Local News

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 16.9 percent for April and is higher than the national rate of 14.7 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 decrease of 40,450 over the previous month. This was a result of an increase of 446,017 unemployed residents and a decrease of 486,467 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.23

On Monday morning at approximately 12:30 a.m., Trooper Carlson was stationary on I-80/94 eastbound near the 1.4 mile-marker. A vehicle was observed traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed. Trp. Carlson measured the vehicles speed at 101 mph in a well posted 55 mph zone. The vehicle, a white 2007 Buick sedan, passed Trp. Carlson’s location and immediately applied its brakes and moved over two lanes. Trp. Carlson pulled onto I-80 and caught up to the vehicle near the 2.4 mile-marker. As Trp. Carlson activated his police vehicle’s lights and sirens in an attempt to get the driver to

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced that 354 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 31,715 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 1,832 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 8 over the previous day. Another 152 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record, following a correction to

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is now accepting appointments for in-person customer service starting today. Locally, locations reopening include the district offices in Merrillville and South Bend. Visit the District Office web page at dor.in.gov/3390.htm for contact information. When customers arrive for their scheduled appointment, they will need to call the customer service phone number posted on the DOR entrance door to receive further instruction from a customer service representative. Before making an appointment for an in-person visit, customers are encouraged to contact DOR directly by phone or email. Customers can call the DOR’s individual customer service line at

Friday morning, in Porter County just before 3 a.m. troopers were dispatched to a crash involving a semi and another truck on I-94 east-bound, near the 23 mile-marker. This is around one mile east of the Burns Harbor/Porter exit ramp. The initial officer on-scene located a male subject, later identified as 38 year old Ryan E. Greer of Knox, lying in the roadway.  A semi was fully engulfed and another truck with orange traffic barrels was located in the south ditch in the trees.  A helicopter was originally contacted but it was cancelled when it was determined that Greer was

This past Wednesday, around 2:30 a.m., Michigan City Police Department Shift 3 officers were dispatched to Schoop’s Hamburgers, 4105 Franklin Street in reference to an audible business alarm. During this time, a witness in the area called 911 to report a subject running north from the business toward US Hwy 20. Officers located the subject, who attempted to elude police on foot. The subject was subsequently caught and was identified as 27 year old Kyle James Reese, of Rolling Prairie. Officers checked the perimeter of Schoop’s and located no visible signs of forced entry into the building. Later in the

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 493 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 30,409 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. As of today, nearly 38 percent of ICU beds and more than 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Friday. A total of 1,791 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of

While fewer drivers are expected to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Department of Transportation wants to remind motorists to slow down and travel safely, especially in work zones. In Indiana, residents are starting to get "Back on Track" as various businesses and services are reopening. Because of this, Hoosiers may experience increased traffic in some areas. Where possible, road construction and maintenance activities will be suspended by noon today. However, a number of restrictions and closures will remain in place due to long-term projects, including locally: Lane closures on I-65 from

When the pandemic became very real for LaPorte County, the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) did what they do best – mobilized resources, gathered the right people around the (virtual) table, began collecting data, and pushed forward with emergency assistance across multiple sectors. So far, HFL has distributed $681,621 in emergency grants. Beyond those efforts, HFL is working with a host of community partners. HFL has been able to help coordinate responses that have had a massive positive effect in the community in three key areas:  coordinating of personal protective equipment (PPE) needs – including purchasing and delivering, developing

Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), announced that Mike Hooper has been named senior vice president and president of NIPSCO. Hooper will take on the role as the head of NIPSCO effective June 1, following Violet Sistovaris. Having served as the company’s president since 2015, Sistovaris will be transitioning into an expanded role at NiSource, based in Indiana. Hooper joined NIPSCO in 2011 and most recently served as the company’s senior vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs and strategy. During his time at NIPSCO, he also served as senior vice president

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced that because health indicators remain positive, most of the state will advance to stage 3 of the Back On Track Indiana plan on Friday, May 22. Indiana Back On Track has five stages. For Cass, Lake and Marion counties – which started Stage 2 after other counties, stage 3 may begin on June 1. Local governments may impose more restrictive guidelines. “We continue to remain vigilant about protecting Hoosiers’ health while taking responsible steps to further open our state’s economy,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Moving to stage 3 is possible because Hoosiers across the state

Passengers are advised that the South Shore Line will continue to operate its modified weekday train schedule on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020. Please click here for the modified schedule, which consists of a weekend/holiday schedule and two additional eastbound and two additional westbound trains.  South Shore ticket offices will also observe holiday hours on May 25, with the Millennium Station ticket office open from 9:35 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other ticket offices will be closed. As a reminder, Bikes on Trains remains temporarily suspended until further notice. Bikes continue to be prohibited from all weekend and weekday trains during

Mayor Duane Parry and the Michigan City Park Department are preparing the issuing of the 2020 Washington Park Parking Stickers. This program has been delayed with the unfortunate COVID-19 virus. Because of the delays and unforeseen closures, it was decided that the 2019 resident only park stickers will be honored this year, so no need to get a new sticker. For those wanting to obtain your stickers the city will be issuing stickers at Washington Park with the following procedure on the following days: Today from 9:00am to 6:00pm Friday May 22nd from 9:00am to 6:00pm The Mayor’s Office says

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) announced plans for their Motor Carrier Services (MCS) division to begin accepting appointments for in-person customer service starting May 26. Customers can schedule an appointment online at Appts.dor.in.gov or by calling MCS directly at 317-615-7200.  In addition, customers may call MCS directly or visit the website to answer questions and/or conduct transactions. Customers will find assistance through the following options: Visit the MCS website to view available online services at motorcarrier.dor.in.gov. Contact a specific MCS team using a list of phone numbers and email addresses available at dor.in.gov/4192.htm. In-person services will be limited to

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of 58 year old Jason I. Wetzel of Wantah, for Murder. Jason is the biological father of Jeremiah J. Wetzel, the shooting victim.      On Monday night , the referenced shooting occurred at the Wetzel residence located in the 8200 west block of CR 1500 South, in rural Cass Township.  Since then, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division have tirelessly investigated the circumstances surrounding the shooting.    Wednesday morning, an autopsy occurred at Franciscan Health, Michigan City campus. The death of Jeremiah was ruled a homicide.     Later in the day, detectives presented

Wednesday morning at 3:30 a.m., Trooper Dennis Griffin stopped to check on what he thought was a disabled vehicle on I-65 near 15th Ave.  The vehicle was parked on the right shoulder and occupied by an adult female and minor child.  Upon his initial approach of the vehicle, he observed the female slumped over the wheel.  The child was sleeping in a car seat in the back seat.  He attempted to wake the driver and when she didn’t respond, he opened the door to check on her well-being.  Upon doing so, he observed that the female was beginning to wake

Yesterday the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced that 581 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 29,274 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. As of yesterday, 39 percent of ICU beds and nearly 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Sunday. A total of 1,716 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 38

City Hall along with City Departments, will be closed Monday, May 25, 2020 to observe the Memorial Day Holiday.Trash and Compost pickup will resume on Tuesday, May 26th, and the normal pickup day will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. Michigan City Transit will also resume their regular schedule on Tuesday, May 26th. Mayor Parry would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Holiday. Take a moment to remember all the American soldiers who have died defending our Country.

The LaPorte County Career and Technical Education program at the A.K. Smith Career Center in Michigan City virtually streamed its 2020 Awards Program on Thursday, May 7. During the program, returning members of the Technical Honor Society were recognized and new students were inducted. Several students were also honored with scholarships and awards. The May 7 ceremony was led by Director of Career and Technical Education, Audra Peterson, and addressed the four pillars of the society. They included: Excellence, Character, Technology, and Work Ethic. Forty-nine students were inducted into the Society, representing seven area high schools. The schools include Lacrosse

Michigan City Policing say they are continuing to work with City Hall to monitor the pandemic and develop a plan to open up services such as the processing of handgun and city dog tag permits. The Records Division still remains closed for in-person contact with the public. Once they are able to safely open the Records Division and continue to provide the quality services that our community has been accustomed to, MCPD will be sure to notify everyone via Social Media and a press release.