Local News

The United Way of LaPorte County has leveraged local donations and grants to help front-line workers and others citizens most in need of food, personal protective equipment, child care, learning supports, rent/mortgage assistance, medication, and utility assistance since the COVID pandemic began.  “Our local youth have been of great concern to us over the past year and a half,” said Kris Pate, executive director of United Way of LaPorte County. “Whether it’s been child care, mental and emotional health, safe learning spaces, technology, or preparing for the next school-year, we’ve done our best to quickly get the funds and services

Season tickets are now on sale for the 49th season of the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO). Led by Music Director, Dr. Carolyn Watson , the LCSO will present three season concerts on Saturday, November 13, 2021, Sunday, March 13, 2022 , and Saturday, April 23, 2022 . The November 13 concert is titled “A Jazzy American Salute!” featuring works of Leonard Bernstein, William Grant Still and Artie Shaw. Petar Smilev will be featured as a clarinet soloist on Shaw’s “Clarinet Concerto.” The March 13 concert will feature works of Verdi including Overture to “La Forza Del Destino”, Tchaikvosky’s Rococo Variations with cellist, Hannah Collins, as well as

A 34 year old man is dead after reports of shots being fired Monday evening in Michigan City. Officers were dispatched at about 7:30pm to the 1500 block of E. Michigan Blvd. Officers observed Michigan City resident Leland Collins as the man who had been shot. Officers immediately began life saving measures and performed CPR until EMS arrived. Collins was immediately transported to Franciscan Health, where he was later pronounced deceased. Officers canvassed the area and began to look for evidence and witnesses. Witnesses were interviewed by officers at the scene to gather more information regarding this incident. Detectives were

The next phase of the work at I-94 and US 20 has been postponed due to the weather. The left lane of I-94 will continue to be closed in both directions between State Road 149 and Beam St/C.R. 1275 N through Friday, August 13 for construction work at the bridge. 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

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