Local News

La Porte County Symphony Orchestra announced the passing of Richard Watson and made the following statement: "It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved friend and phenomenal musician, Richard Watson. "Richard was a wonderful human, musician, and teacher! Richard was our principal tuba and has been performing with the LCSO for 31 years. He also had been an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University for over 30 years. Richard received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, and his graduate degree from Northwestern. His marvelous musicianship had afforded him many opportunities

La Porte—La Porte Online School is preparing to welcome new students for the 2025-26 academic year. Building on a successful inaugural year, the program continues to offer Indiana families a unique combination of tuition-free, flexible online learning and traditional school community engagement. The fully online K-12 program features state-certified teachers delivering personalized, standards-aligned curriculum through Edmentum's proven platform. Available through open enrollment to any Indiana resident, La Porte Online School offers particular benefits for students who: ● Require flexible scheduling due to family, health, or personal circumstances ● Thrive in self-directed learning environments ● Seek accelerated learning opportunities or additional

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Michigan City Patriotic Parade! Thank you to all who participated and attended, it was an amazing day and we are looking forward to next year already!

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana Department of Transportation contractor LaPorte Construction Company will close State Road 8 between C.R. 150 W and C.R. 50 W on or after Monday, July 7. State Road 8 will be closed through late August for a bridge deck overlay project over Cobb Ditch. Motorists should seek alternate routes. The official detour will follow U.S. 231, State Road 10 and State Road 49. The current closure on State Road 49 between C.R. 1050 S and C.R. 1125 S (south of Kouts) for a bridge deck overlay at Reeves Ditch will open before State Road 8

The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department is reminding the public that Thursday, July 3rd is the last day to get your annual beach sticker. You can get your sticker at the parking sticker office in Washington Park. Additional information for hours and pricing is below: Address: 6 on the Lake, Michigan City, IN Office Hours: Sun-Mon: CLOSED Tues-Fri: 10 AM-6 PM Sat: 9 AM- 1 PM Annual Beach Sticker Cost: Civil City Resident- FREE Senior Center Member- $28 Laporte County Resident- $35 Other Indiana Resident- $100 Out of State- $150 Civil City Replacement Sticker- $20 Other Replacement Stickers- cost

July 5-6, 2025 Passengers are advised the South Shore Line intends to operate its weekend/holiday train schedule throughout the NASCAR Chicago Street Race taking place in Grant Park on Saturday-Sunday, July 5-6, 2025. The following restrictions will be in place: Any disruptions or changes in service will be promptly posted to the SSL website, the South Shore mobile app, and via email/text notifications (click here to sign up). The South Shore Line reserves the right to remove disorderly passengers. Disorderly conduct includes, but is not limited to, public indecency/nudity, and drunken or disruptive conduct.

Press Release, Kiwanis Club of La Porte: La Porte, IN – The line-up is in place, the weather forecast looks cooperative, and the 79th Annual La Porte 4th of July Parade is set to begin shortly after 10 a.m., Friday July 4th. This will be the fifth year running in which the Kiwanis Club of La Porte serves as the parade organizer. Over 100 units are scheduled to travel the route along Lincolnway and J Street starting at Tipton Street, on the east end, and heading west around the J Street curve toward Andrew Avenue. The parade will feature long

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) received approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adjust its electric rates. The newly approved rates will be phased in over multiple steps beginning today through the beginning of 2026 to spread out the changes to customers. A Collaborative Process The approved changes reflect a collaborative agreement among NIPSCO, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) and other key stakeholders, including NLMK Indiana, United States Steel Corporation, Walmart Inc., the RV Industry User’s Group and the NIPSCO Industrial Group. “NIPSCO is committed to connecting our customers with

On Saturday, Bob Franko and a great team members and volunteers held their annual "Hops for Hospice" to raise funds for programs and services. TEAM WIMS covered the Hops for Hospice Event with the VNA Hospice NWI at the Porter County Expo Center with great food, fun, with music from The Crawpuppies. The Event featured 100+ beers from local, independent and national breweries, and locally-inspired foods. Thank you to our Events sponsors NIPSCO Derrick Wayne Arnett Arnett Construction & Roofing and VNA Hospice NWI. #wims

TEAM WIMS was LIVE at the 2025 Michigan City Patriotic Parade and Fiske Family Fun Day at Ames Field that happened on Saturday. The crowds were awesome. Great Energy in the air. Family Fun.  Check out some of pictures we captured at the EPIC Event. Visit the WIMS FACEBOOK Page for the Parade coverage along with pictures as well.  Thank you Braden Fiske, Michigan City Native now an LA Ram who came back to huge crowds and a great day of Making a Difference.  Also, thank you to our WONDERFUL WIMS 2025 Event Sponsors including: Arnett Construction & Roofing Derrick

The 10th Anniversary took place Red, Wine & Brew took place this past weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Proceeds were for First Responders. This years line-up included Lee Greenwood, Parmalee, Big & Rich, Frank Ray, S and Omer Netzer. TEAM WIMS was LIVE for the Opening Ceremony which was kicked off by Lee Greenwood along with Parmalee and Big & Rich. Thank you to our 2025 Event Sposnors for this event including: Bethany Church, Garwood Orchards, NIPSCO, and Arnett Construction & Roofing.

Sunday morning at 11:11 AM, deputies responded to the intersection of CR 800 South and CR 900 West regarding a single vehicle crash.  The initial on-scene investigation completed by Deputy Ryan Doperalski and assisting deputies determined the following had occurred.   A green 2001 Ford Ranger, being driven by 31-year-old Rebecca L. KUIPER of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was traveling eastbound on CR 800 South.  The pickup truck traveled off the roadway west of CR 900 West onto the gravel shoulder.  KUIPER overcorrected the pickup truck causing it to begin sliding sideways in the roadway.  At the intersection of CR 800

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Rieth-Riley Construction will conduct alternating lane closures on U.S. 6 between C.R. 500 W and C.R. 425 W beginning on or after Monday, June 30. U.S. 6 will be reduced to one lane through mid-August for a bridge deck overlay preventative maintenance project over Mill Creek. Temporary traffic signals will be installed to direct traffic. INDOT urges drivers to stay alert near crews and be prepared to wait for the temporary traffic signal. Motorists are encouraged to allow extra time when driving through this area and should slow down and drive distraction-free

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 - 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 The #LCSO announces the arrests and criminal charges of Deondra L. MOORE and Felisha A. STOUT in connection with the June 27th fatality crash that occurred on CR 400 North. Shortly after 1:00 PM, 29-year-old MOORE of Fort Wayne and 26-year-old STOUT of Westville were operating passenger vehicles in Coolspring Township. MOORE was driving a 2009 Nissan Rogue and STOUT was driving a 2008 Jeep Liberty. MOORE and STOUT were traveling westbound on CR 400 North in a back-and-forth road rage incident. The vehicle being operated by MOORE drove left of center, off

FAIRGROUNDS ROAD CLOSURE – PLEASE READ We are excited to share that a brand new 4-H Row road has been installed at the fairgrounds—a major improvement made possible by the hard work of our dedicated volunteers and the support of generous sponsors over the past few weeks. However, early access by unauthorized vehicles has already caused damage. This is extremely disappointing and unfair to those who have poured their time and effort into making these improvements for the benefit of all. The new road is blocked off and CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC until JULY 4TH. This includes cars, golf carts,

U.S. 6 will be reduced to one lane between C.R. 500 W and C.R. 425 W on or after Monday, June 30 through mid-August for a bridge deck overlay preventative maintenance project over Mill Creek. Temporary traffic signals will be installed to direct traffic.

Prepare for your deer hunt! Join Indiana DNR’s Deer Program Coordinator for a live webinar on July 1 at 6 p.m. ET to learn about the Indiana deer hunting regulations effective this year. This event will be held via Teams Live and is a virtual, webinar-style event. You will need a computer or a handheld mobile device and an internet connection to attend the webinar. A recording of this webinar will be placed on the Indiana DNR YouTube channel following the event. Find more regulations info here: https://IN.gov/.../hunting-and.../hunting-trapping-guide Join the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3I4ABnn

Press Release by Franciscan Health: Ceribell System helps quickly detect, treat potentially life-threatening seizures, reducing hospital transfers Franciscan Health is transforming neurological care for critically ill patients at its hospitals across Northwest Indiana and Chicago’s South Suburbs with the adoption of the Ceribell System, an FDA-cleared electroencephalography (EEG) device powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Franciscan Health Crown Point, Dyer, Michigan City, Munster and Olympia Fields all employ the device in their hospitals. The technology was first implemented at Franciscan Health Michigan City in January 2024 before being adopted at the Crown Point hospital in September 2024, in Olympia Fields in

Friday at 1:09 PM, deputies responded to the 11500 west block of CR 400 North for a motor vehicle crash. Deputies were advised the vehicle was engulfed in flames and a child was inside. Upon arrival, deputies were unable to safely approach the vehicle due to the intense flames. The fire was extinguished several minutes later by fire personnel. A 10-month old infant perished in the blaze. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division were contacted and responded to the scene. The circumstances of the crash, along with the identities of those involved, are being withheld due to the ongoing investigation.

Overnight lane closures will take place on I-65 to extend the current traffic configuration between 61st Ave and I-94 south of U.S. 30. This is a coordinated effort to match up our pavement patching work between 93rd Ave and Central Ave and bridge work between 61st Ave and I-94 going forward. Overnight lane closures are currently scheduled for 8pm Monday, June 30 through 4am Tuesday, July 1. I-65 will maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction, with the left lane of northbound I-65 as a counterflow lane on the southbound side. This counterflow lane will connect with the current