News

Press release by Unity Foundation of La Porte County and and Healthcare Foundation of La Porte: Two local leaders are serving on the 2023 Board of Directors for the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA). Maggi Spartz, President of Unity Foundation of La Porte County was elected as Chair of the IPA board for 2023. She has served on the board for eight years and on various committees. Maria Fruth, President & CEO of Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL), was recently elected to the board. IPA is the largest network serving philanthropy in Indiana, working to increase impact and lead positive

The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department is seeking public input about an All Inclusive Playground and Fitness Park at Fedder’s Alley in Washington Park. The meeting will be on April 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m at City Hall at the Emergency Operation Center on the lower level. Preliminary plans will be presented for public comment. For more information call the park office.

U.S. 421 In Starke County will be closed between County Road W 400 S and County Road W 500 S on or after Monday, March 20 through mid-April for a culvert replacement. The Indiana Department of Transportation says motorists should seek alternate routes. The official detour will follow State Road 10, State Road 49 and State Road 8.

The City of La Porte Police Department has announced the arrests of four juveniles in connection to a robbery that occured on March 10 at the Lincolnway Mini-Mart. Preliminary investigation revealed that four individuals were involved in the robbery. On March 11, the lead detective in the case secured the arrest of two juvenile males involved in the robbery. On March 12, the detective arrested the third male juvenile involved in the robbery. The detective on Tuesday secured the arrest of the fourth and final juvenile male involved in the robbery. Police say no further information will be released at

Clarence Hulse, executive director of the Economic Development Corporation Michigan City, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Paul J. Alinsky Excellence Award, presented by the Rotary Club of Michigan City. “It is an unbelievable honor to be recognized by Rotary members in memory of Paul, who truly served our community,” Hulse said. “I strive to propel our city forward every day through my passion for economic development and dedication to servant leadership as a resident of Michigan City. I look forward to continuing to be an example of Paul’s shining star as a recipient of his award.”

A crash on I-65 Monday in Jasper County left two people with serious injuries, according to the Indiana State Police. At 1:30 a.m., a trooper was dispatched to a rollover semi on I-65, southbound lanes, near the 221 mile-marker. The investigation showed that a semi-tanker had driven off the roadway, into the median, and rolled. The tanker was loaded with liquid sugar. The driver of the semi refused medical treatment at the scene. The contents of the tanker needed to be offloaded prior to the truck being towed.  As a result, the left lane of the interstate was closed for

A motorist who led an officer on a pursuit into downtown Chesterton, through Liberty Township and into South Haven early Sunday, is facing multiple charges, the Chesterton Police Department is reporting. The 29-year-old man—who has a listed address in Valparaiso but advised the CPD that he’s currently homeless—has been charged with three counts of resisting law enforcement; two counts of criminal mischief; and one each of reckless driving, criminal recklessness, and possession of paraphernalia, the CPD said. According to police, at around 12 a.m. an officer was on routine patrol when he observed a suspicious vehicle—a Honda Civic—parked between two

Michigan City High School students Destiny Meneweather and Mia Zemrowski placed 3rd in the state at the Japanese Olympiad held on February 25 at Indiana University – Bloomington. This duo competed at Level 4, the division for students in their fourth year of Japanese.

“As seniors, Destiny and Mia made their rookie appearance at the Japanese Olympiad this year because the competition was cancelled throughout their freshman, sophomore, and junior years,” said MCHS Japanese teacher Mike Tsugawa. “They competed well and we are proud of them.” MCHS also competed at Levels 2 and 3 in the Japanese Olympiad. At Level 3,

Michigan City has been recognized as a ‘2022 Tree City USA’ by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management. Michigan City achieved the recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: Maintaining a tree board of department Having a tree care ordinance Dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita Hosting an arbor day observance and proclamation Tree City USA is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Michigan City joins the over 3,600 Tree City USA communities nationwide. "Tree

Chesterton Fire Department introduced a new vehicle on Friday. The vehicle, a 2022 Chevy Silverado 3500, replaces a 2010 Chevy Tahoe. The vehicle's primary function is to respond to EMS calls. The department said,"It is staffed with two firefighters who respond to assist NW Health EMS."

A Chicago man was seriously injured early Friday after a crash on the Indiana Toll Road, Indiana State Police said. At around 3:53 a.m., a trooper responded to I-80/94 westbound ramp to the Indiana Toll Road for a vehicle crash.  A 2014 BMW 528 was traveling westbound on I-80 when for unknown reasons, the vehicle let the roadway, struck the guardrail and rolled onto its side. The driver, a 27-year-old man from Chicago, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated. He was transported to Northlake Methodist Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Police said alcoholic beverage consumption

The Portage Police Department recently congratulated Lieutenant Troy Williams on his retirement from the Portage Police Department. Williams began his career with PPD on Dec. 30, 1996.  Over the next twenty-six years Williams served as a patrol supervisor, field training officer, SWAT team member, state certified instructor in less than lethal devices, drug task force officer, school resource officer, and was chief of police from 2012 through 2019. During Williams’ career he earned thirteen letters of commendation, one Exceptional Service Award, was awarded the National School Safety Award, and was elected as the Portage Police Department’s Officer of the Year

The La Porte Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in a robbery that occurred Thursday evening at the Lincolnway Mini-Mart, located at 205 Lincolnway. The La Porte Police department stated the following: “After further investigation, it is believed that four male suspects are involved, and have also been caught on multiple surveillance cameras. “At approximately 7:16 p.m., a white male can be seen entering the store with a green Carhart sweatshirt on, while having the hood up with it tightened around his face. He is then seen purchasing a drink and is shown leaving the mini-mart moments later. “At

Portage Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two people that passed counterfeit money at a local business Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. If you can identify them, police ask you to contact Detective Dandurand at 219- 764-5705 or message the Portage Police Department on Facebook. Check the Portage Police Department Facebook page for updates.

A sanitation worker at the Portage Streets and Sanitation department was honored earlier this week for a heroic act, the City of Portage stated on its Facebook page. John Thurman was honored Tuesday night by Portage Fire Department Chief Randy Wilkening and presented with the department's Community Life Saving Award. Thurman, who is a 14-year employee of the department, was on his sanitation route Jan. 31 when he saw smoke coming from a structure. He stopped and heard a voice calling for help. He rushed to the door and saw an elderly man inside. Thurman pulled the man to safety

A new documentary film, The Working Hungry, will be shown on Thursday, March 30 at 9:00 a.m. in the Michigan City High School Auditorium and will be followed by a discussion about food insecurity and hunger in our community and Indiana. The Working Hungry is a 30-minute film built around the stories of three families and through them, the stories of more than 700,000 people across the state of Indiana. Most of these are working families, and their hunger is hidden from those around them. The compelling documentary asks why, in a time of low unemployment and food abundance, is

On behalf of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), DLZ announced that a public meeting for the South Shore Line Airport Realignment project is scheduled for April 5th, 2023, at Dickinson Intermediate Fine Arts Academy in South Bend, Indiana, located at 4404 Elwood Ave, South Bend, IN 46628. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. EST and will end promptly at 8 p.m. EST. This project aims to provide a quicker, safer, and more efficient route for commuters to travel between South Bend and Chicago. The South Shore Line station will be moved from the South Bend

GARY, Ind. – A 6-year-old girl died in a crash that occurred early Wednesday on Interstate 80/94. At around 1:30 a.m., troopers were dispatched to a crash with occupant entrapment on the eastbound lanes of I-80/94 at the 7.5 mile-marker.  This is approximately 1.5 miles east of Burr Street.  Preliminary investigation showed that a 2016 Nissan Altima was stopped in the right lane.  A 2014 Volvo semi pulling a loaded trailer was traveling in the right lane. The truck rear-ended the Nissan “causing catastrophic damage.” The Nissan was occupied by two adults and three children.  None of the three children

An investigation into gunshots being fired is ongoing in La Porte. On Feb. 24 at around 11:48 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Toronado Drive and Mustang Drive in reference to a shots fired call. Responding officers found three spent round casings laying near the intersection of Toronado and Mustang. Responding officers were able to retrieve video surveillance from a nearby residence. The video surveillance showed a vehicle driving through the intersection when shots being fired could be heard. Due to the video surveillance’s quality, officers were unable to determine characteristics of the vehicle. The vehicle left the

Board-certified endocrinologist and internal medicine doctor Fatima Kazi, MD, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Munster. Dr. Kazi completed her training at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. Dr. Kazi’s fellowship training was in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. Her clinical interests are thyroid disease, osteoporosis and bone metabolism, diabetes and pituitary disease. Dr. Kazi is accepting new patients at Franciscan Physician