Local News

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 634 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 26,053 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. Nearly 41 percent of ICU beds and nearly 80 percent of ventilators were available as of Thursday. A total of 1,508 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 26 over the

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of 25 year old Jerry Valencia of Elkhart. Tuesday night, deputies were dispatched to the Family Express, located at 243 West Johnson Road, reference a theft (later determined to be a robbery) that had just occurred. Responding deputies were provided with a description of the suspect and suspect vehicle. Deputies were advised the vehicle was last seen traveling east on Severs Road. A short time later, Deputy Derrick Deck spotted the suspect vehicle traveling north of SR 39. He attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle at the automated

Preliminary results from a scientific study aimed at measuring the spread of the novel coronavirus in Indiana show a general population prevalence of about 2.8 percent of the state’s population. Researchers tested more than 4,600 Hoosiers between April 25 and May 1 for viral infections and antibodies of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This number includes more than 3,600 people who were randomly selected and an additional 900 volunteers recruited through outreach to the African American and Hispanic communities to more accurately represent state demographics.Researchers determined that during the last week in April, 1.7 percent of participants tested

Chesterton’s European MarketTentative New Opening Day! Saturday, May 30 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm It’s almost that time of year again! Come visit us for our essential vendors including produce, meat, and other consumable items. We are still accepting vendor applications and sponsorship opportunities are available. Please follow us on Facebook for updates! The start to this season will look different from year’s past. The season will plan to open two weeks after the regular start date, which is normally the first Saturday in May running through the last Saturday in October. The Duneland Chamber of Commerce has been monitoring

For 74 years, the Jaycees, an organization comprised of all volunteers has hosted the premierfamily-friendly 4th of July Celebration that encompasses an arts and crafts festival, community fireworks, andthe largest 4th of July parade in the state of Indiana. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jaycees regret to announce that the Arts and Crafts Fair and Fireworks Celebration will be cancelled and the iconic 4th of July Parade will be moved to a later date. This decision was not made lightly, and the 4th of July Celebration encompasses a committee of volunteers that have been working hard planning

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors recently announced the election of its 2020-21 Board officers. They are :-Kathryn Bernel, Chair-Leigh Morris: Immediate Past Chair-Nolah Nasser-Gertner, Vice-Chair-Suzan Wade, Secretary-Lorri Feldt, TreasurerThese five individuals will be leading the LCSO Board of Directors comprised of 21 members. The LCSO will be entering its 48th season next fall with Hoosier Star, Drayton Children’s Educational Concerts, three subscription concerts with music director candidates and Holiday at the Pops. For more information visit www.lcso.net.

Yesterday the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced that 566 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 25,127 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 remains steady. Nearly 45 percent of ICU beds and more than 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Tuesday.A total of 1,444 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 33 over the previous

 The La Porte Armory Located at 2391 W. State Road 2, is a COVID-19 testing site. Hoosiers will not be charged for testing and insurance is​ not required. If you have private health insurance, please​ bring that information with you.​Register here: https://lhi.care/covidtesting​ or by phone at: 888-634-1116 . 

Horizon Bank has donated $10,000 to Unity Foundation of La Porte County’sLa Porte County Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund to aid those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Unity Foundation of La Porte County is ready to assist La Porte County residents and will utilize their resources in the most impactful ways to serve the community’s needs during this challenging time.We hope other community members consider contributing to their La Porte County Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund,” said Steve Kring, Regional President for Northwest Indiana. “Unity activated our Disaster Fund and made early grants to frontline organizations for food and

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating damage to the Dunes Summer Theatre.  Yesterday (05/10/20) at approximately 8:35 AM, deputies were dispatched to the theatre, located at 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michiana Shores, in reference to a report of criminal mischief.    Deputies Michael Sweet and Josh Smith arrived and began to investigate.  The exterior of the main building had been spray painted with graffiti, two windows were broken, a door had been pried open and entry was made.  Smaller buildings on the property were also vandalized.  The damage to these buildings included another broken window and additional graffiti. 

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 511 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 24,627 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 remains steady. Nearly 43 percent of ICU beds and more than 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Monday. A total of 1,411 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 32 over

Porter County has been awarded $161,046 by the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program to support local food pantries and homeless shelter services. $94,655 of the award comes from the Federal CARES Act for coronavirus relief. The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army, United Jewish Communities and United Way of America. A Local County Board will determine how the awarded funds will

Indiana University Northwest, and the Center for Economic and Education and Research (CEER) at Indiana University Northwest, will host a free webinar exploring the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Open to the public, the virtual event, “COVID-19 Economic Effects on Northwest Indiana,” is scheduled for 1 to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday May 13, and will be accessible online via the Zoom video platform and Facebook Live. Micah Pollak, associate professor of economics at IU Northwest and director of CEER, has convened six panelists from a variety of areas to discuss the wide-ranging impact of the pandemic and the state’s response

Michigan City Area Schools are making plans for virtual summer school in June. MCAS will offer a wide variety of courses at the high school level, including a virtual summer P.E. class. Sessions for high school will run June 1-12 and 15-26.At the middle school level, a fun "STEM through Music" course will be offered virtually June 15-26. Elementary programs (for students entering grades 1-6) will involve fun learning activities in coding, art, cooking & math, writing, book club, yoga and more! These virtual enrichment courses will be offered June 15-26.A link has been provided for specifics about what will be offered

Mayor Parry and the Park Department have been diligently attempting to come up with a “PLAN” for Washington Park Stickers for this year. As we continue to develop our plan for issuing new stickers, we have decided that the 2019 Resident Park Sticker will be honored. Which means if you presently have a sticker adhered to your windshield, we will honor that sticker throughout the 2020 season. This idea is to help reduce the amount of people having to renew this year cutting down the potential registering traffic. If you have already removed your expired sticker, “DON’T PANIC” we are

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) announces the arrest of 35 year old Asia L. Jeter of South Bend. Thursday morning just before 1 A.M., deputies were advised that the Berrien County Michigan Sheriff’s Department had initiated a motor vehicle pursuit in their county/state. LCSO Deputies learned that Berrien County authorities had attempted to check on the occupants of a vehicle, but the vehicle fled causing the pursuit. Berrien County units terminated the pursuit on CR 500 East in northern Galena Township. A short time later, Captain Andrew Hynek observed the vehicle traveling south on CR 500 East near

Mayor of Michigan City institutes new Executive Order for Michigan City on Thursday May 7th, 2020. Check out the Executive Order on WIMS FACEBOOK page. Scroll down the WIMS FACEBOOK page to Ric Federighi Morning Show earlier today to hear comments, updates and input from Mayor Parry.

La Porte residents in need of assistance will continue to receive support from the City, according to Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Parthun. “The virus has taken its toll on our nation’s economy and left many throughout the country jobless,” Parthun said. “We understand this could be a time of financial hardship for some of our fellow La Porte residents, and we want to do what we can to help.” To assist those who might be struggling during this difficult time, Parthun said Utility Billing shut-offs have been suspended until June 1, 2020, in addition to several other support measures: Suspension of late

The La Porte Police Department is now accepting applications for sworn officer positions, according to Chief Paul Brettin. “After a temporary hiring freeze due to the coronavirus, our city’s police force is ready to expand,” Brettin said. “We are looking into several new opportunities for growth, including a specialty street crimes unit. To bring these ideas into fruition, we need new recruits who are ready and eager to serve our community.”  Brettin said those interested should get their applications in as soon as possible in order to make the next round of agility testing, which begins in June. Applicants must

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry is partnering with Indiana farmers statewide to fill the void and get meat to those in need during this critical time and they desperately need your help to do so. They have the opportunity to help farmers and reduce food insecurity by receiving 500 pigs per week over the next 30 days. The average cost to process a pig is about $200.00. That is $100,000 per week that will be needed ASAP! Please help so these pigs can feed those in need instead of ending up in landfills. Together, we can rescue this food that would