Local News

An unfortunate murder suicide has left three dead in the 6800 Block of Meer Road after a reported 911 call came in on January 7th at 1:57pm, from a distraught relative. The tentative information received along with a preliminary investigation revealed the suspected murder of two adult residents of the rural Michigan City home along with the suicide of the suspected adult perpetrator who is also related to the victims. During the course of the initial investigation we were assisted by the LaPorte County Sheriff's Department, Trail Creek, and Long Beach Police along with the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office, Michigan City

The Greater La Porte Economic Development Corporation (GLEDC), in partnership with the City of La Porte, the La Porte County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, The La Porte Urban Enterprise Association and the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce is happy to announce the hiring of Angela Rose as the Downtown Coordinator in the City of La Porte. Mrs. Rose grew up in La Porte and attended La Porte High School.  After graduating in 2009, she attended Ball State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Development in 2013.  Furthering her education, she obtained a

The Indiana Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) is once again asking the public for photos for its annual Historic Preservation Month photo contest. DHPA works to preserve buildings and the built environment, and is looking for photos to celebrate that effort. Specifically the division is interested in photos of something that has been preserved, is in the process of being preserved, or desperately needs to be preserved. The subject in the photo must be in Indiana and at least 50 years old. The image must show something that was designed and/or built. Send an 8x10 inch matted image,

Talk to a Lawyer Day is Monday, January 21 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Michigan City Public Library. Need legal answers? The Indiana State Bar Association, the NWI Volunteer Lawyers, Inc., the Pro Bono Committee of the First Judicial District, and local bar associations will sponsor this walk-in site open for anyone who needs legal help but can't afford an attorney. Volunteer attorneys will provide referral information if further legal assistance or social services, etc. are needed. No appointment necessary. The project, in its 15th year, honors the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his dream of access

Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. is conducting a voluntary recall of 80 lots of Amlodipine Valsartan Tablets USP, Valsartan HCTZ Tablets, USP and Valsartan Tablets USP to the consumer level due to the detection of trace amounts of an unexpected impurity found in the finished drug product.   The impurity detected in the finished drug product is N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which is a substance that occurs naturally in certain foods, drinking water, air pollution, and industrial processes, and has been classified as a probable human carcinogen as per International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification. To date, Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. has

Mayor Ron Meer would like to inform residents about the installation of digital signs in Washington Park.  The City of Michigan City recently received a $50,000 grant from ArcelorMittal for the final phase of the Lakefront safety upgrades.  With this grant, the City was able to purchase six Digital Warning Signs that will be placed at the entrance to the pier and on the lifeguard tower.  These signs will serve the purpose of notifying residents and visitors to Washington Park and our lakefront of potential dangerous lake conditions.In 2016, Mayor Ron Meer implemented the Lakefront Safety Committee as a part

With the U.S. government closed for business for the 21st time since 1976, this time with a partial shutdown, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on the States Most & Least Affected by the 2019 Government Shutdown to add some hard data to all the rhetoric.WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of five key metrics, ranging from each state’s share of federal jobs to federal contract dollars per capita to the share of families receiving food stamps. Indiana came in as one of the least affected states at #47 out of 51 Indiana.

To accommodate passengers attending the Chicago Bears postseason game at 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, at Soldier Field, the South Shore Line will run an extra eastbound and extra westbound train, with additional select stops at the 18th St. Station.Westbound service:An Extra train will depart Carroll Avenue Station at 11:40 a.m. and make all local stops, including 18th St. Station, and terminate at Millennium Station. It will adhere to the following schedule:11th St. Michigan City (11:44a); Dune Park (12:01p); Ogden Dunes (12:10p); Miller (12:17p); Gary Metro (12:24p); East Chicago (12:38p); Hammond (12:43p); Hegewisch (12:50p); 18th St. (1:18p); Museum

The Indiana House of Representatives and the Indiana Division of The Salvation Army have joined together to increase awareness of child hunger. House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-88) and House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-80) joined Salvation Army officials at the Statehouse Thursday to kick off a drive to donate food and backpacks. Indiana House members are collecting non-perishable food items and new or gently-used backpacks until March 6 when the lawmakers plan to fill the backpacks with the collected food items to allow the Salvation Army to distribute them to schools across the state. The Indiana House also has launched

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced the launch of the Trucks Park Here system, a multi-state, regional effort to make interstate travel safer by creating a network of safe, convenient parking areas for truckers with the ability to collect and share real-time parking availability with drivers through dynamic message signs, smartphone applications, and traveler information websites.Although access to safe and convenient parking areas for trucks is essential for a robust freight transportation network, truck drivers consistently have difficulty finding areas to safely rest. Drivers who have not located parking before reaching their hours of service limits are often forced

Thursday, the President signed U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) bipartisan legislation to increase oversight of taxpayer dollars spent by federal agencies into law. The Good Accounting Obligation in Government (GAO-IG) Act requires federal agencies to report on open and unimplemented recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (IG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).Examples of recommendations that currently remain open and unimplemented:In 2013, GAO published recommendations to improve wait times at the VA so veterans can have timely access to medical care. In 2015, GAO found that the Department of Justice could do more to measure progress

Radon, a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in most soil, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer and the number-one cause among non-smokers. It is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates.January is National Radon Action Month, and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is urging homeowners to test their homes for radon because this tasteless, colorless and odorless gas can build up in homes without residents’ knowledge.ISDH and the American Lung Association are partnering to provide county health departments throughout Indiana with free radon

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that the ramp connecting southbound State Road 912 (Cline Avenue) to eastbound I-80/94 is closed for up to a week due to a spill.Wednesday, a truck from a private company spilled a substance onto the roadway, creating a slick surface. A cleanup company contracted by that company has reported to the scene and has started the cleanup process. The substance itself does not create an environmental hazard or danger to the public.Motorists may still travel both northbound and southbound on Cline Avenue and can even use the ramp connecting southbound Cline Avenue to

The new Franciscan Health Michigan City hospital is schedule to open Saturday, January 12th.This is also the date the ER will move from the current hospital on Homer Street to the new hospital along Interstate 94.At 6 a.m. on January 12 the Franciscan Health Michigan City ER opens at 3500 Franciscan Way at the corner of U.S. 421 and I-94. Also at this time, the existing ER will no longer be open at the Homer Street hospitalVisitors can reach the new hospital from US 421 by turning west on 400 North to Franciscan Way and turning left.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is urging anyone who hasn’t already gotten a flu shot to do so now. Although influenza (flu) activity remains at minimal levels, the virus can still cause illness and even death. Indiana has already recorded two flu-related deaths this season. As long as flu viruses are circulating, it’s not too late to get vaccinated. Getting a flu vaccine can reduce illnesses, doctor visits and missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 6 months and older get

The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission is beginning the process of selecting a new Superior Court judge. A vacancy on the Lake Superior Court will occur in February 2019. Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider plans to retire from Superior Court, Civil Division 7. Judge Bruce Parent will transfer to the position from Superior Court, Civil Division 4. Thus, the vacancy will be in the Civil Division, Room 4. Commission Chairperson and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Slaughter announced applications for the position are available online at courts.in.gov/5470.htm and must be submitted through the Indiana Courts Portal by Monday, January 7, 2019,

On December 29th, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a single vehicle crash occurred on I-65 at the 253 mile marker. This is near the exit to U.S. 30. As a result of the crash, a white Husky ran from the vehicle. The dog was last seen running near the Crown Point exit. The owners of the dog had posted on Facebook that their dog was lost and the approximate location where she was last seen. This morning at approximately 9:00 a.m., approximately 24 hours after the dog had been lost, a Facebook user spotted the dog walking along I-65 near the

NIPSCO and contracted crews from Kent Powers will be replacing static wire on existing  electrical lattice towers located on the top most position of the towers with new Optical  Ground Wire (OPGW). A small low-flying helicopter will be used to replace and string new wires, which will help shield the electrical conductors from lightning  while providing a telecommunications path for internal communications. This project is part of NIPSCO’s on-going modernization plan to upgrade its infrastructure system in northern Indiana. The project is expected to last one month, beginning work in the  near W 700 N and N 175 W and

On December 28, 2018 at approximately 10:30 p.m., Trooper William Carlson responded to a single vehicle crash that occurred on the ramp from I-80 eastbound to southbound Ripley St.  The 2003 Nissan passenger car was being driven by Mr. Joan Miyares (37) of Chicago, IL.  Open containers of alcoholic beverages were found throughout the vehicle.  Mr. Miyares was later transported from the scene of the crash to St. Mary’s Hospital in Hobart, Indiana. The ramp was closed for approximately 45 minutes for investigation and clean up. Further investigation at the hospital led Troopers to believe Mr. Miyares was intoxicated at

Regarding new years, Nobel Prize winning poet T.S. Eliot was quoted saying, “To make an end is to make a beginning.” Purdue University Northwest (PNW) entered 2018 and wrote an exciting chapter in its history, filled with several firsts, shattered records and new beginnings. In years to come, 2018 will be remembered as a momentous one for PNW. Here are some highlights of 2018 at PNW. Purdue Northwest grew to three destinations through the $12 million gift by the Gabis family of the former Taltree Arboretum & Gardens near Valparaiso. The site is now the Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest