Local News

Sera Group has announced a local marketing grant initiative tohelp small businesses and non-profits sustain their online presence and customer base throughout Northwest Indiana during these challenging times. “Now more than ever, increasing brand awareness and maintaining a strong digital presence is essential for local businesses to succeed,” said Seth Spencer, Founder & CEO, Sera Group. Sera Group will be donating up to $25,000 worth of digital and creative services to Northwest Indiana small businesses affected by the COVID-19 virus. Sera Group believes that this will help businesses stay strong during these times and give them a chance to improve

Northwest Health announced the addition of Dr. Daniel De Gala, Internal Medicine physician to Northwest Medical Group. Dr. De Gala is accepting new patients at his office at Northwest Medical Group’s Primary Care practice located at 401 New Porte Boulevard in La Porte. “We are pleased to have Dr. De Gala, join Northwest Medical Group” said Ashley Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Health – La Porte “His experience, skills, and compassion are a perfect fit for our organization as we expand to fill gaps in care in the La Porte area.” Dr. De Gala obtained his medical degree from

On Monday October 12th at approximately 2:00 A.M., the La Porte County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call in which the caller reported hearing gunshots in the area of the 3300 Block of Franklin Street. MCPD Shift 3 Patrol Officers arrived and quickly located the residence in which the gunshots had originated. Officers soon discovered 34 year old James L. Grott deceased within the residence from a suspected gunshot wound. Officers secured the area and called the MCPD Detective Bureau who arrived to take over the scene. Detectives worked tirelessly throughout the morning and into the afternoon hours. The

Attorney General Curtis Hill today applauded a federal court ruling that upheld against a due process challenge many critical abortion laws enacted by the Indiana General Assembly. Last week, in response to a lawsuit filed by abortion provider Whole Woman’s Health challenging Indiana’s most significant abortion regulations, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana upheld many statutes and regulations under the Due Process Clause. The laws the judge upheld include those: requiring abortion clinics to be licensed;requiring abortion providers to report abortions;requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals (or to have

All Michigan City Area Schools-MCAS students returning for Traditional, in-person school will have the option to eat both breakfast and lunch at school. Families with students continuing in the MCAS Online or Virtual Academy programs can order a weekly supply of meals for pickup on Mondays at either Michigan City High School or Krueger Middle School. The pickup time for meals will be each Monday, between 12:30 - 1:30pm. It is now time for families continuing with online learning to order meals for pickup on Monday, October 19th. Orders must be placed by this Wednesday at noon. To request your

Portage Police received information that a local resident received a telephone call from someone claiming to be Publishers Clearing House stating they had won a cash prize in their contest.  The caller gave the proper address for Publishers Clearing House as well as had the correct telephone number show up on the victim's caller ID.  The caller knew the victim's name and address and advised their prize team would be coming to their house the next day to award them a check.  Later in the day the same person called back and instructed the victim to purchase prepaid debit cards

Michigan City Police arrested five subjects and seized 3 Guns in 7 Days. The first incident happened on Monday October 5th. Officer Cole Foster was on patrol in the area of Barker Road and Franklin Street when he observed a vehicle that did not possess any working license plate lights. Officer Foster also noted that he was able to pace this vehicle’s speed at 48 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. The female passenger opened the glove compartment to obtain the registration when Foster observed a handgun. The female quickly shut the glove compartment as if to conceal the handgun.

There are many ways to give for a new playground with name recognition. Any donation you make doubles (ex: donation of $500.00=$1,000.00) Donate the following: $250.00 - Name on Brick in Butterfly Garden $500.00 (small) -Name on Butterfly wall at Imagination Station $1,000.00 (Medium) - Name on Butterfly wall at Imagination Station $2,000.00 - (Large) - Name on Butterfly wall at Imagination Station There is also an "anonymous" match up to 10,000.00!!! If you are interested in making a donation. Please send to the following address: Paladin INC. c/o Imagination Station Playground Grant 1200 E. Coolspring Ave. Michigan City, IN

AnnouncedMichigan City Area Schools has announced plans to extend participation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) due to an extended waiver from USDA. Free meals will be made available to all children 18 years of age and under and to persons over 18 years who are enrolled in a state-approved educational program for the mentally or physically disabled. Free meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children. There will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. For the entire release check out the WIMS FACEBOOK PAGE.

A New Jersey resident is facing felony charges for hundreds of pounds of THC infused candy based products   On October 5th , Deputy Wade Wallace was working the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) program along the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) near the 47-mile marker.  He observed an eastbound passenger vehicle approaching him traveling in the passing lane.  A radar check revealed the approaching vehicle was exceeding the posted speed limit.  As the vehicle passed, Wallace noticed the vehicle was also following the rear of a semi-tractor trailer too closely. While traveling to catch up to the vehicle, Wallace observed the vehicle

The La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership in partnership with the City of La Porte regretfully announces the cancelation of the 2020 State of the City Address slated for October 16th, 2020 at the LaPorte Municipal Airport. The recent rise in COVID-19 cases throughout LaPorteCounty has made it impossible to safely host the indoor event. After careful consideration with the City of La Porte leadership team, it was decided to cancel the event for 2020. Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership said, "Making the decision to cancel such an important event is difficult but we must

In recognition of Columbus Day, Monday October 12th , all City of Michigan City offices will be   closed with the exception of the Refuse and Transit Departments, which will be operating on their regular schedule

As the U.S. Gulf Coast prepares for Hurricane Delta’s projected today’s landfall, the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross continues to need new volunteers to help the country respond to and recover from multiple back-to-back disasters. Since June, more than 100 Indiana Region volunteers have stepped up to respond to disasters, such as the derecho in Iowa, major hurricanes and tropical storms in the south, and devastating wildfires in the west. Hurricane Delta compounds an already busy hurricane season, with nine named storms making landfall in the United States. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana, Alabama and

Yesterday Attorney General Curtis Hill asked a federal appeals court to stay a district court injunction requiring election officials to count mail-in ballots received after the state’s deadline of noon on Election Day. The court, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, immediately granted an administrative stay of the district court’s injunction to remain in effect until it considers the state’s motion. Indiana law provides voters multiple ways to cast their ballots. In-person voters may either vote at their precinct polling place (or vote center) sometime between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 3 or cast an in-person absentee

La Porte residents can now file their own non-emergency police reports online, according to City of La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin.This week, the police department launched its new online self-reporting system. Brettin said allowing citizens to file their own non-emergency reports will help free up officers so they can spend more time patrolling the city. He said this technology comes at a critical time as the department faces a shortage of officers."While our officers are always happy to help the residents of our city, reporting takes a good chunk of their time each day," Brettin said. "This technology gives

The recipient of this year’s Maria Petti Memorial Scholarship calls the award a blessing that will help her toward her goal of becoming an operating room nurse after her graduation. Pershana Ramsey of Portage, a nursing student at University of St. Francis in Crown Point, said the scholarship “was a blessing when it came about because it solidified that this was what I was supposed to be doing.” The scholarship, available to Porter and LaPorte County students seeking a career in the surgical field, provides awards of up to $5,000. Ramsey, who plans to graduate in spring 2022, attributes much

Attorney General Curtis Hill today applauded two decisions by federal courts favoring enforcement of Indiana’s election laws as written by the General Assembly. First, a federal appellate court upheld the constitutionality of Indiana’s mail-in voting law, which permits only some categories of voters, including the elderly, to cast mail-in ballots. The court, citing longstanding Supreme Court precedent, held that the right to vote does not include a right to cast a mail-in ballot. Second, a federal district court stayed its decision in another case enjoining an Indiana law prohibiting election officials from counting mail-in ballots received after noon on Election

The La Porte County Historical Society is pleased to announce its newest acquisition - the jail door from the Michigan City Superior Courthouse. The jail cell at the courthouse was a holding cell where prisoners on trial were held before and after their daily trial proceedings. The Michigan City Superior Courthouse is located at 300 Washington Street in Michigan City, and was built in 1909.La Porte County Commissioner Richard Mrozinski was instrumental in acquiring the door on behalf of the Museum. The jail door was in an area of the courthouse that is currently undergoing renovation. The physical transfer of

Three new all-terrain accessible wheelchairs were added for guest use at Indiana Dunes State Park during a donation ceremony yesterday. These chairs join a pool of several others available in Indiana State Parks to make trails more readily available to Hoosiers who need such assistance. These chairs for Indiana Dunes State Park were purchased by the Friends of Indiana Dunes, who were given discounted pricing from McCabe Outdoor Mobility. Two of the chairs are designed for use on trails, and one chair is designed for use on the beach. In addition, donation funds in memory of Kevin O’Connell were used

A Michigan City man was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm following a two day jury trial. Thirty year old Rapheal Seay, was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. According to evidence presented at trial, in December of 2019 Mr. Seay was driving in Michigan City with a loaded 9 millimeter firearm that had an extended magazine. Police officers pulled his car over and recovered the firearm. During a later interview, Mr. Seay told investigators that he had the gun for protection and had bought it in South