News

At 4:32 p.m. Thursday afternoon St. Joseph County Police were dispatched to the 800 block of Coronation Gardens in Castle Point Apartments for a report of a domestic stabbing. A caller reported her son had stabbed her husband. Officers arrived to find a Lee Alexis, age 34, with stab wounds to the chest. Medical personnel immediately transported Alexis to the emergency room. A short time later  in another area of Castle Point, officers located and detained Alexis' stepson Corey Antoine Demetris Young, age 21. Lee Alexis passed away at the hospital Thursday evening and an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday. Corey

Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg officially announces the recent division transfer of Deputy Adam S. Needles from the Jail Division to the Merit (Patrol) Division, effective December 21, 2024. Deputy Needles was born in Valparaiso and is a 2019 graduate of Valparaiso High School. Following graduation, he attended Indiana University. In May of 2023, Deputy Needles graduated from IU with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and a minor in Biology. Deputy Needles was hired by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office as a Jail Deputy on December 26, 2023. During the spring of 2024, he applied and competed

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Multi-board-certified heart specialist Tansel Turgut, MD, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Michigan City. Dr. Turgut is board-certified in cardiology, interventional cardiology and nuclear cardiology. He earned his medical degree from Hacettepe University School of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey. He completed his internal medicine residency at State University of New York at Buffalo, his cardiology fellowship at Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation in New Orleans and his fellowship in interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Dr. Turgut’s clinical interests include angioplasty, stents, coronary intervention,

Help us deliver meals while you drive by renewing or purchasing our license plate for your vehicle! LaPorte County Meals on Wheels along with the WHOLE state of Indiana Meals on Wheels programs are excited to be one of five new specialty group recognition license plates approved by the Interim Study Committee on Roads and Transportation. These plates are going to help provide meals to individuals across the state who are homebound, elderly or disabled. This opportunity will also allow us to build and grow the awareness of our programs across our great state. For over 50 years Meals on

TEAM WIMS salutes all of the Men and Women who serve and protect all of us around the world. Thank you. #wims

La Porte Invitational Schedule for Thursday 01/09/25 at the La Porte Civic Auditorium For tickets and information check out www.laportecivicauditorium.com TEAM WIMS will be out LIVE this weekend-thank you to our Sponsors including: Visit Michigan City LaPorte NIPSCO Arnett Construction & Roofing Chesterton Physical Therapy, Inc.  Event Details (All times are CST) Thursday, January 9 4:00 PM (CST): Sunrise Christian Academy vs. La Lumiere School 6:00 PM (CST): Brewster Academy vs. Legacy Early College 7:45 PM (CST): Orangeville Academy vs. Veritas Academy The La Porte Invitational returns for its fourth year starting today Thursday, January 9, running through Saturday, January

CROWN POINT, Ind. – Franciscan Health Crown Point recently earned the bronze standard Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). The program recognizes emergency departments that provide excellent care to older adults. The voluntary program provides specific target criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators. Accredited geriatric emergency departments are better suited to cater to the needs, dispositions and presentations of older adult patients. The accredited departments provide standardized, integrated care that can reduce system costs and drive better, healthier outcomes, often via the integration of best practices for older adults into an

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LA PORTE COUNTY - Grant applications for programs and projects that align with Health Foundation of La Porte, or HFL’s, strategic priorities of Healthy Children, Healthy Living, Healthy Minds, as well as Healthy La Porte will be accepted beginning January 10, 2025, through HFL's online grant portal. Applications to apply for a grant over $25,000 require a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) as a first step. LOIs are due by January 31 and must be submitted through the online grant portal. Only applicants who receive a favorable response to their LOI will be invited to submit a full

LONGJOHNS ON 2025 IS SET FOR JAN 11th!Five live music acts, Barrel Aged releases, guest drafts, food specials, outdoor games & more will be crushing The Taproom, The Back Room & The Patio!Tickets to the event include 1 food voucher & 3 small draft beer pours of your choice!GA & VIP tickets are AVAILABLE NOW at burnembrewing.com/event/longjohnson2025!

Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is now accepting artist applications for their 43rd annual Lubeznik Arts Festival this summer. Artists can apply at https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=13120, and a link to the application can also be found at LubeznikCenter.org/Events. Applications must be submitted by April 3, 2025 to be considered for this 2025 juried festival. Media categories include: Two-dimensional art: Painting, drawing, printmaking, pastels, mixed-media Fine craft: Functional, clay/ceramics, glass, wood, metal, fiber, textile, paper Jewelry Photography: Traditional and digital techniques Sculptural objects: Non-functional, all media Wearable art: Wearable and accessories $3,000 in artist awards will be distributed at this year's festival.   The Lubeznik Arts Festival—taking

Check out the list of items from the La Porte County Sheriff's Office that will be prohibited in the courtroom starting 02/01/2025. See detailed list below. Join Sheriff Ron Heeg in studio Monday 01/13 at 7:30am for “Sheiff”s Squawk” here on WIMS and FACEBOOK LIVE #wims #localradio #laportecounty #nwi   On December 8, 2024, the La Porte County Board of Commissioners passed an updated list of items that will be prohibited in La Porte County Courthouses beginning on February 1, 2025. The new prohibited list of items was recommended to the commissioners for consideration by a ‘Courthouse Security Committee’ that

Chesterton, IN – The Duneland Exchange Club is proud to recognize Chesterton High School senior Ava Kontos as its Student of the Month. Ava exemplifies academic and athletic excellence, achieving High Honor Roll throughout her four years of high school. She is an AP Scholar with Honor, a National Honor Society member, and a dedicated student-athlete. Ava has been a 4-year varsity participant in both indoor and outdoor track and currently holds two Chesterton High School track records as a member of the Sprint Medley Relay and the 4x200 Relay teams. Her achievements on the field have also earned her

The Valparaiso Police Department is honored to announce the swearing-in of six new officers as 2025 begins.  Mayor Jon Costas performed the ceremony within the council chambers of City Hall this morning, welcoming Jacob Bill, Madison Patrick, Nicholas Houston, Kaleb Ellingham, Kevin Flynn, and Dominic Iannantone to the police department.  Numerous officers and civilian staff joined the families of the new hires, witnessing the memorable event. Jacob Bill is a 2015 graduate of Warsaw Community High School, and served in the Air National Guard from 2016-2022 (Security Services).  Bill arrives in Valparaiso with several years of police experience, having served

The Michigan City Sanitary District has closed Striebel Pond’s south parking lot, accessible from Hitchcock Street, for the remainder of the winter season.   The north parking lot, accessible from Earl Road, will remain open and accessible, as will the restrooms located in that lot.   Additionally, the MCSD advises that snow and ice could cause dangerous conditions along the walking paths at Striebel Pond. Signage has been posted indicating that those who use the paths do so at their own risk.

Food Bank of Northern Indiana Mobile Food Distributions for January 2025 Wednesday, January 8, 2025 – Elkhart County 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET *While supplies last. Where: Northside Baptist Church, 53198 CR 9., Elkhart, IN 46514 *This distribution is sponsored by Kroger and will serve 200 households. Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – Kosciusko County 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET *While supplies last. Where: First Baptist Church, 206 S. Oak St., Mentone, IN 46539 *This distribution is provided by the USDA and will serve 200 households. Thursday, January 16, 2025 – Starke County 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT

 Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is excited to announce the appointment of Alejandra Y. Castillo as the university's Senior Fellow for Economic Development. Castillo, a distinguished leader in federal economic development, will bring her extensive experience to PNW, where she will play a key role in advancing economic growth, innovation and community development for the university and the greater Northwest Indiana and Chicago region. Castillo's impressive career spans over two decades of public service and nonprofit leadership. She most recently served as the 23rd U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, where she led the Economic Development Administration (EDA) through

A Message from Lake County Sheriff's Department: We have been informed of another scam where someone pretending to be the Lake County Sheriff’s Department is trying to connect with area residents. This time, the fraudster actually called a local school administrator and left a message asking that person to return the call. The scammer left a phone number which appeared as a Lake County government number on caller ID. The scammer identified himself as a Sergeant Carl Porter from the Lake County Police Department. We do not have a Carl Porter on our staff. If you get a similar call,

Last week, The Indiana DNR Division of Law Enforcement announced the retirement of Officer John Gano. Congratulations to Officer John Gano! Thank you Officer Gano for all your hard work and dedication!

BULLS "The Movie" Premiered in Michigan City over the weekend at the AMC Theater in Michigan City to a packed audience. Local Director and Actor and Creator of Dan Meyer gives his perspective below. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this happen.  Check out the WIMS FACEBOOK page and BULLS The Movie FACEBOOK page for video and pictures. In the days leading up to the cast and crew screening of “Bulls” I was excited, but grew increasingly nervous and anxious. I made the movie I wanted to and I love it, but I didn’t know if anybody else would. Everybody

The latest on an early morning fire from the La Porte County Sheriff's Office. Sunday morning at 7:06 AM, Captain Dallas Smythe and Deputy John Roby Jr. responded to 214 South Longshore Drive in reference to a structure fire. After arriving they approached the residence where excessive smoke prevented them from safely entering to search for any occupants inside. Once the fire had been knocked down by several volunteer fire departments who had responded, entry was made inside the residence. The resident, 64-year-old Ronald D. CONRAD, was located and declared deceased. Detectives Aaron Banic, Evan Doperalski and Justin Gorny, along