News

News release by Indiana Department of Natural Resources: According to a recent conservation survey, Indiana farmers have set a conservation record this year by planting an estimated 1.6 million acres of overwinter living covers. “Protecting our most vital natural resources is top of mind for our Indiana farmers and this year’s record breaking cover crop acreage is a testament to that,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Through the implementation of cover crops and other conservation efforts, farmers are ensuring our land and water resources remain healthy and productive.” Overwintering living covers (i.e. - cover

In Porter, 23rd Street between West Porter Avenue and Union Avenue will be closed all day Thursday, July 27—beginning at 7 a.m.—for the removal of a hazard tree damaged in a recent storm, according to the Town of Chesterton Facebook page. The tree is located on the west side of 23rd Street, just south of the Prairie Duneland Trail, in the Town of Porter’s jurisdiction, according to the Town of Chesterton. The Town of Chesterton stated, “Motorists should be able to avoid the area easily enough, by shooting south on 20th, 21st, or 22nd streets to Union Ave.”

The Valparaiso Police Department, in conjunction with the Valparaiso Community Schools and the Valparaiso Fire Department, are informing the public of training that will be taking place at Flint Lake Elementary School (4106 Calumet Avenue) on July 26, 27, and 28. The safety drills will be conducted on each of these days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There will be an abundance of police vehicles and fire apparatus in the area throughout the day, with police and fire training activities occurring within the school. “Please do not be alarmed, as emergency services are aware of the drills taking place,”

A Michigan City woman has been sentenced for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Carissa McCoy, 42, was sentenced to 63 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana. According to documents in the case, from June through mid-August 2021, McCoy conspired with others to distribute fentanyl in the Michigan City area. Her home, which she shared with one of her co-defendants, housed currency, firearms and ammunition related to the conspiracy. In August 2021, McCoy and one of her

Law enforcement warns drivers to slow down and be aware of surroundings. It’s almost that time of year when kids will be heading back to school, and Prosecutor Sean Fagan is urging drivers to take precautions as school buses return to the roads. In Indiana, it’s against the law for motorists to pass a bus that’s stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. This applies to all roads with one exception: motorists who are on a highway that is divided by a barrier – such as a cable barrier, concrete wall or grassy median. Motorists are then

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - The Indiana Department of Transportation announces upcoming changes to the concrete restoration work on I-65 between U.S. 231 and the I-80/94 interchange resulting in new lane and ramp closures. Section 1: Between 61st Ave and the I-80/94 interchange (mile marker 256 to 260) The ramp from northbound I-65 to westbound I-80/94 will temporarily close from approximately 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the evenings of Tuesday, July 25 and Wednesday, July 26 to shift a barrier wall and place pavement markings. Concrete restoration work will begin on the ramp from eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65 on or

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has forecasted an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) for Tuesday, July 25 in parts of northern Indiana. Air quality is expected to reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange) level as indicated below. IDEM is forecasting high levels of fine particles (PM2.5) due to smoke from Canadian wildfires in the following regions: North Central Indiana, including the cities of: Elkhart, Goshen, Knox, Logansport, Plymouth, Peru, South Bend, Warsaw, Winamac and all other cities within the area. Northeast Indiana, including the cities of: Angola, Auburn, Decatur, Fort Wayne, Hartford, Huntington City, LaGrange, Marion, Portland, Wabash and all other

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced short-term road closures on U.S. 41 and State Road 152/Indianapolis Blvd. for next week while Norfolk Southern rebuilds two at-grade crossings. U.S. 41 will close first, with Indianapolis Boulevard closing when U.S. 41 reopens. U.S. 41 will be closed on or after Monday, July 31 for approximately three days between Fayette Street and Kane Street. The official detour for this closure will follow I-94, U.S. 20/Indianapolis Boulevard, and State Road 312. Indianapolis Boulevard will be closed on or after Wednesday, August 2 for approximately two days between 165th Street

The Salvation Army will continue to “light the path” for local families with an annual dinner and auction to support its case management program. The Light the Path Dinner & Auction, which supports The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope program, will take place on Thursday, August 10 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Uptown Social, 907 Franklin Street. This event benefits an intense case management program that helps break the cycle of generational poverty. “We work closely, one-on-one with families who are ready to make a change within the family unit, and are ready to become more self-sufficient,” said

The City of La Porte announced today the next rock show coming to The Civic, according to Civic Auditorium & Events Director Brett Binversie. Scheduled to play the historic venue on Friday, Sept. 22, is popular Canadian rock band Loverboy. With their trademark red leather pants, bandannas, big rock sound and high-energy live shows, Loverboy has sold more than 10 million albums and released the classic ‘80s anthems, “Turn Me Loose” and “Working for the Weekend.” Having delighted audiences around the world for the last 40 years, Binversie said it is quite a feat to have La Porte be one

An inmate at the La Porte County Jail died on Saturday night, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) announced. According to the LCSO, at approximately 11:59 p.m. EMS was requested at the  jail to aid an inmate having an unknown medical episode. The inmate, who was conscious at the time, was transported to Northwest Health La Porte Hospital where they subsequently died. Autopsy and toxicology test results are pending. The investigation is ongoing.

Walsh Construction has provided the following update on road closure information related to NICTD’s Double Track Northwest Indiana Project:   Sheridan/10th – TBD – will be a 5-day closure   10th and Huron at Amtrak crossing – 8/14/23 open 8/28/23   Ohio/11th – close 8/14/23 open 8/18/23   Wabash/11th – close 7/12/23 open 8/11/23   Washington/11th open 7/12/23   Chicago/11th open   Franklin/11th – Open   Michigan Blvd/11th – Mid August   Michigan Blvd/Vail St – Mid August   Michigan Blvd/School St – Mid September   Michigan Blvd/Carroll Ave – Mid September   10th Street Huron to Sheridan – –

Several local organizations have announced a community-wide school supply drive, which runs through July 26. Supplies collected during the drive will be distributed to area students who are in need of materials to start the school year. Many area businesses have set up collection bins to accept donations from their employees and the general public. Collection sites are located at Al’s Supermarket (Franklin Street and Karwick locations), Captain Ed’s Candy Island & Furniture Showroom, First Trust Credit Union, the Michigan City Area Schools’ Administration Building, Michigan City’s City Hall, Meridian Title Company, First United Methodist Church, and Restore Dental Arts.

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind., — The Indiana Department of Transportation announced that State Road 331/Capital Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction for resurfacing between Jefferson Road and U.S. 20 on or after Monday, July 24. The project will have alternating lane closures and be ongoing through late October. Check the WIMS website and follow the WIMS Facebook page for more of the latest area roadwork alerts.

The Indiana Department of Transportation will host public information meetings to provide updates and gather feedback regarding an annual update to the state's Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment Plan. The plan is federally required as part of Indiana's participation in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program and must be updated each year. Created by the passage of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NEVI provides federal funding to states to add DC Fast Charge charging stations along federally designated alternative fuel corridors (AFC’s). Indiana’s effort feeds into a national initiative to create a network of at least 500,000 reliable chargers

INDOT has a traffic alert for I-65 and I-94 in Lake and Jasper counties. Starting Sunday evening July 23, slow moving paint crews will be striping I-65 between mile marker 246-201 during the overnight hours. This is expected to take approximately three nights, weather permitting. Work will move to I-94 between mile marker 12-45 in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties after I-65. INDOT is asking drivers to be on the lookout for slow moving vehicles, give crews plenty of space to work and avoid driving over wet paint.  

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana State Police are investigating and seeking information on a fatal vehicle vs. pedestrian crash that happened on I-80 Tuesday night. At around 11:30 p.m., 911 calls were made to dispatch reporting a black female wearing all black walking in the roadway in the area of I-80/94 eastbound just east of Broadway.  Shortly thereafter, callers reported that the pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle.  The vehicle that struck the pedestrian left the scene. The pedestrian died as a result of the impact. Identification of the deceased is pending confirmation by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.

The Ogden Dunes Police Department announced that Hillcrest Road will be closed at the railroad tracks from Saturday, July 22 through Monday July 24, for NICTD Double Track construction. All traffic in and out of Ogden Dunes will be rerouted through the Portage Lakefront Park back entrance into town. Check the WIMS website and Facebook page for more area roadwork updates.  

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Community organizations have once again joined forces to host the “Citywide Back to School Rally,” providing school supplies and an end-of-summer celebration for Michigan City families. The rally will take place on Saturday, July 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Elston’s Gill Field, 317 Detroit Street, Michigan City. This event, which has taken place every summer for more than 10 years, is highly anticipated by the community every year, says Patricia Harris of the Indiana Black Expo Michigan City Chapter, which coordinates the Citywide Back to School Rally committee. “We know that many families

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced that the ramp from I-65 northbound to I-94 eastbound in Lake County is closed again this weekend for concrete work The closure starts Friday evening (July 21) and is set to reopen by Monday morning. The detour will be to continue north on I-65 and take U.S. 12/20 to S.R. 51/Ripley where motorists can get on I-94 eastbound.