Local News

Update: During their search, firefighters recovered six bodies, two adults and four children. The adults were Joseph Huddleston 42, and Brandi Vail, 25. The children found were three girls Kadee Huddleston 10, Swayzee Hite, 3, and Rhylie Hite,1, and a boy three month old Marshall Hite. The youngest kids are the children of the Brandi Vail. Kadee Huddleston is the daughter of Joseph Huddleston. Brandi Vail is the step daughter of Joseph Huddleston. The two adults that escaped the fire were Shelia Huddleston, 43, and Brandon Huddleston, 19. Shelia is Joseph Huddleston’s wife and Brandon is his son. This is

The Indiana State Police have participated in the Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) since the inception of this multi-state enforcement project in 1977, of which Indiana and Michigan were the founding members. Now, more than three dozen local and state law enforcement agencies nationwide participate in this life saving enforcement project. For the Thanksgiving Holiday Project C.A.R.E. was operational from November 21st through the 25th. Among others, there was a total of 5,673 stops, 1,683 speeding violations, 91 seatbelt violations, 51 DUIs/OMVIs, 1 fatal crash, 1 fatality, and 79 felony arrests.

On Tuesday night, the Porter County Council made the final approval of funds from the Sheriff’s Office budget, to move forward with the purchase of a body scanner, Soter RS Full Body Security Scanning System, for the Porter County Jail. The scanner is being purchased for $155,340.00. Over the years, items have been located inside both male and female body cavities, were those individuals attempted to smuggle items into the facility. The scanner will be used to scan for items considered contraband that are hidden on and in the individuals brought into the jail.

For the first time, Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) School of Education & Counseling (SoEC) made the top 10 ranking of collegiate institutions issuing the most teaching licenses according to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), Office of Educator Effectiveness and Licensing. Coming in seventh out of the 46 institutions in Indiana granting teaching licenses, the recognition acknowledges the work of the PNW faculty, staff, university field supervisors and cooperating teachers who ensure PNW’s graduates in early childhood, elementary, special education and secondary education are well-prepared to be effective educators in Indiana classrooms. Graduates from all of PNW’s educator preparation programs

On Monday, at around 8:30 am, MCPD officers were dispatched to the Murphy USA gas station in reference to a robbery that had just occurred minutes earlier. The suspect was described as being a white male wearing a black hooded coat and a mask. Based on information gathered from the scene, Timothy J. Ericksen was determined to be a strong person of interest in the case. It was also noted that Timothy currently had an active LaPorte County arrest warrant for Probation Violation stemming from a prior burglary conviction. While the Patrol Division and Investigative Division continued the investigation, members

In celebration of the 5th Annual Light the Night for Senior Hunger campaign, Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana will host a Kickoff Lighting Ceremony for luminaries and the new Holiday Lights Display with NIPSCO and other supporters on November 29th from 5 to 5:30 p.m. at Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana in Merrillville. With investment of their volunteers and community partners, Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to seniors, children, and other adults who need nutritional support. Funding for meals is provided by individuals receiving meals, private foundations, grants and donations. More information about Meals on Wheels

Lubeznik Center for the Arts' (LCA) latest exhibition, New Perspectives, showcases amazing artworks created by student artists of LCA's Health Promotion through the Arts Program. This program, now entering its eleventh year, provides a creative space and high-quality arts instruction for adults living with cognitive disabilities. In partnership with Paladin, Inc. and The Social & Learning Institute, these weekly visual arts classes explore and develop motor and vocabulary skills and foster social support and peer relationships.The Duneland Health Council funds this program. View the display in LCA's NIPSCO Art Education Studio from December 3rd through January 12th. Join them for

Indiana Dunes Tourism’s monthly board meeting for November/December will be Thursday, Nov. 29th, at 4 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center’s conference room at 1215 N. State Road 49, in Porter. The board will discuss the grant approvals for the 2019 Tourism Promotion Grant program. This is a public meeting, and the general public is welcome to attend; however, public comment is at the discretion of the board. For more information regarding the meeting, please call Indiana Dunes Tourism at 219-926-2255 or email info@indianadunes.com.

The LaPorte County Health Department is gearing up for its Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep “Tour” of the county. Classes are being held at all local county library branches during the month of November and December. Those in need of a safe place for their baby to sleep or wanting updated on the current standards of safe sleep for infants should call the La Porte County Health Department at 219-326-6808 ext. 2200 and ask to speak to a nurse to determine eligibility and pre-register. Limited seating is available for each event. Classes and locations are as follows: 11-29-18 Kingsford Heights

36 year old Shane Inghels, of Mishawaka, was sentenced, after pleading guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Inghels was sentenced to a total of 235 months imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release when released from prison. According to documents in the case, Inghels had outstanding warrants for failure to appear when he traveled from Mishawaka to Michigan City to sell methamphetamine. After meeting with individuals in Michigan City, he drove away from the area with a passenger in his car who was eight and a half months

The public is invited to get a glimpse of the future of healthcare and tour the new Franciscan Health Michigan City at an open house celebration from noon to 4 PM on Dec. 8. The new Franciscan Health Michigan City includes 123 private, inpatient rooms and robust outpatient services with advanced diagnostic imaging equipment. Along with getting a preview of the facility and the new technology inside, visitors can gain insight into their own health through screenings, including body mass index, bone density, hepatitis C, blood glucose, pulse oximetry and blood pressure. Families are welcome, with activities planned for kids,

INDOT announced that the first phase of a project to reconstruct the Chase Street bridge over I-94 in Gary will involve nightly lane closures. Through the end of December, three westbound lanes are closed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. while crews work on the bridge The eastbound shoulder will also be closed. The bridge is located between the exits for Grant and Burr streets.

Indiana continues to rank as one of the most attractive states for companies to locate and expand, outperforming much of the nation last month in key areas of employment and job growth. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development recently reported the state’s unemployment rate in October remained at 3.5 percent and lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. Indiana’s unemployment rate ranks ninth in the nation and has decreased 7.1 percentage points since July 2009—the high point of unemployment in the state. The October report also showed that more Hoosiers are working than ever before. Private employment reached a

On Friday, November 30th, from 7-9 pm Barker Mansion in Michigan City will hold their event ‘When Walls Talk”. Join them for discussion of the updated history the Barker Mansion's design and construction followed by a tour of the mansion in light of new evidence. Guests will be able to see and interact with architect Frederick Perkins' original design for the mansion based upon newly found blueprints and sketches from 1905. Cost is $5/person. Registration is required via Eventbrite or by calling the mansion at (219) 873-1520 x5.

Firefighters across the country face their busiest days of the year on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. While families gather for grand feasts, the risks for fire hazards while cooking increase dramatically.The Indiana State Fire Marshal reminds Hoosiers to use caution when cooking, especially during the holidays, and help ensure annual family events are not marred by danger or tragedy. “For most Hoosiers, the holidays mean spending time with loved ones and enjoying a home-cooked meal,” said State Fire Marshal James Greeson. “Make safety a priority by practicing caution when preparing the holiday meal.” For information about cooking

*Please call warming shelters to verify their hours of operation Crown Point: Crown Point Fire Station, 126 N. East Street, Crown Point, IN Gary: City of Gary Public Safety Facility, 555 Polk Street, Gary, IN Hudson Campbell Athletic Facility, 5th and Connecticut, Gary, IN Calumet Township Shelter, 41st and Cleveland, Gary, IN Hammond: Jean Shepherd Community Center, 3031 JF Mahoney Drive, Hammond IN Hobart: Fire Station House 2, 2301 Old Ridge Road, Hobart IN Police, Court and Community Center, 704 E. 4th Street, Hobart IN Lowell: Ceder Creek Township, 151 North Freemont Street, Lowell IN Three Creeks Elementary School. 670 Burr Street,

In addition to more than 200 I&M crews on the ground in southwest Michigan and north-central Indiana Monday, I&M is adding 100 line workers from Ohio early Tuesday to assist with restoration. Heavy, wet snow combined with strong winds caused trees and limbs to drop onto power lines. Snow accumulated on leaves remaining on trees to contribute to limbs and branches dropping into lines. Over 5 inches of snow were reported in portions of Berrien County, Mich. Wind gusts of 40 mph were recorded in Benton Harbor and 43 mph in South Bend. Customers can check the latest restoration information

NIPSCO crews continue restoration efforts after Monday morning’s winter storm which caused significant damage and outages from heavy snowfall and winds in excess of 45 miles per hour.  Several hundred cases of downed lines, broken poles and equipment have been reported and identified. In total, more than 40,000 electric customers were affected. As of 5:00 p.m. Monday, approximately 6,800 customers remained without power – primarily located in Lake, Porter, and La Porte counties. NIPSCO employees continued to work around-the-clock to respond to the damage, with the support of additional resources working in the call center and emergency command center to

Michigan City Schools - CLOSED Marquette Catholic - CLOSED La Porte Schools - CLOSED Duneland School Corp. - CLOSED Valparaiso Community Schools - CLOSED Portage Township Schools - CLOSED St. Patrick School - CLOSED St. Paul School - CLOSED Portage Christian School - 2 hour delay Union Township - CLOSED Innovations in Learning - CLOSED *Check back for updates*

INDOT announced a new traffic configuration on I-65 in Lake County between I-94 and U.S. 12/20 as part of a bridge deck replacement project. The southbound bridge over Central Avenue and the CSX Railroad tracks is being replaced in a project that started earlier this year. On or after Tuesday, Nov. 27, the traffic pattern in that area will change. Northbound I-65 will go back to being two lanes heading northbound, with no southbound traffic flowing on I-65 through that corridor. Because of this change, the exit ramps connecting the I-80/90 Indiana Toll Road and 15th Avenue to southbound I-65