Local News

Lake Area United Way and United Way of Porter County Board of Directors have solidified plans to merge the two organizations into United Way of Northwest Indiana. The evaluation process began in March on the heels of then Lake Area United Way CEO Lisa Daugherty leaving her position to serve as CEO of Center for Workforce Innovations. “We are always evaluating how we can better support the community,” said Ron Donahue, board chair of United Way of Porter County and CEO of InHealth. “Our organizations have always worked closely together to serve Northwest Indiana, but when the opportunity to explore

The La Porte County Row Crop Food Producers, along with La Porte County Farm Bureau Young Farmers, conducted its annual ag tour and barbecue at Parkman Farms LLC, Westville IN, on Tuesday, August 3. Started in 1976, the purpose of the agricultural tour and barbecue is to foster a greater appreciation for the county’s production agriculture and those agribusinesses that support it with a hope for a better understanding between the rural and urban citizens of La Porte County.  Roughly 165 people from non-ag businesses, academic institutions, elected officials, as well as former tour hosts and other guests participated in

When construction projects are completed safely, our entire economy benefits. Projects are more affordable, and better-quality jobs are available. Coming soon, the companies that work safest are going to be receiving some well-earned recognition for their hard work at the upcoming Construction Awards Banquet on August 19th. Held via partnership between the Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF) and the Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable (NWIBRT), the banquet is a celebration of the most outstanding achievements in construction and safety over the past year. Representatives from NIPSCO, U.S. Steel, Cargill, and many more leading companies, will be in attendance. Awards are given for excellence in

Thanks to more than 530 volunteers, 56 nonprofit projects were completed on Friday, as part of United Way’s annual Day of Caring event. As the largest single-day volunteer event in Northwest Indiana, Day of Caring brings together residents and businesses to support their community by helping area nonprofits with clean-up projects and more. Volunteers worked on projects in Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties and more than 35 nonprofits benefited. Projects included landscaping, painting, building, collection drives and more. The day kicked off with a free breakfast rally in Valparaiso.

At the request of the Purdue University Board of Trustees, Purdue University Northwest (PNW) leaders presented a set of recommendations aimed toward ensuring the ongoing sustainability of PNW’s Westville, Ind., campus. During its public meeting held on PNW’s Hammond campus today (Aug. 6), the Board of Trustees reviewed the plans, which PNW will begin implementing immediately. “Like our colleagues across higher education, the Purdue Northwest campuses have experienced significant impacts to our enrollment over the last decade due to many factors, notably a decline in the number of high school students nationwide. It is imperative that we position the Westville

Franciscan Health honored the late Dr. John Lanman with a blessing and dedication of the clinic in his name this past Thursday. From its opening in 1996, John Lanman, MD, was a fixture at the Catherine McAuley Clinic, volunteering his time to help the uninsured and underinsured patients who walked through the doors. Dr. Lanman, who practiced internal medicine in Northwest Indiana for more than 40 years, continued treating patients at the volunteer-based Hammond medical clinic until six weeks before his death in 2014 at age 88. Many of those patients attended his funeral to pay their final respects. His

Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ (LCA) mission is to integrate art, education and community to provide access to compelling exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary ideas. LCA programs reach thousands of students and adults in local communities. Thanks to the support of the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, LCA will continue to direct its efforts toward expanding art education in the La Porte community. These education and outreach programs expand horizons, improve literacy and fight adverse impacts of poverty by creating youth connections. One of LCA’s successful initiatives has been the delivery of Student Learning Tours to school children who were

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are currently 97 large wildfires across 13 states. The American Red Cross is providing wildfire relief through shelters and evacuation centers, meals and snacks, and more. As the fires continue to grow, so does the need for more volunteers to support relief efforts. The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross has sent two volunteers with more in the pipeline to be deployed. If anyone is interested in becoming a disaster action team member, visit the Red Cross website for details.

The countdown is underway to the twelfth annual Great Lakes Grand Prix in Michigan City this weekend (August 7-8) with a double bill of offshore powerboat racing and personal watercraft action. The Grand Prix has become the city’s largest event and it returns to the delight of racers and fans alike. Jack Arnett, Executive Director of La Porte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said: “After the enforced break last year, we are coming back bigger and better and have a full program of much-needed entertainment in store for everyone over the four days. There is a huge wave of anticipation

Horizon Bank awarded the Urban League of Northwest Indiana with 10 scholarships for graduating high school seniors totaling $10,000. The donation was presented on June 9th, 2021 to the following recipients: Josiah Miller, Jade Murphy, Alyssa Noland, Amanda Werner, Peter Webb, Melia Gordon, Zahrya Grimes, Justyce Reed, Damaari Rozier, and Mareeya Scully “Higher education is a key component to helping our students succeed in their future career pursuits,” said Dr. Vanessa Allen-McCloud, President and Chief Officer at Urban League of Northwest Indiana, Inc. “We are thankful for Horizon Bank investing in the future of our youth. These scholarships will help make

Michigan City Police are investigating the deaths of three people who were found at an E. 6th Street apartment. On Wednesday July 28th at 3:45pm officers were dispatched to the 400 Block of E. 6th St for a welfare check. After arriving, police began their investigation and spoke with witnesses and confirmed that 50-year-old Debra Anderson, 59-year-old Mary Wilson, and 68-year-old Donnie Dennis, all Michigan City residents, were found to be deceased in an apartment. Officers immediately secured the scene and began canvasing the area for evidence. Detectives were contacted to assist. The initial investigation has ruled out foul play,

Teachers are invited to apply for grants to make learning and teaching more fun and impactful. Unity Foundation manages three grant programs for Michigan City school teachers established by caring donors who believed in teachers as the critical factor for learning. Together the programs have invested in more than 1,000 educators for projects of their own design, since the mid-1990s. These grants of $350- $400, aim to support teachers as they find innovative ways to make learning possible for students. Teachers are invited to complete a brief application at uflc.net/grants/teacher-grants for projects during the 2021-2022 academic year. The application deadline is September 10, 2021. The Michigan City Education Foundation (MCEF) makes

Between IN 149 in Burns Harbor and Beam St in Porter. Bridge construction work is in progress. The left lane is closed. Until Friday, at about noon. The left lane closures are for construction at the bridge on I-94 over US 20. In addition to the left lane closures, the two lanes remaining open will shift as motorists approach the work zone and then shift back after passing the work zone. The traffic restrictions will then flip for the next phase of work the following week. The two left lanes of I-94 eastbound and westbound will be closed from approximately