Local News

Command staff at the Indiana State Police Lowell District were recently notified by concerned citizens that they had received possible scam phone calls from a phone number that appears as the Lowell District phone number of 219-696-6242. In a statement the police said, “There are many phone scams currently in our area, and know that the Indiana State Police do not serve arrest warrants by phone and will never call you to request money. One popular phone scam in our area currently is the "Jury Duty" or “FBI” where the caller tells you there is an arrest warrant for you

Governor Eric Holcomb named Michael J. Drenth as his appointment to the Porter County Superior Court #3. He will succeed Judge Julia Jent, who retires June 1. Drenth currently serves as a deputy prosecutor in Porter County and has been with that office since 1992. Drenth received a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.

Shortly before noon Saturday, Indiana Conservation Officers responded to a call of a drowning in progress on a private body of water known as Chestnut Lake in Porter County. Upon arriving on scene, Conservation Officers found two men on shore being evaluated by Porter EMS personnel. Both men refused medical treatment and were released by EMS to be interviewed by Conservation Officers. According to investigating officers, 48 year old Doug Colvin, and his father 71 year old Anthony Colvin, both of Chesterton, were fishing in a 10 foot aluminum boat approximately 100 yards from shore when one of the men

Team WIMS was broadcasting live from the Spring Out to Sunset Festival at Sunset Hill Farm in Valparaiso on Saturday, May 19th!  The Fest was full of events and fun for the whole family!  The Sunset Hill Colonels played a game of old fashioned baseball while families watched and enjoyed.  Attendees could also check out the exotic animals, the tractor rides, live music by John Derado, a train set up by the Illiana Garden Railway, food trucks, and much more!  The event was also complete with a BBQ Contest and a Homebrew contest!  Team WIMS was also giving out a

U.S. 41 (Calumet Avenue) is closed in Hammond between Michigan Street and Sibley Street. This is the site of a bridge project that has been underway since early April with lane closures in place. Thursday, crews identified a pavement concern that needs to be addressed, requiring a complete closure at this location. It's possible this closure could last through the end of May. INDOT will continue to update the public as details become available.

The LaPorte County Innovation Network is of the 11 Innovation Networks that will be formed thanks to a grant from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s employer-driven Skill UP Indiana! program. The Skill UP program, in its third year, provides funding to form and operate a collaborative group of educational, business and workforce stakeholders charged with developing the talent supply chain in local communities. The LaPorte County Innovation Network will receive $677,000. The group’s goal will be to train adults to meet immediate skill needs, develop strengthened relationships between manufacturing employers and local students for strengthening the talent pipeline. A

At the invitation of the White House, Attorney General Curtis Hill participated in a prison reform summit with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other state leaders this past Friday. In March, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry. The goal is to provide previously incarcerated individuals with greater opportunities for productivity upon release from jails or prisons -- thereby improving the lives of all Americans by reducing crime, enhancing public safety and increasing opportunity. Other state leaders taking part in today’s discussions included Michigan Attorney General Bill

Command staff at the Lowell District were recently notified by concerned citizens that they had received possible scam phone calls from a phone number that appears as the Lowell District phone number of 219-696-6242. In a statement the police said, “There are many phone scams currently in our area, and know that the Indiana State Police do not serve arrest warrants by phone and will never call you to request money. One popular phone scam in our area currently is the "Jury Duty" or “FBI” where the caller tells you there is an arrest warrant for you because you missed

The NICTD board has approved the proposed fare increase and it will take effect on July 1st, for the South Shore Line rail passenger service, including July monthly tickets. The new fares would apply to all stations but Hegewisch. Metra controls Hegewisch fares and approved an increase effective February 1, 2018. According to a press release the fare increase will enhance safety on the SSL through supporting implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). According to the South Shore Line’s website, “PTC is an unprecedented, advanced set of technologies that will automatically stop a train before certain human error incidents occur.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking community nominations for eight awards given during the State of the Chamber Awards Luncheon, to be held on Wednesday, July 18. Nomination forms are available on the Chamber website or can be emailed to you upon request. All nominations are due by Monday, June 18, 2018. All nominations will be reviewed by the Chamber’s Nominating Committee, except for the Duneland Distinguished Woman Award, which will be reviewed by former recipients. All forms must be submitted to the Chamber office by Monday, June 18, 2018. Awards will be presented at the State of

La Porte Hospital will break ground officially on the new hospital in August this year, but the community will start to see tangible evidence of property preparations when demolition of some hospital-owned structures begins next week. The hospital has earmarked six homes it owns for demolition along State Street, between Teegarden and Tyler streets. The homes will be taken down to prepare land for staging and building of the new facility. The exact footprint of the new hospital has not been finalized, but officials expect to build and create space for construction staging in that general area west of the

Governor Eric J. Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb will depart for Europe on Friday, marking his sixth international economic development trip as governor. The governor will meet with government, business and academic stakeholders in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France prior to delivering the Indy 500 green flag to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) inaugural flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on Delta Flight 501. Several others will join Holcomb. Indiana is home to more than 450 European business establishments that provide approximately 113,900

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that State Road 4 in LaPorte County will be closed Monday, May 21st, and Tuesday, May 22nd, between Boyd Boulevard and State Road 104 as crews perform a chip sealing operation. Detours will be posted. Drivers should exercise caution in this area once the road is reopened. Loose stone will be present on the roadway during the initial cure of the asphalt and can damage windshields and paint on vehicles that may be following each other too closely. It is recommended, when traveling on a recently chip-sealed road, that drivers slow down and

According to a press release from the Chesterton Police Department, this Sunday, May 20th, starting at 2:45 pm the following roads will be closed for the Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana 5K. 11th Street - from C.R. 1100 North to C.R. 1050 North. C.R. 1050 North - from 11th Street to 5th Street. 5th Street - from C.R. 1050 North to C.R. 1100 North. These roads will be closed until approximately 4pm. Police said they will reopen the roads as soon as they can. They also stated, “If you live in a subdivision or home along 5th Street

Attorney General Curtis Hill joined CVS Health officials Thursday at a press conference to discuss the pharmacy company’s plans to create drug-disposal collection points at 49 CVS Pharmacy stores in Indiana. CVS Health is replicating these actions at 750 locations nationwide. This initiative complements the Attorney General’s ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of unused and unneeded prescription medication lingering in Hoosier households. These sheriffs’ offices, police departments and all of the new CVS locations can be found on a new section of the Indiana Attorney General’s web site. Go to in.gov/attorneygeneral and click on the “alert” at the top

The LaPorte County Innovation Network is of the 11 Innovation Networks that will be formed thanks to a grant from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s employer-driven Skill UP Indiana! program. The Skill UP program, in its third year, provides funding to form and operate a collaborative group of educational, business and workforce stakeholders charged with developing the talent supply chain in local communities. The LaPorte County Innovation Network will receive $677,000. The group’s goal will be to train adults to meet immediate skill needs, develop strengthened relationships between manufacturing employers and local students for strengthening the talent pipeline. A

On May 15th, at approximately 8:30 PM, 70 year old Kenneth Smith walked to his neighbors residence located at 1617 N 500 E in Pines Township in Porter County. He stayed approximately 45 minutes and then walked away. Mr. Smith has not been seen since. Family members believe he has the signs of Alzheimer's disease but not officially diagnosed. Mr. Smith is 5'7" 160 lbs with white hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey Carhartt sweater and jeans. Porter County Officers along with DNR and Porter County Search and Rescue Team have been searching the area.

The Mobile Health Unit of La Porte Hospital will be out in the community throughout May to provide bone density screenings and to educate on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. Come and visit the Mobile Health Unit to learn more about these two important topics. The Mobile Health Unit program has been made possible by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte. Upcoming Dates and times of the Mobile Health Unit visits are: 1:30 – 2:20 p.m., May 22, Good Will Industries, 3822 Franklin St., Michigan City 11 a.m. – Noon, May 22, Salvation Army, 3240 Monroe St., La Porte

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly received an award from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) recognizing his outstanding support for law enforcement. Donnelly was also recognized for his work to draft, introduce, and shepherd to passage the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year. NAPO is a coalition of police associations from across the country.The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which Donnelly authored and introduced with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) allows law enforcement agencies to establish or enhance mental health services for their officers. It also

At a press conference yesterday, Attorney General Curtis Hill discussed his ongoing determination to strengthen drug interdiction efforts across Indiana, including a collaboration with the Indiana Drug Enforcement Association (IDEA) to provide funding to regional interdiction teams. Through a $1.25 million grant to IDEA, the Office of Indiana Attorney General is supporting the establishment of highway interdiction teams (HITs) statewide. These teams, comprised of officers and drug-sniffing dogs, are cracking down on criminals who use Indiana thoroughfares to carry out their nefarious deeds. Through the grants, a total of eight police cars and five police K-9s have thus far been