Local News

University Park Mall, a Simon mall, announced this week that the center will serve as a donation location for the American Red Cross as it works to offer relief for Hoosiers affected by the catastrophic flooding in northern Indiana. Throughout the month of March, shoppers may stop by Guest Services to make a cash donation to the American Red Cross. The mall will also donate all change tossed in the fountain to this worthy cause. In addition, donations can be made by phone by calling 1-800-513-2599, or by texting Red Cross to 90999. The Department of Homeland Security reports that

Burns Harbor Town Councilman Kevin Tracy is shaving his head on Sunday, March 11 to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.  The event hosted by the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids (NICK) foundation benefits the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; which is a charity dedicated to funding promising research towards finding cures for childhood cancers. Of all federal funding directed at cancer research, only 4% makes its way to childhood-specific cancers, creating an enormous funding gap.  Tracy said, “the problem is only more obvious when you realize the average age of a child receiving a cancer diagnosis is only 6 years

Friday morning just before 1 a.m. the Porter County Sheriff’s Department attempted to stop a vehicle just outside the city limits, in the area, of Highway 130 and Froberg Rd. The vehicle sped off and refused to stop. The vehicle entered the city, in the area, of Ransom Rd and Campbell St. Officers from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and the Valparaiso Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver continued to drive in a reckless and dangerous manner. The pursuit continued south bound on Campbell St to Indiana Ave. The vehicle traveled eastbound thru numerous streets in

Gov. Holcomb, on Thursday, signed an executive order creating an Office of Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning to help more people skill-up for good paying jobs with Indiana companies. The new state office will work to double the number of Hoosiers who participate in apprenticeships or other work-based learning programs by 2020 and will expand these valuable opportunities for both students and working adult Hoosiers in a more diverse range of industry sectors.To boost apprenticeship programs for working adults, the Office of Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning will work with the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance and expand federally approved apprenticeships.

Michigan City Human Rights Commission will kick off Disability Awareness Month by saying “thank you” to Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) bus drivers and monitors and Student Support Services staff on Wednesday, March 7. Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer will make his way around town to recognize transportation and special education staff excellence. His first stop will be take place at 8:45 a.m. at the Bus Barn located at 1100 South Woodland Avenue where coffee and donuts will be served. Later on in the day, Mayor Meer will address staff from the MCAS Student Support Services Department during a cake

24 year old Roddell Durbin, Jr., appeared Thursday before a St. Joseph County Superior Court judge and was sentenced to 10 years for Possession of Child Pornography. Three (3) of those years are to be executed in the Indiana Department of Correction, with seven (7) years of the sentence suspended. He was also sentenced to 2 years reporting probation upon his release from the DOC, when he will also be required to register as a sex offender. Mr. Durbin previously pled guilty by agreement to all four counts with which he was charged in September 2017. Of these four counts,

Jason Anderson, 39, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced before South Bend District Court Senior Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Thomas L. Kirsch II. Anderson was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment and 2 years supervised release. According to documents in this case, in or around March of 2017, Anderson possessed one or more firearms after having been convicted of serious drug offenses in both Indiana and Illinois. The court sentenced Anderson under the Armed Career Criminal Act due to his prior convictions. This case was investigated by the Bureau of

Indiana’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) is now accepting applications from families in 20 counties who may be eligible for grants for their children to receive high-quality, prekindergarten education through the On My Way Pre-K program for the 2018/2019 school year. The pilot program was expanded in 2017 from five to 20 counties to provide the benefits of early childhood education to more Hoosier children from low-income families. The program will be available for the 2018/19 school year in Bartholomew, DeKalb, Delaware, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Harrison, Howard, Kosciusko, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Vigo Counties.

The LaPorte County Sheriff s Office 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. The top causes of all Indiana traffic crashes are drivers following too closely and failing to yield the right of way. Aggressive, distracted and impaired driving reduce reaction times to

31 year old Branden Furnari of South Bend, Indiana was charged with possession of a firearm (destructive device) not registered in the National Firearms Registration Record. According to documents in this case, Furnari was arrested after allegedly selling destructive devices to an undercover law enforcement officer. Furnari explained in detail how to assemble the components using the “Det cord” and “Blasting caps” which was all provided in the transaction for $800 dollars to the undercover officer. The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that a Complaint is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until, and unless,

Earlier this week, The House of Representatives voted in favor of State Rep. Jim Pressel’s (R-Rolling Prairie) House Resolution 8 urging the General Assembly to study the use of electronic communication devices while driving. Pressel’s resolution calls for a study committee to review the use of electronic communications devices, like a cell phone or smartphone, while operating a motor vehicle. The committee would also take a closer look at the relationship between the safety of workers in construction zones and the use of cell phones while driving. Pressel said interim committees are an important avenue in which to research complex

There is an opening in Porter County for the position of Fourth Deputy Treasurer. Applications and/or resumes will be accepted at the Treasurer’s Office counter, 155 Indiana Avenue, Suite 209, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Applications may be acquired at the receptionist console at this same address. Mark the envelope “Porter County Treasurer, Confidential”. This is a full-time non-exempt position with benefits and an annual salary of $40,000. A probationary period applies for the first ninety (90) days. During this period the salary is based on 95% of the offered salary. For more information and to download an application visit: www.porterco.org/Jobs

The Michigan City Police Department in collaboration with the Michigan City Area School System conducted "Active Shooter" training at the Michigan City High School on Tuesday. The Special Weapons & Tactics Team (SWAT Team) felt it necessary to research the grounds and rooms of the school to familiarize themselves to be proactive in any type of unforeseen incident that might occur. A Facebook video https://www.facebook.com/MCPD46360/videos/1540919872611566/ illustrated a small sample of tactical maneuvers conducted by the MCPD.

The Portage Police department is hosting an “Active Shooter Survival Guide for Teachers administrators and Office Staff” workshop. Portage Township Schools staff are encouraged to register for any of the dates (March 13th, 20th, April 10th, April 17th). Contact Debbie Bolin at 764-5713 or dbolin@portage-in.com. Classes will be held at the Portage Police Department and are from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Yesterday, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office was afforded the opportunity to utilize the indoor VirTra Range at the Michigan City Police Department. The 300-degree VirTra wrap around simulator presented deputies with a wide variety of scenario based training. The scenario training is realistic to everyday encounters that deputies may be exposed to within La Porte County. The VirTra scenario based training incorporates: situational use of force, critical thinking, communication skills, decision making under stress, reading body language, and the use of de-escalation techniques. After each scenario, Sheriff’s Office Firearms Instructors debriefed with the deputies. The deputies who were present

At the direction of President Donald Trump, Governor Eric J. Holcomb is directing flags across the state to be flown at half-staff to honor Rev. Billy Graham. Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of his funeral, Friday, March 2. Gov. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents across the state to lower their flags to half-staff on Friday to honor Graham.

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.