Local News

An arrest has been made in the July 4th shooting death investigation of Antonio RIVERA. Over the past 2 weeks since this unfortunate incident, Detective Arwen LaMotte and several other Detectives of the Michigan City Police Department have been following up on leads and reviewing surveillance video from several citizens in the neighborhood that had home security and/or Ring doorbell cameras. During the course of this investigation, it was learned that RIVERA had gotten into an altercation in the Stop 2 parking lot during the evening hours of July 4th. This altercation led to a female being pushed to the

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State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) is helping warn local residents of utility scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic that is making the rounds. NIPSCO reports customers in the area are receiving a rising number of scam calls demanding they pay a certain amount of money or their services will be disconnected. Pressel said NIPSCO is not making these calls and urges residents to hang-up the phone immediately if they're contacted by someone demanding payment. NIPSCO voluntarily suspended shutoffs for non-payment and waived late fees in mid-March because of the financial impact on customers associated with the pandemic. Pressel said

If you have not already done so, please be sure to register your student as soon as possible, using the Parent Access system. If you need your code for Parent Access or any other assistance, please contact your child’s school. During registration this year, you will be asked which learning option you prefer for your student. Your choices will include in-person instruction at school or an online option. Also during registration, you will be asked whether or not your child will be riding the school bus this year. Please be sure to register your student no later than next Friday,

Michigan City Area Schools will be suspending the Dress for Success program - uniforms will not be required for students this school year. More details to come regarding appropriate dress

The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for families, educators and healthcare professionals as the beginning of another school year approaches. These challenges have also highlighted the core focus of Franciscan Health’s Community Health Improvement Team: to address, prevent and heal from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a prominent public health concern in our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need in our communities to provide ACEs-related education and awareness. Therefore, the Community Health Improvement Team created the “Childhood Trauma and Back-To-School Event Series,” a free, five-week virtual series that recognizes the impact of ACEs within our communities,

Michigan City’s 90th annual golf tournament is just a couple weeks away, on July 25-26 and August 1-2, 2020. The event, hosted at the Michigan City Golf Course, is a staple among the city’s golfers, and this year it is planned to be better than ever before thanks to a sponsorship from Horizon Bank. “We’ve been doing this for 90 years but this is going to be our first tournament with any form of sponsorship,” said Marty Nieman, tournament organizer. “I’ve been friends with Craig Dwight, Horizon Bank’s CEO, for over 30 years. We’re happy to have them join us

La Porte Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees approved the corporation plan for returning to school safely this fall. The plan approved outlines a concept for identifying the spread of the virus throughout LaPorte County as well as the programming methods LPCSC would commit to in order to provide a safe atmosphere for students and staff. It is a fluid document that will be updated with specific plans for departments and schools which align with the larger plan for the corporation. The plan will be revisited and amended by a committee throughout this summer and next school year. More

Indiana residents in need of rental assistance should apply now to afederally-funded state program offering assistance on a first-come, first-served basis. People can apply online at IndianaHousingNow.org and will be filtered to one of two programs basedapplicant data: Emergency Service Grant Covid-19 (ESG-CV) or the Rental Assistance Fund (RAF). The State of Indiana will determine which fund applicants qualify for.The ESG-CV program will provide rental assistance for applicants with income capped at 0-50% AMI beginning April 1, 2020 related to COVID-19. New income limits in La Porte are single person ($23,000) and family of 4 ($32,500). The RAF program will

Last week, Michigan City first responders answered an emergency call for service to assist with a potential deceased person. It was later determined that the decedent unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19.  First responders were immediately tested and to date, three have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The City has provided additional testing for City employees who had direct exposure to the positive first responders.

For Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm Jeffrey Cooper, age 32, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty upon his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.  Mr. Cooper was sentenced to 115 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. According to documents filed in this case, Cooper led police on a car chase for over a mile that ended when he crashed into a car and then a telephone pole outside the Blue Chip Casino.  Cooper ran away

The Salvation Army of Michigan City will present a virtual Vacation Bible School this summer.  This offers children entering first grade through sixth grade to experience the fun and educational program from the safety of their own home. Online classes will take place from 10am to 1pm Monday July 27 through Friday, July 31. A final class will be held Sunday, August 2 at The Salvation Army, 1201 S. Franklin Street with the presentation of awards. This is the only portion of the class that will take place in person. The Salvation Army’s Vacation Bible School is offered at no

On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, during routine entrance procedures, which include searching the staff property prior to entering the Indiana State Prison, Correctional Officer Portia Williams was detained for allegedly attempting to trafficking cell phones with an offender, a Level 5 felony and Official Staff Misconduct, a Level 6 felony. Williams, 54, of Gary, IN had been employed as a Correctional Officer at the Indiana State Prison since October 21, 2019. After her arrest she was transported to the LaPorte County Jail for further booking and processing. Determination of final charges will be made by the LaPorte County Prosecutor's office.

Early Saturday morning, deputies were summoned to US 421 and CR 1800 South in rural Dewey Township in reference a motor vehicle crash. Deputies Keith Waltz and Jet Balenia arrived and located a passenger vehicle along the southbound shoulder of US 421, just south of CR 1800 South. The crash investigation determined a gray 2003 BMW had been traveling south on US 421. For an unknown reason, the vehicle drove left of center into the northbound lane for a short distance, back into and across the southbound lane, off the roadway, into a ditch for an extended distance, before eventually

 La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody today issued an executive order requiring that all customers and employees wear face coverings in retail buildings to help limit the spread of COVID-19. “Our community has seen comparatively low numbers throughout this pandemic, but it is far from over,” Dermody said. “Our numbers are beginning to run as the anticipated second wave approaches, and we want to be prepared. The last thing we need is for the economy to shut down again, so we are being proactive in hopes that this measure will help prevent the spread of the virus and minimize the impact

Scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic are on the rise. Calls from scammers to homes and businesses posing as NIPSCO employees continue to occur —an issue impacting many energy companies around the United States. Recent, and common reports from NIPSCO residential and business customers state that they have received calls and texts from people claiming to be NIPSCO employees and demanding payment to avoid their service being disconnected. However, the company wants to emphasize that NIPSCO does not demand immediate payment by meeting them in person or using a specific type of payment method. If a customer receives a suspicious

On Wednesday, the Indiana State Police and the DEA /Lake County HIDTA Task Force interdicted approximately 12 pounds of methamphetamine in Munster, Indiana.  The shipment was destined to the Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana area.  The drugs were coming from the El Paso, Texas area. Citizens are encouraged to contact law enforcement with tips regarding any illegal drug activity at the DEA hotline 219-681-7000.

A single westbound lane will be closed on U.S. 20 between Old SR 39 and C.R. N 300 W from Monday, July 13 to approximately Saturday, July 25. The lane will be closed so that old transmission lines can be removed. All eastbound lanes will be open and one westbound lane will be open.

La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody and Police Chief Paul Brettin thank LaPorte-Starke-Pulaski Building & Construction Trades Council President John Carr (far left) for the council’s help with installing the new bulletproof service windows at the police station Monday, July 6, 2020, in La Porte. The organization donated money toward the cost of labor for the project. Brettin said the bulletproof windows will allow the station to be more open and accessible to the public while also protecting the officers and staff at the front desk.

The South Shore Line plans to periodically bus passengers between Carroll Ave. and the South Bend International Airport while we upgrade our track and segments of overhead wire between Michigan City and South Bend. The next busing period will take place Monday, July 13, through Friday, July 24, 2020 (this includes the weekend of July 18-19). Please note that bus service to and from Hudson Lake will not be available during this time. Hudson Lake passengers are encouraged to board at the Carroll Ave. station. The following trains operating exclusively between South Bend and Michigan City are canceled during busing:Westbound Train 422