Local News

INDOT is hosting three public meetings to offer all interested parties an opportunity to comment on the I-80/I-94 corridor between Illinois 394 in Cook County, IL and I-65 in Lake County, Indiana. -Wednesday, July 28, 2021, starting at 5:00 pm at the 21st Century Charter School, 556 Washington Street, Gary, IN 46402. -Thursday, July 29, 2021, starting at 5:00 pm at the Purdue Northwest Campus, Alumni Hall, Student Union Library Building, Room 360, 2233 173rd Street, Hammond, IN 46323. -Tuesday, August 3, 2021, starting at 6:00 pm via WebEx For each in-person meeting, the doors will open at 5pm and

Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is proud to be an Indiana Arts Commission's Arts Organization Support Merit Awardee. In addition to receiving annual operating support, LCA has received a $1000 award in recognition of innovation and dedication to providing public benefit in the last year. Thank you to the National Endowment for the Arts, the Indiana Arts Commission, Governor Holcomb, Lieutenant Governor Crouch, and LCA's Regional Arts Partner South Short Arts. "The projects and organizations that are receiving funding have major positive impacts on the cultural, economic, and educational climate of Indiana," says Alberta Barker, Chair of the IAC.

Portage Police are advising the public that there are more reports of distraction burglaries in the city. A distraction burglary is where a visitor comes to your home and tells you some lie to swindle their way into your home, or creates a ruse to distract the victim so an accomplice can slip in. The most frequent targets for these distraction burglaries are the elderly and vulnerable. PPD says that if you have even the slightest thought that you may be encountering such a scenario, call PPD for assistance.

A routine traffic stop last night resulted in a long foot chase for officers, according to The City of La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin.   The traffic stop occurred on the 800 block of Boyd Blvd. yesterday at approximately 8:54 p.m. For the safety of both the suspect and the officer, the suspect was being detained so the officer could investigate possible criminal activity. As they were being placed in handcuffs, the suspect began assaulting the officer and managed to break away, fleeing on foot to the Lewis Bakeries Factory, located at 800 Boyd Blvd.   A chase ensued

– Horizon Bank awarded Hilltop Food Pantry a donation in the amount of $7,500 to support its mission of providing resources, support, and advocacy for food insecure individuals residing in Valparaiso, Indiana. The donation was presented to Hilltop Food Pantry President and CEO Jennifer Wright on May 14, 2021. “Feeding our neighbors is one of the most important things we can do and Hilltop provides food and resources for more than 600 individuals each month,” said Wright. “Every donation makes a difference, and we are grateful for the support provided by Horizon Bank because it allows us to continue providing quality food to help the members of our

The Excel Center, a free public high school for adults, is currently accepting Enrollment Applications for Term 1 of the 2021-2022 School Year. Classes begin August 3rd at Excel’s Gary and Hammond locations. Applications are accepted at any time throughout each term and new students are integrated into the schedule. Those interested can apply online at: www.ExcelCenterHS.org. The application is free and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. New students are encouraged to contact The Excel Center for more information and assistance completing their application. Visitors are welcome from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm any day The Excel Center

NIRPC is reminding businesses that the Recover NWI Revolving Loan Fund is a program to assist local businesses and organizations in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the impact of the coronavirus and to economic injury as a result of the pandemic in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The fund has a total of $530,000 available for these loans. Loan funds can be used for working capital, fixed assets, marketing, inventory, staffing, job retention, building purchase, land purchase, and other eligible expenses. Details can be found on nirpc.org/RecoverNWI .

Multiple Beach Hazards Statements Remain in effect from this evening through Wednesday afternoon. Forn, La Porte county and Berrien Counties, life threatening waves and currents expected. Those visiting the beaches should stay out of the water. Waves of 3 to 5 feet are expected tonight into Wednesday morning, subsiding to 2 to 4 feet in the afternoon. Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water and high waves can sweep people off piers. The National Weather Service says to stay out of the water, and stay away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. There is also a beach hazards

Pledging to do their part for a staged return to normalcy on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus this fall, 60% of incoming Purdue students and 66% of Purdue employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and have submitted proof four weeks in advance of the Aug. 13 fall semester deadline. Purdue announced the figures Tuesday (July 20) in its first release of overall campus vaccination rates. Calling it a “personal choice approach” for what is expected to be another record year of enrollment at the West Lafayette campus, Purdue is strongly encouraging all students and employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) and is forecasting high ozone levels for tomorrow, Tuesday, July 20, 2021 in the following region: Northwest Indiana – Lake, Porter, LaPorte IDEM encourages everyone to help reduce ozone while remaining safe during the COVID-19 health crisis by making changes to daily habits. You can: Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, walk, bike, or work from home when possible Combine errands into one trip Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. Keep your engine tuned, and don’t let your engine

The Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs is reminding eligible veterans about the Military Family Relief Fund. The applicant must: -Be an Indiana resident -Prove a genuine financial hardship -Not have a household exceeding 2 times the federal poverty guideline -Lifetime limit of 2,500 of assistance available to each veteran Rules that have changed are: -No longer have 12 months of active duty service -Military service can be during peacetime or war time -Hardship does not have to be connected to military service -Certain other than honorable discharge codes may be considered All eligible applications must be filled out completely. Be

United Way Regional Volunteer Center is seeking volunteers to help local nonprofits during its annual Day of Caring event on Friday, August 6. As the largest single-day volunteer event across Northwest Indiana, Day of Caring brings together nonprofits, families, local businesses, municipalities, churches, civic groups and individuals to change lives by helping local nonprofits with facility improvements and client-support projects. United Way is looking for more than 700 volunteers to help with 67 service projects. Volunteers can choose from in-person, virtual and donation drive opportunities. Projects include painting, landscaping, building, cleaning, hosting social activities, taking kids fishing, collection drives and