Local News

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra is returning to the stage of the Civic Auditorium for its 47th season opening on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 7:30 PM, with a program entitled “Dance!/Veteran’s Tribute.” Dr. Carolyn Watson , the LCSO’s 4 th Music Director Candidate, will lead the ensemble in concert with selections by Brahms, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky as well as a beautiful setting of America, The Beautiful and the Armed Forces Salute - a tribute to each branch of our military. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets for the performance are $30 for table seats, $20 for Adult Balcony

Approximately 4:30 a.m. Monday morning St Joe County PD, Walkerton PD, & LaPorte County PD assisted North Liberty PD in a high-speed  pursuit of a suspicious vehicle returning stolen plates. During the chase, the suspect vehicle entered and drove through multiple farm fields with lights darkened in the area of Walnut/Leeper/SR 23. During the pursuit the suspect also rammed police vehicles with his vehicle. The pursuit ended in a field off Leeper Road & SR  23, at approximately 5:30 am. A Walkerton PD car and the suspect’s vehicle became engulfed in flames. During the chase in the corn field, shots

Franciscan Physician Network welcomes Dr. Emmett Robinson, MD, to the Crown Point Internal Medicine and Specialty Center. Dr. Robinson trained at the University of Illinois at Chicago and performed his residency at St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Centers in Indianapolis. His clinical interests include preventative medicine, diabetes management and hypertension. Franciscan Physician Network Crown Point Internal Medicine and Specialty Center is at 1205 S. Main St., Suite 201 in Crown Point. To make an appointment, go to FranciscanDocs.org or call (219) 769-8340.

State Sen. Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores) and State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) received 2019 Legislator of the Year awards from Aviation Indiana on Wednesday, at the Blue Chip in Michigan City. The legislators were honored for their work on House Enrolled Act 1019, which empowers airport authorities to complete more projects using their own workforce rather than going through an expensive public project bidding process.IU Alum Donates 60 Million Dollars

Posting your address at your home is more than a convenience for your mail-carrier, it’s the law. Homes in Ogden Dunes are required to visibly display their address in at least four-inch (4”) numerals on their house and/or near the street in front of the house. Sure, it makes it easy for the delivery-person, but it’s more than that, way more. It may be the difference between life and death. Fire-rescue, police, and emergency medical services are all dispatched by those very addresses. Posting an address visibly helps emergency responders save vital seconds that may save you or a family

A Dyer man died early Sunday morning when he crashed his motorcycle into a pick-up truck on I-65. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Alissa Partyka revealed at approximately 1:00 a.m., Sunday, October 20, 2019, a 2018 Yamaha motorcycle, driven by 26 year old Michael Derby of Dyer, was north bound on I-65 at the 253.6 mile marker, (north of the Merrillville-US 30 exit) in the right lane. A 2016 Ford F-150 driven by 20 year old Zachary Goldak of Crown Point, was also north bound on I-65 in the middle lane. The Yamaha, who was at a high rate of speed

The Valparaiso Police Department responded to the area of US HWY 30 and Linwood Ave. on Sunday morning at approximately 8:45 a.m. to the report of a downed man in a ditch. The male was soon discovered to be deceased. The incident appears to be a bicycle crash that resulted in death. There appears to be no sign of foul play at this time or no other vehicles involved. The Valparaiso Police Department and the Porter County Coroner continue to investigate the incident. The subject has been identified and notification to next of kin is being completed by investigators

Barker Blackout Tours Saturday, October 19, 8 and 10 pmFriday, October 25, 8 and 10 pmSaturday, October 26, 8 and 10 pmWe still have spots available on our 2019 Blackout Tours! Gain a spooky new perspective on the Barker Mansion as you explore the building in near-total darkness while mansion employees share their experiences of hauntings at this 160-year-old building.There are two tours each night at 8 and 10 pm. The 8 pm tours are for families, and 10 pm tours are for adults only (ages 16 and up). Note that this will not be a haunted house tour with

Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to drop to 3.2 percent for September and remains lower than the national rate of 3.5 percent. The last time Indiana's unemployment rate was lower than 3.2 percent was December 2000. 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 2,722 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 2,934 unemployed residents and an increase of 212 employed residents. Indiana's

Thursday morning a fit of sneezing and coughing caused a truck driver to lose control of his semi and roll over. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Clay McBride showed at approximately 11:00 a.m., yesterday, Thursday, October 17, 2019, a 2018 Freightliner semi pulling a box trailer, owned by Semo Express out of Sikeston, Missouri, and driven by Steven Baker Junior, 47 of East Prairie, Missouri, was exiting from I-80/94 east bound to Indianapolis Boulevard north bound when he lost control.  Baker stated he became distracted by a spell of sneezes and coughs, when he opened his eyes the thought he saw

Valparaiso Police are investigating the theft of merchandise from the Valparaiso Strack and Van Til, located at 1836 Calumet Ave. The thefts have occurred on multiple occasions in October at various times.  The male and female subjects entered the store and selected several hundred dollars’ worth of merchandise and exited the store without making any attempt to pay for the items on two separate occasions. The male and female were seen loading their items into and leaving the area in a Silver Chevrolet Traverse.  The license plate is known to be an Indiana In God We Trust plate, ending in

To show our gratitude, all active duty military personnel and veterans are invited to ride the South Shore Line for free during the weekend of November 8-10, 2019, and on Veterans Day (November 11). “At SSL, we are honored to serve those who have served our country by offering active duty military personnel and veterans (including reservists) free rides in celebration of Veterans Day,” commented Nicole Barker, Director of Capital Investment and Implementation at the SSL. “We hope this conveys our gratitude for all they have done for our nation. It’s our way of thanking them for keeping our country

A dramatic upswing in vaping among teens and recent reports of severe and even fatal respiratory illnesses have shined a spotlight on the health risks of e-cigarettes. This timely issue will be the focus of a free seminar offered by Franciscan Health. “Clear the Air: The Effects of Vaping and Addiction” will be 6-8PM, Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Franciscan Health Munster Cancer Center in the St. Clare Conference Room. Known by different names, e-cigs, mods, vape pens and a USB flash drive-shaped JUUL are all forms of e-cigarettes that are part of the vaping epidemic. No matter how it’s delivered,

On 10-11-19 at approx. 8:55 am Berrien County Public Safety dispatch received 911 calls of a traffic crash involving a semi-tractor trailer along I-94 westbound in New Buffalo Twp.  Upon arrival, first responders found the semi-truck engulfed in flames and were unable to get to the driver.  Investigators learned thru witness interviews that the semi-truck had struck a guardrail before running off the roadway eventually striking a tree bursting into flames. It is unknown at this time if the driver suffered some type of mechanical issue or possibly a medical emergency causing him to run off the roadway.        The

Attorney General Curtis Hill today announced a multistate settlement involving 41 states and the District of Columbia requiring Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon Inc. to pay nearly $116.9 million for their deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices. A multistate investigation found the companies violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the safety and effectiveness of the devices and failing to sufficiently disclose risks associated with their use. Indiana will receive more than $4.4 million under the settlement. “My office will continue to hold accountable companies that cause harm to consumers through improper practices,” said Attorney General Hill.

On Tuesday at around 7:45 PM a broadcast was put out by the Berrien County Public Safety Dispatch Center regarding a vehicle that was eastbound on US-12 driving erratically near the Michigan state line. Deputy Hureskin with the New Buffalo Township Patrol was able to locate the vehicle on US-12 traveling eastbound with a Long Beach Police patrol vehicle behind it. Deputy Hureskin took over the pursuit and had his emergency lights and siren activated. The suspect, a Michigan City man, failed to stop and was traveling 25 to 30 mph and driving erratically. The suspect failed to stop for

At its Annual Update Luncheon on October 30, 2019 at the La Porte Civic Auditorium, Unity Foundation of La Porte County will award more than $150,000 in grants to 80 local nonprofit projects. Doors will open at 11:00 am for lunch. The Program will begin at 11:30 am and end promptly at 1:00. This public is welcome to attend and costs $20. Registration is required. During the luncheon, Unity will provide a brief update on its 2019 activities and successes, conduct an interactive Community Conversation led by the Vibrant Communities Team, and will end with the celebration of the 2019

Northwest Indiana senior citizens will have the chance to get free health screenings and talk with vendors providing senior services at Franciscan Health’s Senior Health and Wellness Fair. The fair will be 1-3:30PM on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Sand Creek Country Club, 1001 Sand Creek Drive, Chesterton. While the event is free, registration is required by calling (800) 931-3322. Dr. Brian Dickover and Rachel Fischer, DNP, will present “Advanced Care Planning and Advanced Directives: Let’s Get Talking.” Free screenings will include glucose, bone density, body fat analysis, fall risk and spirometry. Refreshments and giveaways will also be available for participants.

In Lake County, Indiana State Excise Police (ISEP) officers executed a search warrant Friday evening at a Cedar Lake retailer that resulted in the confiscation of nine boxes of counterfeit Juul pods and Juul starter kits.Excise Officers executed the search warrant for the retail location of Zip Food Store located at 7208 W. 132nd Avenue in Lake County. The location was selling several different Juul pod flavors, Juul pod devices and starter kits. Investigators from JUUL confirmed to ISEP the Mango flavored product being sold at this location is counterfeit. ISEP also confiscated numerous invoices from the location and are

Back for the fourth year, Michigan City’s Barker Mansion is hosting Blackout Tours this month. The tours offer a different look at the mansion: one viewed in near darkness. During the event, tea lights and glow stick necklaces, worn by guests, are the only sources of illumination. Guests are led through the mansion by staff who tell stories of unusual and eerie historic happenings, taking place both at the mansion and throughout Northwest Indiana. The tours were conceived by Heritage Interpreter TJ Kalin in 2016, now serving as Assistant Director. The idea came to him as he realized that many