Local News

Westchester Public Library presents the film Lucky on Sunday, February 18, at 1:30 p.m., in the Baugher Center, 100 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. No registration is necessary, and attendance is free of charge. Enjoy complimentary popcorn while watching the movie. Lucky follows the spiritual journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off the map desert town. Having out lived and out smoked all of his contemporaries, the fiercely independent Lucky finds himself at the precipice of life, thrust into a journey of self exploration, leading towards that which is so often unattainable: enlightenment. Acclaimed character

Purdue University Northwest, through a generous gift from the Taltree Arboretum & Gardens Foundation's Board of Directors and Damien and Rita Gabis, is now operating the 300-plus-acre arboretum near Valparaiso long known as Taltree Arboretum & Gardens. The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Feb. 9) approved the renaming of the property to Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest. All legal and real estate transactions required to finalize the transfer of ownership of the property were completed Jan. 31. Purdue Northwest (PNW) will continue to operate the property as an arboretum for public, educational, conservation and recreational use. No immediate

Both Purdue University Northwest campuses at Hammond and Westville will remain closed all day Saturday, Feb. 10. Classes are canceled and all campus facilities are closed to students, guests and university personnel except those responding to weather-related matters. All events on both campuses are canceled for the day.

On February 6th, 2018 at approximately 12:59pm the Michigan City Police Department responded to a hit and run accident with injuries at the intersection of US Hwy 20 and Hitchcock St. Upon their arrival officers found two victims trapped in a heavily damaged sport utility vehicle. A preliminary investigation revealed that the SUV was traveling southbound on Hitchcock Street when it entered the intersection of US Hwy 20 and was broadsided by a westbound semi-truck which had disregarded the traffic signal. Following the impact, the semi-truck and its driver fled the scene westbound on US Hwy 20. Despite a thorough

  Ivy Tech Northwest service area campuses will be closed Saturday, February, 10, 2018. This includes all locations in Gary, East Chicago, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Michigan City, and La Porte.

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb today announced Kristine A. (Kristi) Osterday as his appointment to the Elkhart County Superior Court 1. Judge Osterday will succeed the late Judge Evan Roberts who passed away in November 2017.  Judge Osterday currently serves as magistrate judge in Elkhart County. Prior to her appointment as magistrate in 2016, Judge Osterday was in private practice. She also previously served as a deputy prosecutor in the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office. Judge Osterday received a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University South Bend and her law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law. Judge Osterday will be sworn

The Indiana State Police Alliance (ISPA) is seeking donations for a building restoration project. ISPA recently received a grant through the Indiana Historical Society for the preservation of a historic weigh station located on the Indiana State Police Museum’s property. An additional $2,500 must be raised by the ISPA in order to complete this refurbishment project. Your donation to the ISPA at https://www.gofundme.com/ispmuseumweighstationrestorationproject will help restore this important piece of Indiana State Police History.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers wishing to attend the Chicago Auto Show taking place Feb. 10-19, 2018, at McCormick Place. An eastbound passenger extra will run on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 17. The train will depart McCormick Place at 4:52 p.m., run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Carroll Avenue, Michigan City. This train will not serve Hudson Lake or South Bend. Additionally, several weekday trains will make flag stops at the McCormick Place Station from Feb. 12-16 and Feb. 19th. All weekend trains except Train 601

Applying for college financial aid is not complex and can be extremely beneficial. That’s the message of College Goal Sunday, a free, financial aid application assistance program, scheduled at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Purdue University Northwest campuses and dozens of other Indiana locations. The Purdue Northwest program takes place at the Hammond Campus in Room 200 of the Student Union & Library, 2200 173rd St. At the Westville Campus, the program is scheduled in Room 265 of the Technology Building, 1401 S. U.S. 421. For more information and a complete list of sites, individuals may visit the

Snow Removal Parking Restrictions With snow removal from previous storms still ongoing and a major winter storm set to begin tonight and lasting through Friday evening, Mayor Ron Meer has declared the following: Sec. 94-254-Parking restrictions during a snow removal condition. Snow removal conditions have been declared by the Mayor, the following traffic regulations shall be in effect: Effective at 3:00 p.m., on Thursday, February 8, 2018. (1) No vehicle shall be parked on a designated “snow route.” (2) On even numbered days, no parking shall be permitted on that side of the street with even numbered addresses from 6:00

..WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches are possible north of highway 6. * WHERE...La Porte-St. Joseph IN-Elkhart-Lagrange-Steuben-Berrien-Cass MI- St. Joseph MI-Branch-Hillsdale- * WHEN...From late Thursday night through Friday evening. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions, including during the morning commute on Friday. Significant reductions in visibility are possible.

On Wednesday, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office charged 20 year old Rahim Brumfield with Murder in the January 18, 2018, homicide of Tysiona Crawford. A Firearm Sentencing Enhancement was also filed. Probable cause was found and an arrest warrant was issued. The defendant was ordered held without bond. At the time of the press release, Brumfield has not been arrested and taken into custody. Law enforcement is seeking the public’s help in locating him. If you have any information as to his whereabouts, please call CMHU at 235-5009, Crime Stoppers at 288-STOP, or your local law enforcement agency. If

Indiana House Democratic Leader Terry Goodin from Austin issued a statement after the close of the first half of the 2018 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Goodin said the first half of session was like Gilligan’s Island. The General Assembly has the tools, but still cannot get off the island. Three years ago, the Republican majority repealed the Common Construction Wage with the promise that wages would not fall and tax savings would be realized. Goodin refers to the Midwest Economic Policy Institute’s report recently issued that found that since then-Gov. Mike Pence signed the repeal into law, wages

The Future Careers Expo scheduled for today at the A. K. Smith Career Center has been cancelled. A number of factors contributed to this decision, including the school delays this week, guest speakers/interviewers/exhibitors with flu, and weather-related concerns on the part of those driving some distance to be there tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is not a makeup date. They'll try again next February.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers wishing to attend the Chicago Auto Show taking place Feb. 10-19, 2018, at McCormick Place. An eastbound passenger extra will run on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 17. The train will depart McCormick Place at 4:52 p.m., run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Carroll Avenue, Michigan City. This train will not serve Hudson Lake or South Bend. Additionally, several weekday trains will make flag stops at the McCormick Place Station from Feb. 12-16 and Feb. 19th. All weekend trains except Train 601

For some kids, it can be the most difficult part of the school day. We're talking about lunch time, and it's especially hard if you have to eat by yourself. To help promote inclusion in middle schools, Managed Health Services (MHS) is hosting a bullying prevention initiative at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso on Friday, Feb. 9th, at 10:00 a.m. CST. MHS is sponsoring an assembly in honor of National No One Eats Alone Day, created by the non-profit Beyond Differences. More than 600 students will attend a bullying prevention program in the school auditorium performed by Young Actors

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone living in the unincorporated areas of Porter County about County Ordinance 10.020,, ‘Parking after Snowfall.’ The ordinance in summary means if there is expected to be 2+ inches of snowfall, vehicles must be moved from the roadway. Failure to move your vehicle, could result in your vehicle being towed at your expense and a County Ordinance citation with fines up to $50.00. This is very important, as it speeds up County Highway’s ability to clear the roadways safely as well as widen the roadway for emergency vehicles to have access

An Indiana State Police Trooper who lives in Merrillville found that his police car, personal car, and his home had been damaged by gunfire. The trooper was awoken around 4:19 a.m., this morning, with what he thought were gunshots. He looked out his residence but saw nothing. When he came out if his home on Harrison Street this morning he saw that there was a bullet hole in his Chevrolet Aztec (personal car) and another bullet hole in his Dodge Charger (police car). Both bullet holes were on the front passenger side. The bullet that struck his police car ricocheted

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) and Commissioner Adam Krupp warn customers to always be leery of any suspicious phone calls or emails that may be tax scams. Over the last week, DOR has received calls from concerned Hoosiers who have been contacted by an organization identifying themselves as a “crime investigation unit” within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state’s revenue agency. Hoosiers have been threatened with arrest warrants and told to provide Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and/or bank account information in exchange for no further legal action. Even during special circumstances, taxpayers will usually receive

The victim from Tuesday morning’s homicide investigation at Patrick Metals in Mishawaka has been positively identified as Aaron Woods, Jr., 37, of South Bend. This remains an active and ongoing St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) investigation. Several individuals have been interviewed in the course of the investigation. At the issuance of this release, no arrests have been made.