Local News

The Porter County Substance Abuse Council recently presented several Portage Police Officers with the Law Enforcement Phoenix Award. This award was established seven years ago by former Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris in response to the unfolding opioid epidemic. For a first responder to receive this award they must have administered Naloxone (Narcan) to an overdose victim who then survives the event. The quick actions of 27 officers resulted in 35 lives saved from opioid overdose this past year.  Portage Police say if you are struggling with addiction, please know that this agency participates in PAARI, the Police Assisted Addiction

Horizon Bank’s Executive Vice President and Senior Commercial Credit Officer, Lynn M. Kerber, announced the recent addition of Mark R. Schoettmer as New Vice President, Government Loan Program Manager. Schoettmer will be providing oversight of all government guaranteed commercial programs, including U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S.D.A, and state and local economic development loan programs.  Schoettmer has over 30 years of experience in the financial industry including as a Vice President, SBA Specialist and Vice President, SBA Program Manager.  He also had previous roles as Market President and Region President and as a Consumer Lending Manager. Schoettmer earned his Bachelor of

The City of New Buffalo is asking the public to stay off the shelf ice in a recent Facebook post. The city says that while the shelf ice may look cool, it is extremely dangerous and unstable.  They also stated, “There is no way to tell when the land ends and the water begins, so please stay off the shelf ice.”

Several Portage Police officers were recently presented awards from the Porter County Substance Abuse Council's Drunk Driving Task Force for their work in combating impaired driving.   Officer Andrew Smith was recognized for leading the agency with 21 DUI arrests last year.  Corporal Laura Lightfoot and Officer Anthony Ortiz tied for second place with 13 arrests each. The Portage Police Department thanked the Substance Abuse Council for their work towards reducing and preventing substance abuse of all types throughout Porter County.    

The Indiana State Department of Health Wednesday updated the weekly COVID county advisory levels.  All counties in the state remain at a red level which is the highest score of 3.  Locally, positivity is up in Jasper and Starke counties.  Positivity is down in LaPorte, Porter, and Lake, St. Joseph and Newton counties. See specific positivity levels and additional information on the Indiana COVID-19 Dashboard and Map website.

The South Shore Line has a new offer for kids. The SSL says on weekends, holiday and daily off-peak trains, up to 3 children 13 years of age and under may ride free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. So, choose your first adventure, check the train schedule, grab the kids and get ready to make some memories.      

With frigid temperatures expected for Wednesday and Thursday, Mayor of La Porte Tom Dermody said the City of La Porte will be opening warming centers for those in need. The following locations will be open to the public as warming centers for this Wednesday, Jan. 26 and Thursday, Jan. 27: Location Address Times La Porte City Hall 801 Michigan Ave. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. *La Porte Fire Station #3 710 Daytona St. 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Pax Center 605 Washington St. Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Center Township Office 1700

Violet Van Gieson is a 13-year-old survivor. In June of 2020, she contracted an MRSA infection that led to the amputation of her left leg. She needed two blood transfusions during surgery and credited the kindness of strangers who gave her blood to fight another day. The Long Beach Police Department and friends invite the community to honor Violet at a blood drive hosted by the American Red Cross of Indiana at the Old School Community Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30. Violet’s battle has included 15 surgeries and 35 days in in-patient care. She

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,