Local News

Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) undergraduate program has earned the No. 1 ranking in its category in the annual U.S. News & World Report undergraduate program rankings for the 11th consecutive year. U.S. News also ranked Purdue’s ABE graduate program No. 1 earlier this year. The department includes 382 undergraduate and 191 graduate students. “The College of Agriculture community is extremely proud of the No. 1 ranking our undergraduate agricultural and biological engineering program has earned. I thank the dedicated faculty and staff members, led by Nate Mosier, for their commitment to undergraduate education and for their advancement

There will be a mobile food distribution Wednesday Sept. 15 from 10am-Noon at Fedder's Alley in Michigan City. The United Way, through a partnership with Food Bank and CCH, is providing both non-perishable and produce offered free of charge. All items will be pre-boxed. This is first come, first served, for up to 300 households, while supplies lasts. This event is for those in need of food assistance. There will be one box per household.  This will be a drive-through distribution. They ask to have your ID ready.  

A Covid testing and vaccination clinic is available in Wanatah through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The location is Hunt Park, 401 Cross St.  Rapid antigen and PCR tests are available. This is a free vaccine. You can choose either Pfizer (two vaccines) or Johnson & Johnson (one dose).

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) earned notable accolades among the best regional universities in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings, released Monday, Sept. 13. PNW’s School of Engineering ranks 53rd nationally among engineering schools whose highest awarded degrees are bachelor’s and master’s. PNW moved up from 60th in the 2021 rankings. PNW’s College of Nursing is included in the first-ever rankings by U.S. News & World Report of undergraduate nursing programs. PNW’s computer science program in the College of Engineering and Sciences was also included in the rankings by U.S. News & World Report of undergraduate computer science programs. This is only the second time U.S. News has rated computer science programs. PNW

The Porter County Health Department is reopening its Covid-19 testing facility on Monday in the 4-H Building at the Porter County Fairgrounds. To schedule a test go to: scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov To schedule a vaccine go to: vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov You can call (219) 465-3525 for further information.  A video with more information was posted on the Porter County Health Department Facebook page.

On Wednesday a new Probationary Officer was sworn in at the Michigan City Police Department. Rachel Ewart has undergone an extensive hiring process which began with over 30 potential candidates. Ewart will endure 6 weeks of in-house training with the Division of Professional Standards. Upon completion of this training, she will begin the Field Training Officer Program where she will be working within the community with their respective training officers until spaces are available for her to attend the 15-week Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Basic Course.  Ewart is a graduate from South Central High School and received her Bachelors degree

The Portage Township YMCA will host it’s 21st Annual Turkey Trot on November 25. The Turkey Trot is a competitive and professionally timed 5K walk or run with a Free Kids 1K Fun Run. Races begin at 8:00 AM Thanksgiving morning and typically wrap-up with race awards by 11:00 AM. Registration for the race can be found online only, at www.runsignup.com. Race registrations through November 7, 2021, will be guaranteed a long-sleeve commemorative shirt and finisher medal. Despite the ongoing pandemic, in 2020, the Portage Township YMCA was able to host its annual event, but it looked quite different than

The City of Valparaiso has awarded 50 Valparaiso businesses with Valparaiso Invests in Business (VIB) grants in an innovative program to support businesses with the added expenses they have incurred to maintain their workforce during the pandemic.  The Valpo Invests in Business (VIB) grant was designed to help businesses maintain operations and retain their workforce, with a priority for low- to moderate-income jobs. The City worked to create this program by securing a grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) with additional support from the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission. The City received more than 60 applications for

Wednesday morning, La Porte County Sheriff's Detective Jake Koch and Deputy Austin Howell were officially notified of their grant approval from NIPSCO in the amount of $5,000 for the LCSO Unmanned Aerial Systems (drone) Program.   The La Porte County Sheriff's Office said that it is extremely grateful for all the support from their friends and partners with NIPSCO and the NiSource Foundation.  

On Wednesday, Indiana American Water Company, joined Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, community leaders and project partners at a groundbreaking ceremony to officially kick off a $24.5 million water main replacement project in Gary. The project, which will replace or retire older steel and cast-iron pipe that has experienced numerous breaks, will be constructed along 6th and 7th Avenue from Wabash Avenue to Kentucky Street as well as several north-south streets in the area. The work will retire approximately five miles of water mains from the early 1900s and install nearly 11 miles of new water mains, ranging in size from

 A retired Purdue University Northwest (PNW) professor who passed away earlier this year has left more than $700,000 to the university. The generous estate gift left by Maria O. Longas, PNW professor emerita of Chemistry, will go towards student scholarships. In 2017, while still a full-time professor at PNW, Longas committed to supporting the university through her estate plans. At the time, she requested that her planned gift remain anonymous until after her death. “Dr. Longas wanted to leave a legacy for Purdue Northwest students,” said Jamie Manahan, executive director for development and major gifts officer for PNW. “She cared

Dunes Arts Foundation has named Steve Scott as Artistic Director. Scott has directed four Dunes Summer Theatre productions, including this season’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Cabaret at the Gardens.”   Scott is an artistic associate at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, where he was an award-winning producer for 30 years before retiring in 2017. He takes over the Artistic Director position left by Tito Sanchez-Williams, who is pursuing a full-time teaching career. Scott is a member of the DAF Board of Directors and chairs the Theatre Management, Programming and Technology committee. He has begun programming discussions for the 2022 season, with plans

The Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department has received a donation from the Michigan City Historical Society that will go towards the restoration of the Historic Washington Park Bandstand. The department hopes this will spark an interest by other community minded organizations to join this project to raise the funds needed to preserve this icon of Michigan City history. The original Bandstand, donated by John H. Barker in the 1890’s was destroyed by fire in 1911. The current structure was designed by City Engineer H. M. Miles and dedicated on July 6, 1911. This Bandstand was the home of the