Local News

Local vocalist Mary Kay Steele with the group Me and the Boys will gleefully remind concert goers that “It don’t mean a thing,” at the next First Friday in the Chapel musical performance, at Noon, July 6 in the La Porte Hospital Family Chapel. The music, which will focus on traditional swing from the 1930s to today, will include selections from composers such as Gershwin, Arlen and Ellington. The group also plans to discuss the basics of swing music, and why it is so infectious. Peter Steele will join on piano, with Jack Collings on bass. Mary Kay Steele has been performing

The Indiana State Police out of the Lafayette Post have found the body of a female that has been tentatively identified as Terri Ann Bell, 43 of Veedersburg, IN.  Preliminary investigation has revealed that her body was found this afternoon at about 4:00 p.m.in rural Fountain County near the town of Veedersburg.  Family has been notified.  The investigation is continuing.  No other information will be released at this time.

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is reminding taxpayers that data thieves don’t take a summer vacation. In fact, summertime tends to be a favorite period for tax scammers, as many individuals are awaiting a response from DOR or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after filing their tax returns. Tax scammers try to get individuals to disclose personal information, such as their Social Security number, account information and/or passwords. Neither DOR nor the IRS will initiate contact with customers by email to request personal or financial information. Anyone receiving suspicious emails or other forms of communication related to taxes should

From June 25-29, the South Shore Line will temporarily be busing weekday (Mon-Fri) passengers between Carroll Ave. and the South Bend International Airport while they upgrade sections of track and overhead wire. During this period, there will be no train service to or from Hudson Lake, and Trains 401, 422 and 424 between South Bend and Carroll Ave. will be canceled. NOTE: No bikes will be transported via bus for Trains 6 and 11. Train service between Carroll Ave. and Chicago will not be impacted.

A pair of ramps previously scheduled to close Tuesday June 19, which connect I-94 to U.S. 20/U.S. 35 in LaPorte County, will now remain open for a while longer and will be closed for a shorter period of time once they do close as crews continue to work on a resurfacing project in the area. The ramps affected are the eastbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40B) connecting to U.S. 20 W/U.S. 35 N and the westbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40A) connecting to U.S. 20 E/U.S. 35 S. They will now remain open for up to two weeks and, once the closure

INDOT announced that U.S. 6, between Mander and Old Suman roads in Porter County, will be closed up to two days starting Monday. Crews will be working on a pair of culverts in the area. Road closure signs will be set at the junctions with State Road 49 and State Road 2, but traffic will be allowed to pass up to Mander and Old Suman roads. State road detours must be on state-maintained roads only. Westbound drivers will be detoured west on SR 2 and north on SR 49 back to U.S. 6. Eastbound drivers will be detoured south on

The LaPorte Police Department has released details for the upcoming La Porte 4th of July Parade. Traffic will be diverted off of State Road 2 (Lincolnway) beginning at 8:30 AM on the Fourth of July. No traffic other than the parade units will be allowed on State Road 2 between Philadelphia Street and Andrew Avenue on the day of the parade between 8:30 AM and the end of the parade. As far as the parade route goes; there will be no parking allowed on the street or in the tree lawns along State Road 2. The detour route around the

On Tuesday morning, a Sheriff’s Office Deputy was dispatched to Luhr County Park (3178 South CR 150 West), in rural Scipio Township, regarding an abandoned pickup truck. The responding deputy determined the registered owner of the pickup truck to be 45 year old Russell A. Aldridge. The previous day, a Failure to Appear Arrest Warrant was issued for Aldridge. Aldridge failed to appear in Superior Court I as a defendant for a jury trial that was scheduled to begin that morning. In June of 2016, probable cause was found charging Aldridge with 4 counts of Class “A” Felony Child Molestation

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a boat incident that occurred on Lake Michigan near Whiting Beach. Two Personal Watercraft’s were operating near one other, outside of the Whiting Beach (Hammond Area) on Wednesday afternoon, when they struck one another resulting in a severe head injury to one of the operators. The identity of each operator are were being withheld, at the time of a press release from Indiana DNR Law Enforcement, due to the age of the people on board each vessel. One of the operators was air-lifted to the University of Chicago from East Chicago and is stated to

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Great Lakes Regional Administrator, Rob Scott is encouraging those affected by the severe storms and flooding from Feb. 14 through March 4, 2018 in Indiana and Michigan to register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and submit completed SBA disaster loan applications to get the help they need. The disaster declaration covers Carroll, Clark, Dearborn, Elkhart, Floyd, Fulton, Harrison, Jasper, Jefferson, Kosiusko, Lake, La Porte, Marshall, Ohio, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Spencer, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh and White counties in Indiana which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from

The Indiana State Police received a tip on Wednesday about a person wanted on a federal warrant. Information was given about the person driving a semi that was going north bound on I-65 near Crown Point. Trooper Kim Zelnis was in the area and was able to locate the semi, a red 2019 International, owned by Arizpe Transportation and Logistics LLC out of Laredo, Texas. The semi pulled over on the outer shoulder near 61st Avenue where a felony stop was made. The driver, identified as 41 year old Ismael Rios III of Laredo, Texas, was wanted on a federal

The La Porte County Drug Task Force announced the arrest of two individuals on narcotics and weapons charges. Thirty-two year old Damien L. Smith of Michigan City was arrested at The Tall Timbers Apartment Complex for two counts of Dealing Cocaine. On Monday June 18th, members of The LCDTF, and The Fugitive Apprehension Street Team (FAST) arrested Smith on these charges, along with an outstanding warrant for Revocation of a Suspended Sentence on an unrelated narcotics charge, as well as 3 Body Attachments totaling nearly $50,000. Smith is being held at The La Porte County Jail without bond. While members

Behind the Scenes Tour Wednesdays are from 7-9 PM today, July 18th, and August 15th. Venture into off-limits spaces during this intimate tour of Michigan City’s most historic building. View the basement, closets, and former servants’ quarters. Tour lasts about two hours, the cost is $15 per adult or $10 per senior or youth, ages 15 and under. Reservations taken on Eventbrite. Tour begins at 7 pm Central Time.

The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) released its newest report on the Partnering Arts, Communities, and Education (PACE) program written by Dr. F. Robert Sabol of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. The PACE 2016-2017 Project Report reflects a collection of data on student growth in six elementary schools across the state over the past two years, during which time students received a year-long intensive arts education program. The report looks at multiple key skills and knowledge points of the students including student self-image, engagement in learning, vocabulary development, and writing skills. The report shows the PACE program model has steady, promising

CareEnroll, a company focusing on assisting patients enroll in health care plans and maintain coverage, today announced plans to expand its LaPorte-based headquarters and Fishers-based satellite office. The company, which was founded in 2015, plans to employ nearly 200 associates by the end of 2021.The company will invest more than $3 million to renovate and update its 14,400-square-foot headquarters at 1900 W. Severs Road in LaPorte, investing in building enhancements and new equipment and software. The new renovations will foster a collaborative work environment for the company’s growing team, which includes an expanded break room with canteen-style food and beverage

Porter County Sheriff’s Officers responded to a single vehicle, single occupant, fatal crash late Monday afternoon. Based on witness statements and initial investigation by officers on scene; the vehicle, a Jaguar, was northbound on State Road 49 south of the CR 900 North overpass when the Jaguar drove off the roadway of the northbound lanes of St Rd 49 into the median for unknown reasons. The vehicle then continued northbound in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of St Rd 49, when it disappeared into the opening that leads to the railroad tracks underneath on CR 900 North.

The League of Women Voters LaPorte County will present the city of LaPorte’s Mayor Mark Krentz as their speaker for the July 10 Dinner with the League. Mayor Krentz was elected Mayor in August, 2017, after Mayor Blair Milo accepted a position in Governor Eric Holcomb’s cabinet. Mayor Krentz’s previous experiences include being a member of LaPorte’s Board of Public Works and Safety, director of La Porte Savings Bank, and C.E.O. of Thanhardt-Burger Corporation, among a host of other civic activities. He will begin the evening with an opening statement, and looks forward to a question and answer dialogue with

Yesterday, Gov. Eric Holcomb outlined the immediate steps he will take to improve the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS)—including tapping the state’s surplus to increase support to the agency in key areas and appointing a new associate director to implement the recommendations of a just-completed agency assessment. The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG) conducted the six-month assessment of the agency and developed 20 recommendations based on its findings. Gov. Holcomb called for this thorough review of the agency in Dec. 2017. The CWG report outlines 20 recommendations aligned to CWG’s findings regarding DCS’ strengths and challenges. The

A pair of ramps previously scheduled to close Tuesday, which connect I-94 to U.S. 20/U.S. 35 in LaPorte County, will now remain open for a while longer and will be closed for a shorter period of time once they do close as crews continue to work on a resurfacing project in the area. The ramps affected are the eastbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40B) connecting to U.S. 20 W/U.S. 35 N and the westbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40A) connecting to U.S. 20 E/U.S. 35 S. They will now remain open for up to two weeks and, once the closure occurs, it

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly helped the Senate pass the bipartisan annual national defense bill, which includes a number of provisions he led or supported that would support Indiana’s role in our nation’s defense and protect American security interests and U.S. defense-related jobs. Last week, Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor about his work to support Indiana’s role in the national defense and on protecting U.S. defense-related jobs. The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would support our troops and give them a pay raise, protect critical American national defense industry jobs, and bring resources to a number