Local News

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.

Timely access to services has historically been one of the greatest hurdles of those seeking treatment for mental and behavioral health issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, timely access has become even more important, as anxiety and stress levels begin to rise due to the uncertainty surrounding us all. As a part of their commitment to LaPorte County, Swanson Center has created a process to help remove these barriers. The Open Access Center is designed to meet the needs of people who are seeking treatment and helps them to take that first step in the (treatment) process.The Open Access Center at

Timely access to services has historically been one of the greatest hurdles of those seeking treatment for mental and behavioral health issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, timely access has become even more important, as anxiety and stress levels begin to rise due to the uncertainty surrounding us all. As a part of their commitment to LaPorte County, Swanson Center has created a process to help remove these barriers. The Open Access Center is designed to meet the needs of people who are seeking treatment and helps them to take that first step in the (treatment) process.The Open Access Center at

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 492 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 28,255 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 40 percent of ICU beds and nearly 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Sunday. A total of 1,621 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 14 over the

Healthcare system seeking blood donations from patients who have recovered Franciscan Health is participating in a national study spearheaded by the Mayo Clinic to investigate the effectiveness of convalescent plasma in treating patients infected with COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is blood plasma collected from people who have already recovered from the virus. “Convalescent plasma has been used since the 1800s to help people infected with different viruses and bacteria. The idea behind convalescent plasma is that if we take the antibodies from a patient who has recovered from an infection, and give them to a patient who is sick from that

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that Indiana has been approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), a new program authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), signed by President Trump, which provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals dealing with school closures. Indiana will be able to operate Pandemic EBT, a supplemental food purchasing benefit to current SNAP participants and as a new EBT benefit to other eligible households to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been consumed at school. For the 2019-2020 school year, Indiana had

Friday LaPorte County Commissioner Dr. Vidya Kora released a friend-of-the-court or amicus filing submitted on Wednesday to the U.S. Supreme Court that included LaPorte County along with 43 other cities, towns and counties across the country, filed in defense of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The LaPorte County Commission on a 2-1 vote on May 6, authorized LaPorte County Attorney Shaw Friedman to add LaPorte County as a signatory to the brief. The case, on appeal from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is in the briefing stages now before the U.S. Supreme Court. A decision is not likely for

COVID-19 testing by OPTUM, a contractor for the Indiana State Department of Health, is available at no cost at Michigan City High School. You must register online or by phone before going to the testing site. Once OPTUM releases the flyer with the new testing information as promised, it will be shared with you and across media outlets. In the meantime, feel free to share this information so that people can sign up online or via phone. The LaPorte Armory testing site will no longer be open for testing. Please use a mask or face covering and practice social distancing

Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, the bipartisan Indiana Election Commission voted to implement several changes for the upcoming primary election, which has been moved to June 2. The most notable change allows any resident of La Porte County to vote by mail with an absentee ballot, though in-person voting and early voting will still be available. Registered voters who wish to vote through the mail may request an absentee ballot by filling out ABS–MAIL PRIMARY 2020 FORM and return it to their local election board via mail, email, fax or hand delivery. Alternatively, registered voters can use

On Wednesday May 14th, 2020 at approximately 9:00 P.M.; Michigan City Police Department Shift 2 Patrol Officers were dispatched to the area of Pullman Field, on the city’s west side, for a report of shots being fired. Several officers that were near the area also reported hearing the shots. As officers responded, people were observed chaotically leaving the area. Officers secured the scene, collected evidence, and spoke to witnesses. A group wascelebrating a birthday party at Pullman Field, when for unknown reasons, shots were fired.Soon after arriving at the scene, officers were dispatched to Franciscan Hospital in reference to a

City of La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin (third from left) accepts a grant check awarded to the department by the Norfolk Southern Foundation Thursday, May 14, 2020, in La Porte. The $5000 grant was given as part of the Norfolk Southern Corporation’s charitable giving programs, which seek to enhance the livability of the communities served by the corporation. Brettin said the money will be used to purchase needed equipment for the department. Pictured, from left: Mayor Tom Dermody, City of La Porte Assistant Police Chief Nate Thode, Brettin, Norfolk Southern Police Supervisory Special Agent Steven Kirkman, Norfolk Southern Police

Starting the week of May 18, most DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife-owned shooting ranges will begin to reopen.All facilities will be following COVID-19 social distancing and cleaning requirements. Restrictions will reduce the number of recreational shooters on the shooting ranges at a given time.Atterbury Fish & Wildlife Area’s shooting range will open by appointment only May 15-17 and resume normal operating hours the week of May 18. Shooters wishing to schedule an appointment should call 812-526-6552.All other FWA shooting ranges, except the one at Willow Slough FWA, will reopen starting the week of May 18. Shooting range hours differ

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