Local News

In July 2015, then-governor Mike Pence signed House Bill 1305 into law to protect waste and recycling collection workers on the state’s roadways, joining eight other states at the time with similar laws. Currently 21 states have enacted Slow Down To Get Around Legislation. Saturday October 20, Governor Eric J. Holcomb will sign a proclamation highlighting the law that requires motorists to slow down and safely move over when approaching certain vehicles on the roadway. “Driving safely should be a top priority for anyone getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.  We all want to safely get home to our

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an afternoon speed networking event on Thursday, October 4, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The event will be held at AJ’s Pizza, located at 3050 Matson Street in Chesterton. There is no cost to attend, and Chamber members are encouraged to bring guests. This speed networking event will offer Chamber members and their guests the opportunity to introduce themselves and their businesses to other event attendees in timed, one-on-one conversations. In each pairing, members will discover ways in which they can grow their own (and others’) organizations through previously untapped avenues.

Fall water system flushing began September 23rd and will continue Sunday through Thursday nights from approximately 8PM-5AM. Flushing is done at night to minimize inconvenience to customers. Discolored or rusty water may occur in some areas during flushing. Running the cold water tap for several minutes usually is enough to clear it up. The water is safe to drink. If you are doing laundry and rusty water enters your washer, do not dry the clothes. Washing the items again after the water clears normally takes care of the problem. The first week of flushing will be predominantly on the north

Valparaiso Police are investigating a suspicious incident that occurred outside Montessori School (daycare center) at 505 Marquette St. On Tuesday afternoon police were called to the location after a male subject approached a grandparent of a child and inquired about the procedures for picking up a child at the center. The subject drove off a short time later without picking up any students. The male subject was driving a blue minivan with possible Texas license plates. The male subject was described as approximately 70 years old. He had gray hair and was wearing glasses with a baseball cap. Police are

The Indiana State Police will be holding an informational seminar and physical abilities session on Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. until noon at Indiana Tech located at 1600 E. Washington Boulevard in Fort Wayne. The purpose of the event is to help prepare those individuals, with an interest in a career with the Indiana State Police, for the next selection process which is expected to begin this coming November.  A more specific application date will be forthcoming. Attendees will be provided with information on the various components of the selection process, which include a written test, oral interview,

At its Annual Update Luncheon on September 12th, Unity Foundation of La Porte County supported more than 80 local nonprofit projects by awarding over $140,000 in grant funding. The applications were evaluated by a committee of dedicated members from throughout La Porte County. The grants are made possible due to the generosity of visionary donors who left unrestricted funds to Unity Foundation. Those community funders include the following: American Association of University Women La Porte Community, Backer Family, Fred & Helen Brust, John P. and Anne H. Daley, Ernest and Mildred Delco, Pauline M. Dent, Randy & Jane Dorman, Charles

Horizon Bank’s Diversity Business Council members attended a meeting at their corporate headquarters to discuss diversity and inclusion initiatives. Horizon Bank executives and the members of the Council had the pleasure of having Michael Suggs, Operations Integrations & Strategy Director for NIPSCO present “Inclusion & Diversity Path to Success.” He discussed retention of a diverse workforce, diversity awareness and how it affects internal and external customers. Suggs has worked at NIPSCO for 37 years, and has advanced Diversity and Inclusion initiatives throughout the NiSource organization and Northwest Indiana. Michael was recognized as an Indiana Champion of Diversity by Indiana Minority

The Great Lakes Legislative Caucus (GLLC), a nonpartisan group of lawmakers from eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces that focuses on issues and policies concerning the Great Lakes, recently elected State Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) to chair the Caucus during 2019 and 2020. Charbonneau will succeed Michigan State Sen. Darwin Booher, whose legislative term will end in December. Illinois State Rep. Robyn Gabel was elected to the position of vice chair. The Caucus also elected members to serve on the GLLC Executive Committee. All 10 jurisdictions are represented on the committee. Some of the specific objectives include assuring the

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced yesterday he is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 1979 decision Nevada vs. Hall, which holds that states are subject to lawsuits brought against them in the courts of other states. Sovereign immunity prevents states from being sued without their consent. Hall’s holding, which allows plaintiffs to circumvent sovereign immunity by bringing suit against one state in the courts of another state, is irreconcilable with the Supreme Court’s larger body of sovereign immunity decisions, said Attorney General Hill. He is leading a 44-state friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Franchise

Grant Applications are available beginning September 24, 2018 for the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation’s 2019-2020 grant cycle. Online Grant Applications are available at: www.mccec.com In March of this year, the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation awarded 49 grants totaling approximately $650,000 to Michigan City Area charitable organizations. If you have any questions about the Application process, please call their voice-mail at 219-873-1402 or email mccec@emichigancity.com and a representative from the Enrichment Corporation Board will be in contact with you.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Administration today announced the second opportunity for Indiana schools to order state-funded handheld metal detectors. Gov. Holcomb announced the original program earlier this summer. Schools that have not ordered the devices can contact info@k12indiana.com. Ordering instructions will be provided. The deadline to order is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 5. To date, 3,231 total handheld metal detectors have been requested by 370 school entities — including 94 percent of all traditional public school corporations. Originally announced on July 9, the program makes one handheld metal detector available for every 250 students

Governor Eric Holcomb has declared September 23-29, 2018 as Indiana Rail Safety Week in conjunction with U.S. and Canada Rail Safety Week that will take place in all 50 states and Canadian provinces. Our goal is to increase rail safety awareness by working collaboratively on national rail safety week. Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation, local law enforcement and railroad companies have partnered together to raise awareness about the dangers of disregarding railroad crossing laws and trespassing on railroad property. “Train versus vehicle collisions and trespasser deaths are completely preventable,” states Jessica Feder, Executive Director, Indiana Operation Lifesaver.  “Indiana

Horizon Bank’s Diversity Business Council members attended a meeting at their corporate headquarters to discuss diversity and inclusion initiatives. Horizon Bank executives and the members of the Council had the pleasure of having Michael Suggs, Operations Integrations & Strategy Director for NIPSCO present “Inclusion & Diversity Path to Success.” He discussed retention of a diverse workforce, diversity awareness and how it affects internal and external customers. Suggs has worked at NIPSCO for 37 years, and has advanced Diversity and Inclusion initiatives throughout the NiSource organization and Northwest Indiana.  Michael was recognized as an Indiana Champion of Diversity by Indiana Minority

Ivy Tech Community College and Michigan City Area Schools are partnering to bring technical courses to adults at the AK Smith Center starting October 15. Courses will include Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, Logistics, Welding and Certified Production Technician. The courses are eligible for Next Level Jobs funding and there will be no cost to qualifying participants. For more information contact Rob at rjeffs@ivytech.edu or ( 219) 879-9137 x 6252 or attend an Information Session Thursday, September 27., at Ivy Tech Michigan City Campus, 3714 Franklin St. M.C. 6:00 pm -8:00 pm .

In the wake of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Florence, Secretary of State Connie Lawson cautioned investors to watch out for opportunistic investment or charitable scams. Secretary Lawson recently reminded investors to watch for red flags of hurricane-related scams, including unsolicited email, social media messages, crowdfunding pitches or telephone calls promoting investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs. Scam artists may linger long after the storm has passed to prey on victims who anticipate receiving large lump-sum insurance settlements for damaged property and other losses. Secretary Lawson

A Hobart man was arrested Saturday afternoon, when he drove on the shoulder and caused a three vehicle crash on I-80/94. Preliminary investigation by Trooper John Landowski showed at approximately 3:10 p.m. a 2003 Ford Focus, driven by 42 year old Charlton Johnson of Hobart, was west bound on I-80/94 at the 6.4 mile marker (this is the Burr Street exit) in the right lane when for unknown reasons he began to drive on the outer/right shoulder.  A 2009 Chrysler Sebring, driven by Shanequa Cauley, 23 of Merrillville, was in the right lane when the Focus hit her car on

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is awarding the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration with an $18,147,223 grant for opioid treatment services. The funding is provided through HHS’s Mental Health & Substance Abuse Service Grants program. HHS’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) works to promote community based substance abuse treatment services. CSAT grants support a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery support services at the state and local level.

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for August and remains lower than the national rate of 3.9 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana's unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than four years. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 11,085 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,594

In the wake of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Florence, Secretary of State Connie Lawson cautioned investors to watch out for opportunistic investment or charitable scams. Secretary Lawson recently reminded investors to watch for red flags of hurricane-related scams, including unsolicited email, social media messages, crowdfunding pitches or telephone calls promoting investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs. Scam artists may linger long after the storm has passed to prey on victims who anticipate receiving large lump-sum insurance settlements for damaged property and other losses. Secretary Lawson

Franciscan Health and Beacon Health System have announced plans to build a small acute care hospital equipped with a 24-hour Emergency Department in LaPorte, IN, adding to the I Street campus where Beacon Medical Group is currently located, according to Franciscan and Beacon Health officials. The project includes approximately 28,000 square feet of new construction and a 19,000 square foot renovation of the current space. When completed, the entire facility will include 92,500 square feet of space. The new facility will be named Franciscan Beacon Hospital. It will include a full-service,10-bed emergency department, eight inpatient beds, laboratory services and telehealth