News

DNR’s Division of State Parks recently honored its volunteers, partners, and employees for their commitment to conserve, manage, and interpret resources while creating memorable experiences for visitors in 2022. Awards were announced at the division’s annual leadership conference, which was held at Brown County State Park. Outstanding Volunteer Awards recognize the work of individuals who share their time and expertise at Indiana State Park properties. Three individuals were honored for their service: Phil and Marcia Douglass first came to Indiana State Parks in 2011 when they enrolled in an Indiana Master Naturalist class. There they were introduced to the campground

Valparaiso’s City Administrator Mike Jessen will leave his position with the City of Valparaiso on May 1 to become President and CEO for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, Mayor Matt Murphy announced on Friday. “Mike’s leadership has added tremendous value to the City of Valparaiso, from navigating through the pandemic to managing our most impactful projects to advancing community engagement. While he will surely be missed at City Hall, we wish him well in this new role, where he is perfectly suited to lead,” said Murphy. Jessen has served as City Administrator since January 2020, managing

To accommodate passengers attending the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) taking place March 31 – April 2 at McCormick Place, the South Shore Line will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Friday, March 31, in addition to regular service to McCormick Place during the weekend. On Saturday, April 1 an extra eastbound passenger train will depart Millennium Station at 4:25 p.m. (McCormick Place at 4:34 p.m.), run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Gary Metro Center. The following weekday trains will make special flag stops at McCormick Place on Friday,

The Porter County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday that it has raised over $23,000 to purchase its first bomb detection K9 in department history. The K9 was named Luna, the department said on its Facebook page. The funds were also used to completely outfit Cpl. Gosbin’s car with equipment.  

The Valparaiso Police Department is warning the public about a potential phone scam. Over the last few weeks, the VPD has noted an increase in reports related to potential fraud or scams against citizens.  Police say these activities often occur over the phone, either through text or direct contact, and request payment for what appears to be legit services or invoices. The VPD is offering assistance and encouraging anyone who may experience a potential scam to contact their station officer, Sgt. Perry Stone, before taking further action or responding to the message. Stone can be reached Monday through Friday, 8:00

Franciscan Alliance is updating its masking policies for all facilities, the healthcare ministry announced Friday. All Indiana facilities will be mask optional effective Monday, March 27. All Illinois facilities will be mask optional effective Monday, April 3. Beginning on each respective day, masking will be optional for visitors, patients and staff, with some exceptions. Masking will be required where it is part of the routine infection-control process. Staff caring for COVID-positive and COVID-suspected patients will be required to wear N95 masks, as will those performing high-risk procedures related to the COVID virus, such as intubation. Patients may request Franciscan staff

The closure of the South Shore commuter line’s grade-crossing on Waverly Road, north of U.S. 12, has been postponed for two weeks, the Town of Chesterton said on its Facebook page. The closure, which was originally scheduled to begin on Monday, March 27, will now go into effect on Monday, April 10, through Friday, April 21. The reason for the postponement is that this season’s opening of the local asphalt plants has been delayed, the Town of Chesterton said. Walsh Construction will be reconstructing the grade-crossing and adding an adjacent set of tracks, as part of the Northern Indiana Commuter

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office has recently been receiving reports that citizens have been getting phone calls in which people were fraudulently claiming to be law enforcement officials. Police say that sometimes callers can mask the caller ID information to make it look like the call is coming from a police department or other government entity. The Porter County Sheriff’s Office says if you receive a call from a person claiming to be one of their and are concerned they are not who they say they are, to hang up and call 219-477-3170 to verify their identity. The PCSO also

The Michigan City Housing Authority (MCHA) says effective immediately, it has sufficiently improved its performance rating established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be designated as a “Standard Performer.” Using its Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS), HUD classifies public housing agencies such as MCHA into various categories ranging from “Troubled” to “High Performer.” Housing agencies are evaluated using a 100-point scoring system which includes components relating to physical condition of housing units, financial stability, management, and use of capital funds. Under the leadership of Executive Director Sharon Hutton, in collaboration with the MCHA Board

La Porte County Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg announced the retirement of Sergeant James D. Arnold, which became effective Feb. 27. Sergeant Arnold was hired by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office as a jail deputy in September of 1999. In June of 2001, he was promoted to the merit division. He attended the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy later that year and was a graduate of Basic Recruit Class 01-147. Sergeant Arnold was a patrol deputy until the spring of 2019. In April of 2019, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He continued serving in the patrol division as

News release by Franciscan Health: CROWN POINT, Indiana – When Shannon Nowak-Johnson was diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, she knew she needed to deliver at a hospital with a highly-skilled neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors referred the 31-year-old Hammond woman to Franciscan Physician Network OBGYN John Monk, DO and Franciscan Physician Network high-risk maternal fetal medicine OBGYN Mark A. Kalchbrenner, DO so she could deliver at Franciscan Health Crown Point. Franciscan Health Crown Point and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in the fall of 2022 launched a new partnership that brings one of the nation’s top

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Work will resume on U.S. 31 at the U.S. 20/31 bypass interchange on or after Monday, March 27 through mid-November to lower the roadway and increase the height clearance of the U.S. 20/31 bridge, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced. Restrictions will begin with the left passing lanes of U.S. 31 closed in both directions for approximately two weeks to build crossovers for future phases of construction. The work will cause a temporary closure of the ramp from westbound U.S. 20 to southbound U.S. 31, which is currently scheduled for the early morning hours of approximately

The City of Portage is holding its 2023 Community Cleanup on April 29 at Founders Square Park on Saturday to help clean up parks, trails, roadways and neighborhoods. The Community Cleanup will be from 9 a.m. to noon with a rain date of Saturday, May 6. All volunteers must register at Portage City Hall or by using the link attached to the QR code in the flyer for the event. For more information, contact Haley Mack at 219-762-5425 or hmack@portage-in.com.

A.K. Smith is holding a "Future Careers Expo" on Thursday, April 13 and they are seeking business professionals, current or retired, to volunteer to give their students a “mock employment interview.” A.K. Smith says this annual experience helps students prepare for future careers and the feedback they receive from their students and interviewers has been very positive. There are 2 sessions for the event, as they have students in the morning and in the afternoon from schools all over LaPorte County. “AM Session 7:45-9:25 PM Session 11:45-2pm” If you are interested in assisting with their “mock interviews” — or setting

Valparaiso City Services will be dispatching leaf vacuum crews, starting Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 14, to collect any left-over loose leaf piles that remain from this past fall or for those that did not have an opportunity to move their leaves to the parkway. The City of Valparaiso says any leaf piles after April 14, will need to be bagged and will be collected by a separate City Services truck. An interactive map of zones can be found here. For further questions, contact the Valparaiso City Services Customer Service Center at (219) 462-6174.

GARY, Ind. -- A motorcyclist died after crashing into the back of a semi on I-80 Tuesday evening. At around 7:10 p.m., Indiana State troopers were dispatched to a motorcycle crash on I-80/94 eastbound lanes at the 7.3 mile-marker, between Burr St. and Grant St. Preliminary investigation revealed that a sport-style motorcycle was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed, passing vehicles along the skip line. Police say the skip line is the line that divides the lanes of travel. Police say that while driving in this fashion and passing a semi, the motorcycle made contact with the rear

The Town of Chesterton says three new ‘Welcome To Chesterton’ signs, whose purchase the Town Council approved in December, were installed along State Road 49 on Tuesday. Two have been placed along southbound State Road 49, at Indian Boundary Road and East Porter Avenue. The other sign was placed along northbound State Road 49 at 1050N. The Town of Chesterton says Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg sought authorization to purchase the signs last fall, after reporting that the current ones had deteriorated badly over the years. The signs should last some 20 years, Schnadenberg said. Additional information can be found on

Indiana DNR Director Dan Bortner announced that organizations in 23 Indiana counties across the state will receive $864,610 in grants to fund 34 lake and stream projects through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program. The grants are funded through the LARE fee paid annually by boat owners when they register their crafts with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This user funded program benefits boaters all over the state. The grants allow for the completion of lake and stream projects that would be difficult for local organizations to fund on their own. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and

The City of Valparaiso has announced the awarding of 20 new grants in the 2023 Neighborhood Improvement Grant program, providing over $216,000 in funds to support neighborhood unity and community improvements. Coupled with the matching investments by the neighborhoods themselves, this grant cycle will result in more than $350,000 in positive impact for the community. “These neighborhood grants truly contribute to Valparaiso’s excellent quality of life as they unite neighbors for projects they care about and then fund the work for lasting benefit. Neighborhood Improvement Grants are a positive way the City can support neighborhoods and elevate the community,” said

The Michigan City Refuse Department will conduct its Annual Spring Clean-Up beginning on March 27, 2023. The following information is from the Office Of Mayor Duane Parry:   The Refuse Department requests that all residents separate the debris that is to be discarded into the following three (3) categories: Brush, limbs, shrubs, yard waste, and unpainted concrete (no black-top rubble); Rugs, lumber, furniture, mattress, and box-springs; and Appliances and tires.  Tires can be rimmed or un-rimmed, and appliances include items such as stoves, refrigerators, air conditions, water tanks, etc. Please keep the above items separated as described above.  Residents may