Local News

Unity Foundation President Maggi Spartz Honored with State Award and Permanent Park Dedication  LA PORTE COUNTY, IN— More than 200 community members gathered Wednesday night to honor Maggi Spartz, founding President of Unity Foundation of La Porte County, for her more than three decades of leadership and impact. The evening included multiple tributes, culminating in the presentation of the prestigious Circle of Corydon Award and the announcement of a permanent dedication in her name at Unity Park. Spartz, who has served as Unity’s president since its inception in 1992, will retire later this year. Under her leadership, Unity Foundation has

Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL) is excited to announce its second round of 2025 grants awarded. In this round, HFL has awarded 43 grants totaling $2,310,943, which brings HFL’s total investment in the community since 2017 to more than $50M! “Since our first grants in November 2017, we have had the privilege of collaborating with dedicated partners throughout La Porte County working to make this a healthier place to live,” said Eric DeWald, HFL President & CEO. “We are so grateful to all of our nonprofit and governmental partners working together on the community conditions that affect our health.

Officer Rachel Davis of the Michigan City Police Department was recently recognized in Indianapolis at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute 2025 Traffic Safety All-Pro Awards Ceremony. The annual ceremony recognizes those who make a significant impact by removing impaired drivers from roadways to increase traffic safety.

Burns Harbor- On September 24, 2025, Timothy John Olson, 36, of Burns Harbor, was arrested as a result of an extensive and collaborative investigation which began in Illinois in 2024. The Lake County (Illinois) State’s Attorney’s Office began an investigation after receiving multiple Cyber Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to the activities of several Kik Messenger accounts. Multiple search warrants and subpoenas were issued as the investigation progressed.  The investigation revealed that the suspect was residing in Burns Harbor, Indiana, and the case was transferred to the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

Check out the Commercial and Real Estate Breakfast on Wednesday October 8th , 2025 from 7:30a-9a at Uptown Social in Michigan City.  For more information see attached flyer or check out edcmc.com.

MICHIGAN CITY, Indiana – On September 23, 2025, Michigan City experienced a disruption to our computer network. As soon as we became aware of the disruption, we took immediate action to secure our systems, which included taking parts of our network offline out of an abundance of caution. We partnered with network specialists to bring our network back online quickly and securely, and also to conduct an investigation into the nature and scope of the disruption. The Police Department and Central Services are operating and emergency dispatch is not impacted. At this time, the investigation is still in its very

Press Release by NiSource: With IURC approval, the structure unlocks energy solutions tailored for the data center boom while protecting existing customers, enabling growth and securing long-term value. MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) has received Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s (IURC) approval for its NIPSCO Generation LLC (GenCo) declination petition. GenCo is designed to own, build and manage generation assets to serve the growing data center industry in Northern Indiana. This approval marks a pivotal moment for our company and the region, unlocking GenCo’s ability to protect existing NIPSCO retail customers and best serve data center and other large

In order to accommodate track construction near Hammond Gateway Station, the South Shore Line will provide temporary busing substitution for all weekend train passengers beginning Friday evening, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. The temporary bus bridge will be in place for all train passengers between Hegewisch, Hammond Gateway, and East Chicago. No bikes will be permitted on buses. FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 2025: Weekday EB Tr Tr 33, Tr 133, Tr 35 & Tr 101/601 passengers bused between Hegewisch, Hammond Gateway, and East Chicago. Weekday WB Tr 32 passengers bused between East Chicago, Hammond Gateway, and Hegewisch. SATURDAY, SEPT.

News Release by Indiana State Police Lowell Post: Starke County- In January of 2020, the Indiana State Police Investigations Division at the Lowell Post was requested to initiate an investigation into misappropriation of evidence at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. The investigation centered around drugs and cash that went missing from the evidence room at the sheriff’s department. As a result of this investigation, in September of 2022, a grand jury was assembled, and an indictment was subsequently brought against Don Ferguson with the following charges: Official Misconduct- Level 6 Felony (4 counts) Theft of a Firearm- Level 6 Felony

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced the subject of Tuesday night’s search in Hudson Township was taken into custody at the 61 mile marker of I-80/90. The LCSO said further details will be provided when they become available for release.

The Porter County Emergency Management Agency released the following statement Tuesday afternoon regarding a hazmat incident for a chemical spill in Valparaiso: HAZMAT INCIDENT: At approximately 1:37 pm Porter County Hazmat received a report of a possible chemical spill on Enterprise Drive in Valparaiso. Upon arrival, it was determined that a chemical storage tank of sodium hydroxide, operated by Shoremet had been inadvertently overfilled. Valparaiso Fire Department, Valparaiso Police Department, Valparaiso Water Department and IDEM also responded. The surrounding area was immediately isolated to keep nonemergency personnel from entering the area out of an abundance of caution. A rave alert

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office said in a statement earlier this week that citizens are again being targeted by scammers purporting to be either current or retired employees of the La Porte County Sheriff's Office. "All UNEXPECTED telephone calls from anyone claiming to be affiliated with the agency should immediately be terminated," the LCSO said.

HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest (PNW) earned recognitions as a top public regional university for academic quality and social mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 annual Best Colleges rankings, released Tuesday, Sept. 23. PNW also received notable rankings for its undergraduate engineering and nursing programs. PNW is ranked 37th among top public Midwest regional universities. PNW’s undergraduate engineering programs are among the top 50 in the country for their category, ranked at No. 46 this year. In addition, PNW’s bachelor of science in nursing programs jumped significantly to No. 74 among peers. PNW was also

A 26-year-old Dyer man was hit by a car late Sunday night and died from his injuries, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced. Just after 11:00 p.m. Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officers were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the 9900 block of Sheffield Avenue in unincorporated Dyer. A preliminary investigation revealed a driver was traveling northbound when the car struck something in the roadway. Initially, the driver believed a deer may have been struck.  The driver returned to the area and realized the car had come into contact with a male pedestrian.  At this time, it’s

Congratulations to three of the City of La Porte Police Department officers on the following promotions. Sergeant Favia was promoted to Captain, Corporal Leonhardt was promoted to Sergeant, and Specialist K9 Handler Allen was promoted to Corporal. CONGRATULATIONS GENTLEMEN!!

An update on a fire at the Compost Fire north of the La Porte County Fairgrounds- The photos are from fire operations at the compost pile fire, which is directly north of the La Porte County fairgrounds. The fire has been burning since midday Sunday and continues to burn despite the efforts of four fire departments. Thank you Michael Kellems for the pictures and update

On Sunday, (9/21) at 8:09 AM, deputies responded to the 200 block of Lakeview Drive in Fish Lake regarding a burglary in progress resulting in one person being shot. The initial on- scene investigation completed by Deputy David Francis and assisting deputies determined the following occurred. A 66-year-old homeowner arrived at his residence and entered through an overhead garage door. He encountered a Hispanic male carrying two rifles inside his garage. The subject immediately fled from the residence. The homeowner proceeded inside and located a second Hispanic male within the interior of his residence. A scuffle ensued between the two

Press release, Michigan City Area Schools: “If it was easy, anybody could be a JROTC cadet.” Those words have never been more true for the Raider Team. Raiders is a physically demanding competition, roughly based on the skills required of Marines in Force Reconnaissance. Cadets must work together in order to be successful. Michigan City High School (MCHS) hosted a Raider Meet on September 20. Schools from Indianapolis, Chicago, Romeoville, Illinois, Minneapolis, and Hobart competed. Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor who coordinated the logistics-intensive meet, noted how this competition demonstrated MCHS’s ability to host a difficult event and

HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest (PNW) invites prospective college students and their families to attend Preview PNW from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18 on the Hammond campus, 2200 169th Street, Hammond, Ind. The event provides valuable information about the university’s academic programs, admissions process and paying for college. The open-house experience offers prospective students the opportunity to explore the campus, meet PNW faculty and staff, and learn how the university offers real-world experience in over 70 areas of study. A guided campus tour includes visits to state-of-the-art classrooms, hands-on laboratories, collaborative workspaces and campus