News

An intoxicated man was arrested in Michigan City on Thursday after refusing to exit a closed hotel swimming pool. At around 2:30 a.m., a La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the Quality Inn on North Frontage Road regarding a belligerent intoxicated guest who was refusing to exit the hotel’s closed swimming pool. Another deputy arrived and located the man, later identified as 39-year-old Rodrigo J. Coxcahua, still in the pool. Coxcahua was barely conscious and fully clothed, police said. He was holding onto the steps for support and had previously thrown a chair into the pool. Two deputies had

Portage City Hall is open for business, the city said Wednesday. City offices are no longer working from Woodland Park and city meetings are also being scheduled back at City Hall. For now, the city knows the Board of Zoning Appeals on May 23 as well as the Redevelopment Commission on May 26 will be held in the new council chambers at City Hall. The Board of Works will hold its May 24 meeting at Woodland Park before transitioning to City Hall.

A bridge painting project is causing lane shifts and overnight lane closures on I-94 between U.S. 20 and State Road 49 in Lake County. Work is in the eastbound direction, with lanes shifting toward the median and three lanes are open to traffic through the work zone. When eastbound is complete, work will flip to the westbound side with lane shifts and three lanes open through the work zone. Each direction will take approximately three weeks to complete, and work will wrap up in late June. Overnight lane closures will be utilized to set up, modify and remove the lane

NIPSCO announced the recipients of its annual 2022 Luminary Awards, an annual program recognizing leaders and organizations for their outstanding commitment to strengthening local communities. The Luminary Awards were created in 2012 in celebration of the utility’s 100-year anniversary to honor individuals or organizations that have displayed leadership in the areas of: Community Leadership, Economic Development, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Public Safety and Local Government Excellence. The 2022 recipients are: • Community Leadership – Dave Ryan, Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce • Economic Development – Heather Ennis, NWI Forum • Education – Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Campus • Environmental Stewardship –

A man was arrested outside of the La Porte County Jail Tuesday night after demanding to be arrested. Deputy Derrick Deck was called to the area of the La Porte County Jail (LCJ) just before 11:30 p.m., for a disturbance. Police say the man had been pounding on doors and demanded that he be arrested on an active warrant. Deputy Deck arrived and located two jail deputies near a shirtless man in an area between the LCJ and the La Porte County Courthouse. The subject was identified as 33 year old Glynn E. Anderson Jr. While attempting to confirm whether Anderson

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has been selected to host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for the 2022 summer and fall semesters. Mashrur Shahid Hossain, professor of English at Jahangirnagar University (JU) in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, will teach classes, give scholarly and informational presentations and advise faculty on developing the curriculum in his areas of expertise.  “Fulbright scholars are highly respected specialists in their fields and earning a Fulbright grant is an extraordinary honor that recognizes the scholar's preeminence and influence in their discipline,” says Colette Morrow, professor of English and director of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at PNW. “Serving as the

La Porte Community School Corporation (LPCSC) announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Lumin- Air to install MERV- 13 equivalent filters and UV-C in the district’s school buses in an effort to improve air quality. The system will clean recirculated air, remove airborne contaminants, and maintain the safety of students and bus drivers. The Lumin-Air solution includes MERV-13 equivalent filtration and UV-C lights in an enclosure, which cleans and filters recirculated air throughout an occupied bus. It does not put ions, hydroxyl radicals, gases or harmful chemicals that claim to kill virus or bacteria cells into the air that people

Through a grant provided by the Autism Society of America and private donations, the Autism Society of Indiana purchased Emergency Communication Boards to assist deputies of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office. The communication boards, low-tech and quickly accessible, will be used to enhance communication during unfamiliar and frightening situations for a person who may have communication challenges or are on the autism spectrum, the sheriff's office announced Monday. The picture icons and QWERTY board will provide a means for a person to communicate their wants and needs to a deputy. For more information or to inquire about the communication

An inmate escaped the La Porte County jail Tuesday night and was captured shortly after, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announced. Tuesday night at around 11:30 p.m., a Jail Division Supervisor fielded a telephone call from a citizen who had called the agency wishing to report suspicious activity on the east side of the La Porte County Jail (LCJ). Jail Deputies immediately responded to the exterior of the building and observed several pieces of bedding material that had been tied together coming from a top floor window. The Jail Supervisor immediately requested assistance from the Patrol Division. Moments later,

An impaired driver was arrested early Tuesday after hitting an Indiana Department of Transportation construction equipment on I-65 in Lake County. At around 3:00 a.m., INDOT was performing road repairs as I-65 was reduced to one lane, with the left lane being open while trucks with impact attenuators and arrow boards blocked the right two lanes. State troopers were also at the locations with their emergency lights activated to alert drivers of the construction project. During the lane closure, a 2017 Jeep Wrangler struck one of the impact attenuators at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing a police car that

La Porte County Sheriff John Boyd, Michigan City Chief of Police Dion Campbell and La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin have announced that the 21st annual Peace Officer Memorial Service will take place on Friday, May 13, at 10 a.m. (CST) in the Holdcraft Performing Arts Center, in the auditorium of the former Elston High School, which is located at 1200 Spring Street in Michigan City. This year’s keynote speaker will be newly appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, Clifford Johnson. United States Attorney Johnson was nominated by President Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate

A student at AK Smith Career Center was recently awarded the CTE Excellence Award. Delaney Messer, a Construction Technology student at A.K. Smith Career Center and a senior at La Porte High School, is one of six students in Indiana to receive the 2022 “CTE Award of Excellence.” The prestigious award, presented annually by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, honors the state’s top career and technical education students and programs. Messer received the award at a ceremony on Tuesday in Indianapolis, which she attended along with her family and La Porte County Career and Technical Education Director Delincia Smith. “Delaney is

Aerial treatments conducted by DNR’s Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology and Division of Forestry to slow the spread of spongy moth, which used to be called gypsy moth, in selected areas of Marshall, Noble, and LaPorte counties could begin the week of May 16, weather permitting. The DNR says the Spongy moth is one of North America's most devastating invasive forest pests and has caused thousands of acres of defoliation across the eastern United States. Treatment begins shortly after sunrise but could be delayed until later in the morning or the next day due to unfavorable weather conditions like

There will be alternating lane closures on I-94 near Michigan City from approximately 9 p.m.-6 a.m. nightly Tuesday through Saturday this week. These lane restrictions will be in place for soil boring operations. Additionally there is ongoing  bridgework  on I-94 between Exit 34 and Exit 40 (U.S. 421 and U.S. 20/35) in Michigan City through late June.   

The Michigan City Police are investigating two shootings, which in total had 3 victims that were wounded.  The first incident occurred Friday May 6, at around 10:00 p.m. Police found one person had been shot. Officers immediately assessed the scene and began medical treatment. EMS transported the victim to Franciscan Health Michigan City Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Witnesses were interviewed by officers at the scene.  The Michigan City Police Department would ask anyone that may have witnessed this incident, has any additional information, or has video surveillance / cell phone video of this incident, to contact Corporal Lendell Hood at

Unity Foundation of La Porte County announced Monday that it is increasing the amount of funding available for projects through its Community “Power for Good” Grant Program. Starting this year, organizations may apply for two grants of up to $5,000 each to fund projects that strengthen La Porte County in meaningful ways. Applications will be accepted through Friday, July 22, 2022. Eligible applicants include nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations located in or serving La Porte County residents. In addition, churches may request funds for non-religious purposes, such as community programs or projects. Governmental bodies, including townships and fire districts, as well as

Major Haferkamp was hired by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office as a Jail Deputy on January 7, 1989.  On June 1, 1991, he was promoted to the Merit Division and attended the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy that fall.  Until the spring of 2000, Major Haferkamp was a patrol deputy.  On May 1, 2000, he transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) where he served as a detective.   On May 14, 2003, Major Haferkamp was promoted to the rank of sergeant.  On April 30, 2011, he was promoted to the rank of Captain.  On April 11, 2016, he was promoted

The NewDay Foundation of LaPorte congratulated the 2022 winners of the Connie Yagelski-Marhanka Scholarship. Two $1000 scholarships are awarded to students graduating from LaPorte County high schools that plan to continue their musical education and participation in college.  Isabelle Eason is graduating from Michigan City High School.  She will be attending Butler University to study Music Education.  Jonathan Rocke is graduating from South Central High School. In the fall, he will be attending Purdue University in West Lafayette to study Agricultural Systems Management. Jonathan plans to continue his involvement in music through the Purdue Music Organization with both a vocal

The Indiana Department of Transportation announced Friday that through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program created by passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the state can expect to receive nearly $100 million in federal funding. There will be an open house Wednesday May 11 1-2 p.m. EST about INDOT’s EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan goals and vision, as well as how you can be involved in plan development. Those interested can register here.

La Porte Community School Corporation Youth Assistance Program Coordinator, Matt Zawacki, presented at the virtual meeting on May 4 for Indiana ACEs Coalition about the growth and success of the programs at LPCSC. The Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) provides La Porte High School students experiencing significant academic and personal challenges the opportunity to reset their life trajectory toward achieving success. Most recently, the Youth Assistance Program (YAP) has been added to work in conjunction with the VLA to support each student and provide the resources and sounding board to monitor goal attainment, make necessary adjustments, and encourage students as they