Local News

Last Tuesday night, Michigan City Police Department officers were dispatched to Taco Bell, on Franklin St. in  Michigan City reference an armed robbery that just occurred. Officers were told that an unknown male suspect entered the restaurant and instructed employees to open the cash register as he held a gun to the head of one of the employees. The employee complied and opened the cash register.  The suspect removed an undetermined amount of currency and fled the restaurant. Witnesses said that the suspect arrived and left in a light colored 4 – door vehicle, being driven by an unknown white

Applications for the 2019 Innovate WithIN ™ pitch competition, a statewide initiative hosted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Indiana Department of Education (DOE) and Ball State University, are now open to high school students across Indiana. Student teams are invited to submit video pitches online before Feb. 6, 2019, and new to this year's program, middle school students interested in entrepreneurship are invited to register for workshops offered at the regional competitions in early 2019. Innovate WithIN ™ , which is in its second year, gives Hoosier students the opportunity to create their own business plans and showcase

The Valparaiso Police Department is seeking high school students that represent good citizenship and have an interest in a law enforcement career. The Department is again sponsoring the Junior Police Academy in 2019. The academy consists of two classes per week, starting February 18, 2019 through May 1, 2019 and are scheduled for 2-3 hours, per topic presented. The course is designed for high school students to meet officers and learn about the daily activities of police work. The topics presented include: traffic enforcement, crash investigation, crimes against young people, drug investigation, physical tactics, K9, SWAT, and various education topics

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released the 2017-2018 School Accountability Grades. Roughly 22 percent of schools improved one or more letter grades, with nearly 9 percent improving their letter grade to an A. Overall, close to 64 percent of schools received an A or B. Due to differences between federal and state accountability equations and standards, IDOE also released federal accountability grades for the 2017-2018 school year. Roughly 67 percent of public schools received the same letter grade for both state and federal accountability systems, with 31 percent of schools receiving a higher letter grade on the state accountability

Chesterton Fire Department has installed Safe Haven Baby Box #5 at Station #500 (702 Broadway, Chesterton). The Safe Haven Baby Box is positioned on the east side of the fire station. This is the 5th Safe Haven Baby Box installed and second since 2018 law (Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department in La Porte County and Woodburn Fire Department in Allen County). Chesterton Fire Dept is second station staffed 24/7 to install a Safe Haven Baby Box since new Indiana law. Safe Haven Baby Boxes cost roughly 10K to install. The City of Chesterton has been taking donations for this project

Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb led the Jobs for America’s Graduates’ (JAG) national board of directors meeting on Thursday, in Washington D.C. Gov. Holcomb was elected in January 2018 to serve as JAG’s national board chair. JAG has served over 1.2 million youth in its history and is currently helping 63,000 young people in 1,250 schools and other locations in 34 states achieve academic, career and life success. After more than two decades of operation, JAG has proven to be one of the most cost-effective and successful state-level strategies for tackling high dropout rates, low academic performance, youth unemployment and

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

The LaPorte County Drug Task Force announced the arrest of 24 year old Luis F. Sosa-Ortega of South Bend for Dealing in Cocaine. The LaPorte County Drug Task Force began an investigation in the spring of 2018 when information was provided by the public that Sosa-Ortega was supplying cocaine to individuals within LaPorte County. Following an investigation, evidence was presented to the Honorable Judge Michael Bergerson in La Porte County Superior Court #1 by The LaPorte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.  Probable cause was established, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of Sosa-Ortega. On Thursday November 15th, the La

The DNR will set up additional disease check stations in northeast and northwest Indiana this weekend to sample hunter-harvested deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The check stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday at Fish & Wildlife Areas (FWAs) and partnering businesses. CWD sampling involves removing lymph nodes from the deer’s neck just below the head. Any deer harvested within the CWD surveillance areas that are 1.5 years or older can be tested. Submitting samples for CWD testing is voluntary. CWD check station locations and surveillance areas can be found at: wildlife.IN.gov/9650.htm.

Tuesday evening a driver on the Indiana Toll Road in LaPorte County narrowly escaped serious injuries after a pumpkin was thrown from an overpass onto the interstate below. The call came in to Indiana State Police dispatch around 9:35 p.m. reporting that a pumpkin had been thrown from an overpass and came through the windshield of a passing vehicle causing it to crash into the ditch. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Trent Jones shows that a 64 year old woman from Edwardsburg, MI, was driving eastbound on the Indiana Toll Road near the 44 mile marker when an object, determined to

A team of emergency responders from Indiana deployed to Florida Tuesday to help with ongoing recovery operations related to Hurricane Michael, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) announced. The seven-person All Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) deployed to Bay County, Fla., and will return on Saturday, Nov. 24. The Indiana team will manage a long-term shelter for residents in Bay County and work with non-governmental organizations, state and local agencies. Hurricane Michael first made landfall on Oct. 10th. The team includes personnel from Decatur Township Fire Department, DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency, Franciscan Health Munster, Fort Wayne Fire Department,

The early cold weather has not deterred construction teams at La Porte Hospital from moving forward with as much site preparation as possible for the new facility, which is scheduled to open in 2020. It will be the community’s only full-service acute care hospital. In the next major development, workers will tie city sanitary and water lines to the State Street mains, laying the infrastructure for the sanitary and water supplies to the new facility. Temporary street closures are needed for this work, as it requires substantial roadway excavation. State Street will be closed between Teegarden and Tyler streets Nov.

The Franciscan Health St. Anthony School of Echocardiography Class of 2018 was honored during a graduation program on Nov. 9 at the Marian Education Center at Franciscan Health Crown Point. The School of Echocardiography is an Associate of Applied Science degree program that prepares students for the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers or Cardiovascular Credentialing International examinations, which are recognized as the leading choices for credentialing in the field of cardiac ultrasound. The 22-month, hospital-based program incorporates classroom instruction, lab skills and clinical experiences in a variety of healthcare settings, which allow students to learn the art and science

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of Terry Alan Fodemski,  a 64 year old white male, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 190 pounds, blond hair with blue eyes, possibly wearing a gray coat, blue dress shirt, and black pants. Terry is missing from Crown Point, Indiana which is 138 miles northwest of Indianapolis and was last seen on Friday, November 2, 2018.  He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. If you have any information on Terry Alan Fodemski, contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at 219-660-0000 or 911.

An Indiana State Police trooper and semi driver were injured when a semi lost control and jack-knifed into the trooper’s police car. Preliminary investigation by Sergeant Dwayne Dillahunty showed Monday night, Trooper Zachary Huston was on the outer shoulder covering a single vehicle crash on I-80/94 west bound at the 12.6 mile marker (this is near the exit ramps for I-65) when his police car was hit.  Huston, age 25, had all his emergency lights activated on his fully marked Dodge Charger police car when a Volvo semi pulling a box trailer, loaded with empty auto racks, and driven by

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is saddened to announce that retired K9 Marko has passed away at the age of twelve. Marko, a German Shepherd, was born in November of 2006 and acquired by the Sheriff’s Office in 2008. He was partnered with Sheriff’s Deputy Dallas Smythe from April 2008 until the time of his retirement on December 31, 2017. He retired after ten years of service and upon his retirement was able to become a permanent member his handler’s home and family. At the time of his death he was suffering from cancer. Marko was certified in narcotics

The League of Women Voters of LaPorte County will host Cathy Martin for their Tuesday, November 13, Dinner With The League. Cathy is Program Manager at Save the Dunes, and worked on the Indiana Dunes Climate Change Adaptation Plan coordinated by Save the Dunes in partnership with the Field Museum. She has expertise in conservation planning and natural resource protection and restoration in Northwest Indiana's high quality natural areas. Cathy will update the guests on current and on-going efforts to deal with climate change in the Indiana Dunes and surrounding areas. Cathy's work, and that of her colleagues at Save

Parkinson’s patients can try this class for free during the Franciscan Health Fitness Centers open house on Nov. 19. Franciscan Health Fitness Centers offers boxing therapy class for people with Parkinson’s disease. Patients with Parkinson’s disease will have a chance to try their hand at the Rock Steady Boxing program in a free class at Franciscan Health Fitness Centers. During the Franciscan Health Fitness Centers open house on Nov. 19, the class will take place at the Schererville location. The class will be 3-4:30 PM for those with moderate to severe movement restrictions and 4:45-6:15 PM for those with minimal

The Kroger Foundation has awarded Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry a grant totaling $5,000 to fund processing fees on donated large game and livestock. "We are very excited about our “Meat” the Need program, "said Debra Treesh, Executive Director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, "and pleased that this Foundation is continually making an investment in our community." These funds will be used to assist Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry in paying processing fees for donations of large game and livestock within Indiana. Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry encourages the donation of large game and livestock to the “Meat” the Need

The Indiana State Police is proud to partner again in 2019 with the U.S. Department of Justice in promoting the National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.  In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day. This day is dedicated to encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers and all concerned individuals with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority.  It also serves as a reminder to continue efforts to reunite missing children with their families and loved ones. It also serves as an occasion to honor those that are dedicated to this very noble cause. The