Local News

Krueger Middle School in Michigan City was notified earlier this month that it finished among the top schools in the nation in the 2020 PepsiCo Recycle Rally Challenge. Throughout the school year, KMS collected 194 tons of recycled goods. Krueger Middle School Environmental Science teacher Daisy Lee coordinated the effort. Students and families brought in items to be recycled and weighed for the challenge, which also expanded to the community as several businesses began recycling and hosting collection bins. Participating businesses included LaPorte Insurance Agency, the Elston YMCA, and Anytime Fitness. With the help of the students, parents, teachers, and

As 2019 began, the Michigan City Police Department faced a critical moment in staffing levels. Multiple retirements were occurring, and several staff members had moved on to other police agencies. On August 6th, 2019 a request was sent to every member of the Michigan City Police Department. This request was seeking volunteers to work in the Investigative Division. Corporal Lendell Hood, Officer Dana Ford, Officer Melissa Sopher, and Corporal Michael King immediately stepped forward and accepted this assignment. Throughout the remainder of 2019 and into 2020 these four individuals worked diligently within the Investigative Division, while also maintaining their duties

Due to continued impacts surrounding COVID-19, the South Shore Line announces that all monthly tickets purchased for the month of July will remain valid throughout August 2020. As the State of Indiana and the City of Chicago continue to make progress with their respective re-opening phases, we understand that our passengers may continue to have differing travel schedules throughout the summer. Passengers purchasing a paper July monthly ticket should plan to keep that ticket and use it through August, and passengers purchasing a digital July monthly ticket via the mobile app will see an August ticket uploaded to their accounts

LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office is reminding the public that the new hands-free traffic law prohibits a driver from holding or using a telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle.Exceptions are “Used with hands-free or voice operated technology” and ”Held and used to call 911 to report an emergency”.

Prairie Farms Dairy has gallons of thanks for Franciscan Health healthcare providers and to the public who have supported their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. The well-known milk distributor is working jointly with a U.S. Department of Agriculture program and will make a special delivery at Franciscan Health Fitness Centers, 221 U.S. 41 in Schererville, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30. A truck in the south side of the parking lot will distribute 1,000 one-gallon jugs of 2 percent milk to hospital workers and to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Orange traffic cones will

Overnight lane closures will be taking place on I-65 from 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30 to 3 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1 to construct a new traffic configuration between MM 253 and 258. Beginning in the early morning hours of July 1, northbound I-65 traffic will be shifted to the left inside shoulder and left inside lane so that work can occur in the center lane, right lane and right shoulder. Northbound traffic will also have a counter-flow lane on the southbound I-65 side of the barrier wall. Traffic will shift back into normal alignment after the north crossover

Wednesday, July 1, 2020 – LaPorte County 10 a.m. – Noon CDT WHERE: LaPorte High School, 602 F Street, LaPorte, IN 46350 Thursday, July 2, 2020 – St. Joseph County Noon – 5 p.m. EDT WHERE: Food Bank of Northern Indiana, 702 Chapin Street, South Bend, IN 46601 Fresh perishable items and dry goods offered free of charge. All items will be pre-boxed and pre-bagged. First come, first served, for up to 400 households while supplies last for those in need of food assistance. One per household. This is a drive-thru distribution. Please remain in your vehicle and pop open

The community is excited to recognize the Class of 2020 in a “Salute to the Seniors” caravan on July 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the City of LaPorte. We invite all graduating seniors to participate in this event. In order to provide a safe atmosphere for our staff, graduates, and guests, the following safety precautions will be adhered to for the Class of 2020 “Salute to the Seniors” caravan on July 6. The senior caravan route will start at Dairy Queen and proceed down Lincolnway. The caravan will end near the splash pad on Lincolnway. The route is very similar

City reminds residents of fireworks ordinance After numerous complaints, Mayor Tom Dermody urges La Porte residents to be mindful of the city’s fireworks code as Independence Day nears. “With so many events being canceled this year, we know people are excited to find ways to celebrate the upcoming holiday on their own,” Dermody said. “However, we must still be respectful of other residents. Shooting off fireworks until 1 a.m. and keeping neighbors up a week before the Fourth just isn’t acceptable, and our police department will ticket anyone who violates the fireworks ordinance.” The City of La Porte’s municipal code

La Porte County SkillUp funded program provides coursework, lab work and real-world experiences The SkillUp program and A.K. Smith Career Center provide trained interns and employees in the field of air compression and vacuums to manufacturing facilities throughout LaPorte county and neighboring communities. Located in Michigan City, the A.K. Smith Career Center provides students an opportunity to learn all about manufacturing through classroom, lab and real-world experiences. The program will help high school students and those enrolled in Adult Education to be better prepared for employment in a technical work environment. “Every high school in LaPorte County has the opportunity

In alignment with the Governors’ orders, Franciscan Health Fitness Centers has re-opened with phases for safety. The phased strategy implements specific measures to ensure the safety and well-being of members and staff. All three Clubs have now re-opened, with the Chicago Heights location being the latest on June 15th.  The Chesterton and Schererville Clubs, following the Indiana Governor’s guidance, are in Phase Two and are offering limited land and aquatic Group Exercise classes. The Locker Rooms and the walking/running tracks are now available for Member’s use.  In the Chicago Heights Club, currently in Phase One or their re-opening strategy, Members

On Friday night, at 10:00 PM, Captain Andy Hynek had just started his shift as the Midnight Shift Supervisor. At 10:02 PM, he notified the La Porte County Regional E-911 Dispatch Center that he had been involved in a motor vehicle crash at US 20 and CR 450 East. Investigators and deputies determined Captain Hynek was traveling west on US 20 at CR 450 East in his agency issued blue 2017 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor. A white 2020 Mack tandem axle truck, driven by 50 year old James V. Futch of Dallas, Texas, was traveling south on CR 450 East.

May Indiana Employment Report - All key sectors grew in the month of MayIndiana’s unemployment rate dropped to 12.3 percent for May and is lower than the national rate of 13.3 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 increase of 110,780 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 156,903 unemployed residents and an increase of 267,683 employed residents. Indiana's total labor

Adult Education and Learning Centers of Northwest Indiana will be providing scholarships to cover the $95 cost of High School Equivalency (HSE) testing for adult learners enrolled in their programs throughout Northwest Indiana. Funding for the scholarships comes from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and serves as an incentive for individuals to complete their high school equivalency, making them eligible for better paying jobs and entry into training.  “We are delighted to provide these scholarships,” said Kitty Meyer, adult education manager at the Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI). Meyer said in order to qualify for free testing scholarships, students

State Representative Pat Boy (D-Michigan City) today announced she was assigned to three interim study committees. Boy will be serving on the following: Interim Study Committee on Elections; the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; and the Code Revision Commission. "I'm looking forward to re-joining and collaborating again with my colleagues in the Indiana General Assembly," Boy said. "Our time spent learning, listening to testimony and debating will be the starting point for legislative change on major issues affecting the Hoosier State. As always, I'm honored to serve Indiana House District 9 and plan to do just that this summer and

Chief Dion Campbell and his administrative team have recently developed a new way in which MCPD will handle internal investigations. Previously, if MCPD received an internal complaint, the complaint would be reviewed and assigned to one of the Assistant Chiefs and/or a Supervisor. This week, Chief Campbell rolled out the Internal Affairs Investigation Committee (IAIC) to investigate officer complaints received by MCPD. The IAIC is comprised of three (3) sworn/active members of MCPD. These members are appointed by the Chief of Police to investigate most internal complaints that are received. The exception would be those investigations in which Chief Campbell

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 389 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 41,746 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. As of today, nearly 37 percent of ICU beds and more than 81 percent of ventilators are available. A total of 2,327 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 23 over the

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and fitness icon Jake Steinfeld announced the three Indiana schools that were selected to each receive a $100,000 DON’T QUIT! fitness center from the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC). The NFGFC Review Committee has named Perry Meridian Middle School in Indianapolis, Martin T. Krueger Middle School in Michigan City and Southside Middle School in Muncie for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit. The NFGFC seeks to encourage and reward innovation in the field of youth fitness by awarding fitness centers to schools that use new and unique methods to promote student

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 584 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 41,438 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. As of today, nearly 37 percent of ICU beds and nearly 82 percent of ventilators are available. A total of 2,304 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 15 over the previous

The Social Security Administration announced the first of several steps the agency is taking to improve the public’s experience on its website.  The newly redesigned retirement benefits portal, at www.socialsecurity.gov/benefits/retirement, will help millions of people prepare for and apply for retirement.  “We are working hard to continue improving our website to provide people with clear, helpful information and easy access to our online services,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security.  “Our new retirement portal is more user-friendly and easier to navigate, whether someone is ready to learn about, apply for, or manage their retirement benefits.” The redesigned portal will make it easier