Local News

Porter County is now accepting applications for the full time position of Development and Storm Water Management Senior Highway Engineer. The Department of Development and Storm Water Management (Department) oversees the inspection, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance for the County’s infrastructure. Send resume to: Robert Thompson, AICP Director Department of Development and Storm Water Management 155 Indiana Ave.; Suite 311 Valparaiso, IN 46383 rthompson@porterco.org For more information and to download an application visit: www.porterco.org/Jobs.aspx

Porter County Sheriff’s Officers responded to the area of Burlington Beach Road and Charles Street in Center Township this afternoon around 12:15pm in regards to a suspicious incident. The mother of a 13 year old female reported her daughter was dropped off at her bus stop after her last day of school, when she was approached by a male subject driving a white pickup truck, that pulled up alongside her and asked her “Do you want to go somewhere with me?” The juvenile told him no, became fearful and ran home. She immediately told her mother, who called police as

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, available resources and how people can get involved to support the cause. During the month of June, Gov. Eric Holcomb invites Hoosiers to raise awareness and take action through the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter’s 65 Ways to Go Purple. More than five Indiana mayors have joined Gov. Holcomb in announcing the month of June (or a specific day) as Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, including Tom Henry, Fort Wayne; Greg Goodnight, Kokomo; Dennis Tyler, Muncie; Tony Roswarski, Lafayette; and Joe Yochum, Vincennes

From Friday, June 9 through Saturday, October 13 Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) will exhibit original works by Andy Warhol, on loan from the Drew and Wendy Levenfeld collection, as well as from the Brauer Museum of the Art's permanent collection at Valparaiso University, Indiana. The exhibition will be titled Warhol: Icon & Influence and is generously sponsored by NIPSCO. The community will have the opportunity to view these works and learn more about Andy Warhol and his impact on the global art world. Much of his well-known subject matter of the mundane, such as the Campbell's Soup Cans,

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are warning tax professionals to be on alert for emails aiming to steal client data by posing as state accounting and professional associations. Tax professionals have been receiving fake emails asking individuals to sign in to view a message from a tax organization for all active members. These emails intend to get individuals to disclose their email usernames and passwords gaining cybercriminals access to practitioner databases. The current email scam contains awkwardly worded content, which is a telltale sign of phishing emails. It states: “We kindly request that

On Saturday Ohio Street will be closed at the intersection of 400 N. (Kieffer Rd.) and South Ct. for installation of Water main. This closure will start at 6:30 am and opened back to NORTHBOUND ONLY traffic before 10:00 am. During this time: Ohio St. will be closed to all traffic between 400 North & South CT. Ohio will remain open NORTHBOUND ONLY from South Ct. to US HWY 20. Non truck traffic can use Southwind Drive to South Ct. to Ohio Street going North as detour. Nationwide truck traffic can ENTER the South Gate of their facility from 400

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly joined President Trump yesterday at the White House for the signing of his bipartisan ‘Right to Try’ legislation. The bill passed the Senate unanimously in August 2017 and the House of Representatives with bipartisan support on May 22. Donnelly introduced the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act with Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) in January 2017. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently announced his support for the Donnelly-Johnson ‘Right to Try’ legislation. Donnelly said, “I was proud to join President Trump at the White House, as he

Organizations seeking grant funding for projects related to the health and wellness of residents in and around La Porte are encouraged to apply. Proposals are due by June 29 at midnight for consideration. When applying for a Strategic Grant, applicants must identify the community-wide indicators that their project will make an impact toward improving. The goals and indicators for each type of strategic grant can be found at hflaporte.org/strategic-grants and should be used to help applicants decide the Strategic Focus Area their proposal addresses.

Four Michigan City High School juniors have been selected as delegates for the 2018 Hoosier Boys and Girls State Programs. The week-long programs take place at Trine University in Angola, Indiana, in mid-June. Hoosier State programs are designed to educate young men and women in the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship. During the programs, students work with more than 600 other high school students from across Indiana, creating their own version of state , city and county governments. They also attend special sessions centered on leadership, law, media, and other fields. Michigan City’s delegates are sponsored by the

Porter County Sheriff’s Officers responded to a 3 vehicle collision, with minor injuries, Wednesday afternoon on US Hwy 20 and Maple Street in Pine Township. Initial investigation shows all three vehicles were traveling eastbound on US Hwy 20. A 2011 Mitsubishi SUV, driven by 38 year old Nathan Liechty of Portage, was stopped in the left lane of US Hwy 20 waiting to turn left (northbound) onto Maple Street (also known as US 520). Stopped behind Leichty and waiting to turn left onto Maple street in a 2017 Nissan SUV was 33 year old David Wu, of Texas. A third

The League of Women Voters of La Porte County will present special guest Jamie Miller, Development Officer of the Unity Foundation of La Porte County, on Tuesday, June 12th at Lunch With The League. Miller is first Vice President of Michiana Lions Club of Michigan City, where she has worked on numerous projects related to youth, environment, vision, and hunger in our community. The general public is invited to this informative program. Reservations are not required, but for non-members, a donation is requested. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 11:30 a.m. and may purchase a lunch of their choice from

Four Indiana dog breeders are named in a new Horrible Hundred, a report examining problem puppy mills and dog sellers around the nation. The sixth annual report from the Humane Society of the United States highlights cruel conditions at puppy mills, which Kathleen Summers with the organization explains are large commercial breeding operations that emphasize quantity over quality. And she says some horrific conditions were found at the Indiana facilities on the list.  At an Odon breeding operation, puppies and dogs were found in sweltering kennel buildings with heat indexes over 100 degrees, many showing signs of heat stress. Summers

The University of Southern Indiana softball team has won the NCAA Division II Softball Championship. The victory is a historic one for the USI team, which is the first women's program at USI and the first softball program in Indiana to win an NCAA title. The team defeated Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire in the first two games of the best-of-three series to take the championship.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) recently introduced legislation to double the survivor benefits paid immediately after the death of a servicemember while on active duty. The bill would decrease by the same amount payments made to the families of Members of Congress who die in office. H.R. 5982 would increase the death gratuity paid to the families of servicemembers who die on active duty from $100,000 to $200,000. The bill would also mandate that 60 percent of the death gratuity be reserved for the surviving spouse, allowing servicemembers to designate recipients for the remaining 40 percent. The death gratuity program

In an effort to make the graduation ceremony at Chesterton High School a safe and enjoyable experience for the students and guests, the Duneland School Corporation, in conjunction with the Chesterton Police and Street Department, are asking for the public's cooperation with regard to parking and traffic prior to and following the ceremony. As in years past, parking will be made available in all of the lots on the Chesterton High School complex. A section of the parking area immediately north of door #34 will be designated for handicap parking only. A handicap placard or license plate will be required

The Michigan City Human Rights Department is updating its Local Hiring Registry. They are seeking qualified residents with documented experience in the building and construction trades that have an interest in working on municipally funded projects. Those individuals with union affiliation are encouraged to submit their information, including a resume along with copies of any training records. All previous information will be purged from the hiring registry. For further information, contact Carl Ridle, Director of the Human Rights Department, 100 E. Michigan Boulevard, Michigan City, IN 46360, 219-873-1429 ext. 2019 or via email at: cridle@emichigancity.com

The Mobile Health Unit of La Porte Hospital will be out in the community throughout June to provide blood pressure screenings and to educate on skin cancer and sun/heat safety. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that everyone practice monthly head-to-toe self-examination of their skin, so that they can find any new or changing lesions that might be cancerous or precancerous. Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable. Visit the Mobile Health Unit to learn more about these two important topics. The next MHU stops are: at La Porte County Family YMCA 9-10 a.m., June 1st and at

Friday, June 1 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM, Lubeznik Center for the Arts will host the fifth annual LOK Young Artists' Expo in partnership with the Lindsey O'Brien Kesling (LOK) Wishing Tree Foundation. The evening is a showcase of talented youth in the region, which includes LCA's youth programming. An exhibition of artwork, created by tri-county students including LCA's Teen Arts Council and the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington, will be on display in the NIPSCO Education Studios through July 13. This work is selected via individual portfolio review. For more information please visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or call 219.874.4900.

INDOT announced lane closures for the State Road 933 bridge over the St. Joseph River in South Bend, located near Leeper Park. The bridge will be down to one lane in each direction beginning Tuesday, May 29th through the end of June. Crews will be rehabilitating the bridge deck. Traffic is advised to avoid the area, if possible, to avoid delays and back-ups.

On Friday, the La Porte County Family YMCA held its fourth annual Dancing Like A Star competition at the Stardust Ballroom in Blue Chip Casino. Local celebrities and their dance partners faced off to raise funds for the Y Scholarship Fund. Check out the WIMS Facebook and Twitter pages for great video and photos of the event!