Local News

Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University Northwest (PNW) have launched a dual admissions partnership to offer students a guaranteed path to a four-year bachelor’s degree. Students who enroll at Ivy Tech in the dual admissions program and complete their associate’s degree will have a seamless and guaranteed transition to a PNW bachelor’s degree by following one curriculum plan for earning both degrees. Through the program, which begins with the Spring 2022 semester, students can benefit from access to Purdue Northwest advisors, facilities, student activities and resources throughout their full four years of college. “We are excited to offer this

Lisa Harlow, Sex and Violent Offender Registry Coordinator for the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is being recognized for her role in overseeing the county’s registered sex and violent offenders. Later this week, OffenderWatch will recognize Harlow for excellence in meeting the sex offender registry (SOR) objectives and including a high level of descriptive information in offender records, which helps improve critical investigations. Harlow ensures complete, accurate and comprehensive offender records; tracks offenders moving in and out of the county; and promotes interagency cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service investigating and locating absconded offenders. The LCSO uses OffenderWatch, the nation’s leading sex offender registry management partner, to keep track of registered sex

Ogden Dunes Police Department on Friday gave an update on the bridge situation in the town.  Police Chief Jeremy Ogden says he’s had further discussions with the engineer from U. S Steel. The parts have been ordered to repair the bridge, however; the repair will take until approximately March 25. During this time, they will have an extra officer working dayshift 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. traffic control. Ogden is asking the public to remain patient, and follow the officers instructions so that they can all get through this as safely as possible. More information and updates can be found

Indiana Dunes National Park announced that the National Park Service is no longer requiring that masks be worn inside buildings at Indiana Dunes National Park. They say however, it is strongly suggested that non-vaccinated individuals wear a mask inside or when social distancing is not possible. Fully vaccinated people who wish to continue wearing masks are free to do so.  Additionally Indiana Dunes National Park says that everyone should also continue to practice social distancing and good hygiene like hand washing. 

New Buffalo’s boat ramp will be opening for the season in the next few weeks and the city has announced changes. Cash will no longer be accepted at the boat ramp. This season all launch fees and season passes will be paid on the new kiosk. The City of New Buffalo also says if you are purchasing a season pass, to pay at the kiosk by entering your trailer plate, then take your receipt to one of the attendants and they will issue you your season pass. If you are purchasing a daily launch pass, you’ll also pay at the

A crash on I-65 Friday morning resulted in 2 people sustaining injuries.  Indiana State Police say that at 5:43 a.m troopers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash that had occurred on the southbound side of I-65, 3 miles north of the Lowell exit. The crash involved two semi-tractors and resulted in injuries to both drivers. Preliminary investigation determined that a Volvo tractor pulling one trailer was traveling at a slow rate of speed in the right lane due to an unknown mechanical issue. A Peterbilt was also traveling in the right lane at interstate speeds behind the Volvo. As the

One person sustained life-threatening injuries after being shot Thursday afternoon in Michigan City, police say.  Dispatch received a 911 call on Thursday at around 5:15 p.m. regarding shots being fired and that one person had been shot. Multiple officers responded to the 500 Block of Holiday Street and learned that one subject had been shot. EMS arrived on scene and immediately transported the subject to Franciscan Health Michigan City with life-threatening injuries.  Witnesses were interviewed by officers at the scene to gather more information regarding the incident and detectives were called in to assist. Police say as of Thursday night

Governor Eric Holcomb signed Executive Order 22-09 on Thursday, ending the public health emergency after signing HEA 1001 into law. Holcomb cites the rapid decline in confirmed daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths as the reason for the rescission. In the order Holcomb stated that earlier in the day he signed into law HEA 1001 “and resultant actions taken by the Secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration, coupled with the decline in cases and deaths, this disaster has been dealt with to the extent that emergency conditions no longer exist.” Holcomb also said that as Governor, pursuant to Indiana’s

The Salvation Army of Michigan City announced that it exceeded the campaign goal set for the 2021 holiday season. The Salvation Army says that with a theme of “Hope Marches On,” the campaign collected record amounts in donations since the kick-off, and Majors Dale and Becky Simmons of The Salvation Army are happy to say Hope is restored. “We set the bar high this year for our Christmas Campaign, knowing that it would be crucial to meet that goal if we were to continue providing the level of service needed in our community, given the challenges and fluctuations from the

The Michigan City Refuse Department will conduct it's annual spring clean up beginning on March 21, 2022. They are requesting that all residents separate the debris that is to be discarded into three categories. The city is also divided into three zones with each zone having two separate weeks when items can be placed out for special spring cleanup.

The 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 14.5 million people ages 12 and older have alcohol use disorder, or AUD. This represents 5.3% of that population, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Researchers in Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy, the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and Washington University in St. Louis are synthesizing compounds to treat people affected by AUD. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Pharmacology. Richard Van Rijn leads the research program with Susruta Majumdar. Van Rijn said the compounds are based on alkaloids found in

The Indiana State Department of Health updated its weekly COVID advisory levels on Wednesday. All area counties are now in the yellow level under the “Advisory Level” map filter.  For “weekly 2-metric score” which is a separate map, LaPorte, Porter, Jasper and Newton counties are at a score of 1 (yellow). Lake, Starke, and St. Joseph counties for this category are at a score of 0.5 (blue). The “7 day all tests positivity rate” has decreased in all of the counties mentioned.  Additional information with can be found at www.coronavirus.in.gov/indiana-covid-19-dashboard-and-map. 

At the Portage City Council meeting Tuesday night, Police Chief Candiano presented Officers Seth Bollinger and Brain Graves with the department's Life Saving Award. On Jan. 24, 2022, Officers Bollinger and Graves responded to a report of an unconscious 68 year old male outside of his residence. Upon arrival Officer Graves began CPR. Officer Bollinger then utilized one of several AED's issued to the patrol division to apply a shock to the patient. Police say that thanks to the officers' actions, training and available equipment, they were able to save a life that night.

The Ogden Dunes Police Department has given an update regarding the recent bridge outage.   The inspection has revealed issues that require immediate repair. Chief of Police Jeremy Ogden says that he has spoken with the Chiefs of NICTD, Portage and National Park Service Rangers and they are all working together to get through this inconvenience. Ogden says that NICTD is aware of the situation and will minimize trains blocking the entrance. Officers will move the barricades in the event of an emergency. For safety, the council has authorized extra patrols that will be stationed at the entrance to the community

Today, NIPSCO released a 2021 report detailing a successful year of corporate giving, with more than $2.3 million donated in 2021. The report, available at NIPSCO.com/giving back, provides at-a-glance information on NIPSCO’s community contributions, including donations and support given in partnership with the NiSource Charitable Foundation. NIPSCO’s parent company, NiSource, established the NiSource Charitable Foundation with a mission to help create strong and sustainable communities where employees and customers live and work. The foundation provides funding and encourages volunteer support for non-profit organizations throughout the country. Along with funds from the NiSource Charitable Foundation, employee donations and corporate funds from NIPSCO provided focused grants and targeted donations to local charitable organizations. NIPSCO’s 2021 donations were centered on

A long-awaited community celebration is about to be unveiled in Michigan City. After two steadfast years, the official public celebration of the legacy of Michigan City born-and- raised Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson, our “hometown suffragist,” will be held. A stunning eight-piece sculpture created by celebrated sculptor Bernard Williams, will be unveiled on Saturday, March 19th, 2 p.m. CT. A reception will follow at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Naomi Anderson’s great- and great-great granddaughters from Sacramento, California will attend the celebration. The steel work, covering an expanse of 50 feet by 30 feet, has been installed in Michigan City’s

The Indiana Department of Transportation and Troyer Group are hosting a public hearing in St. John, Wednesday March 9, regarding a proposed roundabout at U.S. 231 and Cline Ave in Lake County. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. central time at Suncrest Christian Church, 10009 Parrish Avenue. The purpose of the public hearing is to offer all interested persons an opportunity to comment on current preliminary design plans to modify this intersection. As currently proposed, the project involves converting the signalized intersection into a roundabout. Construction is currently slated for 2024, which is subject to change. The project would cost

The City of Portage has given an update on the U.S. Steel bridge as of Tuesday. U.S. Steel officials informed the city Tuesday that they are continuing to survey the infrastructure of the bridge, which crosses the Burns Waterway. Pending a complete investigation of the bridge's condition, the steelmaker decided to close the bridge to all traffic. Those wanting to visit Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk can take an alternate route into the park. Visitors may enter the park by turning north off of U.S. 12 onto Hillcrest Road at the entrance of Ogden Dunes. Follow the roadway just north of

Porter County Triad had their monthly meeting Tuesday morning at the Porter County Sheriff's Office. Porter County Triad is a partnership of law enforcement, area seniors, senior health care providers, clergy, social service organizations and state and local agencies “dedicated to creating a sense of belonging among the experienced and valued segment of our society, our seniors.” Members of Triad felt it was time to update Porter County on what Triad has been doing. They wanted to address the critical issues facing Porter County, which include the work being done in educating the public on Project Lifesaver, and several other