Local News

On Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 at approximately 3:58 P.M., the LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an on-duty loss prevention employee at Meijer (5150 Franklin Street) who reported an adult male customer was creating a disturbance inside the store. The customer left Meijer in a vehicle prior to the arrival of Officer Kelly Williams from Uniform Patrol Shift 2. Officer Williams learned during his investigation the customer passed all points of purchase and exited the store without paying for all the merchandise in his possession. An on-duty loss prevention employee approached the customer to inform him that

The American Red Cross’ “Call on Crafters” in the early days of the pandemic spurred an overwhelming response from volunteers, especially in the Indiana Region. This prompted regional Red Cross leadership to set a lofty goal: crafting and distributing 70,000 face coverings to local organizations that provide childcare, senior care and veteran care services. Recently, the cadre of dedicated face covering volunteers hit that goal—and surpassed it—by sewing, packing and delivering more than 109,000 face coverings to help stem the spread of COVID-19 in the Indiana Region.  “We know that evidence-based public health measures, such as wearing cloth face coverings

Last night at 5:56 PM, Deputy Micah Hatley was traveling westbound in the 1200 west block of US 20. She observed a passenger vehicle traveling in front of her with a license plate violation. At the intersection of US 20 and SR 39, Deputy Hatley initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a service station adjacent to the aforementioned intersection. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Damien L. WILSON (28 YOA) of Elkhart, Indiana. Deputies learned a short time later that WILSON was a wanted person by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office for

– Students who are thinking about attending college won’t have to travel far to learn about all that Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has to offer. Purdue Northwest will hold virtual ‘Preview PNW’ events from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 27 and April 24. These live sessions will be held in a webinar format allowing prospective and transfer students to learn more about PNW’s Hammond and Westville campuses from the comfort of their own homes. Registration is now open at pnw.edu/preview. “The virtual ‘Preview PNW’ is an opportunity for Purdue Northwest to showcase our wide range of academic offerings,” George F.

The Michigan City Commission for Women bestowed top honors upon Marquette Catholic High School junior Leah Lawson Monday for her submission to the 2020 Honor Women in History: Naomi Anderson Poetry Contest.Lawson's poem "The Worries of a Black Woman" garnered first place in the 11th-12th grade division. For her efforts, Lawson has been invited to recite her work to the organization's February Commission meeting via Zoom on February 18th.Lawson's inspiration stemmed from the racial crimes of 2020 that grabbed headlines and chyrons across the country."I saw everything that was happening in the news. I have five brothers and I was

— Sacred Heart Church in LaPorte, Indiana is pleased to accept another generous donation from Horizon Bank to support the work of their parish food pantry during the pandemic. “The donation in the amount of $5,000.00 will help to keep serving the increasing needs of the greater LaPorte community. We are so thankful for Horizon’s continued support in this time of need,” stated Deacon Frank J. Zolvinski. “Investing in the well being of our communities continues to be a priority at Horizon during this pandemic. Sacred Heart Church is doing an amazing job providing struggling families with much needed food

February is American Heart Month Wear Red Day, other events highlight heart health awareness Hoosiers will come together in February to show their support for the fight against heart disease and stroke. American Heart Month, an annual celebration in February that began in 1964, urges Americans to join the battle against heart disease. A presidential proclamation each year pays tribute to researchers, physicians, public health education professionals and volunteers for their tireless efforts in preventing, treating, and researching heart disease. Across the state and the nation, millions of people will don red attire on Friday, Feb. 5 – National Wear Red

The Indiana Department of Health today announced that Hoosiers age 65 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is available at no cost, and appointments can be made by visiting https://ourshot.in.gov. Hoosiers who do not have access to a computer or cell phone or who need assistance with registration also can call 211 or contact one of Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging for assistance. A caregiver or loved one may make an appointment on behalf of an eligible senior. The vaccine requires two doses to obtain full immunity. Appointments for the second dose will be made at the

Details Michigan City Mainstreet Association ( “ MCMA ” ) is excited to award a $5,000.00 prize for an original mural on the rear façade of the 725 Franklin Street Building (A.K.A. Hokkaido Building) in the Uptown Arts District (UAD). The deadline for artists to submit their applications and proposals is March 15, 2021. MCMA strives to have this new artwork in place by June 1, 2021 . All artists are invited to apply for this opportunity by submitting an application online . A single applicant will be chosen . Artists interested in this opportunity can review more details and

Michigan City Mainstreet Association (“MCMA”) is excited to award a $5,000.00 prize for an original mural on the rear façade of the 725 Franklin Street Building (A.K.A. Hokkaido Building) in the Uptown Arts District (UAD).The deadline for artists to submit their applications and proposals is March 15, 2021. MCMA strives to have this new artwork in place by June 1, 2021.All artists are invited to apply for this opportunity by submitting an application online . A single applicant will be chosen. Artists interested in this opportunity can review more details and the specific application requirements at Murals . The Uptown

A house in the 200 block of Burdick Road was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning.The Chesterton Fire Department responded to the scene—located in unincorporated Westchester Township—at 4:54 a.m. and found on arrival that the two-story house was already fully involved. “The roof was on the ground when we got there,” Interim Fire Chief Eric Camel said.The home’s sole occupant at the time was able to safely evacuate the residence—through a basement window, with the family’s pets—after being awakened by smoke alarms and the barking of the dog. He was treated for smoke inhalation at the Franciscan Alliance ER department

The Porter Police Department is warning people to be mindful of scams when surfing the web looking for dogs or cats to buy; and at the same time is encouraging families wanting a pet to think of the Porter County Animal Shelter first.According to the PPD, a Porter resident reported on Tuesday, Jan. 26, that she’d been badly burned in a fraudulent transaction after searching “Dachshund puppies for sale.”The Internet search yielded the Baltimore phone number—the purported Baltimore phone number—of a purported seller of Dachshund puppies, “although the complainant was led to believe that the puppy was (initially) in Indiana,”

A Chesterton Police Detective was honored by StoryPoint for his investigation of suspected theft. When a StoryPoint resident reported her suspicions that someone had been pilfering from her checking account, StoryPoint Executive Director Courtney Fokianos promptly called the Chesterton Police Department. Nearly a month later, after a meticulous investigation, Detective Christoper Schoof believes he’s got the goods on a suspect and is now preparing to forward a felony theft charge against that person to the Porter County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Wednesday, Fokianos and StoryPoint Business Development Specialist Jeannie Nowarita presented Schoof with a token of their gratitude, for his professionalism,

A weekly webinar series featuring Purdue University experts in data science and digital agriculture will kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday (Feb. 4). Each Thursday this spring, the Data Driven Agriculture webinars will explore ways digital agriculture and data science can advance agriculture today and into the future. “Building on the momentum of last fall’s digital agriculture webinars, we wanted to highlight how data is not only being used today but also explore its future potential,” said Dennis Buckmaster, agricultural and biological engineering professor and dean’s fellow of digital agriculture at Purdue. “In this series, researchers from across the College

On Jan. 23, 2021, Agrati in Valparaiso became eligible to apply for benefits and services through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. TAA is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor through the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and assists workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign trade. Any worker laid off from Agrati, a manufacturer of nuts, bolts and screws, on or after June 10, 2019, or any worker scheduled to be laid off before Jan. 23, 2023, may be eligible to apply for TAA benefits. TAA services and benefits include: Training—pays 100% of all required

With snow predicted to fall across large portions of Indiana this weekend, the American Heart Association encourages Hoosiers to protect their hearts while shoveling snow and to seek immediate treatment if they experience any signs or symptoms of a heart attack.“Shoveling snow can be a very vigorous activity, and you’re basically doing it ‘in a freezer,’” says Dr. William Gill, a cardiologist who is president of the American Heart Association board of directors in Indianapolis. “Those conditions can very quickly lead to stress on the heart.”To help make snow removal safer, the American Heart Association suggests:-Give yourself a break. Take

In regard to the recent movement in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Holcomb will be signing on Sunday a new Executive Order changing attendance at social gatherings and events. RED or ORANGE Counties may not exceed 25% of facility capacityYELLOW Counties may not exceed 50% of facility capacityBLUE counties may be at 100% of facility capacity SAFETY PLANS FOR SOCIAL GATHERINGS OR EVENTS PLAN must be submitted to the local Health Department PLAN must include the number invited, requested, or expected attendees and staff PLAN must include Occupancy and capacity information, Covidscreening, social distancing measures, increased sanitation, and face coverings mandate

After nearly a year of being closed to the public, Central Ave. Beach at Indiana Dunes National Park in Beverly Shores has been reopened. Central Ave. Beach was closed in the spring of 2020 due to severe erosion caused by high water levels in Lake Michigan.The re-opening follows the U.S. Army Corps’ placement of 56,000 tons of sand on Central Ave. Beach. This was the Army Corps’ second sand nourishment project at Indiana Dunes National Park over the last year. The first one was completed in the fall of 2020 at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk site.NPS is, however, cautioning

Communities interested in applying for funding through DNR’s Community Hunting Access Program (CHAP) can apply through March 31.CHAP is designed to increase hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer in communities and to help alleviate human/deer conflicts. The program provides participating organizations with financial and technical assistance to administer hunting programs in their communities. In a broader sense, CHAP provides a practical and economical method for reducing deer numbers and balancing ecological and societal needs through regulated deer hunting.Parks, homeowners associations, and other land-managing entities are eligible to apply for CHAP. Successful applicants will be awarded financial assistance to help them manage

The April 6, 2020 report of a man down has led private donors to establish a reward for information resulting in an arrest, and conviction, of those responsible for the injuries sustained by the victim. The original incident came to light the morning of April 6, 2020, after having gone unreported to police, as the down subject was transported from the area for medical reasons only. The male subject was located at 6:30 a.m., in the courtyard of an apartment complex, located in the 100 block of Chicago St., having sustained numerous injuries. A police investigation was begun immediately following