Local News

Press release, La Porte Urban Enterprise Association: Last year was one full of successes for the La Porte Urban Enterprise Association, according to Board President Mike Riehle. Formed in 2002, the La Porte UEA awards grants each year to local businesses and residents residing within the Urban Enterprise Zone. In 2023, the UEA was proud to award more than $123,000 to aid 13 business owners. These monies historically have been used to make façade renovations and to improve the outward appearance of buildings within the zone. Last year, Riehle said the UEA unanimously voted to expand the programs to include

Franciscan Health Family Birth Centers in Northwest Indiana had some extra special deliveries on Thursday with the arrival of Leap Day babies. One Mom with a baby born this Leap Day has a special Leap Year birthday connection. Carly Dobin of DeMotte gave birth to her daughter, Molly Grace, just after midnight on this Leap Day at Franciscan Health Crown Point. Carly’s late grandfather, Martin Kinney, was also a Leap Year baby. Kinney, who passed away last February, would have been 96 today. Carly’s mother, Kathy O’Connor of Hebron, said her father loved his Leap Year birthday. The late Crown

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will recognize Women’s History Month throughout March with a slate of events that highlights chapters in women’s history, facilitates inspiring guest speakers, addresses women’s issues and celebrates women leaders. The festivities kick off March 4 with a Women’s History Month trivia night, offering a light evening of learning women’s history and friendly competition. Later that same week on March 7, PNW’s College of Nursing will host a Women’s Historical Health Achievements tabling event. Nursing students and faculty will offer educational resources on pertinent topics for college-age women, including stress relief, eating habits, physical activity and breast

There will be a Hoosier Coho Club general meeting Saturday March 2 at American Legion Post 21 in Westville. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the meeting starts at 4 p.m. The meeting is open to HCC members and the general public. See addition details on the flyer for the meeting.  

A 22 year-old man is facing a new charge of resisting law enforcement, in addition to his pre-existing aggravated battery warrant, after an Indiana Conservation Officer on a short foot pursuit while checking fishermen in the Portage area, according to the Indiana DNR. The suspect hid in a wooded area for a short time before surrendering. The officer was assisted by the Portage Police Department, Burns Harbor Police Department, the Porter County Sheriff's Office, and the Indiana State Police-Lowell Post.

News release, Michiana Humane Society: Starting on Friday, March 1, 2024, life will be much calmer for the kenneled dogs at Michiana Humane Society (MHS). That’s because visitors will now be matched individually with shelter dogs in a private room or outside. The kennel area will be for staff and volunteers only. MHS Behavior Coordinator Calli Beal notes, “our goal is to reduce the stress our dogs experience. We want to make meeting potential adopters a happy time for the dogs, and we want to make sure that the family and the dog are a good match.” She goes on

The Porter County Community Foundation (PCCF) has awarded an $11,000 grant to the Multi Agency Academic Cooperative (MAAC) Foundation to support their First Responders Mental Health Initiative. The funds will help integrate mental health resources into the existing MAAC Foundation offerings including bringing international speaker military/first responder health and wellness advocate, Travis Howze. Howze is a touring speaker, author, and motivational wellness educator who spent 14 years in the military and emergency services as a U.S. Marine, police officer and firefighter, and he will be hosting an empowering course on leadership, mental wellness and resiliency. The First Responder Mental Health

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, the La Porte Community School Corporation convened a special school board meeting to discuss data surrounding declining enrollment, future enrollment forecasts, and the financial impact on the district. Amid concerns over decreased numbers, district leadership sought expertise from McKibben Demographic Research, LLC to give them insight into what enrollment will likely look like over the next decade and beyond. Dr. Jerome McKibben, a leading demographer, presented their forecast to the school board members. His analysis provided a view of the demographic shifts affecting school enrollment, highlighting the need for proactive measures to align resources with

The State of Indiana is now accepting applications for Career Scholarship Account (CSA) programs and providers. The first-in-the-nation CSA program provides $5,000 annually for tenth- through twelfth-grade students enrolled in eligible work-based learning programs. “By partnering with our schools and investing in our future workforce, employers are helping to support students as they explore, engage and experience a variety of career options,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Indiana’s CSA program provides an incredible opportunity to help students overcome barriers, and ultimately, increase access to quality work-based learning experiences across the state, as well as credentials of value

Press release, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Midwest: In an effort to help homeless Veterans and their families find permanent housing, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded $14 million in HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers to 66 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) across the country for over 1,400 vouchers. The City of Evansville Housing Authority was awarded $143,255. Please see the full list of awardees here. “HUD is committed to ending Veteran homelessness once and for all,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “These HUD-VASH voucher awards

Michigan City Area Schools is seeking nominations for the 2024 Michigan City Area Schools Wall of Fame.This annual award, first presented in 1976, honors former school employees who have made outstanding contributions to the children of the Michigan City Area Schools. Employees from every area are eligible: administrators, custodians, food service personnel, instructional assistants, maintenance personnel, paraprofessionals, teachers, transportation staff, and secretarial staff. To qualify for nomination, the candidate must have been employed by the Michigan City Area Schools for a minimum of 15 years. Special circumstances may be considered for those not meeting the 15-year requirement due to hardship

A La Porte man was arrested after calling police on himself for allegedly beating another man with a baseball bat, according to the La Porte County Sheirff's Office. On Feb. 25 at 5:04 a.m., a deputy was dispatched to a residence located in the 7700 south block of U.S. 35 reference a disturbance / battery that had just occurred. The reporting person, 35-year-old Matthew I. Castaneda of La Porte, stated he had battered the homeowner with a baseball bat. Upon the deputy's arrival Castaneda was taken into custody. The victim was located inside the residence with upper body injuries. In

Beginning April 1, 2024, La Porte County residents can apply to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List at: https://www.waitlistcheck.com/IN1806-2494 The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is also open for Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, and Starke County residents. Northwest Indiana Community Action (NWICA) administers the Section 8 HCV program on behalf of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Section 8 HCV program is available to income eligible individuals and families and exists to assist with rent payments to provide decent, affordable, sanitary, and

Press release, Franciscan Health: Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Dyer nurse Cynthia Ippolito has helped deliver more babies than she can count, but one baby born this Valentine’s Day is a little girl she won’t soon forget. Ippolito assisted in the birth of Fletcher Lainey Voss on Feb. 14, 2024. Fletcher is the daughter of Tara and Matthew Voss of Crown Point. Ippolito also assisted in Matthew’s birth in June 1995 at Franciscan Health Dyer. Matthew’s mother, Kristen Voss, is also a nurse in the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Dyer. Matthew and Tara said they were both thankful for

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana will host a mobile food distribution today from 10 am - noon  at the Hope Center located at 3901 N. 675 W. in Michigan City. This is a drive through distribution. This is first come first serve for up to 300 households. See the flyer for more details.

The Salvation Army of Michigan City is asking the public to consider making a donation of non-perishable food during their Love Beyond Hunger Food Drive. To make a donation pull up to their back door (off the alley behind their building) to make a donation on Saturday, March 16 between 9 a.m. and noon. The Salvation Army says their primary needs right now are peanut butter and jelly, canned meat, hearty soups, and canned pasta sauce.  

In Marshall County, an Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will have traffic delays on U.S. 31 next week to set beams for the new bridge over Elkhart Western Railroad between 13th Road and 14th Road. Delays will begin on Monday March 4 when cranes are moved in and set up in the work zone. This will require six semi loads, which will cause delays of up to 10 to 15 minutes at a time. On Wednesday, March 6, traffic will be stopped for up to 30 minutes at a time while six beams are set. This work will begin after

The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department announced the city-wide, department vs. department food drive challenge was a success with 1,448 pounds of food and other essential items collected, totaling more than 2,669 individual items. The Parks office was the winner, collecting 942 items, The Mayor's Office & Michigan City Special Events secured second place, while the Port Authority rounded out the top three. "Congratulations to all the participants!", the Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department said on their Facebook page. "This would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and generosity of each person who donated. City employees rock!!

The Indiana Department of Transportation and Metric Environmental will host a public hearing regarding a proposed U.S. 35/Indiana Ave pavement replacement and utility relocation project in LaPorte on Wednesday, March 6. The project is located on U.S. 35/Indiana Ave between State Road 2/Lincolnway and Crescent Dr. and traverses southeast across agricultural fields to Boyd Boulevard. The primary purpose of the project is to improve the overall pavement condition of U.S. 35, to update curbing and pedestrian facilities, and to modernize and improve capacity of water and stormwater facilities according to INDOT’s Storm Water Management Plan for the U.S. 35 corridor

NIPSCO announced in a news release Monday the deployment of upgraded electric meters through the installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology. NIPCSO said after extensive planning and regulatory engagement, they are preparing to install meters for 3,000 electric residential customers in Highland, Ind. beginning in March 2024. This technology will be installed in phases to the remaining 490,000 electric residential and business customers throughout NIPSCO’s service area over the next three years. “Advanced Metering Infrastructure is a proven technology, designed to improve safety, promote reliability, and enable system modernization,” said Ron Talbot, NIPSCO Senior Vice President, Electric Operations. “It