Local News

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Chancellor Thomas L. Keon and Jacob Lenson, assistant vice chancellor of campus planning, project and space management, recently celebrated a milestone in PNW’s history (shown in the attached photos). The Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building is nearing completion and has been officially handed over from the contractor to the university for usage. Named for PNW organic chemistry professor Nils K. Nelson, the 68,000-square-foot facility will contain research and teaching labs and house PNW’s College of Nursing and the Department of Biological Sciences. The building will soon be filled with furniture and equipment, preparing for students

City of Michigan City MICHIGAN CITY FARMER’S MARKET OPENING MAY 30th The Michigan City Farmer’s Market is proud to announce their grand opening event set for Saturday, May 30th. The Market is following advice from the Governor and health officials during this time. The LaPorte County Health Department and the City have set restrictions for the opening of the Market as follows: No open food. All items must be pre-packaged and fully labeledNo sampling of food itemsHome-based vendors will be allowed to sell itemsSocial distancing guidelines must be followedNo cooking or preparing food on site These requirements are being added

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), and several other senators along with U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), introduced legislation to provide expanded tax support for American companies that invest in the research and development of new products and technologies. The United States spends far less supporting R&D than international competitors. This places American businesses at a disadvantage, undermining the U.S. economy and leaving the country ill-prepared for crises like COVID-19. In 2015, Congress passed legislation authored by Senators Coons and Roberts to make the R&D tax credit permanent and to expand access to the credit for

Horizon Bank donated $14,000 to the United Ways of Lake and Porter counties to support their vast network of social services to alleviate COVID-19 economic pressures on Northwest Indiana households. The donation will go to support programming to help meet immediate needs such as food insecurities, rental and mortgage payments, job placement services and more. Lake and Porter counties are providing resource guides to local and state services that can assist residents with immediate needs. In Lake County that resource is ResourceRoundup.com and in Porter County that resource is unitedwaypc.org/coronavirus-resources. For more information on what United Way is doing in

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 583 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 20,507 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. While the number of cases has increased, intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remain steady. As of Monday, 45.5 percent of ICU beds and 80.5 percent of ventilators were available at hospitals throughout the state. A total of 1,151 Hoosiers have been confirmed to

Governor Eric J. Holcomb Announced The Back On Track Indiana Plan To Safely Open The Economy And Remain Vigilant About Protecting Hoosiers’ Health And Wellbeing Gov. Holcomb has used data to drive decisions since the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus in early March and he will continue to do so as the state contemplates a sector-by-sector reset. The state will move to reopen while continuing to monitor and respond to these four guiding principles:-The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days -The state retains its surge capacity for critical care beds and ventilators-The state

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced a new social media campaign aimed at recognizing and promoting the work of Indiana educators for national Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8. The #IndianaLovesTeachers Social Media Campaign shines a spotlight on the dedication and meaningful work of teachers throughout our great state. In an effort to nationally recognize educators, discussions began in 1944 to create a day to honor teachers. In 1953, Eleanor Roosevelt convinced the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day. Congress then, in 1980, declared March 7 as National Teacher Day. Following that year, the National Education Association continued

Mayor Duane Parry would like to announce a free Tree Sapling giveaway in light of celebrating Arbor Day. With large gatherings prohibited in a time that has brought social distancing and self-imposed isolation, the City was not able to host a planned Arbor Day Tree Celebration at the Michigan City Farmer’s Market. The City Forester, Parks Department, and Michigan City Tree Board, will be distributing saplings at City Hall on Saturday, May 9th from 9am-12pm. The goal with this giveaway is so citizens can have an outdoor project that can get them safely outside to enjoy a project with their

This past Friday, in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Indiana Motor Truck Association (IMTA), the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) helped to provide cotton face masks to truck drivers across central and northwest Indiana.  Sgt. Dale Turner and Master Trooper Jim Strong passed out 1,000 masks at the I-94 rest park in LaPorte County.  They were assisted by Darin Jones, Regional Field Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.The FMCSA, after working with FEMA and trucking stakeholders, recently acquired 1,000,000 cotton face masks and selected Indiana as one of eight

OFFICE OF MAYOR DUANE PARRY City of Michigan City Mayor Parry and his administration are reviewing Governor Holcomb’s new orders and his plans for reopening the State issued late this afternoon.   In the meantime, Mayor Parry’s Executive Order #04-2020, which was issued on April 7, 2020, still remains in full force and effect, which includes the following provisions: The opening of only essential retail businesses selling the necessities of life (such as grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, and gas stations) and limiting the number of customers in said establishmentsA City-wide curfew between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and

City of La Porte Park Superintendent Mark Schreiber (far right) thanks local manufacturer New York Blower Company for their donation of 60 bottles of hand sanitizer Friday, May 1, 2020, in La Porte. The company donated the sanitizer to help protect park staff during the pandemic. Pictured, from left: Production Supervisor Dale Lake, Executive Vice President of Operations Scott Hamilton, Director of La Porte Operations Bob Kuizim and Schreiber.  

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 815 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 18,630 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 1,062 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 55 over the previous day following the removal of one duplication. Another 113 probable deaths have been reported. Probable deaths are those for which a physician listed COVID-19

Executive Order 1-2020, also known as the Retail Responsibility Act, will expire tomorrow, according to Mayor Tom Dermody. “With changes expected to be made to the governor’s ‘stay-at-home’ order later this week, I have advised the city council against extending the Retail Responsibility Act,” Dermody said. “Though restrictions will be lifted, I urge retailers and shoppers to continue taking the necessary safety precautions as we continue to navigate this pandemic together.”  The executive order, which expires at 12:01 a.m. on May 1, limited customers entering a store within the city to one person per family. It also required retailers to

The Michigan City Transit will continue to offer free transportation throughout the month of May.  The Transit System will be limiting ridership to fifteen (15) passengers per bus and is emphasizing that passengers utilize the Transit System for essential travel only.  In addition, the Triangle Transit System will temporarily be suspended until further notice.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 605 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 17,182 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 964 Hoosiers have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, an increase of 63 over the previous day. Another 101 probable deaths have been reported. Probable deaths are those for which a physician listed COVID-19 as a contributing cause based on

Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced OptumServe Health Services, powered by Logistics Health, Inc., will open sites across Indiana in the next seven days to begin large-scale testing of Hoosiers. “Launching this partnership with Optum further expands Indiana’s COVID-19 testing capacity,” said Gov. Holcomb. “These free tests will be available in locations across the state, ensuring even more Hoosiers who have symptoms or an affected family member can get tested for coronavirus.” In the first 30 days, 100,000 Hoosiers are expected to be tested. Testing is for any symptomatic Hoosier, close contacts of positive cases, or residents of congregate living settings.

To show appreciation for the medical personnel who are tirelessly working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, South Shore Line (SSL) is inviting all doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, and other medical personnel to ride free throughout the months of May and June. “Many healthcare workers and medical personnel have continued to ride with us to their jobs since the pandemic started. We not only want to show our appreciation for their ridership but also for the work they are doing in their critical jobs on the frontlines,” said Michael Noland, President of South Shore Line. “Their selflessness has not

NIPSCO Forestry is once again participating in the Arbor Day Foundation's "Energy Saving Trees" program . https://energysavingtrees.arborday.org/#HomeAny NIPSCO electric customer can sign up using the website https://energysavingtrees.arborday.org/#Home to receive a 1 gallon tree- free of cost- mailed directly to their home. The website will track energy savings for our customers. This program will provide 325 trees to the community of La Porte. Species include Sugar Maple, Serviceberry, Bur Oak, Ninebark, Paw Paw, White Oak, and Swamp White Oak.  Sign up now as supplies are very limited.Even more exciting- NIPSCO Forestry has secured additional funding to supply 50 larger trees (3 gallon size) to residents

Four Michigan City restaurants are partnering with local charities to provide meals for those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. Patrick’s Grille, Dune Billies Beach Café, Fish Camp and Fiddlehead Restaurant, popular dining spots in the city, will work with United Way of LaPorte County in coordinating the project. United Way will take donations from the general public to support the program. Please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/unitedwaylpc/event/814781/ to donate. Currently the restaurants will be providing meals to Stepping Stone Shelter for Women, Sand Castle Shelter for Homeless Families and Interfaith Community PADS, but hope to include other organizations as funds become available.

Golf Courses are considered one of the “open recreation areas” permittedto remain open by Governor Holcomb’s original Order, yet when we tried it resulted in improper use, inappropriate gathering, and non-compliance with social distancing. SO…. We are going to try it again with stricter rules, guidelines, and proper hygiene and sanitation rules.  Anyone not adhering to the rules will be asked to leave the course.    Michigan City Golf Course will be open for play beginning May 1st.  Groups can book a tee time at www.golfnow.com or via phone at (219) 873-1516.  All greens fees will be paid over the