Local News

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Chris Coons (Del.), co-chairs of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, to announce their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA) has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is ready to be considered on the floor. The VOCAA provides funding for Children’s Advocacy Centers that serve child victims and help law enforcement hold perpetrators accountable. Children’s Advocacy Centers employ a multi-disciplinary team of trained professionals to conduct forensic interviews of children who have been victims of abuse. These interviews are designed to be

On Wednesday September 19, 2018 individuals wishing to visit an inmate in the Berrien County Jail will have the option of conducting that visit using the internet. These remote visits will be able to be scheduled starting Friday September 14, 2018 by visiting https://berrien.gtlvisitme.com. Internet Visitation Hours: o Monday – Friday 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM o Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM Internet Visitation Rules: o Inmates can only have 2 visits per day o Inmates can have up to 10 visits per week o Only 3 visitors per visit (1 visitor

A motorcyclist was thrown from his bike early Thursday morning when he hit traffic barrel supports in the middle of I-65. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nicholas Price revealed just after midnight, this Thursday, morning, a Triumph motorcycle, driven by 36 year old Derek Duvall, of Lake Village, IN was northbound on I-65 at the 240.2 mile marker (this is at the Lowell exit) when he hit the rubber traffic barrel supports that were in the middle of the interstate.  Traffic was down to one lane for on-going construction at the time. Duval after hitting the barrel supports, lost control of

The La Porte County Drug Task Force and The La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced the conviction of two defendants in separate investigations conducted by The La Porte County Drug Task Force. Both of the defendants have previous convictions for dealing narcotics. The first defendant, 28 year old Kyle S. Dilley of La Porte was tried by a jury in La Porte County Superior Court #1, where he was found to be guilty on August 14th, 2018 of Dealing in Methamphetamine Level 2 Felony, and Possession of a Narcotic Drug Level 5 Felony. The case was tried by Deputy

The Michigan City Sanitary District (District) partnered with Energy Systems Group (ESG), a leading energy services provider, to design and implement a $1.8 million energy conservation project at the wastewater treatment plant that includes infrastructure improvements and energy efficiency measures. The project will result in economic and environmental benefits for the City and its ratepayers with guaranteed savings of over $164,000 annually over the term of the contract. ESG also applied for and secured a $190,988.80 incentive through Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s (NIPSCO) energy efficiency program administered by Lockheed Martin Energy, marking the largest incentive awarded by the NIPSCO

Effective Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, improvements to the Gary Metro Center platform will begin that will impact passenger access to the station. On Sept. 15, the Gary Metro Broadway entrance will close for the duration of the project. Beginning Monday, Sept. 17, the Gary Metro east end of the platform will also be closed to passengers while the work is completed. Passengers may still access the SSL platform through the main Metro entrance, via the elevator and stairwell. The closure is expected to last approximately 2-3 weeks.

The Michigan City Police have received unfortunate calls of vehicle entries over the last several days which include thefts, ransacking, and damages. MCPD gave several tips including: ⦁ Always lock your doors and roll up your windows when you park. ⦁ Activate your security system if you have one. ⦁ DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN PLAIN SIGHT ⦁ Don’t use the console or glove box as mobile lock boxes. These are obvious to thieves, too. ⦁ Don't hand them the keys MCPD stated in a press release “Hear Something, See Something…….SAY SOMETHING!”

According to a press release from the Michigan City Police, on Sunday, at about 9:15pm, the MCPD received information via social media reference a MCHS student being in possession of a handgun at school this past Friday. An investigation into the received information began immediately. School officials were notified, safety plans were initiated and additional staff was summoned to assist. Throughout the night the entire school was searched. This search utilized staff from the MCPD, MCHS and also a specialized police K-9 from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department that is trained to locate explosives. Additionally, witnesses were located and interviewed.

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) continues to see upward trends in first-time freshman students and in the retention of continuing students in its 2018-19 fall enrollment count. The university increased its first-time freshman population to 1,172 students; a gain of 47 students over last year. Additionally, retention of continuing PNW students increased to a record high of 69.4 percent, representing an 8.6 percent jump in the past two years. “Our fall enrollment this year demonstrates the progress we are making to show students and their families the tremendous quality and value available at Purdue Northwest,” said Chancellor Thomas L. Keon. Emerging

Thirteen local organizations will receive grants from NIPSCO—totaling $50,000—to help fund their safety and educational projects and programs throughout northern Indiana. “This was the first year we offered this grant and we were impressed to see the number of applications we received,” said Karen McCoy, public affairs manager. “Public safety, education and training, in all forms, are very important to us at NIPSCO and we’re excited to be able to assist these organizations in their mission.” This year’s recipients include: · Valparaiso Police Department, Project Safe Pathways · City of Hammond Fire Department, Fire Prevention Education · La Porte County

The Valparaiso Police Department is accepting applications for individuals seeking a career in law enforcement. The department will be testing individuals from these applications and from applications on file. Full application packets are available at the Valparaiso Police Department, located at, 355 S. Washington St. A complete application packet can also be downloaded from the department’s website atwww.valparaisopolice.organd returned to the department by mail. The minimum requirements needed to apply are: must be 21 yrs of age or older; hold a high school degree or GED; be a United States Citizen; possess a valid driver’s license and have no prior felony

This Friday, Olympic hopeful and American long jumper Norris Frederick will be giving a motivational speech to 800 juniors and seniors at Michigan City High School. In partnership with Indiana-based Sour Punch, the speech aims to spread their new brand purpose: “Embrace Your Punch,” a message of acceptance and self-love, which is important for today’s youth as teen suicide rates continue to rise. Leading up to October’s National Bullying Prevention month, the speech offers insight on how Sour Punch, the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana, and Norris are working to make a difference in the community. As someone

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is again reminding Hoosiers to be cautious about investments involving Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrency-related investment products. She is also reminding those who seek to sell these products to be aware of the laws pertaining to these investments. If these products qualify as securities, they should be registered with the appropriate regulatory agencies or qualify for an exemption from registration. The registration process provides some protection for investors by subjecting the offering to regulatory review. But even registered offerings can be fraudulent. Investors therefore should perform their own thorough due diligence before investing

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has been recognized among the best regional universities in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, released today. PNW ranks 35th nationally among the Best Engineering Programs, of engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Purdue Northwest’s undergraduate business program has also been rated as one of the top programs among those accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). “Purdue Northwest is committed to academic excellence, and the recognition of these high-performing academic programs further validates the quality of our faculty members, facilities and the education our students

The Chesterton Branding Leadership Team will show a video entitled "Why Downtowns Are Back and Why We Should Care". The video is from the Destination Development Association, experts on branding, marketing and more importantly, developing a destination and developing downtowns. The video is part of a series that shows the steps needed to successfully develop a downtown. The downtown is a community’s number one economic development recruiting tool. The members of the Chesterton Branding Leadership Team were impressed with the video and the information the video provided. The group agreed that CBLT should share this video at a town council

For three decades, U.S. News & World Report has identified Valparaiso University as one of the best universities in the Midwest. In the 2019 edition, released yesterday, Valpo is the No. 5 Best Regional University in the Midwest, No. 5 Best Undergraduate Teaching University and No. 1 Best Value in the Midwest. Notable U.S. News rankings: Valpo is No. 5 in the ranking of Best Regional Universities in the Midwest, which evaluates academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate and alumni support. Ranked No. 5 among regional universities in the Midwest for best undergraduate teaching, with

The Indiana Debate Commission announced the selection of Purdue University Northwest as the site of the first of two debates between U.S. Senate incumbent Democrat Joseph Donnelly and challengers, Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton. The debate will be held at 6 p.m. CDT on Monday, October 8 in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex on Purdue Northwest’s Westville Campus located at 1401 S. U.S. Highway 421.

TEAM WIMS celebrated with First Trust Credit Union, Al’s Supermarkets, and the Salvation Army at the Stuff a BUS on Saturday morning from 9a-11a at the Al’s Supermarket on Franklin in Michigan City. Generous people made a difference by buying bags of food for $5.00 or vouchers helping those that need our help in the community. For great photos and video of the event check out the WIMS Facebook and Twitter pages!

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this week led a group of Senators in urging President Trump to commit to meaningful US engagement during the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis (TB). The Senators said committing to not only sustained but expanded investment in the fight against this infectious disease is what’s needed to defeat TB in the US and around the world.Senators Young and Brown penned the letter to the administration alongside several other senators.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) announced that applications are being accepted from Indiana public school corporations for the Indiana Propane School Bus grant program. This marks the fourth round of grant funding made available by OED dedicated to propane school buses. Grant recipients will receive between 50 percent to 100 percent of the incremental cost difference between a new propane-powered school bus and a diesel or gasoline-powered school bus. To be eligible, Indiana public school corporations must own their own buses. Projects must involve the purchase of a minimum of two new propane school buses. Applicants must have