Local News

The La Porte County Drug Task Force (LCDTF) announces the arrest of an individual for Dealing Methamphetamine and Failure to Report a Dead Body.  Jesse J. BROCKMAN (44) of Michigan City, was arrested at the Michigan City Police Department upon the conclusion of an investigation into the death of two individuals.  On Tuesday, at approximately 1:15 a.m., Michigan City Police Shift 3 Officers were dispatched to a Motel in the 3900 Block of Franklin Street, Michigan City, to check on the welfare of a 29-year old Michigan City man.  Though the officer’s investigation, they observed what appeared to be a

On Friday, October 4th, Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) will host its monthly First Friday cultural event. Everyone in the community is invited to visit the center from 5 PM to 8 PM to enjoy food, art, music and more.Peter Aglinskas, recipient of the Chicago Cultural Department’s “Artists International” award, returns to LCA by popular demand to entertain First Friday attendees with his solo guitar stylings. LCA will also celebrate the opening receptions of two exhibitions in the NIPSCO Art Education Studios. Attendees can meet artist Jamiah Calvin and discover his powerful exhibition, The Healing . The artwork of Area Artists’

In La Porte, a portion of Washington St., near the U.S. Hwy 35 overpass, is closed for bridge painting. The plan is to have it re-opened in two weeks.

In Porter County, The U.S. 20 bridge deck patching is complete, ahead of schedule in The Pines, just west of the LaPorte/Porter County line. This work was supposed to go through this week. Traffic has resumed to normal.

As part of its ongoing commitment to safety, the South Shore Line announces it will host a multi-team emergency preparedness drill on Wednesday, Oct. 23, approximately one mile east of the East Chicago Station (please see attached map).  The federally mandated drill is a key component in the SSL’s continuing efforts to familiarize first responders with railroad crisis response procedures. It is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 23 and expected to last until approximately 12 p.m. The event will not impact any scheduled train services, although train passengers and passers-by may notice multiple emergency vehicles and personnel

La Porte Hospital will hold “Blow Away Breast Cancer” rally at La Porte Hospital to commemorate breast cancer awareness month in the community and to celebrate and honor those who have been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis. The event will take place at 10 a.m., Oct. 10 at La Porte Hospital, 1007 Lincolnway, La Porte, on the front lawn near the flag pole close to the Emergency Department. In case of inclement weather, meet in the hospital’s main lobby. The event will include comments from hospital officials, a breast cancer survivor and physicians, a flag raising ceremony, and “planting”

An observant trooper saved a Crown Point woman’s life who was choking while sitting in her car at a traffic light.Yesterday afternoon in Merrillville, Sergeant Dan Avitia was on duty in his marked police car on south bound Broadway at US 30.  Avitia was stopped at the red light in the turn lane to go east onto US 30 when he heard cars honking to the left of him. As Avitia looked to see what was happening he noticed that a gray Ford SUV had been stopped at the red light in the turn lane to go west onto US

The League of Women Voters of LaPorte County is excited to present LaPorte County Commissioner, Sheila Brillson Matias, as the speaker for the Tuesday, October 8, Lunch With The League. Commissioner Brillson will speak about her first nine months as one of three commissioners who serve as the highest elected officials in the county and lead the Executive Branch of county government. She also serves as Executive Director of the Leadership institute at Purdue Northwest and the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest. At the Leadership Institute at Purdue Northwest, she is focused on engaging and connecting university talent and

Yesterday, Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced he has selected Col. R. Dale Lyles to serve as the new adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard.Lyles will be promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Lyles, a native of Salem, has served most of his 32 years in the military in Indiana. He was deployed to Bosnia shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in support of Operation Joint Forge and to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.Most recently, Lyles has served as the deputy chief of staff for operations at the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., where he focused on

A Kouts man was recently sentenced for mail fraud by a South Bend judge. United States District Court Judge Jon E. DeGuilio sentenced 42 year old for three counts of mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. Thomas was sentenced to 90 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.  Thomas was charged in 2018 with four counts of mail fraud for his role in a scheme to defraud insurance companies by arson fires. On September 28, 2018, a jury found him guilty of all counts. Yesterday, the Court also ordered him to pay restitution to State Farm Insurance

To accommodate passengers attending the Chicago Bears home game at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29th, the South Shore Line plans to stop select trains at Metra’s 18th Street Station, which connects passengers directly to the Soldier Field entrance via a pedestrian walkway. In addition to regular service to nearby Museum Campus/11th Street, select trains will also serve 18th Street Station on Sept. 29th. Click on the South Shore Line logo on WHFBradio.com for more details.South Shore Line announces 18th Street schedule for Bears 2019 home games

Crews laid asphalt on the U.S. 35 southbound bridge approaches in downtown La Porte. This bridge deck replacement project continues with the goal of having the bridge reopened to full traffic by November.

Yesterday, Crews laid asphalt on the U.S. 35 southbound bridge approaches in downtown La Porte. This bridge deck replacement project continues with the goal of having the bridge reopened to full traffic by November.

The State of Indiana has won a top honor from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) for excellence in service demonstrated by its Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. USDOL presented Indiana with a UI State Performance Program Integrity Excellence Award for being a leader in the large state category, which includes states where employment exceeds 2 million. Officials from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), which administers the UI program, accepted the honor at the recently concluded National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) Workforce Summit and UI Directors’ Conference in Boston. This is the first year USDOL has recognized

A semi lost control Sunday afternoon on I-65 northbound at the 236 mile marker (this approximately four miles south of the Lowell exit) which brought traffic to a stop. Preliminary investigation showed that just before 5 p.m., a Freightliner pulling a box trailer, driven by 49 year old Ronzell Dewyan Forte, of Gardena, California was northbound when he went off the roadway (newly paved road) and could not gain control of his semi. The Freightliner struck the guard rail, then went into the cable barrier, and lastly hit the concrete post for the new overhead sign board. The guard rail

Stop by the 6th Annual UMW FALL Arts & Crafts Show sponsored by the La Porte First United Methodist Church Saturday September 28th from 9am-3pm. The event will be held at the La Porte County Fairgrounds at 2581 W. State Rd. 2, La Porte. For more information call 219-362-2443

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) this fall continued to enroll more first-time freshman students and full-time students. The number of students attending college for the first time went up particularly at PNW’s Westville Campus, which saw a 17 percent increase in new student enrollment. Overall freshman enrollment across both the Westville and Hammond campuses is up about 4 percent compared with fall 2018, and has increased steadily over the past three years

Indiana’s unemployment rate continues to drop to 3.3 percent for August and remains lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. The last time Indiana's unemployment rate was at 3.3 percent was February 2018. 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 2,135 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 4,260 unemployed residents and an increase of 2,125 employed residents. Indiana's total

On Thursday, the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) recognized ten organizations for making their communities a safer and healthier place to live by granting them Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at a community celebration. In an eff ort to further their mission of health and wellness, HFL provided 34 new AED devices that will increase the odds of survival for someone in the LaPorte area who experiences sudden cardiac arrest. The following organizations were recognized at the AED Celebration at Cummings Lodge: The Bride Church, Michigan City, First Baptist Church Kingsbury, La Porte Little Theater, Michigan City Area Schools, New

Parent and community engagement enhanced with new district mobile app The latest news and information from Michigan City Area Schools is now available on smartphones and mobile devices with a new mobile app launched recently. MCAS is partnering with Blackboard to expand its communications outreach with a mobile app that is now available in the online iTunes® and Google Play® app stores for free. The mobile app will offer a constantly updated feed of district news and events with photos and links to the district’s website. Other features include quick access to student grades and attendance, school menus, a tip