Local News

Appointment based COVID-19 testing sites and scheduling information for the LaPorte County community are as follow: FREE COVID-19 TESTING IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLYProvided by LHI/OptumServe Health ServicesOnline appointments are available at https://lhi.care/covidtestingPhone registration is available for those without Internet access at 888-634-1116Testing Location:Michigan City High School8466 W Pahs RdMichigan City, IN 46360

To clear up any misunderstanding, the City of Michigan City did advertise on February 6th, for all seasonal positions, including lifeguards. The City received only one application from a returning lifeguard from last year, and no others with required qualifications. Lifeguarding has always been a high-risk job. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, those who work to protect beachgoers are facing a new level of danger.     From stubbed toes to cardiac arrests, open water lifeguards are trained to act as first responders for all manner of medical emergencies that can happen at the beach, often putting them in very close proximity to

A La Porte City Hall employee recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to Mayor Tom Dermody. “This news is a sobering reminder to all of us that the coronavirus situation is far from over,” Dermody said. “We are keeping this individual in our thoughts and prayers during this time, and we will continue taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our employees and residents as the pandemic maintains its hold in the United States.” City Hall was closed to all employees on Tuesday to allow for deep cleaning. Though the CDC recommends that only those displaying symptoms be tested,

Valparaiso Police Mourn the Loss of Officer It is with great sadness; the Valparaiso Police Department announces the loss of Sergeant Steve Kobitz. Sergeant Kobitz end of watch came May 25, 2020,  as a result of cardiac complications.  Sgt. Kobitz was in an on-duty status when he was discovered in distress while in his police vehicle, which was parked in the lot of the Valparaiso Police Department.  Sgt. Kobitz was immediately tended to by his fellow officers when he was discovered, and Valparaiso Fire soon responded and took over treatment.  Sgt. Kobitz would later succumb to his condition while at

Franciscan Alliance has added a new feature to the Franciscan MyChart application called On My Way. The On My Way feature allows patients to see wait times and easily reserve their spot in line at all Franciscan ExpressCare locations in Indiana and Illinois. Saving your place in line is as easy as opening the Franciscan MyChart application on any smart phone or tablet device, clicking on the On My Way icon and answering a few simple questions. Patients without the Franciscan MyChart app can still use On My Way by going through a link on the FranciscanExpressCare.org website. With On

On Sunday, May 24th, 2020, at approximately 10:00 P.M., officers from the Michigan City Police Department responded to the area of Washington Park Lot 1, for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located a 17-year-old male subject that was shot during this incident. His injuries were non-lifethreatening, and he was treated and released. A short time later, officers were dispatched to Franciscan Hospital in reference to a second gunshot victim that was brought to the emergency room. The 25-year-old female victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was also treated and released. Additionally, two vehicles sustained damage as a

In Hanna Township, LaPorte County this past Thursday evening, off-duty Sergeant Tony Wallace was alerted to a suspicious site and items that had been found on private property in the 5000 west block of Volk Road. The site and items were discovered by an adult female who resides in the area. The suspicious site was a hole that was approximately three feet wide, approximately ten feet long and approximately two feet deep. The hole was located just east of the Richman Ditch in a small wooded area. Clothing and a shovel were also located near the hole. After responding and

In Lake County, the ramp from Kennedy Ave southbound to I-80/94 eastbound is closed through Thursday, May 28. The Kennedy Ave northbound ramp to I-80/94 eastbound will not be impacted. Drivers should seek an alternate route. If going southbound on Kennedy Ave, drivers can utilize U.S. 20, 169th St, 173rd St or Ridge Rd to get to State Road 912 and then on I-80/94 eastbound from there.

This past Friday, Governor Holcomb announced he has asked the State Budget Agency (SBA) to initiate plans to reduce state agency appropriations by 15 percent for Fiscal Year 2021 because of the sharp drop in state revenues that was reported for April and to prepare for a continued decline in state revenue because of the economic impact of COVID-19. The SBA already has initiated actions to reduce spending for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Cost savings measures were instituted in April to review operations, space, travel, hiring and many other areas for savings. In

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 16.9 percent for April and is higher than the national rate of 14.7 percent. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 40,450 over the previous month. This was a result of an increase of 446,017 unemployed residents and a decrease of 486,467 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.23

On Monday morning at approximately 12:30 a.m., Trooper Carlson was stationary on I-80/94 eastbound near the 1.4 mile-marker. A vehicle was observed traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed. Trp. Carlson measured the vehicles speed at 101 mph in a well posted 55 mph zone. The vehicle, a white 2007 Buick sedan, passed Trp. Carlson’s location and immediately applied its brakes and moved over two lanes. Trp. Carlson pulled onto I-80 and caught up to the vehicle near the 2.4 mile-marker. As Trp. Carlson activated his police vehicle’s lights and sirens in an attempt to get the driver to

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced that 354 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 31,715 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 1,832 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 8 over the previous day. Another 152 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record, following a correction to

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is now accepting appointments for in-person customer service starting today. Locally, locations reopening include the district offices in Merrillville and South Bend. Visit the District Office web page at dor.in.gov/3390.htm for contact information. When customers arrive for their scheduled appointment, they will need to call the customer service phone number posted on the DOR entrance door to receive further instruction from a customer service representative. Before making an appointment for an in-person visit, customers are encouraged to contact DOR directly by phone or email. Customers can call the DOR’s individual customer service line at

Friday morning, in Porter County just before 3 a.m. troopers were dispatched to a crash involving a semi and another truck on I-94 east-bound, near the 23 mile-marker. This is around one mile east of the Burns Harbor/Porter exit ramp. The initial officer on-scene located a male subject, later identified as 38 year old Ryan E. Greer of Knox, lying in the roadway.  A semi was fully engulfed and another truck with orange traffic barrels was located in the south ditch in the trees.  A helicopter was originally contacted but it was cancelled when it was determined that Greer was

This past Wednesday, around 2:30 a.m., Michigan City Police Department Shift 3 officers were dispatched to Schoop’s Hamburgers, 4105 Franklin Street in reference to an audible business alarm. During this time, a witness in the area called 911 to report a subject running north from the business toward US Hwy 20. Officers located the subject, who attempted to elude police on foot. The subject was subsequently caught and was identified as 27 year old Kyle James Reese, of Rolling Prairie. Officers checked the perimeter of Schoop’s and located no visible signs of forced entry into the building. Later in the

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 493 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 30,409 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. Intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remain steady. As of today, nearly 38 percent of ICU beds and more than 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Friday. A total of 1,791 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of

While fewer drivers are expected to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Department of Transportation wants to remind motorists to slow down and travel safely, especially in work zones. In Indiana, residents are starting to get "Back on Track" as various businesses and services are reopening. Because of this, Hoosiers may experience increased traffic in some areas. Where possible, road construction and maintenance activities will be suspended by noon today. However, a number of restrictions and closures will remain in place due to long-term projects, including locally: Lane closures on I-65 from

When the pandemic became very real for LaPorte County, the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) did what they do best – mobilized resources, gathered the right people around the (virtual) table, began collecting data, and pushed forward with emergency assistance across multiple sectors. So far, HFL has distributed $681,621 in emergency grants. Beyond those efforts, HFL is working with a host of community partners. HFL has been able to help coordinate responses that have had a massive positive effect in the community in three key areas:  coordinating of personal protective equipment (PPE) needs – including purchasing and delivering, developing

Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), announced that Mike Hooper has been named senior vice president and president of NIPSCO. Hooper will take on the role as the head of NIPSCO effective June 1, following Violet Sistovaris. Having served as the company’s president since 2015, Sistovaris will be transitioning into an expanded role at NiSource, based in Indiana. Hooper joined NIPSCO in 2011 and most recently served as the company’s senior vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs and strategy. During his time at NIPSCO, he also served as senior vice president

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced that because health indicators remain positive, most of the state will advance to stage 3 of the Back On Track Indiana plan on Friday, May 22. Indiana Back On Track has five stages. For Cass, Lake and Marion counties – which started Stage 2 after other counties, stage 3 may begin on June 1. Local governments may impose more restrictive guidelines. “We continue to remain vigilant about protecting Hoosiers’ health while taking responsible steps to further open our state’s economy,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Moving to stage 3 is possible because Hoosiers across the state