Local News

On Sunday afternoon, troops from the Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) corralled a dog that was running in and out of traffic on the interstate. Sergeant Dan Avitia, and Troopers O’Bryan Winfield and Amjad Umrani were trying to locate a dog that had been reported running in and out of traffic from the inside shoulder on I-80/90 (Indiana Toll Road). They located the dog at the 12.7 mile marker (this is approximately 3 miles east of the Cline Avenue exit). The dog was scared and skittish and the troops were finally able to capture the dog by putting a jacket around

The House Judiciary Committee heard SB 174 on fertility fraud and deception, sponsored by Rep. Pressel.  The bill establishes a cause of action for civil fertility fraud and provides that a prevailing plaintiff may be awarded: (1) compensatory and punitive damages; or (2) liquidated damages of $10,000 and specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. The bill also increases the penalty for deception involving the identity of a person or the identity or quantity of property to a Level 6 felony if the offense involves a misrepresentation relating to: (1) a medical procedure, device, or drug; or (2)

Franciscan Health representatives join Northwest Indiana leaders, Indiana first lady in conversation on reducing infant mortality Franciscan Health representatives joined Indiana first lady Janet Holcomb, health advocates and Northwest Indiana leaders at a luncheon on April 4 to address the state’s high rate of infant mortality. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has set a goal of reducing Indiana’s infant mortality rate of 7.3 deaths per 1,000 births to 6 deaths per 1,000 births by 2024. In 2018, Indiana ranked 41st in the nation in infant mortality, according to the United Health Foundation.

State health officials have confirmed a case of measles in northern Indiana. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is working with local health departments and healthcare providers in LaGrange and Steuben counties to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the patient while infectious and to prevent further transmission of the disease. ISDH is also consulting with public health officials in Michigan and Texas because the investigation has found risk of exposure in those states as well.Individuals who visited these locations on the dates and times provided may have been exposed:Chuy’s Restaurant – 1512 Harvey Road, College Station,

Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) released the following statement regarding recent reports that Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will close the Confucius Institute on its campus. Confucius Institutes are operated by China’s Education Ministry and are a part of the “United Front”—the Communist Party’s foreign influence operation. With 90 branches on college campuses across America, Confucius Institutes exert influence through Chinese language classes and cultural programming. Additionally, it was reported that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be severing its ties with Chinese telecommunications companies, Huawei and ZTE.  These companies have a long history of cybersecurity risks and

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that a resurfacing project is scheduled to start Monday, April 8, on U.S. 12 in Porter County. The project will see all lanes resurfaced from approximately one mile west of State Road 249 to approximately one mile east of State Road 149. During the first phase, crews will do patching in the outside lane for around two weeks before moving to the inside lane for patching and paving. Then, at the end, they’ll move back to the outside lanes for paving. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of June.

On Thursday, just after 3 PM, Sheriff's Office Deputies were dispatched to the 2000 south block of US 35, in rural Pleasant Township, reference a single vehicle crash. The crash investigation revealed a Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle was traveling north on US 35.  While doing so, the vehicle left the northbound lanes for an unknown reason, traveled off the east side of the roadway and struck a large tree. The driver was freed from the vehicle after a short period of time. Immediately after being removed from the vehicle, emergency personnel provided medical attention to the driver.  After a period of

The House Judiciary Committee heard SB 174 on fertility fraud and deception, sponsored by Rep. Pressel.  The bill establishes a cause of action for civil fertility fraud and provides that a prevailing plaintiff may be awarded: (1) compensatory and punitive damages; or (2) liquidated damages of $10,000 and specifies the statute of limitations for civil fertility fraud. The bill also increases the penalty for deception involving the identity of a person or the identity or quantity of property to a Level 6 felony if the offense involves a misrepresentation relating to: (1) a medical procedure, device, or drug; or (2)

Franciscan Health representatives join Northwest Indiana leaders, Indiana first lady in conversation on reducing infant mortality Franciscan Health representatives joined Indiana first lady Janet Holcomb, health advocates and Northwest Indiana leaders at a luncheon on April 4 to address the state’s high rate of infant mortality. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has set a goal of reducing Indiana’s infant mortality rate of 7.3 deaths per 1,000 births to 6 deaths per 1,000 births by 2024. In 2018, Indiana ranked 41st in the nation in infant mortality, according to the United Health Foundation.

State health officials have confirmed a case of measles in northern Indiana. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is working with local health departments and healthcare providers in LaGrange and Steuben counties to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the patient while infectious and to prevent further transmission of the disease. ISDH is also consulting with public health officials in Michigan and Texas because the investigation has found risk of exposure in those states as well. Individuals who visited these locations on the dates and times provided may have been exposed: Chuy’s Restaurant – 1512 Harvey Road,

Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) released the following statement regarding recent reports that Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will close the Confucius Institute on its campus. Confucius Institutes are operated by China’s Education Ministry and are a part of the “United Front”—the Communist Party’s foreign influence operation. With 90 branches on college campuses across America, Confucius Institutes exert influence through Chinese language classes and cultural programming. Additionally, it was reported that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be severing its ties with Chinese telecommunications companies, Huawei and ZTE. These companies have a long history of cybersecurity risks and

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that a resurfacing project is scheduled to start Monday, April 8, on U.S. 12 in Porter County. The project will see all lanes resurfaced from approximately one mile west of State Road 249 to approximately one mile east of State Road 149. During the first phase, crews will do patching in the outside lane for around two weeks before moving to the inside lane for patching and paving. Then, at the end, they’ll move back to the outside lanes for paving. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of June.

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) announced they have introduced several bills to help boost retirement security for individuals and families during a time when many Americans are unprepared for retirement. According to the Department of Labor, more than 40 million people do not have access to any workplace retirement plan. Additionally, nearly half of households nearing retirement do not have a retirement savings plan. Senator Young introduced S. 1020, which would expand access to workplace retirement plans by giving small employers more flexibility when setting up 401Ks for their employees.

On Thursday, just after 3 PM, Sheriff's Office Deputies were dispatched to the 2000 south block of US 35, in rural Pleasant Township, reference a single vehicle crash. The crash investigation revealed a Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle was traveling north on US 35. While doing so, the vehicle left the northbound lanes for an unknown reason, traveled off the east side of the roadway and struck a large tree. The driver was freed from the vehicle after a short period of time. Immediately after being removed from the vehicle, emergency personnel provided medical attention to the driver. After a period of

Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced yesterday that some Indiana businesses have received a deceptive letter that may appear to come from the office’s Business Services Division. The letter is attempting to solicit Indiana business owners. It is not from the Secretary of State’s office.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers attending the Star Wars Celebration April 11-15th, at McCormick Place.The SSL will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Thursday-Friday, April 11-12, and Monday, April 15, in addition to regular service to McCormick Place during the weekend. All weekend trains except Train 601 utilize McCormick Place as a flag stop: While riding the train, please notify the conductor that you want to exit at McCormick Place. When waiting to catch an outbound train at McCormick Place, please stand on the platform in clear view

The La Porte Police Department announced that additional Operation Pull Over activities will take place April 1st through April 15th, furthering the effort to make the streets of the La Porte community safe. The focus of these patrols will be seat belt and child restraint violations. However, any dangerous and aggressive driving violations will also be addressed. La Porte PD would like to remind the community to make sure safety belts are used according to the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Recently, the Department has seen multiple drivers and passengers with shoulder belts run behind their backs, rather than across the chests

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

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

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