Local News

Interfaith Community PADS is welcoming a challenge from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte to support its efforts to renovate the Sacred Heart Church into a permanent place to serve the homeless.The foundation’s challenge grant will match dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and then two for one the next $18,750 donated if raised by May 1, 2020, said Ed Merrion of ICPADS.PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) serves the homeless in LaPorte County as a source for shelter, food and connections to move toward a new path. Its programs provide an emergency overnight shelter for men, women and women

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will host its fall commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15. A total of 1,225 candidates are eligible to receive degrees during the three commencement ceremonies, including 256 graduate degree recipients and 969 earning undergraduate degrees. Purdue Northwest’s College of Nursing will award three Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees. Purdue Northwest will hold ceremonies on its Hammond campus on Dec. 14 at the Fitness and Recreation Center, 2320 173rd St. Graduates in the College of Business and College of Nursing will participate in an 11 a.m. (Central) ceremony. Graduates in the College of Engineering and

Holiday train scheduleWednesday, Nov. 27: A weekday schedule will be in effect on the day before Thanksgiving.Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day): A weekend/holiday schedule will be in effect in observance of Thanksgiving Day.Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday): A weekday schedule will be in effect on the Friday following Thanksgiving.Extra eastbound serviceWednesday, Nov. 27: Extra will depart Millennium Station at 2 p.m. (Van Buren St. at 2:03 p.m.), run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Carroll Ave., Michigan City.Saturday, Nov. 30: Extra will depart Millennium Station at 4:25 p.m. (Van Buren St. at 4:28 p.m.), run non-stop

This past weekend was a successful weekend for State Trooper William Carlson as two separate incidents resulted in handguns being confiscated from different offenders.  On Saturday evening, Trooper Carlson stopped a vehicle for speeding on I-65 at the 247 mile-marker. The vehicle's speed was checked at 87 mph on a 70 mph roadway. After stopping the vehicle, Trooper Carlson detected the strong odor of burnt marijuana emitting from inside the car.  Subsequent investigation revealed a handgun under the driver's seat. The handgun contained an extended magazine which held 20 rounds of ammunition. The driver, 23 year old Kendall T. Vaughn,

As families take to the roads this holiday season, law enforcement is reminding drivers that extra patrols will be cracking down on impaired and dangerous driving behavior and seat belt violations as they attempt to increase safety on our Indiana roadways.This patrol effort has been designated as “Operation Safe Family Travel”, where upwards of 150 extra Troopers will be working overtime hours as part of a comprehensive effort to curb impaired and dangerous driving. Identifying high risk driving behaviors, such as high speeds, following too closely, unsafe lane movements, distracted driving / texting while driving, and failure to properly use

In an update regarding the death of 27 year old Adriana Saucedo, The Portage Police Detectives have located and detained the 17-year suspect from this investigation. He has been brought back to the Portage Police Department. His parents and attorney were there as well.Police have further information with regards to the 16-year old suspect. Reportedly, he was involved in a vehicle pursuit with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday November 20th. He was driving what is believed to be the vehicle-(Pontiac) in which Ms. Saucedo was shot. At the time of the pursuit, the 16-year old was driving the

Master Trooper Joseph Livers, an 18 year veteran of the Indiana State Police, sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries to his lower left leg when Wade Roark, age 59, opened fire on M/Trp. Livers, who was on the scene as a member of the Indiana State Police SWAT Team. Police were initially called to the home in the 8000 Block of East State Road 56 near Madison, Indiana after a 9-1-1 call was placed which indicated that Roark was firing a gun inside of the residence. The investigation indicated that Roark was in the basement of the home when he

Duneland’s Hometown Holiday Celebration will take place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Event celebrations are coordinated by the Duneland Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Town of Chesterton, the Chesterton Police, Parks and Street Departments, and the Chamber organizations and volunteers. Enjoy shopping our outdoor holiday market starting at 11:00 am and running until 7:00 pm. While there enjoy free carriage rides through historic downtown Chesterton beginning at 11:00 am and going until 2:00 pm. Both will take place in the Chamber parking lot at 220 Broadway in Chesterton. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is to begin at 5:00 pm

Instrumental music students from Michigan City High School and Barker Middle School were selected for three different Indiana Honor Bands. Seven Michigan City High School students performed in the Indiana All-District Honor Band Festival, which was held November 23-24 at Plymouth High School.Five of those students students will also perform in the Ball State University High School Honor Band on Saturday, December 7 in Muncie. The Indiana Regional Honor Band, made up of students in grades 7-9, performed on November 17 at Portage High School. Student musicians were selected for the honor bands through a competitive application process, which included a director recommendation. Frank

The new “dogbone” interchange at SR 2 and U.S. 20 in LaPorte County is now open to traffic. According to INDOT, the new configuration includes the elimination of a traffic light, which has been replaced with a bridge running north-south, with east-west traffic passing underneath. On either ends of the bridge are roundabouts used to move traffic efficiently and safely.INDOT is encouraging motorists to use the interchange, taking it slow and becoming familiar with how it all works.INDOT stated, “The new interchange features a significant reduction in potential conflict points, which will lead to a dramatic increase in safety. Previously,

On Thursday, Detectives of the Portage Police Department received critical information with regards to the identity of the subject that  27 year old Adriana Saucedo had met on Facebook. This subject was discovered to be a 15-year old male from Gary. He was located at the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy (9th grade) located at 3401 West 5th Ave in Gary and detained by Portage Detectives. He was then transported back to the Portage Police Department Detective Bureau where his parents met with Detectives.During the course of our investigation, Detectives identified two other subjects believed to be present at the time

Westville Schools Donates New Stuffed Animals To LaPorte CountySheriff’s Office. Earlier this week, the MSD of New Durham Township School Corporation (Westville Schools) donated two full boxes of new stuffed animals to the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office. The animals will be given to children that deputies encounter on patrol.

Nurses at Franciscan Health Munster and Franciscan Health Hammond have recently been named as the hospitals’ first recipients of the DAISY Award, given to recognize nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care.During surprise presentations, Patrick Maloney, president and CEO at Franciscan Health Dyer, Hammond and Munster, read letters from patients who submitted nominations, remarking that hearing the positive praise warms his heart.Mary Linaris, RN, was nominated by a patient at the Franciscan Health Cancer Center Munster. Tim Gomez, RN, was nominated by a patient he cared for in the Franciscan Health Hammond emergency department. Along with a certificate, Linaris and

All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the 2020 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship. The local competition will be held Sunday, Jan 19, 2020 at 1pm at the CLASSIC GYM at St Patrick’s Church in Chesterton, IN.The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners progressing through local, district, and state competitions.All boys and girls 9 to 14 years old are eligible to participate and will compete in their respective age divisions. Last year more than 120,000 sharpshooters participated in over 3,600 local competitions.All

The Valparaiso Police Department has recently been advised of potential fraud attempts, which may increase as the holiday season gets underway. The fraud is in the form of obtaining check information, gift card numbers, or other forms of payment through photographs. The “scam” is to convince the victim to provide a photograph of the check or gift card to prove they are making the attempt to make a payment. The “scammer” then has the issued numbers for the check or gift card, that can be reproduced or utilized. The obtained real form of payment may then be voided, as the

Childhood trauma spurs toxic stress responses that cause both immediate and long-term physical and emotional harms and can potentially be fatal. An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that at least five of the top 10 leading causes of death are associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as experiencing abuse, witnessing violence or substance abuse in the home and having a parent in jail. Preventing ACEs can reduce heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes and suicide. Franciscan Health has partnered with an online community platform, ACEs Connection, to generate awareness, engagement, and discussion regarding

President and CEO of Paladin, Bill Trowbridge, announced recently that after seven years he will be stepping down from the  charitable non-profit dedicated to serving children, seniors, and persons with developmental disabilities. He is slated to become CEO of Regional Health Systems based in Merrillville, Indiana, comprised of affiliated organizations including Regional Mental Health Center, Geminus Corporation, and Lake Park Residential Care.  Trowbridge is credited with Paladin’s growth from a small struggling developmental disability center in Michigan City to a comprehensive human services organization that serves thousands of clients and families throughout Northwest Indiana.  A tireless proponent of partnerships and collaborations,

The Purdue University Northwest (PNW) School of Engineering has started a collaborative program with Argentina’s Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN), a technical university with approximately 70,000 engineering students across the country, and its two main campuses in Buenos Aires. As part of this program, Federico Gallo has been working and teaching classes in the department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at PNW. His tenure as a visiting professor is an element of a broader initiative that resulted from interactions between Dietmar Rempfer, director of PNW’s School of Engineering, and Uriel Cukierman, director of the Center for Educational Research and Innovation at

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2 percent for October and remains lower than the national rate of 3.6 percent. 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 increase of 567 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 1,397 unemployed residents and an increase of 1,964 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.38 million,

November holiday train service updates This weekend kicks off the holiday season along the South Shore Line! Experience the magic of the season at some of the most anticipated events like the spectacular Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade (Nov. 23), the annual Chicago Tree Lighting Ceremony in Millennium Park (Nov. 22) and the traditional German Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza (open as of Nov. 15). To ensure we provide the best experience possible to our riders this holiday season, we have made our November train and ticket office schedules available in advance, and will be offering additional eastbound trains. Please see