Local News

Amtrak is offering additional service between Chicago and Holland, Mich. for travelers to Holland's annual Tulip Time Festival. A special stop at Hammond-Whiting, Ind., is also added. These trains on the Pere Marquette route, sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), will run on two Saturdays during the festival, May 5 and May 12, enabling same-day visits to what has been heralded as the nation's "Best Flower Festival" and "America's Best Small-Town Festival," with more than 5 million tulips in bloom. Parking at the Amtrak Hammond-Whiting station is free of charge and eastbound, Train 374, and westbound, Train 375,

The Indiana Department of Transportation announced the agency will make available at least $125 million for high-priority railroad safety projects on local roads statewide through the agency’s new “Local Trax” matching grant program. Local Trax provides state matching funds for Indiana cities, towns, and counties interested in pursuing high-priority railroad grade separations, crossing closures, and other safety enhancements at railroad intersections with local roads. INDOT will begin accepting project proposals from local agencies in May. Local Trax requires local governments to provide only 20 percent of funding for land acquisition and construction with the state providing the other 80 percent.

On Monday, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office hosted Narcan (Naloxone) training for K-9 Handlers and their K-9’s at the Sheriff’s Office Training Building. The training, led by the instruction of Doctor Johnson and her support staff from Purdue University, was attended by several area K-9 Handlers and their K-9’s. The hands-on instruction and training by Dr. Johnson and her support staff provided the K-9 Handlers with the proper technique of administering a dose of Narcan to the K-9’s. Police K-9’s, during working duties, may be exposed to potential lethal doses of opioids. By receiving this training, the K-9 Handlers

Gov. Eric. J. Holcomb, Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick and Treasurer of State Kelly Mitchell are asking Hoosier students to submit applications for The 2018 Governor’s STEM Team (#GovSTEMteam). Gov. Holcomb developed the competition in 2017 to highlight Indiana’s elite high school students for their work in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The program honors four outstanding high school students for their exemplary performance in one of the STEM subjects. Winning students each receive a $1,000 college scholarship from Indiana’s College Choice 529 Direct Savings plan, administered by Treasurer Mitchell, and letterman jackets identifying them as members

Join the Health Care Foundation of La Porte for the presentation of the La Porte County Opioid Study commissioned by the HFLP through the Center for Health Policy at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. The study addresses the burden of opioid addiction in La Porte County and make recommendations to address the community's needs and gaps related to this issue. The event is from 8-11 am on Thursday, April 19th, at PNW Westville at the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex - Great Hall. Continental Breakfast is available at 7:40am, with the presentation at

At one-time, native stocks of lake trout thrived in Lake Michigan. But today’s prized Coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead and brown trout were nowhere to be found in this Great Lake’s waters, according to a publication by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. By the 1950s, the lake trout were almost eliminated by the predatory sea lamprey, coupled with intensive commercial fishing in the 1940s and ‘50s. In the 1960s, a rehabilitation program began to eliminate the parasites, restock lake trout, and introduce Coho, Chinook, steelhead and brown trout. The experiment took, and the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and

April is Financial Literacy Month, and Secretary of State Connie Lawson is kicking things off by celebrating the one year anniversary of Indiana’s unique financial literacy curriculum. In early 2017, Secretary Lawson launched the Indiana Moneywise Financial Education Program pilot in six Indiana Counties. The program was announced at Riley High School in South Bend, and introduced an online interactive curriculum that simplifies complex financial principles and allows high school students to engage through videos, simulations, and social networking. In late 2017, the program was expanded to allow all Indiana schools to participate at no cost to the schools. Since

Lubeznik Center for the Arts presents its first annual Curatorial Roundtable on Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 6:30 to 8 PM. A panel of established and emerging curators will exchange their ideas about the role of the curator in this public, moderated discussion. This roundtable is intended to spark meaningful conversation about the arts and to highlight the cultural richness in our region. For more information please visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or call 219.874.4900.

Porter County is now hiring for the full time position of Extension Program Coordinator. The successful applicant performs a variety of relatively standard duties according to standard operating procedures. Assignments and objectives are set jointly by the County Extension Director, Extension Educator(s), and incumbent with work priorities primarily determined by the Extension Educator(s) and service needs of the public. On rare occasions, decisions are made in the absence of specific policies and procedures, and/or guidance from an Extension Educator, exercising judgement to maintain accuracy of information, and to locate and correct any errors. Work is reviewed upon completion of specific

Residents and businesses in southwest lower Michigan and northern Indiana affected by flooding in February may find some financial relief through low interest loans offered by the US Small Business Administration. A Disaster Loan Outreach Center is scheduled to open 11 am Tuesday, April 3 in Berrien Springs, at Berrien RESA, to help applicants determine if they qualify. The center will be closing operations on Tuesday April 10.

Applications are now open for On My Way Pre-K, which is Indiana's early childhood education pilot program that provides grants to 4 year olds from low-income families. State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) recently spoke about the benefits of attending a high-quality pre-K program and the requirements for eligibility. Behning also discussed how On My Way Pre-K will help Hoosiers. Space is limited in the 20 pilot counties which include Lake and St. Joseph and families should apply early. For more information and to apply visit: www.onmywayprek.org

It’s that time of year again, when riding your bike to work is made possible with the South Shore Line’s Bikes on Trains program. Bike cars are now available on select weekday rush hour and select weekend/holiday trains until Oct. 31. Bike-rack equipped train cars are clearly marked with a bike symbol prominently located on the windows of the car to indicate they are bike rack-equipped in addition to regular seating. Bike-rack equipped trains include weekday Trains 6, 106, 11 and 111. For more information and to find bike-rack equipped weekend trains, please visit our Bikes on Trains web page,

Craig Phillips, Director of Michigan City’s Planning and Redevelopment/Inspection Department will be the speaker for the Tuesday, April 10th Lunch With The League. His presentation will include information, updates and future projects, as well as questions and answers afterwards. The 12:00 noon program will be held at Patrick's Grille, 4125 Franklin Street, Michigan City. The general public is invited and reservations are not required. For non-members, a donation is requested. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 11:30am and may purchase a lunch of their choice from the menu, in time for the 12 noon presentation. Lunch/Dinner With The League presents

The United Way of Porter County Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is still accepting appointments for the 2018 tax season. The program is a free tax preparation service staffed by IRS-certified volunteer preparers that assist taxpayers in filing both federal and state returns. Now through Monday, April 16, daytime appointments are available Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and on Saturday, April 7. The program is open to individuals whose adjusted gross income is $54,000 or less. Participants must schedule an appointment to utilize the service. Beyond meeting the income threshold criteria, additional documents and information is required. For program requirements and

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson and the Indiana Department of Revenue have joined together to create a 2 hour seminar which provides information that is beneficial and valuable to the success of Indiana Auto Dealers. The intent of this training seminar is to alleviate confusion and provide Indiana dealerships with the necessary information, resources, and skills to reach their maximum potential, as well as open lines of communication between state offices and auto dealers. Area presentations include: Lake County- April 16th 11:00a-1:00p or 1:30p-3:30p CST (two separate presentations) located at the Dyer Auto Auction, 641 Joliet Street, Dyer, IN.

On Friday, at approximately midnight 52 year old Robert Gafeny of Georgia was driving Cadillac XTS with three occupants in the middle right lane of I-80 eastbound near the 8.8 mile marker. 40 year old Thurman E. Dockery Jr. of Gary, Indiana was driving a Chevrolet Cruze in the right lane. Mr. Gafeny then changed lanes into the right lane, and was rear ended by Mr. Dockery’s vehicle which was traveling at a high rate of speed. Mr. Dockery’s vehicle then traveled north across all lanes of travel and crashed into the inside barrier wall. Mr. Gafeny was able to

The emerald ash borer continues to ravage woodlands in every Indiana county. But the dreaded pest faces ramped-up resistance in the form of treatments funded by a growing group of citizens and organizations. With the help of a $20,000 grant from the Dr. Laura Hare Charitable Trust and additional donations, the Indiana Parks Alliance has topped its initial fundraising goal by raising $28,770 to combat the invasive insect that attacks and destroys ash trees. The funds will be used in IPA’s Save Our Ash Trees campaign to initially treat 100 mature, seed producing ash trees at several state parks and

Porter County is now hiring for the full time position of Extension Program Coordinator. The successful applicant performs a variety of relatively standard duties according to standard operating procedures. Assignments and objectives are set jointly by the County Extension Director, Extension Educator(s), and incumbent with work priorities primarily determined by the Extension Educator(s) and service needs of the public. On rare occasions, decisions are made in the absence of specific policies and procedures, and/or guidance from an Extension Educator, exercising judgement to maintain accuracy of information, and to locate and correct any errors. Work is reviewed upon completion of specific

Students at Barker Middle School in Michigan City have raised $1,344 to support the American Heart Association through a "Hoops for Heart" fundraiser. Barker's twist on "Hoops for Heart" is a free pass for fun on the last class period of the last day before Spring Break. This year, the event took place on Thursday, March 29. Students reported to the gym and played either dodge ball or "Omnikin ball" which is played with a giant ball on a volleyball court. This year, 144 Barker students took part. The effort was spearheaded and promoted by the Barker Student Council and

Beginning Monday April 2nd, NIPSCO and contracted crews will be using a helicopter to replace 12 miles of optical ground wire on lattice towers from Dune Acres to Michigan City, which will increase internal communications and connectivity to improve overall service reliability for customers. This project is just one of many existing and future investments planned as part of the company’s long-term effort to modernize the gas and electric infrastructure across its entire service area. Area residents and the public may notice the helicopter working from Monday to Saturday during normal business hours. Completion of the project is expected by