Local News

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) has recently enhanced steps to identify and confront businesses engaged in illegal activity by using illegal sales transaction manipulation devices or computer programs, often called tax zappers. Tax zappers delete or modify sales transactions with the intention of avoiding paying income, sales and/or food and beverage tax. Businesses are often approached by unscrupulous marketers of these devices with the false promise of this illegal practice going unnoticed. DOR is ensuring it’s not. DOR has established a team of forensic fraud analysts, tax auditors, tax attorneys and investigators to research and adopt best practices to

As crews move into the final phase of Ohio Street reconstruction they will be switching traffic patterns. Starting next Friday (10/19/18) @ 6:00 AM Ohio Street will be closed to ALL Traffic from just south of Southwind Drive to US Highway 20. Prior to this closure crews will open everything from 400 North (Kiefer Road) to just south of Southwind Drive to two way Local traffic only. During this portion of work they will also be working on residential driveways and sidewalks between South Court and Southwind Drive. D&M stated they are working to finish this project before winter.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will be conducting an essay contest to kick off their Hometown Holiday Celebration being held on Saturday, November 24. Whether it’s good smells, twinkly lights, warm company or an extra sense of peace in your heart, the Chamber would like to hear from you. Share your favorite holiday memory. The winner will win a $50 gift card, conduct the fifth annual tree lighting ceremony in downtown Chesterton and be the grand marshals in the Twilight Christmas Parade. The essay must be 500 words or less and be a written by a Duneland resident under the

This past Thursday, Valparaiso Police were notified of a potential threat to Valparaiso High School and opened an investigation. The threat was made online and police immediately identified the juvenile subject. The juvenile subject, who is not a Valparaiso Community School student was arrested and charged with intimidation. The subject was detained at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center. Police continue to investigate the incident.

Michigan City High School senior Zennon Wilhelm has been named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship program. Wilhelm, son of Nicole Harvey and Jeff Wilhelm, has taken a full load of AP, Honors, and Dual Credit courses at Michigan City High School. He has excelled in Physics and Math at the high school level and earned a perfect score of 5 on the AP Physics exam. He also has taken several Project Lead the Way Engineering courses at MCHS. This year, through a partnership with Purdue Northwest, he attends PNW during the school day for an advanced

The Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department announces that registration is now open for the Michigan City 2018 Adult Volleyball Co-Ed & Women’s Leagues. Rosters are due Friday, October 19th. The season begins Tuesday, October 23rd. For additional information, contact Abigale at the Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department at 219-873-1506.

Attorney General Curtis Hill hascalled on the Federal Communications Commission to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to consumers in Indiana. He is part of a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys general issuing a formal comment to the FCC. The formal comment explains that scammers using illegal robocalls have found ways to evade a call-blocking order entered last year by the FCC. Despite the FCC’s order, robocalls continue to be a major irritant to consumers in Indiana and across the United States. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission received 4.5 million

Lakeshore PAWS is again teaming up with local business sponsors in order to offer free adoptions to our veterans to thank them and commemorate Veterans Day. The adoptions will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2018. The offer is available to the first 30 eligible veterans and is applicable to any of the available dogs. Please visit lakeshorepaws.org, see us on Facebook or stop by the adoption center (4611 Evans Ave. in Valparaiso) to begin picking out your new life companion. "We are proud to once again be offering free adoptions to our

As a child, Kelley Baker always saw herself as a police officer. And why not? That’s what her father was, and she wanted to follow in his footsteps. Later, she found out law enforcement wasn’t a career path most girls followed. Baker, who went on to become a correctional officer and a TSA screener, delivered the keynote address during the 2018 N.E.W. (Nontraditional Employment Opportunities for Women) conference on October 10 at the A. K. Smith Career Center in Michigan City. Eighth-grade girls from eight middle schools across LaPorte County attended the conference, which was sponsored by the LaPorte County

Marquette principal Allyson Headd and athletic director Katie Collignon spent time this past Wednesday serving as guest speakers at the LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Center's 5th Annual Nontraditional Employment for Women (N.E.W.) Opportunities Workshop. Two-hundred 8th-grade girls from LaPorte County spent the day at the AK Smith Career Center in Michigan City to learn about career options, listen to presenters, and be encouraged to work towards their goals. Following a brief guest speaker, the girls broke into small groups to attend roundtable discussions led by female professionals. What Headd and Collignon are hoping the 200 girls in attendance

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)  supported the confirmation of J.P. Hanlon from Indianapolis to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday. Mr. Hanlon was confirmed by the full Senate on a voice vote. Since Mr. Hanlon’s nomination was announced in April, both Senators Young and Donnelly have emphasized his qualifications and the need for a swift confirmation in order to reduce the caseload the Southern District of Indiana faces. In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2017, the Southern District of Indiana was the second most overworked court in the

On Thursday, investigators with the St. Joseph County Fatal Crash Team (FACT) have arrested two individuals in connection with yesterday’s fatal crash on Brick Rd. that resulted in the death of 61 year old Ishayaa Diya. Twenty-two year old Carlos Williams, was arrested and booked into the St. Joseph County Jail this afternoon on preliminary suspicion of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death. Nineteen year old Ashlee Nicely, was arrested and booked into the St. Joseph County Jail on preliminary suspicion of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death and Assisting a Criminal. The St.

The northwest Indiana region that is part of the Midwest Urban Strategies consortium has been awarded a $650,000 dislocated worker grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration awarded a total of $100 million in Trade and Economic Transition National Dislocated Worker Grants to provide training and career services to “mature dislocated workers” affected by major economic disruptions such as the Great Recession. In northwest Indiana, the Gary/Valparaiso WorkOne that received the grant is led by the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board. The northwest Indiana region, along with the Indianapolis area—led by EmployIndy—are two

To accommodate passengers attending the Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh football game at 2:30p ET on Oct. 13, the South Shore Line and Transpo will offer FREE shuttle bus service between the South Bend International Airport and Notre Dame Stadium. Train #503 will carry eastbound passengers to the South Bend Airport prior to kick-off, arriving at 12:10p ET. Those South Shore Line passengers may then board a Transpo bus near the South Shore train platform at the Airport for the trip to the stadium. Passengers will be dropped off near the Eck Visitors Center/Bookstore on campus. For the return trip, the

The Indiana Department of Education announced today the 2018 Gold Star Schools. The Gold Star designation signifies the school counselor-led steering team has met specific criteria identified for the development of a comprehensive school counseling model. Created in 2004, the Gold Star designation has been awarded to over 300 Indiana elementary, middle, and high schools. To receive the award, schools undergo a rigorous process to raise student achievement and improve overall student success. This is accomplished by creating local school-community advisory groups tasked with reviewing student data, setting specific student goals, and committing to maximizing the time and skills of

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has awarded Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry a grant totaling $1,500 to fund processing fees on donated large game and livestock.  "We are very excited about our “Meat” the Need program, "said Debra Treesh, Executive Director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, "and pleased that this Foundation is continually making an investment in our community." These funds will be used to assist Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry in paying processing fees for donations of large game and livestock within Indiana. Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry encourages the donation of large game and livestock to their “Meat”

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) receives wage reports and new hire data from Hoosier employers documenting who is employed and receiving compensation. The agency’s unemployment insurance fraud investigation taskforce examines claims of individuals who intentionally provide false, misreported or unreported information in order to fraudulently claim benefits. As a result of the taskforce’s investigations, local courts recently found these individuals guilty of unemployment insurance fraud: 54 year old Adam Hale Sr., of Gary was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to repay DWD $8,431.25 for the benefits he fraudulently collected. Click here to view Hale's booking

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Duneland Economic Development Company (DEDC), has released applications for the Exterior Improvement Grant Program, formerly known as the Façade Grant Program. President of DEDC, Maura Durham said, “We wish for all the owners to know that the grants may be used for expenses associated with not only the façade of their buildings, but also the exterior rehabilitation of their property.” Funded through the DEDC, the Exterior Improvement Grant Program fosters and funds projects that will improve the appearance of commercial buildings in the main corridors of Duneland communities. It is the

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to use a fire hose, sit in the driver’s seat of a fire truck or tour the firehouse?  Now is your chance, so bring your family and friends for the Annual Fire Department open house at Station # 4 located at 5000 Cleveland Ave this Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Michigan City Fire Department invites members of the community for the Fire Department open house.  This is a great opportunity to meet your local firefighters and learn valuable fire safety tips. There will be representatives from the LOK Wishing Tree

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), led a bipartisan group of senators in calling for an increased focus on reducing maternal mortality in the United States and improving health outcomes for all mothers and children. Indiana has the nation’s third highest maternal mortality rate. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, 14 Democratic and Republican senators requested that the Department and Agency prioritize developing strategies to reduce maternal mortality rates, including