Local News

Over 9,000 stuffed Easter eggs will cover the ground on Sunday, April 14 at the Gabis Arboretum’s third annual Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter weekend festivities will start hopping on April 13th at 10 a.m. with the arrival of the Easter Bunny. The Railway Depot will be set up for free photos with the Easter Bunny on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Guests are asked to bring a camera and capture their own photos. The Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Sunday with three separate hunts for various age groups. Children ages 4 and

With Tax Day fast approaching and the new tax code taking effect this year, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its 2019 Tax Burden by State report as well as accompanying videos, along with its 2019 Tax Facts infographic. WalletHub compared the 50 states based on the three components of state tax burden — property taxes, individual income taxes, and sales and excise taxes — as a share of total personal income. Notably, Illinois came in at #9 in States with Highest Tax Burdens, Indiana 31st , and Michigan 25th. New York was first and Alaska was 50th.

With spring break right around the corner, the South Shore Line (SSL) is expanding its Kids Ride Free program through April 6. SSL has selected this promotional time frame to cover an average portion of scheduled spring breaks across the four- county area. The Kids Ride Free Program allows up to 3 children 13 years of age and under to ride free with a paying adult on off-peak and weekend trains. However, in an effort to help families enjoy spring break, the program will be available on all trains during the promotion. To make your spring break planning easy, visit

2019 is a municipal election year in Indiana. Are you registered to vote? If you want to have your say in the primary election, you must register in the next few days. Hoosiers must register by April 8th to be able to vote in the May 7th primary election. Most cities and towns in Indiana will cast votes for mayor, council, and city ballot questions. Citizens can register to vote online by using the Indiana Voters app or by visiting IndianaVoters.com, and can submit an application to register in person at their local county clerk's office. The Indiana Voters app

INDOT announced that lane closures are in place as part of a road widening/center turn lane project on U.S. 20 in Michigan City. U.S. 20 will be one lane in each direction between Woodland Avenue and Johnson Road until mid-October as this phase of the project gets started. For a portion of this stretch, westbound traffic will be shifted into the eastbound lanes. There are other phases to this project happening throughout the summer, including a resurfacing of U.S. 20 between U.S. 421 and Woodland Avenue and from Johnson Road to State Road 212. Those portions of the project will

On Tuesday, the city of South Bend will launch a grant program designed to increase access to high-quality early education. The program is in partnership with the Family & Children's Center Foundation, the United Way of St. Joseph County, and the Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition. The city says it is contributing $100,000 to an early childhood capacity fund, while the Family & Children's Center Foundation is adding $40,000. The United Way will manage the program and distribute the funds to local childcare providers. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will join representatives from the city's partners to

Notre Dame has named Norman Francis, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, as the recipient for this year’s Laetare Medal. Francis will be presented with the honor at Notre Dame’s 174th University Commencement Ceremony on May 19. Francis has held a 47-year tenure in which Xavier’s enrollment nearly tripled, the endowment grew significantly and the university became the leading producer of African-American undergraduates who complete medical school. Francis accepted the offer to become the first lay African-American president of Xavier on April 4, 1968 — the same day Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

The Porter County Surveyor’s Office is accepting applications for a part-time Summer Land Surveying Internship. The Porter County Surveyor’s Office is working to inventory, assess, and document section corner and survey related infrastructure. It is seeking seasonal assistance in collecting and analyzing field data and office records throughout Porter County. At this time, the Department is seeking at least two interns to assist with the collection and analysis of field data. The internships will allow the incumbents to apply classroom experiences to real world applications, collecting and analyzing data on Porter County’s public land survey section corner infrastructure, which will

Hope in the Shadows, a Lenten Tenebrae service, will be held at St. Mary the Immaculate Conception in Michigan City on Sunday, April 14 at 3 pm. The Tenebrae recalls Christ’s journey to the cross by examining the shadows of betrayal, injustice and agony that marked His journey. Traditional hymns, contemporary songs and narration will focus on Christ’s sacrifice and the hope which can be found in the shadows. The free Tenebrae service will be performed by the Queen of All Saints Contemporary Choir under the direction of Stephanie Sobecki. St. Mary the Immaculate Conception is located at 411 W.

The ChamberofCommerce.org in its 2019 Best Cities for Small Business report ranked Michigan City/ La Porte MSA in the top 100 small cities for business. The Economic Development Corporation Michigan City (EDCMC) welcomed the national ranking by the business resource site as a recognition of all the partnerships built to promote business education and business expansion & retention programs in Michigan City. The Michigan City/LaPorte MSA was ranked at # 83 ahead of three other Indiana cities, Muncie (107), Kokomo (108.5) and Bloomington (118). Columbus (3) and Elkhart-Goshen (9) were in the top 10. For more information, call (219) 873-1211

A group of resource management professionals have teamed up with other advocates in support of Indiana’s state parks and state-owned nature preserves. The Indiana Resource Managers Association, Inc. (IRMA) has ceased operations and transferred its assets to the Indiana Parks Alliance (IPA). Ron Hellmich is a longtime board member and president of IRMA. He told the IPA board of directors that IRMA had determined that IPA was advocating effectively for stewardship of Indiana’s natural resources, working to protect ash trees and providing mini-grants for DNR staff and similar purposes. Illustrating the synergy between the two organizations, Hellmich noted that Tom

The La Porte Police Department announced 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. Operation Pull Over is a traffic safety grant program funded through federal highway safety funds and administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. For more information on Operation Pull Over, DUI: Taskforce Indiana, and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s programs, please visit: https://www.in.gov/cjiThe League of

One of the biggest fundraisers for the Michiana Humane Society is coming Saturday, April 13. The 21st Annual Spring Fling will be held at Traditions Event Center at 2107 Welnetz Road, in Michigan City. This year the theme is "Spring Time in Paris", and there will be cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and live music beginning at 5pm central, dinner by Froehlich's beginning at 6:30pm, and a live auction conducted by Scheerer McCulloch Auctioneers at 8pm. A silent auction will be online soon and people can mobile bid on items before the event takes place. Tickets are limited and the deadline for

After several months of renovation, the 1st and 2nd floors of the Barker Mansion are open for tours! The Mansion will be open Tuesdays- Saturdays for the 1pm guided tour as well as their regularly scheduled specialty events. Discounted rates are $3/ youth or senior and $5/adult. If you are interested in volunteering at the Mansion, please contact Director Emily Reth at ereth@emichigancity.com or by calling the Mansion at 219-873-1520. The Barker Mansion is located at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City. Visit www.barkermansion.com for details.

INDOT announced that State Road 933 (Lincolnway E) will have some lane closures beginning Monday, April 1, while overhead bridge painting work happens on State Road 23 (Eddy Street). The lane closures are expected to last until early May, and will come in three phases, lasting approximately one week each: Phase 1: The eastbound ramp and right lane will be closed. Phase 2: The eastbound and westbound left lanes will be closed. Phase 3: The westbound right lane will be closed. La Porte County Sheriff John T. Boyd is announcing the release of the 2018 Annual Report. The amount of calls for

Students at Barker Middle School in Michigan City have done it again: This year, they raised $1,805 to support the American Heart Association through a "Kids Heart Challenge" fundraiser. For a minimum donation of $5, students reported to the gym during the last class period before spring break for some heart-healthy activities: they played either dodge ball or "Omnikin ball" -- which is played with a giant ball on a volleyball court. This year, the event took place on Friday, March 29 and more than 200 students took part. The effort was spearheaded and promoted by the Barker Student Council

Attorney General Curtis Hill won a legal victory on Friday that will help the state hold officials accountable for obeying laws and upholding the public trust. A former bookkeeper for the Jennings County Clerk's Office, Cathy Jo Robertson, has sought to avoid paying back public funds demanded by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). In an audit report, the State Board of Accounts (SBOA) determined that Robertson diverted more than $61,000 in public funds for her own use. Robertson had claimed the OAG’s complaint to recover the funds was filed after the statute of limitations had expired. Robertson’s attorneys

At around 2:30 PM Saturday afternoon, Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to a wild fire located at the Moraine Nature Preserve [near County Road 650 North and Harvest Road], part of the Department of Natural Resources, in rural Jackson Township. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Wineland arrived on scene of a wildland fire with initial estimates of 10 plus acres burning. Additional resources from nearby fire departments were called in to assist due to the remote location of the fire for extinguishment efforts. Firefighters had to travel by foot and ATV to reach the remote location. Initial investigation concluded the

Early Saturday morning, Michigan City Police Department Officers from the Uniformed Patrol Division Shift III were dispatched to the 1000 block of Holiday Street in reference to shots being fired. Upon their arrival a 27-year-old male, identified as Darrell Edwards, was located on the ground. It was quickly determined this person had been shot. Emergency care was provided, and he was rushed to Franciscan Hospital where unfortunately he succumbed to his wounds. The Investigative Division was summoned to the scene and Detectives are actively working this case. Cpl. Anna Painter is the Lead Detective. Anyone with information regarding this incident

Disney Institute is bringing its renowned professional development course, Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence, to Valparaiso on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. Sponsored by Duneland and Valpo Chamber, the one-day event will help area professionals begin to understand the power of leadership values, discover how customer loyalty can be established, and gain insight into how organizational culture is strengthened. Participants gain an awareness of the systems and processes that can make exceptional customer service achievable and learn how to integrate personal creativity and organizational processes to support continuous improvement within their organization. This day of Disney Institute training uses business insights