Local News

Attorney General Curtis Hill is opposing efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union to bring about the release of inmates held in Indiana jails and prisons amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a petition filed March 30, the ACLU declared that the Indiana Supreme Court should engage in “emergency rulemaking” in order to enable certain inmates to leave correctional facilities and “shelter at home” during the current public health emergency. This week, Attorney General Hill filed a memorandum with the court opposing the ACLU’s position.The Indiana Constitution expressly recognizes the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches,

Today, Mayor Duane Parry issued an Executive Order declaring a “Local Disaster Emergency in the City of Michigan City” and has implemented measures attempting to reduce and eliminate the spread of COVID-19.    This Order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, and shall conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, unless the Common Council extends the Mayor’s Executive Order to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 4, 2020.   Please refer to the attached Executive Order 04-2020 for specific details. This order includes but is not limited to: A Stay at Home or Place of Residence

La Porte citizens should not flush anything but toilet paper down the toilet, according to Wastewater Department Director Jerry Jackson. With toilet paper shelves empty across the country, Jackson said many are resorting to other options like “flushable” wipes. However, Jackson said these wipes do not break down the same as toilet paper and can cause blockages in the city’s wastewater system, as well as customers’ pipes. He said this can result in costly plumbing bills for citizens. “Though they are often marketed as ‘flushable,’ these wipes can lead to serious back-ups in our city’s sewer system,” Jackson said. “With

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 568 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 5,507 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 173 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days. To date, 28,764 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 26,192 on Monday. Marion County had the most

The City of La Porte will extend its free rides through the end of April, according to La Porte Transporte Manager Beth West. West said the goal of the extension is to continue helping members of the community with essential travel through the ongoing pandemic. For the health and safety of both drivers and passengers, rides to grocery stores and pharmacies will be limited to Tuesdays and Thursdays only.West said Transporte will continue providing free rides to medical appointments Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All other nonessential travel will cease through the end of April. Good

Sunday afternoon in The Merrillville area, State Trooper Alissa Partyka was dispatched to a two-vehicle property damage crash on I-65 southbound at the 255 mile-marker.  Investigation at the scene showed that a Ford Mustang rear-ended a Ford F150 truck at a high rate of speed.  The Mustang sustained substantial front-end damage.  Several witnesses to the crash stopped or called to report the driving behavior of the Mustang prior to the crash.  Those witnesses all stated that the Mustang had been racing a green sport bike prior to the crash.  Both vehicles were reportedly passing on the shoulders, weaving in and

Also extends orders limiting state government services and restaurant, bar restrictions Governor Eric J. Holcomb today issued a new two-week Stay At Home order designed to limit interactions among Hoosiers to increase containment of COVID-19. As of today, 4,944 people have tested positive and 139 people have died from the disease. There are now positive tests in 89 of 92 counties. Click here to see the executive order: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm As a part of this action, Gov. Holcomb also extended for two weeks the orders that limit in-person public activity at state government offices and put restrictions on the operation of restaurants,

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, scammers are putting extra effort into preying upon Hoosiers distracted by the ongoing crisis, Attorney General Curtis Hill said today — including by sending fraudulent emails falsely appearing to come from reputable sources. This practice is known as “phishing.” Two recent examples of such phishing scams include 1) an email that appeared to come from Amazon and 2) a message to church members that appeared to come from their pastor. The fake Amazon email sought to induce recipients to provide personal financial information — likely trying to capitalize on the fact that consumers are frequently using

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today, in partnership with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS) announced a partnership to offer at-home learning experiences for K-12 students, aligned to Indiana curriculum standards. “Providing our students with access to high-quality and evidence-based materials is critical during this extended time of out-of-school learning,” said Indiana State Superintendent Dr. Jennifer McCormick. “I am grateful for IPBS and their local television affiliates for partnering with us to create engaging educational experiences for Indiana’s children.” Developed with the input of educators, PBS LearningMedia offers free, Indiana standards-aligned resources contextualized for educational use. The resources include grab-and-go

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 536 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 4,944 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.　 A total of 139 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.　 To date, 26,191 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 22,652 on Sunday.　 Marion County had the most

Now that spring is nearly upon us, it’s time to get out and enjoy nature again. Go! Packs are designed to help you enjoy the outdoors at Indiana State Park properties and save money. The Go! Pack includes a 2020 resident Annual Entrance Permit, a drawstring backpack for holding snacks and water while hiking the trails, and the option of either a $40 State Park Inns gift card or a $40 camping gift card for state park campgrounds. Go! Packs are also available for residents 65 and older, Disabled Hoosier Veterans, and Indiana residents who receive or are eligible to

On Sunday morning shortly before 8:00am, officers from the Indiana State Police, Fort Wayne Police Department, and the Allen County Police Department became involved in a high speed vehicle pursuit on Allen County’s west side. This pursuit eventually turned in to a barricaded standoff in the suspect’s vehicle after stopping in the 8500 block of SR14, west of Hadley Rd. The Fort Wayne Police Department SWAT team was called in to coordinate and successfully resolve the situation. The incident first began after an ISP Trooper observed a white Toyota passenger car traveling west on Washington Center Road near Lima Road

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 464 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 4,411 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 127 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days. To date, 22,652 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 19,800 on Saturday. Marion County had the most

On April 3, 2020, at approximately 1:55 PM, deputies were dispatched to the 1400 east block of US Highway 6, in rural Union Township, reference a personal injury crash involving multiple vehicles.  Deputies arrived and discovered that a motorcycle, a truck and two passenger vehicles were all involved.  A crash investigation was completed by deputies.A passenger vehicle, driven eastbound on U.S. 6 by Thomas P. NELSEN (39 YOA) of Knox, Indiana, crossed the center line and collided with a truck, driven by Joseph D. Davis (33 YOA) of LaPorte, in the westbound lane of US 6.  A passenger vehicle, driven

The NB and SB passing lanes on U.S. 31 between the Indiana Toll Road and the Michigan state line will be restricted beginning on or after Monday, April 6. This restriction is the first phase of a project to reconstruct U.S. 31 and will be to construct median crossovers. 12 ft. driving lanes will be available. No wide loads are permitted. This restriction will last for approximately two weeks. After the crossovers are complete, the SB lanes will be converted to two-way traffic while construction is completed on the NB lanes.

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Commissioner Peter L. Lacy announced 6 BMV branches will be open by appointment only beginning Monday, April 6 to process new Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLP), new Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL), and upgrade/downgrade for the CDL to add the tank vehicle or hazardous materials endorsement credential transactions. This decision was made to support the current critical need to increase the number of new licensed commercial truck drivers on the road delivering supplies and to aid in the start of agricultural season in our state. Appointments will be available Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to

Chief of Police Dion T. Campbell, Assistant Chief David Cooney, and Assistant Chief Jillian Ashley are honored to recognize several Michigan City Police Department Officers with awards related to exceptionalwork that has been produced over the past several months. Each of these Officers that received an award were nominated by their fellow officers or supervisors. Normally, awards are distributed to Officers during theregular MCPD Commission Meeting, however; considering the current COVID-19 epidemic, these awards were presented to the Officers at the police station, with social distancing protocols in mind. Check out WIMS' FACEBOOK for the whole release, stories and pictures.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Indiana has been granted a federal Major Disaster Declaration, which provides funds to help communities recover from COVID-19. The funding can be used to cover costs of emergency needs including crisis counseling, food programs, temporary shelters, protective equipment, safety resources and personnel. The Governor also signed an executive order today to extend the public health emergency by an additional 30 days – to May 5. The executive order is posted here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm. The first public health emergency was declared on March 6 and allows the state to increase coordination across all levels of government in the state’s

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced that more than 152,000 Indiana households will receive additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits when April distributions begin this Sunday. The additional funds are intended to help Hoosiers obtain food and support for their families while Indiana responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives states the option to provide SNAP households with the maximum SNAP allotment, which is based on household size. SNAP households which are not currently receiving the maximum allotment will receive additional benefits which bring their allotment amount to the maximum. Households already

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced that 408 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 3,437 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 102 Hoosiers have died to date. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days. To date, 17,835 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 16,285 on Thursday. Marion County had the most new