Local News

The lobbies of all Horizon Bank locations throughout Indiana and Michigan will be open by appointment only.  The bank’s drive up, ATM, and Live Video Banking facilities will remain open and hours of operation will remain unchanged at this time. In addition, all offices and departments will be staffed and available to assist you by telephone.  “At Horizon, there is nothing more important to us than the safety and well-being of our customers, employees and communities we serve. We have announced the temporary measure of having our lobbies open by appointment only to do all that we can to ensure

Effective immediately, the Michigan City Transit is temporarily suspending the payment of fares until May 1, 2020.  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 reduced to one (1) route.    The City will post updates on facility closures and other information on our website www.emichigancity.com and will place updates on our Facebook page, “My Michigan City”.

Kurt Catterlin chairperson for the pastoral council of St. Mary the Immaculate Conception Parish in Michigan City along. Father Kevin Huber, Pastor of Queen of All Saints Parish and St. Mary, would like to let everyone know “The Catholic Bishops of the Indiana Province have suspended the public celebration of Mass until further notice. If you have any questions, you may call 219-872-9196 during regular business hours.”

The COVID-19 testing facility is now up and running at our Franciscan Health Michigan City hospital and has already tested its first patient this morning. The testing station is located at a trailer on the far east side of the hospital’s main parking lot and is identified with signage. Once again, I want to emphasize that patients MUST have a doctor’s order to obtain a test and must pre-register by calling (219) 877-1474 prior to arrival.

Over the last few days information and actions regarding the COVID-19 novel coronavirus has changed at a rapid pace. The intention of this letter is to help you understand what’s happening at the La Porte County Public Library and provide you with information about resources that will be available from the library as we go forward. Beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020, all locations of the Library will be closed to the public until Monday, April 6th. At that time we will reevaluate the situation to determine if the Library will be able to re-open. We’re closing to protect the health

As part of our effort to minimize the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, Franciscan Health has instituted new visitor restrictions at its hospitals in Lake County. Starting Tuesday, March 17, Franciscan Health Crown Point, Dyer, Hammond and Munster will allow one healthy adult visitor for patients in these departments only: ·        Pediatrics ·        Family Birth Center/NICU ·        Emergency Department ·        Outpatient Surgery ·        End of Life All visitors will be screened for signs of illness. Persons in any of the following categories will not be allowed to visit: ·        Have taken high-risk air travel or have been on a cruise ship in the last 14

Michigan City, IN – March 17, 2020 – Patrick’s Grille, a fining dining restaurant in Michigan City, announced today that they will be providing curb side pick-up service at their location at 4125 Franklin Street. Julie Krause, General Manager of PWE Hospitality, said, “Patrick’s Grille will provide curb side service during the mandated closing through March 31st of all Indiana restaurants ordered by Governor Holcomb.” In addition, Patrick’s Grille will be giving 10% of the to-go orders and all tips to the restaurant’s employees who are on temporary leave during this difficult time. Curb side service is available Tuesday through

The La Porte County Historical Society Museum will be closed, effective immediately. Based on recommendations by the Indiana Governor’s office, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the La Porte County Government, the La Porte County Historical Society Museum will be closed to the public, including all programs, meetings, events, and tours until further notice. The top priority of the La Porte County Historical Society is the health and safety of our community, guests, volunteers and staff members. We will continue to evaluate the situation on an ongoing basis, and every attempt will be made to reschedule events for a

Considering the emerging concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Visit Michigan City LaPorte has announced the temporary closing of the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center will be closed until further notice.  This comes as a direct recommendation from Industry leaders. As the official destination marketing, planning and development organization for LaPorte County we are dedicated to providing accurate information for both visitors and residents alike. To this end we will continue to monitor federal, state and local health authorities as well as other relevant travel organizations to ensure the health and wellbeing of our staff while continuing to

INDIANAPOLIS —The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that a second Hoosier has died from COVID-19. The patient is a Johnson County adult over age 60 who had been hospitalized. No further information about the patient will be released due to privacy laws. ISDH has received six new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing to 30 the number of Hoosiers diagnosed through ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. The new cases involve residents of Lake (2), Franklin (2) and Marion (2) counties and will be included on ISDH’s online dashboard at https://www.in.gov/coronavirus/. The full

LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office COVID-19 PrecautionsThe World Health Organization (WHO) has officially classified COVID-19 virus as a global pandemic. President of the United States Donald Trump has declared a National State ofEmergency. The Indiana Governor has declared a public health emergency. The LaPorte County Commissioners have limited public business in County buildings to Emergency or extremely essential services only due to current health concerns. In addition, the Indiana Governor has justclosed in-person services at all restaurants and bars.Although the CDC has said that risk to the general public of exposure remains low, the experts have said that the best way

In response to the rapidly changing situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and to support the public health response of the community, Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will be moving to remote learning for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, including the final exam period. The measures were announced in a message from Chancellor Thomas L. Keon to all students, faculty and staff.

The Valparaiso Police are restricting public access to the police station until further notice. The Records Division will remain staffed and can be contacted at 219-462-2135, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Records will then be able to direct all inquiries regarding police business and release of information. Police officers will continue to patrol and be available for all calls for service and community needs.

La Porte Hospital and Starke Hospitals Update Visitor Restrictions and Wellness Center Closures La Porte Hospital and Starke Hospital have announced updated visitor restrictions. Effective on Tuesday, March 17 visiting hours have been suspended in all areas at Starke and La Porte Hospitals with the following exceptions. -Patients in these areas may have one visitor at any given time: -Emergency Department -Surgery -Labor & Delivery Unit -Pediatric patients -Patients at end of life -Patients in other areas may not have visitors at this time. At La Porte Hospital, visitors may enter through the main entrance until 6:00 p.m. or may enter through

The Salvation Army of Michigan City lobby will be closed to the public beginning Tuesday, March 17 until further notice.The Diaper Bank, Pathway of Hope and other services will still be available by appointment only by calling (219) 874-6885.The food pantry will operate Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 11am and 1pm to 3pm, but will shift to a "drive through food pantry." Clients may plan to use the back door via the alley behind our building (whether they are walking or driving). They can enter the alley from Washington Street and exit to Franklin Street.For questions, call (219) 874-6885.

Yesterday Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced the first Indiana death from COVID-19. The patient is a Marion County adult.The adult from Marion County died at a Community Health Network hospital on Monday morning. The person, who was over age 60, had been hospitalized as a COVID-19 patient and also suffered from underlying medical conditions. No further information will be released about the patient or the case.For a list of counties with positive cases, visit ISDH’s online dashboard at www.in.gov/coronavirus. The dashboard will be updated daily at 10 a.m. and will reflect results

Reminder-Indiana Casinos will close at 6am local time tomorrow including Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa, Majestic Star Casino, Horseshoe Hammond, Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago According to the Indiana Gaming Commission a number of Indiana casinos will close at 6 a.m. local time Monday for at least two weeks. This is a part of the state's ongoing effort to minimize the potential spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today reported four new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, bringing to 19 the number of Hoosiers diagnosed through ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. The new cases involve residents of Hamilton and Marion counties and have been included on ISDH’s online dashboard at https://www.in.gov/coronavirus/. Eleven counties now have cases. The dashboard will be updated daily at 10 a.m. Cases are listed by county of residence. Additional updates on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak will be provided later today. ###

The Indiana Department of Insurance is addressing concerns that facilities that provide services such as childcare and meals to the community will lose their liability insurance if they remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no reason to believe that any carrier would be or is denying coverage at this time. Insurance companies cannot cancel coverage without filing an endorsement change in the terms of the policy with the Department. Commissioner Stephen W. Robertson stated that the Department will aggressively support those facilities if their commercial insurance carrier attempts to deny their liability insurance without approval.  At this time,

S In response to the Indiana State Department of Health’s report of the first LaPorte County resident diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus), we can report that to date, Franciscan Health Michigan City has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the hospital. For those seeking information, we request that they not call the Emergency Department, since it takes resources away from treating our patients. For frequently asked questions about coronavirus, you can call this hotline: (219) 879-5111, prompt #8. This is not a medical screening hotline, it’s general information only. Those with general questions about coronavirus can also find resources online, which