Local News

Yesterday, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director for Indiana Michael Dora announced funding of $109,195 for projects that will reduce energy costs in the Hoosier state. Dora’s announcement is in coordination with the recent announcement made by Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding 58 grants for projects in 17 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to reduce energy costs for farmers, ag producers and rural-based businesses and institutions. USDA is providing the grants through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Congress created REAP in the

The Indiana legislature has modified the tuition and fee exemption program. Beginning July 1, the following changes may effect a student's eligibility to be approved for Tuition and Fee Exemption. -The veteran parent must have resided in Indiana for 5 years prior to the student first applying for Tuition and Fee Exemption as the Child of a Disabled veteran or Child of a Purple Heart Recipient. -The student must be less than 32 years of age when first applying for the benefit If the student is adopted, the adoption must have taken place prior to their 18th birthday. 

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that patching will begin Wednesday on U.S. 421 in LaPorte County ahead of a planned resurfacing project. Patching will be done in two phases. First, crews will patch the southern corridor of the project between I-94 and State Road 2. Then, when that work wraps up – up to two weeks, weather permitting – crews will move on to the northern portion, from I-94 to U.S. 20. Once all patching is done, the asphalt resurfacing will take place. For the patching work, flaggers will direct one lane of traffic around where work is taking place. 

La Porte County Sheriff John T. Boyd is announcing the recent hiring of three new Merit (Patrol) Deputies.  These deputies will fill open vacancies within the ranks of the Merit Division. The three deputies are scheduled to attend the fifteen (15) week Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (NILEA) basic recruit program later this year.     Twenty-three year old Deputy David A. Grimberg, a 2014 graduate of Boone Grove High School, attended Indiana University – Northwest Campus later earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.  He was previously employed by the Porter County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Grimberg resides in Valparaiso. Twenty-two year old

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a grant through their Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant Program that will improve railroad safety in LaPorte County. The $2,831,705 grant has been awarded to Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad and will be used to upgrade 7.5 miles of rail between Michigan City and the City of La Porte. According to the project description, the project will support freight delivery efficiency and community safety by replacing the existing 90-pound track with 115-pound track. This upgrade will ensure the safe transportation of materials and improve the reliability and efficiency of

On June 7th and 8th the Chesterton Police responded to 2 separate gas station burglaries. Both establishments were locked, secured and unoccupied by staff at the time. The suspect stole multiple items before leaving in both incidents. The second burglary which occurred June 8th at 2:25am set off glass break alarm. When officers arrived, a vehicle was observed leaving the area. The suspect, 45 year old Michael Vysinka of Hebron was eventually arrested in Michigan City after a pursuit occurred. Vysinka was arrested for resisting law enforcement, felony burglary, and felony theft. The investigation is ongoing.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee in collaboration with Clemson University are interested in studying the genetics of Callery pear that has escaped cultivation in order to help with future management. These escaped pears cause problems in natural areas as they crowd out native plants.They need YOUR help collecting samples for their research.Basics for collecting include:Collecting 10-12 disease-free leaves from 10 different Callery pear trees at each sample site.Placing each tree’s leaf samples in a single paper envelope and allowing them to dry.Taking the GPS coordinates of each tree and writing them on the corresponding envelope.Noting if the tree has

The Criminal Investigations Division of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a death investigation. On Friday, deputies were summoned to a residence in the 2800 west block of CR 450 North, regarding a disturbance. On Saturday, detectives were notified that one of the involved subject, a 15-year old male, had died at another location.The Sheriff’s Office stated “While Sheriff’s Office personnel are aware this statement and investigation will create public interest, the public is being asked not to speculate on the circumstances. Rather, the public is urged to be respectful of the decedent’s family and allow them

Investigators with the DNR Division of Law Enforcement were recently recognized as sharing a Team Excellence Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for their work during a lengthy multi-agency investigation focusing on illegal commercial fishing.Per USFWS, Team Excellence Award recipients excel in tackling tough issues and work together to craft creative solutions. Team excellence occurs when the sum of the collective efforts is greater than an individual's efforts. For 2018, the USFWS awarded three teams from its Midwest region.The awarded team that included Indiana Conservation Officers conducted Operation Charlie, a USFWS-led comprehensive joint investigation that also included

The next meeting of the Task Force for Assessment of Services and Supports for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities will be held on Thursday, June 13, at the Indiana Statehouse, House Chamber, 200 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT.The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live. The link to the livestream is https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/session/house_video_archive/. After clicking the link, viewers should select House Chamber.Requests for accommodations should be made by contacting Kristina Blankenship at Kristina.Blankenship@fssa.IN.gov at least 48 hours in advance of the task force meeting.The task force was originally established by House Enrolled Act

On Saturday, right before 2 a.m., members of the Michigan City Police Department heard gunshots in the Eastport Neighborhood along with receiving a 911 call that someone had been shot in the 200 block of Grace Street. Within moments of the call officers arrived at the scene to find 41-year-old Demetrice Taylor, a resident of Michigan City, deceased.An immediate investigation ensued with assistance from the Investigative Division, the LaPorte County HIDTA Drug Task Force, and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s investigation team. A focus on neighbors, acquaintances, and relatives have been interviewed and police are continuing an in-depth investigation into this

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb is participating in the 2019 SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C. SelectUSA is a U.S. Department of Commerce program dedicated to facilitating job-creating business investment into the United States. At its sixth annual summit, SelectUSA will convene global executives and business leaders to discuss opportunities in key sectors — including advanced manufacturing, information technology, aviation and infrastructure — as well as critical topics like tax and regulatory reform, workforce development, economic diversification, and innovation and venture capital.While there, he will participate in meetings with business executives and government leaders. Today, the Governor will participate in a

La Porte County Government and the Sheriff’s Office are once again partnering with the American Red Cross for the 2019 Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive. These blood drives traditionally take place in every county in Indiana. This year’s blood drive will occur on June 14th, from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and be held in the Conference Room of the La Porte County Annex. Eligible donors are encouraged to help honor the lives of those who serve our communities and remembering the fallen officers by donating blood. To schedule an appointment please call La Porte County Human Resources Director Barb

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.

LaPorte Police would like to announce the La Porte Citizens Police Academy will once again be offered to the citizens of La Porte County. The purpose of the Citizen Police Academy is to create better communication between the police department and the citizens of La Porte County through education. Graduates of this program will be better informed, and have a greater understanding of police procedure and practices. Classes are free and limited to 24 participants.The class will start on Thursday August 15th at the La Porte Police Department 1206 Michigan Ave., from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, and will meet

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 from

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the second Food Truck Square of the 2019 Season of Burns Harbor’s Food Truck Square Wednesday, June 12. From 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, community residents and tourists are welcomed to visit 1237 Westport RoadBurns Harbor, Indiana 46304 the historic former site of the Westport Community Club — at the corner of Haglund and Westport roads, off of S.R. 149. to experience this family friendly event.Every month this season, Burns Harbor's European Market on the Square will feature a unique mixture of regional eateries and family-friendly activities. Picnic tables are available

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 into

Over 24 days, the La Porte Police Department issued 190 citations and made 1 arrest as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” mobilization. More seat-belt statistics are at www.in.gov/cji/files/Seat_Belt_Fact_Sheet2018.pdf.Indiana law requires all children under age 8 to be properly restrained in child car seat or booster seat.Choose the safest car seat for your child’s height and weight at www.safercar.gov/therightseat.Find a certified car-seat safety technician to assist with installation and proper usage at  www.preventinjury.org/Child-Passenger-Safety/Child-Safety-Seat-Inspection-Stations or through the SaferCar app on the App Store or Google Play.

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. Dworkin Student