Local News

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

Last week, the La Porte County Drug Task Force announced the arrest of 35 year old Boyd D. Hartley III of New Carlisle following the execution of a search warrant in Michigan City. On Monday November 19th, The La Porte County Drug Task Force received information that Hartley was selling narcotics from a room at the Baymont Inn located in the 4100 Block of Franklin Street. The La Porte County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant, where a large quantity of methamphetamine was recovered, along with heroin, drug paraphernalia, and a large amount of money that was ultimately seized.

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,

The South Shore Line advises that the parking lot on Roxanna Drive adjacent to the former East Chicago school is not available for passenger use. NICTD does not own nor operate this parking lot, and those vehicles parking within this lot are subject to being towed at their own expense by the property owner. For passengers unable to find parking at East Chicago, please make alternate arrangements to use other South Shore Line system parking lots in Gary, Hammond or Hegewisch.

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,

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.)  announced new legislation this week to revitalize the Department of Energy’s (DOE) loan guarantee program and incentivize energy producers to construct new, cleaner, and more efficient coal-fired units. The Reinvigorating American Energy Infrastructure Act, S.3653, would expand eligibility for DOE’s existing loan guarantee program to high efficiency, low emission generating coal plants, also known as HELE units. By broadening the eligibility for DOE’s loan program, the legislation aims to encourage reinvestment in coal technology. DOE’s energy loan guarantee program dates back to the 1970s. Most recently, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a loan

Winter will have to come and go before shovels will penetrate the dirt on the lot located at Ohio & 9th Street, but there's plenty of work to be done indoors as Marquette and Habitat for Humanity prepare to construct a new home. The two organizations have begun their search for a family to take ownership of the home, which figures to be completed in late spring of 2019. In fact, Marquette and Habitat for Humanity hope to identify that family before Christmas. One of the many benefits of taking ownership of a Habitat for Humanity home is that the