News

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Franciscan Physician Network OB/GYN Sharmilee Thota, MD, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Franciscan Health Michigan City St. Luke Award. The winner of the St. Luke award, named for the patron saint of physicians and surgeons, is nominated by and voted upon by the nursing staff. The award recognizes physicians who have an outstanding rapport with nurses, patients and their families; show respect for the nursing profession; provide education and act as a resource to staff; serve as a role model and exhibit a team approach to care. "I am humbled to accept

Press release by Michigan City Area Schools: The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) conducted a leadership camp at St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin from June 5th-9th. The camp’s objective was to improve on leadership skills that had been developed during the academic year, in a field environment. MCHS planned, organized and conducted the camp, which was also attended by cadets from Indianapolis Ben Davis, Romeoville, IL, and Portage high schools. Among the activities were rappelling, negotiating high wire obstacles, archery, land navigation, water survival, improvised raft building, paintball, and more.

A juvenile was charged with burglary and criminal mischief and more individuals are believed to be involved with the vandalism of vehicles, the City of La Porte Police Department said on Monday. On the morning of June 5, officers responded to a burglary at Carter’s Barbershop, located at 711 Jefferson Ave. Through the course of the investigation, it was learned that the suspect was a male juvenile.  During the investigation it was also learned that the same juvenile was directly involved with vandalizing over 20 vehicles on the east side of the city that same weekend. On Monday, the male

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor will begin a road rehabilitation project on U.S. 20 between Columbus Drive and Chicago Avenue in Lake County on or after Monday, June 16. U.S. 20 is currently closed in this location for a local water and sewer improvement project for the City of East Chicago and will remain closed through late September for this rehabilitation work. Through traffic should seek an alternate route. The detour will follow Chicago Avenue, Railroad Avenue and Columbus Drive.

News release by Purdue University Northwest: Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will celebrate Juneteenth from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 19 in Founders Plaza north of the Student Union and Library Building, 2233 173rd Street, Hammond, IN. PNW’s Juneteenth recognition, titled “Celebrate Freedom Day,” is free and open to the public. The event is collaboratively produced by PNW’s Cultural Heritage Celebration Committee and office of Student Life. Event features will include performances by the Portage High School “Steppaz” step-dance team and the Lauren Dukes band; roller skating and laser tag provided by ThrillAmaze Mobile Family Entertainment; art activities

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) plans to close their railroad crossing on U.S. 41 in Hammond between Gostlin St. and Chicago St. beginning on or after Monday, June 19. U.S. 41 will be closed for approximately two weeks in this location while NICTD rebuilds their at-grade crossing. INDOT says motorists should seek an alternate route. The official detour will follow State Road 312, U.S. 12, and U.S. 20.      

St. Luke United Lutheran Church in Trail Creek will hold its annual Vacation Bible Camp July 10-14. This popular all-day camp will run from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:00 a.m. - Noon on Friday. The camp is open to children who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade (entering first through sixth grade). A hot lunch will be served each day except Friday. The camp is conducted by college-age counselors affiliated with LOMIK (Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Indiana Kentucky).  An ice cream social will be held the evening before camp begins (Sunday, July 9 at 6:30pm) so

Here are the official results from Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival 2023! Thank you to Terry Greetham and his team from Michigan City Special Events as well as all of the volunteers who made this event so successful for year two!

One person died Friday following a rollover crash in unincorporated Cedar Lake, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said. At around 10:20 a.m., officers responded to the scene of a rollover crash in the 11600 block of Wicker Avenue. Emergency medical personnel at the scene determined that the operator of the vehicle was deceased. The preliminary investigation determined that the driver was heading northbound on Wicker Avenue when the vehicle crossed into lanes of oncoming traffic. The vehicle hit a guardrail, began to roll over and hit a tree. The vehicle came to rest on the driver’s side. The victim was

News release by Indiana Department of Health: INDIANAPOLIS — State health officials are urging Hoosiers to take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites after West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in mosquitoes for the first time this year. A mosquito sample collected in Clinton County has tested positive for WNV. No human cases of WNV disease have been detected this year. However, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) expects WNV activity to continue across the state during mosquito season, which continues through the first hard freeze. “With warm temperatures already here, people are spending more time outside. Taking a

Press release by Unity Foundation of La Porte County: Dozens of influential leaders representing prominent grantmaking institutions from across Indiana converged in La Porte County on June 8-9 to experience firsthand the transformative power of local philanthropy in the community. Hosted by the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a nonprofit membership association representing Indiana foundations that invest over $2 billion annually for social causes, this two-day board meeting marks the first time the IPA has chosen Northwest Indiana as its meeting location. "This gathering is a testament to the tremendous potential that philanthropy holds in transforming communities," said Claudia Cummings, President

A Portage man has been charged in connection to a fatal crash that took place in November resulting in the death of Chesterton Middle School teacher, and Chesterton resident, 24-year-old Lauren Thompson. On Thursday officers of the Portage Police Department were informed that an arrest warrant had been issued for the driver of the vehicle, who is believed to have caused the traffic collision resulting in the death of Thompson. With warrant in hand, officers went to the last known address of the suspect, 42-year-old Arthur H. Schmidt of Portage and placed him in custody. As of Friday, Schmidt was

The man wanted in connection with the arson in the lobby of the Lake County Jail, 26-year-old Ryan Andrews, was taken into custody Friday morning by officers of the Tinley Park, Illinois Police Department. As of Friday Andrews was being held at a facility in Illinois pending extradition to Indiana. No further information was available.

On the Indiana Toll Road, pavement patching between mile marker 10 (Cline Avenue) to mile marker 25 (Portage) will take place overnight from June 12 until June 16. The work is weather permitting. Specific details can be seen in the image attached to this story. The Indiana Toll Road says to use caution and reduce speed in work zones.

News release by Indiana Department of Education: This summer, all Indiana students age 18 and younger have access to free, nutritious meals and snacks at more than 1,000 locations statewide through the 2023 Summer Food Service Program. To find a Summer Food Service site, families can visit IDOENutrition.com to search for sites near them. This tool allows families to search by the meal served and days of the week when meals are offered. Families can also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE or text “summer meals” or “verano” to the National Hunger Hotline at 914-342-7744 for additional

Press release by La Porte County Symphony Orchestra: The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) will present “Music Under the Stars” on Sunday, July 16, at Friendship Botanic Gardens’ Celebration Pavilion in Michigan City. The concert begins at 7:30 PM and admission is free to the public. This is a family friendly event! The evening’s sponsor is NIPSCO/NISOURCE. LCSO Music Director, Dr. Carolyn Watson, will lead the LCSO in selections of marches, music with an “Americana” theme as well as featuring the 2022 Hoosier Star winners. Joining the LCSO will be Savannah Holley and Julia Thorn. Holley will be performing

News release by Purdue University Northwest: HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest (PNW) announced that Bruce W. Berdanier will join the university as dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences, effective July 24, 2023. Berdanier most recently served as the Lohr Endowed Dean of the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings, S.D. As dean at SDSU, Berdanier’s accomplishments included the completion of a $5 million endowment for the dean’s position, developing and implementing a strategic plan for the college and its departments, and engaging alumni, industries and partner universities

Press release by Michigan City Area Schools: Administrators, staff, school board members, families, and friends cheered on adult graduates from across LaPorte County as they gathered at the Holdcraft Performing Arts Center in Michigan City on Wednesday, May 31, to celebrate the achievement of an important milestone: a high school diploma. Forty-five of the 78 adults who had earned High School Equivalency diplomas during the 2022-23 school year opted to participate in the ceremony. Julie Fregien, the LaPorte County Adult Education Director, opened the ceremony with a warm welcome and introduced the four student speakers as well as the keynote

Work on Canadian National railroad crossings continues in Valparaiso, requiring short-term closures and detours as upgrades continue, the City of Valparaiso announced Wednesday. “We continue to work closely with Canadian National to facilitate projects that improve crossings for motorists,” said Engineering Director Mike Jabo. This week Canadian National is completing work on the crossing at Roosevelt Road, upgrading it to a higher level with a rubber surface, said Jabo. In order to maintain their tracks through the city, Canadian National will close the crossing at Lafayette Street for several weeks in order to move equipment along the track. “The next

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Days (AQAD) on Thursday for all Indiana counties due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Air quality may continue to be impacted beyond Thursday. Hoosiers are encouraged to visit smogwatch.IN.gov to view current and forecasted conditions and subscribe to email alerts. IDEM encourages everyone to help reduce PM2.5 by making changes to daily habits. You can: Avoid burning wood in fireplaces or wood-fired boilers and any other unnecessary fires Reminder: Indiana’s open burning laws make it illegal to burn trash and generally prohibit open burning, visit IN.gov/openburning for