Local News

The NICTD board has approved the proposed fare increase and it will take effect on July 1st, for the South Shore Line rail passenger service, including July monthly tickets. The new fares would apply to all stations but Hegewisch. Metra controls Hegewisch fares and approved an increase effective February 1, 2018. According to a press release the fare increase will enhance safety on the SSL through supporting implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). According to the South Shore Line’s website, “PTC is an unprecedented, advanced set of technologies that will automatically stop a train before certain human error incidents occur.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking community nominations for eight awards given during the State of the Chamber Awards Luncheon, to be held on Wednesday, July 18. Nomination forms are available on the Chamber website or can be emailed to you upon request. All nominations are due by Monday, June 18, 2018. All nominations will be reviewed by the Chamber’s Nominating Committee, except for the Duneland Distinguished Woman Award, which will be reviewed by former recipients. All forms must be submitted to the Chamber office by Monday, June 18, 2018. Awards will be presented at the State of

La Porte Hospital will break ground officially on the new hospital in August this year, but the community will start to see tangible evidence of property preparations when demolition of some hospital-owned structures begins next week. The hospital has earmarked six homes it owns for demolition along State Street, between Teegarden and Tyler streets. The homes will be taken down to prepare land for staging and building of the new facility. The exact footprint of the new hospital has not been finalized, but officials expect to build and create space for construction staging in that general area west of the

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb will depart for Europe on Friday, marking his sixth international economic development trip as governor. The governor will meet with government, business and academic stakeholders in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France prior to delivering the Indy 500 green flag to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) inaugural flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on Delta Flight 501. Several others will join Holcomb. Indiana is home to more than 450 European business establishments that provide approximately 113,900

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that State Road 4 in LaPorte County will be closed Monday, May 21st, and Tuesday, May 22nd, between Boyd Boulevard and State Road 104 as crews perform a chip sealing operation. Detours will be posted. Drivers should exercise caution in this area once the road is reopened. Loose stone will be present on the roadway during the initial cure of the asphalt and can damage windshields and paint on vehicles that may be following each other too closely. It is recommended, when traveling on a recently chip-sealed road, that drivers slow down and

According to a press release from the Chesterton Police Department, this Sunday, May 20th, starting at 2:45 pm the following roads will be closed for the Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana 5K. 11th Street - from C.R. 1100 North to C.R. 1050 North. C.R. 1050 North - from 11th Street to 5th Street. 5th Street - from C.R. 1050 North to C.R. 1100 North. These roads will be closed until approximately 4pm. Police said they will reopen the roads as soon as they can. They also stated, “If you live in a subdivision or home along 5th Street

Attorney General Curtis Hill joined CVS Health officials Thursday at a press conference to discuss the pharmacy company’s plans to create drug-disposal collection points at 49 CVS Pharmacy stores in Indiana. CVS Health is replicating these actions at 750 locations nationwide. This initiative complements the Attorney General’s ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of unused and unneeded prescription medication lingering in Hoosier households. These sheriffs’ offices, police departments and all of the new CVS locations can be found on a new section of the Indiana Attorney General’s web site. Go to in.gov/attorneygeneral and click on the “alert” at the top

The LaPorte County Innovation Network is of the 11 Innovation Networks that will be formed thanks to a grant from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s employer-driven Skill UP Indiana! program. The Skill UP program, in its third year, provides funding to form and operate a collaborative group of educational, business and workforce stakeholders charged with developing the talent supply chain in local communities. The LaPorte County Innovation Network will receive $677,000. The group’s goal will be to train adults to meet immediate skill needs, develop strengthened relationships between manufacturing employers and local students for strengthening the talent pipeline. A

On May 15th, at approximately 8:30 PM, 70 year old Kenneth Smith walked to his neighbors residence located at 1617 N 500 E in Pines Township in Porter County. He stayed approximately 45 minutes and then walked away. Mr. Smith has not been seen since. Family members believe he has the signs of Alzheimer's disease but not officially diagnosed. Mr. Smith is 5'7" 160 lbs with white hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey Carhartt sweater and jeans. Porter County Officers along with DNR and Porter County Search and Rescue Team have been searching the area.

The Mobile Health Unit of La Porte Hospital will be out in the community throughout May to provide bone density screenings and to educate on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. Come and visit the Mobile Health Unit to learn more about these two important topics. The Mobile Health Unit program has been made possible by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte. Upcoming Dates and times of the Mobile Health Unit visits are: 1:30 – 2:20 p.m., May 22, Good Will Industries, 3822 Franklin St., Michigan City 11 a.m. – Noon, May 22, Salvation Army, 3240 Monroe St., La Porte

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly received an award from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) recognizing his outstanding support for law enforcement. Donnelly was also recognized for his work to draft, introduce, and shepherd to passage the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year. NAPO is a coalition of police associations from across the country.The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which Donnelly authored and introduced with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) allows law enforcement agencies to establish or enhance mental health services for their officers. It also

At a press conference yesterday, Attorney General Curtis Hill discussed his ongoing determination to strengthen drug interdiction efforts across Indiana, including a collaboration with the Indiana Drug Enforcement Association (IDEA) to provide funding to regional interdiction teams. Through a $1.25 million grant to IDEA, the Office of Indiana Attorney General is supporting the establishment of highway interdiction teams (HITs) statewide. These teams, comprised of officers and drug-sniffing dogs, are cracking down on criminals who use Indiana thoroughfares to carry out their nefarious deeds. Through the grants, a total of eight police cars and five police K-9s have thus far been

On Wednesday morning, the House Republican Conference selected Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) to serve on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Congressman Banks will serve on the Subcommittees on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and Higher Education and Workforce Development. Banks served on the Education Committee for six years during his time in the Indiana State Senate.

The Dunes Arts Foundation (DAF) and the Dunes Summer Theatre present the musical The Spitfire Grill, directed by Steve Scott from the Goodman Theater, along with Musical Director, Jeff Otto. The play runs from May 25 through June 10 with performances every Friday/Saturday at 7 pm CST and Sunday at 2 pm CST at 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michigan City, IN 46360. A special “Celebration of the Arts” FUNraiser occurs during the June 9 performance. For a $50 donation, patrons will enjoy food from Fiddleheads, a drink ticket, music provided by Debra Sawyer, from the group AhTu, as well as

Earlier Wednesday morning, a crash between a passenger car and a semi sent one of the driver’s to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nicole Maenza revealed at approximately 4:40 a.m., a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 22 year old Tristen M. Riezinger, of Crown Point was east bound on I-80/94 at the .9 mile marker (Calumet Avenue) in the left middle lane when for unknown reasons ran into the back of a semi-trailer. The semi, a 2013 Freightliner, out of Frankfort, Illinois, loaded with 43,000 pounds of shingles on its flatbed trailer, was east bound

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Wednesday, applauded committee passage of her bipartisan legislation to combat the opioid epidemic by improving access to non-opioid pain treatments. The Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act (H.R. 5722), named for the South Bend doctor shot to death after refusing to write a prescription for opioid painkillers, was approved by the Ways and Means Committee as part of broader legislation to address opioid abuse. Dr. Graham’s wife Julie was in the audience as the committee voted to send the legislation to the House floor.

La Porte County Solid Waste District have organized a Household Hazardous Waste collection this Saturday from 9am-2pm at the La Porte County Fairgrounds. They will be collecting Household Hazardous Waste, Electronics, Appliances, Tires*, and Shredding your documents. For more information call 219-326-0014 or email sgeeburns@solidwastedistrict.com. *Tire information- First four passenger car/truck are FREE, additional of that size are $1 each. Semi/ tractor tires are $5 each, tires larger than 54" in diameter are $75 each.

School leaders from districts across the nation on Tuesday attended Indiana’s first-ever State Education Chief Roundtable on school safety. Held during the 2018 Indiana Advanced School Safety Specialist Academy, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) invited representatives from all 50 states and U.S. territories in an effort to extend the national discussion on school safety and share best practices. Looking to further safety discussions through collaboration and partnership, this State Education Chief Roundtable is anticipated to be the first of many national collaborative discussions on school safety. For more information on Indiana’s commitment to school safety or to learn more

Valparaiso Police are investigating a vandalism that occurred in Central Park in downtown Valparaiso on May 4th. Numerous landscaping lights were damaged in the park. The male subject (wearing a maroon shirt) is a person of interest and police are seeking the male subject's identiity. Anybody with information regarding the male subject is asked to call the Valparaiso Police Department at (219) 462-2135 (Detective Jason Hamilton) or text a tip to Tip411 (847-411) and enter "Valpo" in the message field prior to sending your information. Check out the WIMS Facebook page for photos.

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday, calling for action to protect the hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees across the country at risk of losing the pensions they earned through decades of work. Donnelly highlighted the stories of a number of Hoosiers who would be harmed by pension cuts. According to a press release, without congressional action, the nearly 150 multiemployer pension plans listed by the U.S. Department of Labor as in “critical or endangered status” could fail, potentially leading to the collapse of the federal pension insurance program, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. This