News

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

This week, members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) from La Porte County Police Department participated in the Active Shooter Incident Management with Complex Incidents course. This valuable training is designed to enhance coordination between law enforcement, fire, EMS, and other first responders during active shooter events. The course focuses on improving response times, threat neutralization, and victim survivability through an integrated, cross-discipline approach. It covers vital areas such as Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, advanced law enforcement techniques, and how to manage complex situations like hostage situations or improvised explosive devices. The team is committed to staying prepared and enhancing

After three decades of service to our community, including three years as Fire Chief, Captain Douglas Legault has retired. Captain Legault began his career with the Michigan City Fire Department in 1994, dedicating himself to protecting lives and property through countless emergency responses. As Fire Chief from 2020 to 2023, he did his best to ensure we had the tools, training, and support needed to serve our community effectively. On his last day, his family joined him for a luncheon at the Fire Administration Building. Fire Chief Taylor presented him with a plaque thanking him for his service, leadership, and

The Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival presented by Arnett Construction & Roofing returns to Michigan City, July 18-20, 2025! Some of the worlds most talented sand sculptors take to the Lake Michigan shoreline to create breathtaking works of art in the famous “singing sands”. The event also features local food vendors, an artisan market, QUICK SAND Speed Sculpting, the return of the Community Challenge, and more! Don’t miss out on the most unique event in the region, the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival, July 18-20 in Washington Park! #wims #nwi #localradio #michigancity

A Reminder from the Westville Police Department about roadwork taking place for the next two weeks. Valparaiso Street is closed at Flynn Road (US 421) as part of the on going water project. This closure is expected to last 2 weeks if everything goes as planned. US 421 will remain open during the project, but expect delays and watch for directions from work crews. Detour routes for East Valparaiso and Joliet Road will be County Road 375 South (Just north of McDonald’s) to CR 900 West or CR 500 South (Just south of USA Truck Stop) to CR 900 West.

Preparing Duneland's Middle Schoolers for the Future! Duneland 8th Graders gather at Westchester Middle School for an intense learning activity designed to illustrate how performance in school will affect their quality of life as adults. 120 business and community leaders are needed to make this event a success, so please considering registering to be a volunteer! Volunteer Shifts Morning: 7:30 AM - 11:45 AM All Day: 7:30 AM - 2:45 PM *Lunch Provided* Afternoon: 11:30 AM - 2:45 PM   Register at: https://business.dunelandchamber.org/event-calendar/Details/8th-grade-reality-check-1298676?sourceTypeId=Website

LAKE, NEWTON AND JASPER COUNTIES, Ind. - Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Rieth Riley Construction will have overnight lane closures on I-65 between State Road 14 and U.S. 231 (mile marker 223 to 246) on or after Monday, March 24. Overnight rolling slow downs will occur between the hours of 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. for approximately five nights. This is a mobile operation to remove previous temporary pavement markings. Motorists should expect additional overnight lane closures as needed through June 2025 as part of the pavement restoration work in this area that began in 2024. Work will include additional

On March 13, 2025, Krueger Middle School honored two distinguished alumni, Sarah McFarland-Hendricks and Scott Pelath, during their second annual Krueger Alumni Awards Night at halftime of the girls basketball game. The honorees have made a lasting impact on their respective fields and continue to exemplify the spirit of excellence and service. They were joined by last year’s inaugural honorees, Kevin Harmon and Donnie Walker. After the ceremony, a short reception was held in the school’s LGI room. Light refreshments were provided by student council members. Sarah helped lead Michigan City High School to a 1996 state volleyball championship before

 The Leadership Institute at Purdue Northwest (PNW) has opened applications for the 2025-2026 Leadership Northwest Indiana (LNI) program. This premium leadership program, facilitated by a team that includes faculty members from the PNW’s College of Business, as well as leadership practitioners, meets monthly from September 2025 to May 2026. A 360 assessment and custom coaching are program highlights. The facilitation team provides research-based leadership content and skill-building for effective leadership in the workplace and in life. Leadership Northwest Indiana is well-regarded as a great place for professionals to build their networks, as they learn from the real-world challenges other participants bring to

Late Night Structure Fire Started in Kitchen Liberty Township – Automatic aid from Chesterton, Porter, and Washington Township responded with Liberty Township to the 100 East block of 900 North late Thursday night, March 20th for a report of a structure fire with smoke and flames being reported by the caller on scene. A kitchen fire reportedly broke out in the residence late Thursday night when firefighters were called to respond at around 10:43 PM to extinguish the fire. Chesterton Fire arrived on scene of the fire and got a quick attack on the fire, containing it from spreading and

SOUTH BEND – Ezequiel Rosa-Hernandez, 47 years old, of Erie, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Rosa-Hernandez was sentenced to 125 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, in April 2022, Rosa-Hernandez drove from his home in Pennsylvania to Chicago to obtain a kilogram of cocaine intended for distribution in Pennsylvania. On his way back home, he was stopped in Indiana by law enforcement and the kilogram of