Local News

The Great Lakes Legislative Caucus (GLLC), a nonpartisan group of lawmakers from eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces that focuses on issues and policies concerning the Great Lakes, recently elected State Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) to chair the Caucus during 2019 and 2020. Charbonneau will succeed Michigan State Sen. Darwin Booher, whose legislative term will end in December. Illinois State Rep. Robyn Gabel was elected to the position of vice chair. The Caucus also elected members to serve on the GLLC Executive Committee. All 10 jurisdictions are represented on the committee. Some of the specific objectives include assuring the

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced yesterday he is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 1979 decision Nevada vs. Hall, which holds that states are subject to lawsuits brought against them in the courts of other states. Sovereign immunity prevents states from being sued without their consent. Hall’s holding, which allows plaintiffs to circumvent sovereign immunity by bringing suit against one state in the courts of another state, is irreconcilable with the Supreme Court’s larger body of sovereign immunity decisions, said Attorney General Hill. He is leading a 44-state friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Franchise

Grant Applications are available beginning September 24, 2018 for the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation’s 2019-2020 grant cycle. Online Grant Applications are available at: www.mccec.com In March of this year, the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation awarded 49 grants totaling approximately $650,000 to Michigan City Area charitable organizations. If you have any questions about the Application process, please call their voice-mail at 219-873-1402 or email mccec@emichigancity.com and a representative from the Enrichment Corporation Board will be in contact with you.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Administration today announced the second opportunity for Indiana schools to order state-funded handheld metal detectors. Gov. Holcomb announced the original program earlier this summer. Schools that have not ordered the devices can contact info@k12indiana.com. Ordering instructions will be provided. The deadline to order is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 5. To date, 3,231 total handheld metal detectors have been requested by 370 school entities — including 94 percent of all traditional public school corporations. Originally announced on July 9, the program makes one handheld metal detector available for every 250 students

Governor Eric Holcomb has declared September 23-29, 2018 as Indiana Rail Safety Week in conjunction with U.S. and Canada Rail Safety Week that will take place in all 50 states and Canadian provinces. Our goal is to increase rail safety awareness by working collaboratively on national rail safety week. Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation, local law enforcement and railroad companies have partnered together to raise awareness about the dangers of disregarding railroad crossing laws and trespassing on railroad property. “Train versus vehicle collisions and trespasser deaths are completely preventable,” states Jessica Feder, Executive Director, Indiana Operation Lifesaver.  “Indiana

Horizon Bank’s Diversity Business Council members attended a meeting at their corporate headquarters to discuss diversity and inclusion initiatives. Horizon Bank executives and the members of the Council had the pleasure of having Michael Suggs, Operations Integrations & Strategy Director for NIPSCO present “Inclusion & Diversity Path to Success.” He discussed retention of a diverse workforce, diversity awareness and how it affects internal and external customers. Suggs has worked at NIPSCO for 37 years, and has advanced Diversity and Inclusion initiatives throughout the NiSource organization and Northwest Indiana.  Michael was recognized as an Indiana Champion of Diversity by Indiana Minority

Ivy Tech Community College and Michigan City Area Schools are partnering to bring technical courses to adults at the AK Smith Center starting October 15. Courses will include Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, Logistics, Welding and Certified Production Technician. The courses are eligible for Next Level Jobs funding and there will be no cost to qualifying participants. For more information contact Rob at rjeffs@ivytech.edu or ( 219) 879-9137 x 6252 or attend an Information Session Thursday, September 27., at Ivy Tech Michigan City Campus, 3714 Franklin St. M.C. 6:00 pm -8:00 pm .

In the wake of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Florence, Secretary of State Connie Lawson cautioned investors to watch out for opportunistic investment or charitable scams. Secretary Lawson recently reminded investors to watch for red flags of hurricane-related scams, including unsolicited email, social media messages, crowdfunding pitches or telephone calls promoting investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs. Scam artists may linger long after the storm has passed to prey on victims who anticipate receiving large lump-sum insurance settlements for damaged property and other losses. Secretary Lawson

A Hobart man was arrested Saturday afternoon, when he drove on the shoulder and caused a three vehicle crash on I-80/94. Preliminary investigation by Trooper John Landowski showed at approximately 3:10 p.m. a 2003 Ford Focus, driven by 42 year old Charlton Johnson of Hobart, was west bound on I-80/94 at the 6.4 mile marker (this is the Burr Street exit) in the right lane when for unknown reasons he began to drive on the outer/right shoulder.  A 2009 Chrysler Sebring, driven by Shanequa Cauley, 23 of Merrillville, was in the right lane when the Focus hit her car on

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is awarding the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration with an $18,147,223 grant for opioid treatment services. The funding is provided through HHS’s Mental Health & Substance Abuse Service Grants program. HHS’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) works to promote community based substance abuse treatment services. CSAT grants support a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery support services at the state and local level.

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for August and remains lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana's unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 11,085 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,594

In the wake of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Florence, Secretary of State Connie Lawson cautioned investors to watch out for opportunistic investment or charitable scams. Secretary Lawson recently reminded investors to watch for red flags of hurricane-related scams, including unsolicited email, social media messages, crowdfunding pitches or telephone calls promoting investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs. Scam artists may linger long after the storm has passed to prey on victims who anticipate receiving large lump-sum insurance settlements for damaged property and other losses. Secretary Lawson

Franciscan Health and Beacon Health System have announced plans to build a small acute care hospital equipped with a 24-hour Emergency Department in LaPorte, IN, adding to the I Street campus where Beacon Medical Group is currently located, according to Franciscan and Beacon Health officials. The project includes approximately 28,000 square feet of new construction and a 19,000 square foot renovation of the current space. When completed, the entire facility will include 92,500 square feet of space. The new facility will be named Franciscan Beacon Hospital. It will include a full-service,10-bed emergency department, eight inpatient beds, laboratory services and telehealth

Students in elementary schools in Indiana and around the country have a new way to move their bodies toward heart health, earn benefits for their schools and give back to their community this school year. This week, The American Heart Association announced details of its new Kids Heart Challenge™, which includes jump rope, basketball, dance and warrior (obstacle course) components. The Kids Heart Challenge™ marks the Association’s 40th year working in schools and meets the changing needs of today’s youth and educators by preparing kids for success through physical and emotional well-being. The Kids Heart Challenge™ encourages heart-healthy behavior as

To accommodate passengers attending the Chicago Bears home games, the South Shore Line is planning select train stops at the 18th Street station in Chicago. These stops are in addition to regular service to Museum Campus/11th Street.

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) announced this week that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously to advance the nomination of Mr. Kip Tom of Leesburg, Indiana. Mr. Tom is nominated to be Ambassador and U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. His nomination now heads to the full Senate. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee that oversees multilateral development and the United Nations, as well as its agencies, Senator Young wrote the President on August 9, 2017, and recommended that Mr. Tom be nominated for the position. Senator Young

Employer training grants are beginning to have the kind of major impact that was envisioned when the program was rolled out last year as part of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s NextLevel Jobs initiative. The grants are used by employers to train and reskill employees for high-demand jobs. But grants awarded to Indianapolis-based Community Health Network, Community Howard Regional Health in Kokomo and Lutheran Child and Family Services will be used to train workers in a critical skill that extends far beyond the workplace—helping to save lives through suicide prevention. The three each received a $50,000 grant ($150,000 total) to train or

Mr. Barker was known for enjoying cigars, and the mansion will channel this piece of mansion history as they sample stogies in the mansion gardens during this casual evening event. Cost is $15 for this 18+ event which takes place on September 29th, 8-10 pm. Ticket price includes interpretation of Mansion smoking related artifacts, self- guided tour of the first floors, complimentary cigar, and an opportunity to relax at the Gold Leaf smoke lounge. Registration is required via Eventbrite. The Barker Mansion is located at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City. Visit www.barkermansion.com for details.

The Indiana State Board of Education (Board) approved procedures allowing schools to appeal their upcoming A-F grades. The Board also approved two teacher prep programs that provide more opportunities for aspiring teachers. The Board unanimously approved the procedures for Indiana schools to appeal their upcoming A-F grade. A school may utilize the procedures once it receives its grade from the Indiana Department of Education. The Board unanimously approved continued state accreditation status for the School of Education at the University of Indianapolis. The Board also approved, by a vote of 9-0, two (2) year state accreditation status for the Indiana

When you receive a call or email from a scammer, there is one thing they’re are digging for: information. Information can range from a full name, email address, bank information, a credit card number and other personal descriptions. Unfortunately, gaining your social security information can be as simple as a phone call and Better Business Bureau (BBB) has recently seen a rise in social security scams in northern Indiana. "There’s somebody calling pretending to be an officer from the Social Security Administration,” said one northern Indiana resident. “The number they are giving is (859) 960-4874 and they’re talking with a