Local News

Hoosier high school students are gathering in Indianapolis today for the final round of the 2019 Innovate WithIN™ pitch competition, a statewide initiative hosted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Indiana Department of Education and Ball State University. The final 11 teams will pitch their ideas and innovations to a panel of judges for the chance to win a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 toward one year of in-state tuition, internship opportunities and mentoring services. This year, Innovate WithIN™ drew 158 online pitch submissions from 422 Hoosier students representing 88 high schools across the state. Additionally, more than 235 middle

In celebration of Autism Awareness month, the Michigan City Human Rights Commission (MCHRC) is proud to present the Autism Forum on Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. where a variety of autism experts will reveal the perplexities of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Autism Society of Indiana will explain what autism is and resources available in the state of Indiana. Kristen Robson, Director of The Autism Program at Ancilla College (APAC) will give an overview of the APAC program, while Michigan City Area Schools staff will introduce the mission of a newly-formed Autism Team. Dr. Bridget Harrison, Founder

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) “dogbone” project at the US 20 & SR 2 interchange is full speed ahead. INDOT and contractor employees are outside of vehicles working in the area. A large fleet of heavy equipment is also being operated in the area. Motorists traveling through the work zone should reduce their speed, never follow other motor vehicles too closely and limit distractions within their vehicle. Motorists traveling around the major construction project on nearby roadways shall adhere to the traffic control signage. Patrol Deputies have increased their presence and enforcement efforts in the area. This shall serve

Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) and Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) released the following statements after the introduction of the bipartisan E-FRONTIER Act, of which they are original cosponsors. Rep. Banks is the lead Republican cosponsor of the legislation. This bill would prevent the U.S. government from managing the construction of a nationwide 5G network and would instead rely on the expertise of the private sector to lead the U.S. mobile broadband expansion. Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Filemon Vela (D-TX) are the Democrat cosponsors. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Senate companion bill last week

This event is free and will be at St. Patrick's County Park on April 20th at 9 a.m. Women age 18 and older will learn fish biology and basic fishing skills during this three hour workshop. After assembling fishing poles, attendees will try hand at fishing. No fishing license is required for Indiana residents because April 20 is a free fishing day. The park is also waiving the entrance fee for participants. Equipment is provided, but pre-registration is necessary. Registration starts March 26 and ends April 15, or when 15 spots have been filled. To register, go to www.in.gov/dnr and find the

With spring break right around the corner, the South Shore Line (SSL) is expanding its Kids Ride Free program through April 6. SSL has selected this promotional time frame to cover an average portion of scheduled spring breaks across the four- county area. The Kids Ride Free Program allows up to 3 children 13 years of age and under to ride free with a paying adult on off-peak and weekend trains. However, in an effort to help families enjoy spring break, the program will be available on all trains during the promotion. To make your spring break planning easy, visit

Fifty-one probationary troopers from the 78th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy class were recently issued their state police cars at the Indiana State Police Youth and Education and Historical Center in Indianapolis. Five of the officers are assigned to the Indiana State Police Lowell Post and start solo patrol in the district which covers Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Starke and Pulaski counties. The probationary officers recently completed a three month field training period with veteran troopers. They will serve a one year probationary period before attaining permanent status as a trooper. In addition to the field training, the

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is pleased to announce Lawrence O. Hamer, Ph.D. as the next dean of the College of Business effective July 1, 2019. Hamer comes to PNW following an extensive career at DePaul University in Chicago, where he joined the faculty in 1996. He received tenure in 2003 and was appointed Professor of Marketing in 2012. Hamer began his administrative career as associate dean of the College of Commerce. He went on to serve as co-director of the Integrated Marketing Education (IME) Program and, most recently, as DePaul’s associate provost for Research and Integrity.

INDOT announced that a concrete pavement restoration project is starting this week on the U.S. 20 Bypass in South Bend. The project will be have several phases, which will include work happening at three different interchanges: First, the interchange at the west junction with State Road 331 (Bremen Highway); Second, the interchange at the east junction of State Road 331 (Elm Road); Third, the interchange with U.S. 31. After that, mainline restoration work will begin between U.S. 31 and the Elkhart County line. Wednesday, the interchange at the west junction with SR 331 (Bremen Highway) will see two ramps close:

The Indiana Sheriff's Association (ISA) will be celebrating their 40th Annual Indiana Sheriffs' Association Youth Leadership Camp, which will be held in June and July again this year. The ISA is proudly partnering with Indiana Donor Network to celebrate this memorable anniversary. Indiana Donor Network coordinates organ, tissue and eye donation throughout Indiana and part of their mission includes educating Indiana youth about donation and transplantation. Nationwide, more than 114,000 men, women and children are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and about 1,300 of those patients are Hoosiers. There will be two camp sessions this year. The first session

The Domestic Relations Committee of the Judicial Conference of Indiana is seeking comments on proposed changes to Indiana’s Child Support Guidelines, which are used to make decisions about child support in dissolutions of marriage, legal separations, paternity cases, Title IV-D proceedings, and all other actions for child support. The proposed changes address:-A parent’s legal duty to support a prior born child when no court order exists-Consideration of whether a child support amount prohibits a parent’s ability to support himself or herself-In-kind benefits and payments from structured settlements as income-Situations in which a parent is incarcerated-Clarification of children’s health insurance costsFeedback

Join the Barker Mansion for their second annual Barker Mansion Trivia Night April 5, 6-8pm, hosted by Mark Kline. Come at 6 pm Central Time for self-guided mansion tour ($2 fee) and enjoy pizza, soup, sweets for purchase. During this event no outside food and drink permitted.Cost is $10 per person, teams of six recommended. Space is limited, so reservation is required in advance.Tickets may be purchased through Eventbrite.

Don’t forget to buy your new fishing license for 2019. Last year’s fishing licenses expired March 31, 2019. If you purchased your license online last year, you can log into your Indiana Fish & Wildlife account, confirm your information, and purchase your new license.

Over 9,000 stuffed Easter eggs will cover the ground on Sunday, April 14 at the Gabis Arboretum’s third annual Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter weekend festivities will start hopping on April 13th at 10 a.m. with the arrival of the Easter Bunny. The Railway Depot will be set up for free photos with the Easter Bunny on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Guests are asked to bring a camera and capture their own photos. The Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Sunday with three separate hunts for various age groups. Children ages 4 and

With Tax Day fast approaching and the new tax code taking effect this year, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its 2019 Tax Burden by State report as well as accompanying videos, along with its 2019 Tax Facts infographic. WalletHub compared the 50 states based on the three components of state tax burden — property taxes, individual income taxes, and sales and excise taxes — as a share of total personal income. Notably, Illinois came in at #9 in States with Highest Tax Burdens, Indiana 31st , and Michigan 25th. New York was first and Alaska was 50th.

With spring break right around the corner, the South Shore Line (SSL) is expanding its Kids Ride Free program through April 6. SSL has selected this promotional time frame to cover an average portion of scheduled spring breaks across the four- county area. The Kids Ride Free Program allows up to 3 children 13 years of age and under to ride free with a paying adult on off-peak and weekend trains. However, in an effort to help families enjoy spring break, the program will be available on all trains during the promotion. To make your spring break planning easy, visit

2019 is a municipal election year in Indiana. Are you registered to vote? If you want to have your say in the primary election, you must register in the next few days. Hoosiers must register by April 8th to be able to vote in the May 7th primary election. Most cities and towns in Indiana will cast votes for mayor, council, and city ballot questions. Citizens can register to vote online by using the Indiana Voters app or by visiting IndianaVoters.com, and can submit an application to register in person at their local county clerk's office. The Indiana Voters app

INDOT announced that lane closures are in place as part of a road widening/center turn lane project on U.S. 20 in Michigan City. U.S. 20 will be one lane in each direction between Woodland Avenue and Johnson Road until mid-October as this phase of the project gets started. For a portion of this stretch, westbound traffic will be shifted into the eastbound lanes. There are other phases to this project happening throughout the summer, including a resurfacing of U.S. 20 between U.S. 421 and Woodland Avenue and from Johnson Road to State Road 212. Those portions of the project will

On Tuesday, the city of South Bend will launch a grant program designed to increase access to high-quality early education. The program is in partnership with the Family & Children's Center Foundation, the United Way of St. Joseph County, and the Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition. The city says it is contributing $100,000 to an early childhood capacity fund, while the Family & Children's Center Foundation is adding $40,000. The United Way will manage the program and distribute the funds to local childcare providers. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will join representatives from the city's partners to

Notre Dame has named Norman Francis, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, as the recipient for this year’s Laetare Medal. Francis will be presented with the honor at Notre Dame’s 174th University Commencement Ceremony on May 19. Francis has held a 47-year tenure in which Xavier’s enrollment nearly tripled, the endowment grew significantly and the university became the leading producer of African-American undergraduates who complete medical school. Francis accepted the offer to become the first lay African-American president of Xavier on April 4, 1968 — the same day Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.