Local News

A Porter Township man was arrested on Wednesday morning on charges of sexual conduct in the presence of a minor and indecent exposure, the Valparaiso Police Department said. On March 26, at around 10:50 a.m., Valparaiso Police responded to the McDonald’s Restaurant, located at 2150 W. Morthland Dr., in reference to the report of a man committing a lewd act in a public place.  Upon arrival, police were advised the male subject was committing the indecent act alone, having exposed his genitalia to others within the play area of the restaurant.  The man had left the business prior to police

On Wednesday March 26 at approximately just before 2:45 a.m. a Berrien County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a red SUV traveling in the wrong lane on Front Street in the City of Buchanan. The Deputy attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his emergency lights as the vehicle was turning southbound on South Redbud Trail. The vehicle failed to stop and continued south on Redbud Trail at a high rate of speed pulling away from the deputy. The driver lost control and went airborne as the vehicle crossed the railroad tracks causing him to strike a tree and then colliding with

The Ogden Dunes Police, along with other agencies helped rescue a stranded boater Tuesday on the shores of Lake Michigan. The boater became stranded on the beach due to windy conditions and rough waters, Ogden Dunes Police said. With help from the Burns Harbor Police Department, the Ogden Dunes Fire Department, and the Indiana DNR Division of Law Enforcement, they were able to assist the boater and help them on their way.

La Porte Police are looking for 32-year-old Brandon Bernacchi is currently wanted by the La Porte Police Department on four active felony warrants. If you know the whereabouts of Bernacchi you are encouraged to provide tips(s) to the La Porte Police Department. Police are asking the public to contact Sgt. Adam Jaskowiak at (219-362-9446 ext: 2134) or ajaskowiak@lpcitypd.com. Police say you may remain anonymous.  

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office announced the recent arrest of a man after allegedly attempting to enter a locked vehicle and a home. On the morning of March 23, a resident northeast of Rensselaer, IN, reported a male in blue jeans and a black jacket attempting to enter her locked vehicle and then her home, the JCSO said on its Facebook page. Fearing for her safety, she called 911. Deputies responded, located a suspect matching the description nearby, and identified him as 31-year-old Jacob A. Parketon of Hobart, Indiana. A witness confirmed him as the suspect. Parketon was taken into

News release, Indiana DNR: Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Alan Morrison announced that organizations in 20 Indiana counties across the state will receive $1,116,940 in grants to fund 53 lake and stream projects through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program. Funded projects are in Dearborn, Fayette, Fulton, Hamilton, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Noble, Owen, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, St. Joseph, Steuben, and Sullivan counties. Grants totaling $643,300 will support 11 sediment or logjam removal projects in 10 counties. Another $473,640 will be used to support 42 projects to combat aquatic invasive plants, involving 52

 Last night (3/24) at 11:14 PM, Deputy Austin Wells was traveling east on US 20 in the area of CR 125 West.  A certified speed measuring instrument inside Deputy Wells’ vehicle confirmed a westbound US 20 vehicle was traveling in excess of the posted speed limit.  A traffic stop was initiated near the intersection of US 20 and SR 39.  The driver verbally identified himself as “Torris” HEAD and a rear seat passenger verbally identified herself as Shantae S. SPENCER (31).  As the traffic stop progressed, the three occupants were invited to exit the vehicle. The provided name of “Torris”

On March 3, 2025, Detective Derrick Deck was assigned to investigate a matter of child abuse / neglect that had been reported to the Indiana Department of Child Services.  Over the next several days, Detective Deck gathered information that included allegations of sexual abuse occurring at several different locations throughout La Porte County.  A 31-year-old La Porte County man, Jeremiah G. MANLEY, was identified as the suspect.    On March 12, Detective Deck presented a probable cause affidavit to the La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office that included his initial investigation findings.  Probable Cause was later found in La Porte

To accommodate passengers attending the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) taking place April 11-13, 2025, at McCormick Place, the South Shore Line will be offering extra service and select train stops at McCormick Place Station on April 11, 12 & 13. As McCormick Place is no longer a scheduled stop, passengers traveling to C2E2 should purchase tickets for Museum Campus. EXTRA TRAINS SATURDAY, APRIL 12: Westbound and eastbound Extra passenger trains: WB Extra will depart Carroll Ave. at 8:27 a.m. and make all local stops (arriving at McCormick Place at 9:45 a.m.). EB Extra will depart Millennium Station ahead of Train 509

An update on an accident Westbound 94 near the Indiana/Michigan State Line from the Berrien County Sheriff's Office   On Monday March 24, 2025 first responders were dispatched to an unknown injury traffic crash. Upon arrival they found that an eastbound semi-truck and trailer had crossed the cable barriers and struck a westbound Semi-truck and trailer in the driver’s side front of the trailer. The impact was so great that the driver of the eastbound truck was ejected along with the driver’s seat. The driver was found on the roadway next to the damaged truck unresponsive suffering from major trauma

Law Enforcement band together to target distracted drivers on I-94 from New Buffalo to Lake Huron Today,  law enforcement across Michigan will unite to target distracted driving on I-94 from New Buffalo to Port Huron. Michigan State Police, sheriff's departments, and local police will increase patrols to focus on drivers texting, eating, or engaging in other distractions while driving. Partnering with The Kiefer Foundation, this initiative precedes Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. For more about the Kieffer Foundation visit: https://mkiefer.org/

INDOT is aware of a tolling-related text message or "smishing" scam targeting Hoosiers. False messages appearing to come from INDOT alert recipients of a "final notice" regarding unpaid tolls. INDOT does not and will not notify drivers of unpaid tolls via text message. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4bVDdiz

𝐋𝐂𝐒𝐎 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈 – 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 & 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐔𝐒 𝟐𝟎 𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐙-an update from the La Porte County Sheriff's Office On March 19, one hundred (100) law enforcement officers from twelve (12) states – Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts worked a traffic safety project on US 20. Four (4) deputies participated in the project to increase traffic safety and public awareness along US 20 in La Porte County. Deputies worked the project during a two-hour peak travel time and produced the following results: • Contacts – 33 • Warnings – 24 (18

                 CEDAR LAKE, Ind. -- Board-certified family medicine physician Lynn Vattathara, MD, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting patients in Cedar Lake. Dr.  Vattathara attended medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his residency in family medicine at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, N.Y. Dr. Vattathara’s clinical interests include dermatology, nutrition and fitness, preventative medicine and public health, sports physicals and minor sports injury management. In addition to English, Dr. Vattathara is fluent in Malayalam. He is accepting new

La PORTE, IN  – Local officials gathered for a ribbon cutting Monday morning to celebrate the much-anticipated opening of La Porte’s newest restaurant. Chipotle Mexican Grill, located at 150 Pine Lake Avenue, will open its doors today at 10:45 a.m. The multinational, fast casual chain specializes in made-to-order bowls, burritos and tacos with fresh ingredients. Mayor Tom Dermody said La Porte residents have been eagerly awaiting the restaurant’s grand opening since the day the project was announced. "The No. 1 question our office has received for the last several months has been, ‘when will Chipotle open?’” Dermody said. “It’s wonderful

The Michigan City Fire Department A-Shift responded to a structure fire that started in a shed and had quickly spread to two neighboring homes. The crews were able to extinguish the fire before it caused extensive damage to the interior of the homes. No injuries were reported during the incident. All residents are safe and crews were able to save all pets that were remaining in the homes, including one family's guinea pig! Unattended cooking was determined to be the cause of this fire. Cooking is such a routine activity that sometimes we forget the high temperatures involved can easily

The Valparaiso Police Department responded to two separate businesses yesterday, March 22nd, regarding card skimming devices being installed on point-of-sale machines. Our patrol officers worked diligently on this investigation over the weekend and have identified the suspect and vehicle. The suspect’s name will not be made public until formal charges have been filed. Our investigators will continue to work this investigation closely with federal partners, as it appears the suspect’s actions were not isolated to just the Valparaiso area. Thank you to our local businesses for identifying these devices so quickly and for notifying us. We would also like to

TRAFFIC ALERT-ROAD CLOSURE Liberty/Portage Township Line Road - Indiana State Road 149 Thank you to the Liberty Township Fire Department Beginning on or after April 1, 2025, 6:00 am, County Road 875 North & Robbins Road will be closed to all traffic at the SR 149 intersection for Intersection Improvement until July 30, 2025, 11:00 pm. The detour provided for State Road 149 is U.S. 20 – State Road 49 – U.S. 6. For more information contact (855) INDOT4U or (855) 463-6848. Please respect our county roadways and abide by the posted speed limits and other traffic control devices. Download

La Porte, IN – The Pax Center is thrilled to announce a strategic enhancement of its community garden initiatives for the upcoming growing season. Introducing The Pax Gardens, this development represents a more effective use of existing space to better support the Market Days program and strengthen community connections through gardening. The Pax Gardens will now include The Pax Gardens at Brighton St. and The Pax Gardens at Jackson St., with additional exciting announcements coming soon! The Pax Gardens at Brighton St. will serve as a dedicated production garden, growing fresh, local produce to support the Market Days program available throughout the summer months. In

Here is the latest from the Ott Haverstock Funeral Chapel and Cremation regarding Sandra Faloon. Sandra Faloon November 18, 1934 - March 13, 2025 Sandra Faloon, 90, died peacefully on March 13, 2025 in her home. A Mass Celebrating Sandra's Life will be held at a later date at Notre Dame Catholic Church, Long Beach, Indiana. The Ott/Haverstock Funeral Chapel, 418 Washington Street, Michigan City, Indiana is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Sandra’s name at the Soup Kitchen at First United Methodist Church, Michigan City, https://mcindianaumc.org and/or Michigan City Public Library, https://www.mclib.org/about-us/endowment-fund To sign a