News

The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Dr. Carolyn Watson as the LCSO’s 10th Music Director. Watson takes the helm of the Orchestra on August 1. A native Australian who came to the United States to lead the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, Watson’s conducting credits include Austin Symphony, Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. In 2017 Watson was a Dallas Opera Hart Institute Fellow and in the forthcoming season will lead productions at Des Moines Metro Opera and Amarillo Opera. A committed music educator, Watson

Police Chief Paul Brettin (far right) and members of the Police Merit Commission honor five City of La Porte Police officers for their lifesaving work in the field Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at the police station in La Porte. Brettin said the officers recently went above and beyond to save the lives of residents in danger on several separate occasions. Pictured, from left: Det. Sgt. Victor Aguilar, Commissioner Brian Chalik, Commissioner Wally Brath, Officer Marcos Loza, Officer Jared Schaefer, Cpl. Joe Toth, Officer Joshua Leonhardt, Commissioner Terry Scherer and Brettin.

Local campuses of Ivy Tech Community College are having their second annual online auction benefiting students in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The Ivy Tech Foundation’s “Impacting Student Needs” online auction is taking place now through Friday, April 23. Bids on auction items will be accepted until Friday at 11:59 p.m. Bids are being accepted at https://www.event.gives/ivytech.edu. Net proceeds from this auction benefit the “Meet the Need” initiative for students of the Lake County and Valparaiso/Michigan City campuses. “Because of the pandemic, our students need help now more than ever,” Cindy Hall, executive director of resource development, said. “We have some

This past weekend, a theft of four high performance Dodge/Jeep vehicles occurred at a Dodge dealership in LaPorte, IN.  The vehicles were located on I-80/94 traveling an extremely high rate of speed, which resulted in the Indiana State Police Lowell Post becoming involved.  Citizens were reporting the vehicles traveling at speeds upwards of 150 mph.  Troopers were able to locate one of the vehicles and observed it exit the interstate and continue northbound onto Cline Ave.  The vehicle ran out of gas and stopped on the Cline Ave. bridge.  The driver fled from the vehicle, jumping over the wall, landing

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is moving quickly to disburse $3.8 million in newly released federal funds related to pandemic relief directly to its students with financial need.   PNW will have distributed nearly $8.9 million in emergency funding directly to students over the past year. Although federal guidelines require universities to provide 50 percent of the emergency funding to students, Purdue Northwest decided to award 87 percent of all funds available to the university directly to students with financial need.   The current funds are available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II), authorized by the Coronavirus

On Saturday, April 24, 2021 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 20th nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative.  The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs. Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment.  This program is for liquid and pill medications.  Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken.  Needles, new or used, WILL NOT be accepted for disposal.  This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked. This initiative

Michigan City Area Schools is now seeking nominations for their "Wall of Fame". The deadline is May 6th.   Additional information, including a list of all past inductees, is available at http://educateMC.net/wof. Attached is the sign up form.

The Indiana Department of Health announced today that free COVID-19 vaccinations will be offered at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway without an appointment today through Sunday. The speedway is offering the Moderna vaccine from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Individuals should enter through Gate 2 off 16th Street. Additional appointments are available at the speedway later this month and can be scheduled at https://ourshot.in.gov. Second-dose appointments will be scheduled at the time of the first dose and will be offered at Lucas Oil Stadium. Appointments are also still available at the mass vaccination site at the former Roosevelt High School in Gary, which

The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross is encouraging residents to pledge to prepare to protect their homes and families from the deadly threat of home fires by signing up for free preparedness resources during a push for fire safety this spring. Local Red Cross volunteers are encouraging people to sign up for free home fire preparedness resources – including escape plans and tips for talking with children – as part of the national “Sound the Alarm. Save a Life” campaign to educate people about home fire safety. Preparedness appointments will be handled virtually, in an effort to safely

To celebrate the planet this Earth Day, April 22, NIPSCO customers can take advantage of energy efficiency offers and tips to help save energy and money at home as the weather turns warmer.   New to NIPSCO.com is the Home Online Marketplace. NIPSCO residential customers can take advantage of instant discounts of up to 75% off Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices when they replace their energy - hogging light bulbs, thermostats, power strips and sink/ shower fixtures with more energy efficient products. In addition to the every day NIPSCO instant discount, now through April 22, residential customers can take advantage of

Students in the Automotive Technology program at the AK Smith Career Center in Michigan City have a “new” vehicle to work on, thanks to a donation from Auto Park Ford La Porte.   The LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Program received the donation, a 2013 Ford Focus, through Ford’s Automotive Career Exploration (ACE) program, which provides repurchased vehicles to automotive education programs through dealer partnerships.   Auto Park Service Manager Joe Gannuscio and Ford Motor Company Field Service Engineer Chris Lowe stopped by the Career Center on Tuesday, April 13, to present the keys to A.K. Smith Automotive instructor

The School of Education and the Office of Career Services at Indiana University Northwest are hosting the fourth annual Teacher Recruitment Fair on Friday, April 23. This year, the event will be held virtually, with two sessions available for participants to choose from: 10 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Twenty school corporations, which includes multiple schools, as well individual public, charter, and private schools throughout Northwest Indiana will be actively recruiting candidates during the fair to fill available positions for teachers, administrators, and more. Due to the pandemic, several schools are urgently seeking to hire teachers

The Department of Workforce Development and Indiana Adult Education will transition to a new high school equivalency test on July 1. Used in more than 25 states and territories, HiSET® will become the state’s new HSE credential and another way for Hoosiers without a high school diploma to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. A product of ETS, a leader in assessment, the HiSET® exam is consistent with the curricular emphasis found in today’s high schools, aligns with the College and Career Readiness Standards for adult education, and maintains rigor while providing another path to a new future. According to Marilyn

The South Shore Line announces it will continue its “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” promotion to include May monthly tickets. All monthly tickets purchased for the month of May 2021 will remain valid throughout June.  Passengers purchasing a paper May monthly ticket should plan to keep that ticket and use it through June, and passengers purchasing a digital May monthly ticket via the mobile app will see a June ticket uploaded to their accounts prior to June 1.   For passengers who receive tickets through an employer benefit program such as Wage Works or Commuter Benefit Solutions, these passengers should not order

On April 13, 2021, at 8:16 AM, deputies were advised of a reckless driver traveling eastbound on US 20 from the area of CR 400 West. The vehicle was reported as traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of US 20. While traveling north on Fail Road to the area, Deputy Bobby Greer observed a vehicle traveling southbound matching the description of the reckless driver and passing another motorist in a no passing zone. Deputy Greer had to pull over onto the shoulder of Fail Road to avoid a head-on collision with the reckless driver. A traffic stop was initiated on

On July 24, 2020, at 11:54 AM, deputies were dispatched to the 8200 east block of US 6, rural Johnson Township, refence a personal injury crash. Deputies arrived and found one of the involved drivers unresponsive with no pulse. That driver, Taren E. ABAIR (29 YOA) of Grovertown, Indiana, was pronounced dead at the scene. Given the circumstances and dynamics of the crash, the Sheriff’s Office Fatal Alcohol Crash Team (FACT) was activated to assist with the investigation. Following their initial response, FACT members continued with the crash investigation for several months. As a result of their investigation, on March

South Shore announced that they will be CLOSING the 11th Street Station and parking lots beginning May 1st and will not re-open until the construction is completed in 2024. Additionally, the two 11th Street parking lots will be closed as they begin the staging for the new station and platforms. The footprint of the east and south parking lots will be used for laydown, staging, and contractor mobile offices. The train will no longer stop at this station. Carroll Avenue Station and parking will remain open throughout the construction into 2024. South Shore will coordinate with our Transportation Director Robin

While pregnancy is a time of excitement and anticipation, the loss of a pregnancy or newborn is a heartbreaking experience, especially for the child’s parents. Franciscan Health recognizes the pain that families go through in perinatal loss and provides services to those seeking care and comfort. Twice a year, Franciscan Health Michigan City holds a memorial service is held to remember these children. The public is invited to take part in “Remembering Our Babies” at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Cemetery, 1015 Greenwood Ave. in Michigan City. Attendees are requested to wear facemasks and observe social

The Indiana Department of Health is proactively notifying all vaccination clinics using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to pause its use following news reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has called for additional review of its safety. The state has not received official notification of a directive to pause but is doing so out of an abundance of caution. The health department will be sending the two-dose Moderna vaccine to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is conducting mass vaccination clinics today, so that Hoosiers can continue to get vaccinated without interruption. The department is also working

Northwest Health – La Porte announced that it is now offering Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) imaging services in La Porte. The PET/CT unit saw its first patient on March 19. A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan is a test to detect and measure disease processes in the body such as cancer. It uses a safe, radioactive tracer to show biochemical changes taking place in the body. PET scans can detect disease, like cancer, before it is visible on other imaging tests. “With the growth of our Cancer Care services and our continued dedication to keeping patients close to home