Local News

Five students from La Porte County received scholarships named in honor of fallen La Porte County Sheriff’s Patrolman Neil Thompson on Wednesday. The students were presented the scholarships at the La Porte County Sheriff’s Merit Board monthly meeting.Riley Ott (daughter of Captain Al Ott), Cedric McCoy (son of Deputy Marvin McCoy), Gabriel Chavez (son of Deputy Corey Chavez) and Tyler Benn (son of Fleet Technician Sam Benn) all recently graduated from La Porte High School and received scholarships. This year’s scholarship essay winner is Katherine Doperalski. Katherine recently graduated from Michigan City High School and is the sister of Deputies

The Valparaiso Police Department is accepting applications for Probationary Police Officer. Applications are available at the Valparaiso Police Department, 355 Washington St., or at the department website, www.valparaisopolice.org. The applications may be completed on-line, mailed back to the department or returned in person. The minimum requirements to be considered for this opportunity are that the applicant must: be 21 years of age or older, hold a high school degree or GED, be a United States Citizen, possess a valid driver’s license and have no prior felony convictions. For more information about employment as a Valparaiso Police Officer, including a job

The National Endowment for the Arts is awarding Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) a grant of $10,000 to support The Chicago Imagists: Before and After exhibition and related programming. This vibrant exhibition featuring some of Chicago’s most famous artists, those who inspired them and those they influenced will span LCA’s three major galleries and be open to the public free of charge from June 17 through October 19.A variety of community engagement events are planned during the exhibition’s run, including an opening reception on July 5, a curator-led tour on July 13 and a Family Day on September 21.

Purdue University Northwest’s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) has been awarded a 2019 – 2020 research grant under the Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) program, through the Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane). The project, “Visualization of Repair Operations Management for Networked Systems Resilience,” will research and develop visualization approaches to help efficiently find solutions for optimizing repair operations and mitigating network failure, for a model-based decision support system. The research team includes faculty both from Purdue University Northwest, who provide expertise in advanced visualization technologies and machine learning applications, and

Five prominent leaders are coming to the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Sinai Forum during the acclaimed speaker series’ 66th season this fall, starting September 8 with former White House Chief of Staff General John F. Kelly, U.S. Marine Corps (RET). Tickets for the general public are on sale at www.pnw.edu/sinai-forum. Hosting prominent speakers has been the cornerstone of the Sinai Forum’s renowned history. The season runs from September through December, leading off with Gen. Kelly at the Stardust Event Center at Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa in Michigan City, Indiana. The remaining programs are hosted at the James B.

Makers, crafters, and performers from across the region will be on hand for what is being billed as the “Greatest Show & Tell on Earth” -- the South Shore Mini Maker Faire. The event will be held on Saturday, June 22, at Charles R. Westcott Park in Michigan City. The free, family-friendly event will be open to the public from 11:00am to 5:00pm. The South Shore Mini Maker Faire takes after its enormous parent event, Maker Faire, which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006 as a project of the editors of Make: Magazine. Maker Faires have expanded

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will once again host the 11th Annual Fireworks on the Lakefront event on Monday, July 1. The event will take place at the Indiana Dunes State Park.  Join the Chamber for food vendors and a spectacular fireworks show, to begin at dusk approximately 9:15 pm. Fireworks on the Lakefront event will not be possible without the monetary and in-kind donations of new and past supporters. Entrance to the Indiana Dunes State Park is $7 per car, or $12 per car with an out-of-state license plate. There will be a high amount of traffic at the

Franciscan Physician Network has welcomed new doctors to health centers in LaPorte and Michigan City. Kayla Nebalsick, DO, will provide expert care for women at Legacy Hills Health Center in LaPorte, and Dr. David Maldonado, DO, will practice family medicine at Coolspring Health Center in Michigan City. Dr. Nebelsick is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. She was trained at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colo. She did her residency at University of Toledo Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Nebelsick’s clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, preconception health and obstetrical care, and

The Indiana State Police Laboratory Division has successfully completed an international accreditation process, which assesses the quality operations and scientific procedures, to add crime scene investigation to the scope of accreditation.  The Indiana State Police Regional Laboratories, located in Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and Lowell, have been accredited since 1991. The four Regional Laboratories and the crime scene and field operations at the other 11 Indiana State Districts have successfully met the rigorous forensic laboratory standards of International Standardization for Organization ISO 17025:2017 as recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) National Accreditation Board (ANAB).

A repaving of Route 6 from Union Street (west of County Line Road in Hobart) to Scottsdale Street (near Menards) is taking place. Residents and visitors to Portage should expect lane closures and delays. Portage Police will be patrolling this area carefully in an effort to keep construction workers safe. The estimated date of completion is June 20th.

This week, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced that the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad will receive a $2.83 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to revitalize their rail infrastructure between Michigan City and La Porte. “As the Crossroads of America, it is critical to have a reliable rail network in Indiana for continued investments,” said Senator Young. “The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad is a vital economic corridor for Northern Indiana. Federal investment in this critical rail corridor will improve rail safety and support continued

Twenty-three year old Mario Ward II, of LaPorte, Indiana, was sentenced upon his plea of guilty to 2 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ward was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. According to documents in this case, in July 2018, Ward possessed a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense. Ward was in a car that led police on a high speed chase while he had a stolen 9 millimeter firearm. The car crashed in a residential neighborhood, after which a second stolen 9 millimeter firearm was

State Road 55 will close Monday in Crown Point for replacement of a box culvert. The road will close between Greenview Drive and Greenview Place, with work expected to wrap up by the end of August.

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Representatives Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.-09) and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.-01) announced that TPG Chicago Dry Dock LLC will receive a $1.2 million Maritime Administration Small Shipyard Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This grant will aid in the construction of the largest dry dock in the Lower Lake Michigan region. In May, the Senators and Representatives wrote a letter to MARAD Administrator Mark H. Buzby in support of TPG Chicago Dry Dock’s construction project, which highlighted the substantial economic impact for the Great

The La Porte City Police Department will be conducting Aggressive Driving patrols from June 21st – July 14th.  Officers will be working approximately 120 hours of extra patrols under the Operation Pull Over grant. Aggressive driving patrols will target those dangerous moving violations that cause or directly contribute to traffic crashes.  The 4th of July celebration, as well as the La Porte County 4-H fair, will be in progress during this enforcement period.  Officers will focus their efforts on these dangerous violations as well as other dangerous moving violations such as Texting and Driving violations.  For more information on Operation

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra will be in concert Wednesday, July 3, at 8:30 PM EDT at Lions Park in New Buffalo, MI followed by fireworks over Lake Michigan. This event, sponsored by The Pokagon Fund and the New Buffalo Business Association, will be free and open to the public. For more information visit www.lcso.net .

With World Elder Abuse Awareness Day coming up on June 15, Attorney General Curtis Hill has announced that his office is working with other state agencies and non-profit organizations through membership in the newly-formed Indiana Council Against Senior Exploitation (IN-CASE).IN-CASE pursues a mission of educating seniors and their caregivers on how to prevent all types of fraud. Each year, older Americans lose an estimated $2.9 billion to $36.5 billion to financial exploitation, abuse and scams, according to the National Council on Aging.“In this office, our efforts to protect consumers already involve a significant focus on seniors,” Attorney General Hill said.

Five students from La Porte County received scholarships named in honor of fallen La Porte County Sheriff’s Patrolman Neil Thompson on Wednesday. The students were presented the scholarships at the La Porte County Sheriff’s Merit Board monthly meeting. Riley Ott (daughter of Captain Al Ott), Cedric McCoy (son of Deputy Marvin McCoy), Gabriel Chavez (son of Deputy Corey Chavez) and Tyler Benn (son of Fleet Technician Sam Benn) all recently graduated from La Porte High School and received scholarships. This year’s scholarship essay winner is Katherine Doperalski. Katherine recently graduated from Michigan City High School and is the sister of

The Portage Compost Site, off of Route 12, is now open to the public from 12pm - 5pm on Wedensdays and Fridays and 9am - 4pm on Saturdays. Free compost is available to Porter County Residents.

Utility work will close a lane of U.S. 41 in Cedar Lake during daytime hours through the end of June. The lane closure will be on the southbound side between 125th and 126th streets.