Local News

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

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.)  announced new legislation 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 guarantee program

The Marquette Singers are selling poinsettias for $12 as part of their annual fundraiser. These plants can be purchased from any of the Marquette Singers, or from Mrs. Amy Crane at acrane@marquette-hs.org. Orders with money must be placed by November 30th. The poinsettias will be delivered on December 12th and used for the annual Christmas Concert, then available for pickup that evening. Checks can be made out to Marquette Catholic High School.

The Second Annual Construction & Skilled Trades Day, will occur on Tuesday November 27th, for the Second Annual Construction & Skilled Trades Day, hosted by the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board, the Construction Advancement Foundation and Indiana Plan. Seventeen Trade Organizations will be set up (complete with equipment, technology, and mock work sites) Over 1300 students from Northwest Indiana High Schools/Programs will be in attendance. Hands-on demonstrations by several of the trades where students are also able to participate with demonstration The event is scheduled from 8:00am-2:00pm at the Lake County Fairgrounds—Industrial Building at 889 S. Court Street in Crown Point.

State agencies raised $1.4 million raised for various charities, as employees took to the Governor’s Court with the final push for this year’s State Employees’ Community Campaign (SECC). The SECC is a yearly effort to encourage state employees to contribute to any charity with a 501(c)(3) ruling through special events, one-time contributions, or payroll deductions. Since its inception, state employees have contributed more than $32 million through the SECC to charities of their choice for over 40 years. The 2018 installment of the SECC offered the first state agency 3-on-3 basketball tournament hosted at Governor Eric Holcomb’s residence in Indianapolis.

All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) branches will be closed Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Branches will resume regular business hours on Saturday, November 24. For a complete list of branch locations and hours, to complete an online transaction, or to find a 24 - hour BMV Connect kiosk near you visit IN.gov/BMV

The CDC is advising everyone to not eat romaine lettuce. In a statement Tuesday they said “Do not eat any romaine lettuce, including whole heads and hearts, chopped, organic and salad mixes with romaine until we learn more. If you don’t know if it’s romaine or can’t confirm the source, don’t eat it”.