Local News

Yesterday, Governor Eric Holcomb added four counties to the disaster emergency he declared Feb. 24 and Feb. 26 in response to widespread flooding and infrastructure damage caused by sustained heavy rainfall. The governor signed a new executive order to include Harrison, Jasper, Ohio and Pulaski counties—in addition to Benton, Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Jefferson, Spencer, Warrick, Carroll, Dearborn, Elkhart, Fulton, Lake, Marshall, Perry, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland and White counties—making 22 total counties covered by this disaster emergency declaration so far. The disaster declaration means the state Department of Homeland Security can take necessary actions to provide expanded emergency services and

The Sinai Temple Sisterhood will host a distinguished speaker, Dr. Peter Ascoli, on Sunday, March 11, at 2 pm at Sinai Temple, 2800 Franklin Street, Michigan City. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Baked refreshments will be available after the program. The talk is entitled Five-Thousand Schools of Hope in the Segregated South. It will tell of the legacy of philanthropy and collaboration by Julius Rosenwald, chief partner of Sears, Roebuck, and Booker T. Washington, president of Tuskegee University and rural black communities to build more than 5,000 well-designed, fully equipped schools for black children

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced a settlement with TK Holdings Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Takata, over allegations that the company concealed safety issues related to airbag systems installed in a wide variety of vehicles. TK Holdings Inc. filed a bankruptcy case in Chapter 11 in June 2017, and its reorganization plan has been confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. In addition to Indiana, the settlement with TK Holdings Inc. also is joined by the attorneys general of 43 other states and the District of Columbia. It concludes a multistate investigation into the company’s failure

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an afternoon speed networking event on Thursday, March 8, 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. For more information about the upcoming Speed Networking event on Thursday, March 8, please call the Chamber at 219.926.5513, or email info@dunelandchamber.org.

The Indiana Arts Commission announced that Hoosiers will have many opportunities to engage with the arts through the Arts in the Parks & Historic Sites program, with more than 170 arts activities taking place across the state. To see a complete listing of 2018 opportunities including dates, locations, and program summaries visit https://www.in.gov/arts/files/2018_APHS-Activities.pdf. For more information about a specific program, contact the individual state park or historic site.

With the flooding that has occurred throughout most of the Midwest, many families have had to evacuate their homes due to emergency and damage.  Here is a list of shelters that are open, provided by the Indiana Joint Information Center. The following shelters are currently open; another nine locations are on stand-by: · Central Christian Church, 418 W. Franklin St., Elkhart · New Life Community Church, 1 N. Pennsylvania, Hobart (crated pets allowed) · Knox Community Schools, 1 Redskin Trail, Knox · First Christian Church, 3209 Middle Rd. Jeffersonville

Over the last week, heavy rain and storms have occurred, causing many rivers in Indiana to overflow their banks. County-level response has been ongoing, and the State Emergency Operations Center has been providing coordination and resource support. On February 24, 2018, Governor Eric J. Holcomb issued a disaster declaration for 11 Indiana counties due to flooding, including Carroll, Dearborn, Elkhart, Fulton, Lake, Marshall, Perry, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland and White counties. This flooding has destroyed or caused severe damage to homes, businesses, structures and infrastructure.  On February 26, 2018 seven counties were added: Benton, Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Jefferson, Spencer and Warrick counties. Governor Holcomb signed a new executive order

On Tuesday night Officer Jon Watson was recognized and received Honorable Mention Awards for his duties. The awards were presented to him at a City Council meeting in City Hall. The awards were presented due to the following incidents. On June 12, 2017, Officer Watson was working on a High Intensity Drug Trafficking patrol along Interstate 94 (a joint federal grant) when he observed a vehicle traveling to close to another vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted and two individuals both from Michigan and one a previous felon were identified. A search of the vehicle located two guns in the

USO of Indiana has been selected from more than 2,128 charitable organizations across the country to compete in Brackets For Good 2018.  Starting Friday, March 2, USO of Indiana will rally supporters to advance in an online single-elimination bracket-style fundraising tournament. Donations from the Brackets for Good tournament will go toward the five hospitality centers and outreach programs the USO of Indiana operates throughout the state of Indiana such as the Bob Hope Legacy United Through Reading Program.  The Camp Atterbury USO Center has room dedicated to the Bob Hope Legacy United Through Reading program where USO volunteers video record

On February 22, 2018 Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter promoted Lieutenant Donna M. Elam to the rank of captain to serve as assistant commander of the Indiana State Police Special Investigations Division. The Special Investigations Command oversees the Drug Enforcement Section and the Special Investigations Section which includes the Public Corruption, Organized Crime, Human Trafficking and Auto Theft units. Special Investigations Command personnel are assigned to an Area and within specialized sections both in the field and at General Headquarters.

Late Saturday evening, Indiana State Police Detective Gary Runde was contacted by a local police department that they may have information pertaining to the hit and run that occurred on I-80/94 earlier that day. Further investigation showed that a local salvage yard was called to pick up a 2006 dark gray Volkswagen Passat that the owner wanted to scrap. The owner of the car mentioned to the salvage tow truck driver that the car had been involved in a crash. After paying for the car and towing it back to their yard they contacted their local police who contacted ISP.

On Monday, Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is announcing Hoosiers will now be able to text “Indiana” to 2VOTE (28683) to register to vote. Standard messaging and data rates may apply. “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to help Hoosiers register and vote,” said Secretary Lawson. “This is just another step in that direction. Millennials and young voters expect the flexibility to register from their phone and we are giving them one more way to do this.” Once a voter texts “Indiana” to 2VOTE (28683), they will receive a link to the Indianavoters.com website. The voter

The Indiana State Police is accepting applications for three Regional Dispatcher positions at the Toll Road Post to staff the Regional Dispatch Center that operates out of that facility located at 52422 CR 17.  This dispatch center covers the length of the Toll Road as well as the Bremen District.  The Bremen District covers Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marshall, and Kosciusko counties. Primary responsibilities of a dispatcher is to receive, record, and accurately dispatch information to police personnel, other law enforcement agencies and other support services through the use of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System, Records Management System (RMS), Automatic Vehicle Locator

Today, Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb joined Department of Homeland Security Director Bryan Langley for a tour of recent flood damage in Clark, Jefferson and Dearborn counties. They will meet with local officials to learn about response and recovery efforts already underway. The governor returned yesterday from the National Governor’s Association Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. Gov. Holcomb on Saturday declared a disaster emergency for 11 counties in response to widespread flooding and infrastructure damage caused by sustained heavy rainfall, including Carroll, Dearborn, Elkhart, Fulton, Lake, Marshall, Perry, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland and White counties. This disaster emergency declaration likely will

The La Porte Police Department is joining law-enforcement agencies across Indiana this March to increase dangerous and impaired driving patrols for the NCAA Tournament and St. Patrick’s Day. Last year, the weekend beginning St. Patrick’s Day had the highest number crashes involving impaired drivers. With March 17, 2018 falling on a Saturday, police are conducting random patrols, saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints intended to make our roads safer. “If you’re watching March Madness or celebrating St. Patrick’s Day from a bar or pub, draft a sober driver, cab or ridesharing service to get home safely,” said Captain Pat Hemphill. “Our

As a proactive approach to the recent tragic school shootings, the Michigan City Police SWAT Team (Special Operation and Tactics), will take their monthly training to the Michigan City High School this Tuesday evening February 27th. Corporal Jeff Piotrowski, Officers Dave Cooney and Steve Forker, commanders for the elite SWAT team, approached the administration and Michigan City Area Schools to receive permission to conduct their Active Shooter “walk through” and “training” inside the grounds and building of the high school. With this practice it will instill greater knowledge to the SWAT members of the layout of the building and inner

In partnership with the College Board and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced another year of increases in the number of Advanced Placement (AP) exams offered, as well as the number of students taking and passing AP exams. Since 2007, the percentage of graduates taking an AP exam during high school increased from 18.9 percent to 38.9 percent. For more information regarding IDOE efforts to expand AP in Indiana schools, and AP related data, please visit: https://www.doe.in.gov/ap

On Saturday morning, two people were killed after they got out of their car after crashing on I-80/94 east bound at the 8.8 mile marker (Grant Street). 31 year old Nathaniel McIntee of Merrillville and 34 year old Jason Howard of Fairmont, West Virginia were killed in the crash. The Indiana State Police is asking for assistance from anyone who may have information on the driver of the VW or his vehicle and evidence left at the scene, as a black Volkswagen four door, possibly a Passat. It has heavy front end damage. Please contact Detective Gary Runde at 219-696-6242.

On Sunday, Governor Eric J. Holcomb issued a disaster emergency for 11 Indiana counties in response to widespread flooding and infrastructure damage caused by sustained heavy rainfall. The governor signed an executive order to include Carroll, Dearborn, Elkhart, Fulton, Lake, Marshall, Perry, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland and White counties. This disaster emergency declaration may be expanded to include other counties in the days ahead, with more rain expected and thunderstorms predicted in the southern part of the state. The disaster declaration means the state Department of Homeland Security can take necessary actions to provide expanded emergency services and is a

The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) has notified next of kin for Raymond McCarty, age 52, the inmate who was discovered unconscious in a medical cell yesterday afternoon at the St. Joseph County Jail and subsequently pronounced deceased.  An autopsy is scheduled for this morning in Fort Wayne, IN. This remains an active and ongoing CMHU investigation. On Sunday, an inmate at the St. Joseph County Jail was discovered unconscious in his cell during a routine check in the afternoon.  The inmate was housed alone in a medical cell. Around 1:40 PM, a correctional officer was unable to