Local News

The six regional hospitals that serve the city of Portage publicly support the smokefree air ordinance being considered by the city council. Each hospital CEO signed a joint letter of support that was sent to the council members on Monday, June 21st . Northwest Health, Healthlinc, Northshore Health Centers, Porter-Starke Services, Inc., St. Mary Medical Center, and Franciscan Health Michigan City co-signed the letter. Hospitals and health care facilities bear witness to the significant health burden secondhand smoke places on communities like Portage. Smokefree laws are proven to save lives and prevent disease. Hospital admissions to emergency departments for heart

Northwest Health announced recipients of the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing. The team members honored were from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and included: Autumn Reese, RN-BSN; Lauren Haller, ASN-RNC; Jill Volk, ASN-RNC; Elizabeth St. Germain, ASN-RN; Alexis Goebel, Diploma RN-RNC; MaCahlia Reyes, BSN-RN; Julie White, MSN-RNC; Pam Jefferson, BSN-RNC; Cindy Fultz, ASN-RNC; and Becky Skalka, ASN-RN.   They were nominated by a mother whose baby daughter was a recent NICU patient. The mother shared that she was first scared of the phrase “NICU” but has never been more pleasantly surprised. She named each nurse by name - Autumn,

The Town of Porter is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan to direct future land use, transportation, development, and community infrastructure, and the community is invited to participate and help shape the new plan into a successful and sustainable roadmap for the future. The Town of Porter’s last Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2004. The new plan will reflect what has changed and what has been learned since then. The Plan Commission’s goal is to anticipate the needs and opportunities for the next 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan update will document the community’s shared goals and objectives. to maintain

Goodwill Industries of Michiana has been selected among eight Goodwill organizations in the country to provide healthcare career assistance. Amid the ongoing pandemic employment crisis and demand for qualified healthcare workers, Goodwill International has partnered with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to introduce Healthcare CareerLaunch. “COVID-19 has left a lasting impact on many communities and has changed the landscape of the workforce.  The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is excited to join forces with Goodwill on this innovative program as part of our commitment to improve lives and communities,” said Dr. Kimberly Roop, Anthem Blue Cross

Dare to be like Diana of the Dunes and hike more than 250 steps along a one mile trail at West Beach to end at the shoreline and watch the sunset with National Park Service rangers, at 7:30 p.m. every Saturday this summer. This one-hour hike will challenge you physically and entertain you with stories about the real Diana of the Dunes. For more information about this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call visit www.nps.gov/indu . Knox: Mobile Food Distributions June 23

Residents impacted by the severe storms June 18-21 are asked to contact Indiana 211 to report storm damage and help with a statewide damage assessment. The storm produced several tornado warnings and resulted in severe flooding in some areas. The storms damaged or destroyed multiple buildings, caused evacuations and resulted in temporary shelters erected in counties with considerable damage. At least one death in Monroe County has been attributed to the swift-moving storm. In addition to local public safety crews, Indiana Department of Homeland Security personnel have been deployed to specific counties with damage, including Franklin, Steuben, Jefferson and Monroe

The Leadership Institute at Purdue Northwest announces the September launch of the 2021-2022 Leadership Northwest Indiana (LNI) program, a professional development program that uses a hybrid model of both in-person training sessions and the convenience of Zoom meetings to create a supportive network while building a practical toolbox of skills for Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana professionals. Participants will experience evidence-based learning activities to strengthen leadership skills, and discover strategies to become a more authentic leader in their career, in their community and in their personal life. “The LNI program is well-regarded as a robust and relevant leadership training. We provide

"We want everyone to have a fun summer, but safety is always our top concern. We’ve received several calls about teens jumping from the Waverly Rd Bridge and hanging on passing boats." Tom Dermody. Not only is this extremely unsafe, but it also violates City ordinance. Our City of La Porte Police Department will be working closely with the La Porte County Sheriff's Office as well as the DNR to catch violators. If caught, a minimum fine of $50 will be issued. Please, talk to your teens about this and help us keep everyone safe. If you spot jumpers, you

As we approach extreme heat temperatures this weekend, taking steps to protect yourself from heat illnesses is essential. Heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke and cramps happen when your body can’t keep itself cool. As the temperature rises, your body produces sweat to stay cool. On hot, humid days, the increased moisture in the air slows down this process.   If You Are Experiencing Any of These Heat Exhaustion Symptoms, You Should: Move to a cool place Loosen your clothes Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath Sip water Heat Stroke Symptoms High

It is with great sadness that the Town of Chesterton must report the death today, Saturday, June 19, of longtime local attorney Terry Hiestand, in a motor vehicle accident on the Indiana Toll Road in St. Joseph County. Hiestand, 75, both lived and practiced law in Chesterton and over the years appeared dozens of times before the Chesterton Board of Zoning Appeals, most recently in May. According to the Indiana State Police, at 10 a.m. Hiestand was eastbound on the Toll Road, two miles west of the Notre Dame exit, when he collided with another vehicle in the adjacent lane.

Washington Park Drowning On 6/19/21 at 8:09pm, LaPorte County Regional Dispatch Center, dispatched Michigan City Police Department, Michigan City Fire Department, United States Coast Guard, to Washington Park to assist with a possible drowning. Officers arrived on scene and began to speak with witnesses and learned that a group of individuals were in the water and three subjects began to struggle while swimming. A couple of “Good Samaritans” noticed the subjects struggling and came to assist. Once they returned to shore it was determined that an 11-year-old juvenile was still missing in the water. Search measures were quickly put in place

According to the Town of Chesterton, Town of Porter Police Department are reporting that a 17-year-old boy driving with a learner’s permit who was, according to witnesses, possibly racing another vehicle at excessive speeds, was seriously injured after losing control of his vehicle on U.S. Highway 12 on Wednesday. Police say the crash occurred just after 4:30 p.m. where U.S. 12 curves just east of Waverly Road. While losing control of his Hyundai Tiburon, the driver left the roadway and came to rest against a tree into a wooded area. The driver needed to be extricated and was then transported

MC Transit Service Advisory Celebrating Our Hometown Heroes this Saturday, with our Patriotic Parade. Michigan City Transit will temporarily suspend service between 10:30AM – 1:30PM. Due to NICTD Double Track construction closure, Parade route and staging of the Parade we are unable to re-route and maintain are bus service schedules. MC Transit will resume service at 1:30PM from the MC Public Library

The Porter County Traffic Safety Partnership (TSP) issued 54 seat belt citations during its recent Click It or Ticket enforcement blitz, which coincided with Memorial Day weekend and lasted three weeks. In addition to the seat belt citations, four other citations were issued; two for speeding and two for distracted driving. There was a misdemeanor arrest made as well. More than 200 Indiana police agencies participated in this year’s Click It or Ticket operation, which was funded by NHTSA through ICJI.

The City of La Porte says they have received several calls about teens jumping from the Waverly Road Bridge and hanging on passing boats. The City says that not only is this extremely unsafe, but it also violates City ordinance. The Police Department will be working closely with the La Porte County Sheriff's Office as well as the DNR to catch violators. If caught, a minimum fine of $50 will be issued. The City also says if you spot jumpers, you can call the police department’s non-emergency line.

New Buffalo Police say that last Thursday a Yacht was taken from the New Buffalo Marina without the owner’s permission. An arrest was made in the case, a 37 year old man from Syracuse Indiana was lodged at the Berrien County Jail on initial charges of possession of stolen property. A maintenance employee was servicing the vessel that morning when a subject came onto the vessel impersonating a relative of the owner, took possession of the boat, and powered off. The next day when the owners arrived their boat was missing, and they contacted police. On June 12 the Michigan

Hailmann and Critchfield Elementary Schools in La Porte both welcomed new principals this week. Hailmann welcomed Zach Huber and his family at a school board meeting earlier this week. Principal Huber brings nearly two decades of experience in education to the role. A La Porte native, he looks forward to working within his community to see his faculty and students succeed. Mrs. Tearsa Schable who was named the next principal at Crichfield. Mrs. Schable taught at Kingsbury before moving into administration. She first served as assistant principal at Kingsbury before taking the helm at Lincoln Elementary. Mrs. Schable is a

Michigan City High School has announced new leadership roles. Sarah Hendricks and Kyle Dean are now co-principals. Mrs. Hendricks is a graduate of MCHS and joined the MCHS staff as Assistant Principal during the 2020-21 school year. Previously, she was a school counselor at MCHS, as well as Head Coach of the Wolves volleyball team. She also served as Dean at Penn High School in Mishawaka. Mr. Dean comes to MCHS from Westville High School, where he served as Assistant Principal since 2018. He has been a science teacher at the high-school level since 2012, and he held a principal