back online quickly and securely, and also to conduct an investigation into the nature and scope of the disruption. The Police Department and Central Services are operating and emergency dispatch is not impacted. At this time, the investigation is still in its very

Press Release by NiSource: With IURC approval, the structure unlocks energy solutions tailored for the data center boom while protecting existing customers, enabling growth and securing long-term value. MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) has received Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s (IURC) approval for its NIPSCO Generation LLC (GenCo) declination petition. GenCo is designed to own, build and manage generation assets to serve the growing data center industry in Northern Indiana. This approval marks a pivotal moment for our company and the region, unlocking GenCo’s ability to protect existing NIPSCO retail customers and best serve data center and other large

In order to accommodate track construction near Hammond Gateway Station, the South Shore Line will provide temporary busing substitution for all weekend train passengers beginning Friday evening, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. The temporary bus bridge will be in place for all train passengers between Hegewisch, Hammond Gateway, and East Chicago. No bikes will be permitted on buses. FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2025: Weekday EB Tr Tr 33, Tr 133, Tr 35 & Tr 101/601 passengers bused between Hegewisch, Hammond Gateway, and East Chicago. Weekday WB Tr 32 passengers bused between East Chicago, Hammond Gateway, and Hegewisch. SATURDAY, SEPT.

News Release by Indiana State Police Lowell Post: Starke County- In January of 2020, the Indiana State Police Investigations Division at the Lowell Post was requested to initiate an investigation into misappropriation of evidence at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. The investigation centered around drugs and cash that went missing from the evidence room at the sheriff’s department. As a result of this investigation, in September of 2022, a grand jury was assembled, and an indictment was subsequently brought against Don Ferguson with the following charges: Official Misconduct- Level 6 Felony (4 counts) Theft of a Firearm- Level 6 Felony

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced the subject of Tuesday night’s search in Hudson Township was taken into custody at the 61 mile marker of I-80/90. The LCSO said further details will be provided when they become available for release.

The Porter County Emergency Management Agency released the following statement Tuesday afternoon regarding a hazmat incident for a chemical spill in Valparaiso: HAZMAT INCIDENT: At approximately 1:37 pm Porter County Hazmat received a report of a possible chemical spill on Enterprise Drive in Valparaiso. Upon arrival, it was determined that a chemical storage tank of sodium hydroxide, operated by Shoremet had been inadvertently overfilled. Valparaiso Fire Department, Valparaiso Police Department, Valparaiso Water Department and IDEM also responded. The surrounding area was immediately isolated to keep nonemergency personnel from entering the area out of an abundance of caution. A rave alert

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office said in a statement earlier this week that citizens are again being targeted by scammers purporting to be either current or retired employees of the La Porte County Sheriff's Office. "All UNEXPECTED telephone calls from anyone claiming to be affiliated with the agency should immediately be terminated," the LCSO said.

HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest (PNW) earned recognitions as a top public regional university for academic quality and social mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 annual Best Colleges rankings, released Tuesday, Sept. 23. PNW also received notable rankings for its undergraduate engineering and nursing programs. PNW is ranked 37th among top public Midwest regional universities. PNW’s undergraduate engineering programs are among the top 50 in the country for their category, ranked at No. 46 this year. In addition, PNW’s bachelor of science in nursing programs jumped significantly to No. 74 among peers. PNW was also

A 26-year-old Dyer man was hit by a car late Sunday night and died from his injuries, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced. Just after 11:00 p.m. Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officers were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the 9900 block of Sheffield Avenue in unincorporated Dyer. A preliminary investigation revealed a driver was traveling northbound when the car struck something in the roadway. Initially, the driver believed a deer may have been struck.  The driver returned to the area and realized the car had come into contact with a male pedestrian.  At this time, it’s

Congratulations to three of the City of La Porte Police Department officers on the following promotions. Sergeant Favia was promoted to Captain, Corporal Leonhardt was promoted to Sergeant, and Specialist K9 Handler Allen was promoted to Corporal. CONGRATULATIONS GENTLEMEN!!