Local News

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) alumnus and donor David Roberts and wife Susan Roberts generously gifted $3 million for a planned transformational Impact Lab. The Roberts Impact Lab at PNW will be a workspace for entrepreneurship, innovation and education collaboration. The donation matches an earmarked $5 million from the recent $50 million Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grants awarded to Northwest Indiana by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). The larger award is part of a region-wide grant application led by the Northwest Indiana Forum to fund projects outlined in the Forum’s “Ignite the Region” economic development plan. “Susan and

In February, American Heart Month, 475 schools representing more than 190,000 students in Indiana will spotlight the importance of students’ mental and physical health through the American Heart Association’s school-based programs Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge. Throughout the month, schools will work with students in a variety of ways to activate different elements of the over 40-year-old program created by the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all. Rooted in proven science, the program helps students improve their mental and physical health with a robust suite of content including STEM curriculum, social emotional learning and instruction of lifesaving

Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is excited to announce they have been awarded a $25,000 cash reserve fund challenge grant from the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (GDDF). GDDF launched the cash reserve challenge grant program to help eligible arts organizations create or increase an existing cash reserve with a $25,000 matching grant. This was created because GDDF believes the more financially stable an organization, the more resources they have available to fully realize their artistic vision. Such a reserve can be used to help manage cash flow, support a new initiative or weather a change in funding through temporary

Volunteer advocates from across the state will urge lawmakers to pass legislation to help Hoosiers affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia during the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter’s virtual Day of Action on Feb. 1, 2022. Alzheimer’s Association advocates will push for three legislative priorities, including SB 353, authored by Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) and Sen. Stacey Donato (R-Logansport), which would require minimum dementia training standards for home health aides. “More and more Hoosiers facing dementia are opting for in-home care, yet home health aides in Indiana receive little or no training on caring for someone with the disease,” said

Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) online nursing programs offered by the College of Nursing are once again recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Online Programs rankings, released Tuesday, Jan. 25. PNW’s nationally recognized RN-to-BSN online program was ranked 39 in the nation in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs category, moving up from 48 in 2021. This program offers an avenue for busy nursing professionals to earn an affordable, accelerated and convenient degree option and gain additional skills and credentials needed to advance their careers. PNW’s online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program was ranked 115 nationally in the Best Online Master’s

The National Park Service has approved an entrance fee for Indiana Dunes National Park beginning on March 31, 2022. The new fee revenue will help fund the Marquette Greenway Bike Trail, parking and transportation improvements and visitor services for a park that has seen its attendance increase from 1.7 million visitors to more than 3 million since its name change in February of 2019. This new fee only affects the national park and does not change the fee collected by the state for entrance into the Indiana Dunes State Park.    The fees vary depending on the method used to enter

The City of La Porte is currently under a winter weather advisory and 5 to 8 inches of additional snow fall is expected in the next 24 hours.

The City of Michigan City has announced that due to COVID 19 and the impact of the pandemic on ridership and staffing, Michigan City Transit is suspending all Transit Triangle Commuter Route Service to the City of La Porte and Purdue University Northwest until further notice. Michigan City Transit will continue suspending one hour daily on all fixed routes for sanitizing. No service will be provided during this period. The hour of suspended service is 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. The TSA has extended the face mask requirement for all transportation networks, including public transportation, through March 18, 2022. Michigan

It is the start of a new year, and millions of people across the country are renewing their commitment to exercise this month. Unfortunately, research shows there will be an estimated 80 percent drop off in gym attendance before the end of February. But don’t despair – recent research brings good news about the most critical ways to stave off disease and early death, and it does not include spending hours each week in an aerobics class or on an exercise machine. Many of us, whether we engage in regular exercise or not, are spending more than equal parts of our days sitting

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) hosts its annual Homecoming celebration with a month’s lineup of activities for the university community and alumni through Feb. 18. Homecoming is one of the largest spring semester festivities for PNW with a schedule across several weeks that relish the spirit of the PNW Pride, brings students together for fun in-person themes, and welcomes back alumni to attend basketball games and network with current students. Homecoming 2022 is also a part of PNW’s 5.75 Roaring Ahead year-long celebration, a pivotal academic year recognizing the fifth year of Purdue Northwest and the 75th anniversaries of PNW’s legacy institutions,

REMINDER ON SNOW REMOVAL CONDITION for MICHIGAN CITY With more snow expected through the early morning hours, we cannot predict the Lake Effect that may occur. Mayor Parry along with the Street Superintendent Shong Smith, have called for a “Snow Removal Condition” until further notice as the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for LaPorte County. The reason for this Snow Removal Condition is to assist our crews to begin cleaning snow from curb to curb. We would like to remind the citizens of Michigan City about our City ordinances regarding snow removal and parking restrictions. It

The City of Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department has a survey available about a proposed wildlife observation project on the Singing Sands Trail. The deck would be located on the west end of the Singing Sands Trail in Michigan City, overlooking a National Park wetland. The wildlife observation deck would serve as a resting place for trail users, an outdoor classroom for area schools, a stop on the annual Indiana Dunes Birding Festival, an attraction for the Indiana Dunes National Park, and an addition to Michigan City’s Sculptfusion self-guided art tour. The deck would be ADA accessible and feature

The City of Valparaiso has announced several transformative projects for the city’s downtown, adding housing, parking, retail space and job opportunities, \Mayor Matt Murphy announced. The City says the $37 million development includes new apartment housing, retail and restaurant space, and the construction of a public parking structure offering approximately 300 spaces, accomplishing several of the city’s longtime goals for downtown.  “These new additions take the city’s downtown plans to the next level and will be as positive and transformative as the introduction of our downtown park, Central Park Plaza, was a decade ago,” said Mayor Matt Murphy. “The project

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. - Investigators with the Indiana State Police Lafayette Post are attempting to locate a missing La Porte, IN woman. Shari Diaz is a 53-year-old female who is described as 5 feet 5 inches, 200 pounds, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Indiana State Police Investigators have been able to confirm that Diaz's last known location was Tippecanoe County on January 6, 2022. If you have any information that may lead to the location of Shari Diaz, please contact Detective Rector or Detective Edwards at the Indiana State Police Lafayette post. The telephone number is 765-567-2125.  

A 23-year-old Illinois man was arrested Thursday after leading Indiana State Police on a pursuit in a stolen Jeep. Troopers were patrolling in Michigan City at around 4:15 p.m. when they observed a black Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with Illinois plates. A check of the license plate attached to the Jeep returned to a different vehicle. As the trooper attempted to follow the vehicle, the driver of the Jeep suddenly accelerated away at a high rate of speed. A pursuit was initiated as the vehicle fled south on Franklin St. before entering I-94 westbound. The Jeep exited I-94 and drove

The Portage Police Department said Friday that in the past nine days it has taken three reports involving the theft of catalytic converters. Each of these thefts also involved late model Mitsubishi Outlanders. Police say that nationally, hybrid vehicles are being targeted for these types of thefts more frequently due to their catalytic converters containing higher amounts of precious metals such as platinum, rhodium, and palladium. The Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid may be specifically targeted because of its higher ground clearance allowing easy access to the catalytic convertor. Portage Police say if you own such a vehicle, consider parking inside your

VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana (VNA Hospice) has been awarded full accreditation for its Palliative Care program by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) today, announced VNA President & CEO Bob Franko. The program is only the second in the State of Indiana to achieve this certification. “The VNA Hospice has always been about helping people maintain their dignity, their voice in their health care decisions, and independence for as long as possible,” said Bob Franko, president and CEO of the VNA Hospice. “Our Palliative Care program fits very well in our wide continuum of care options for seniors and families and we’re extremely

The Porter County Substance Abuse Council (PCSAC) and the Council’s Drunk Driving Task Force recently presented 65 police officers from various Porter County jurisdictions with the Phoenix Award for the use of Narcan to save lives during drug overdose events. Chuck Harris, former Porter County coroner, found it fitting to establish the Phoenix Award specifically for first responders that were able to successfully curtail overdoses with Narcan when the opioid epidemic was beginning to rapidly unfold over 5 years ago. “As coroner, you see the ultimate results of the overdose, after the fact,” said Harris. “By the time I arrived