News

Porter-Starke Services, a not-for-profit community mental health center serving Northwest Indiana, was recently awarded a $925,532 grant to expand access to permanent supportive housing in Starke County. The three-year Rural Set-Aside grant supports Porter-Starke’s efforts to help people with mental health challenges, who are also chronically homeless, to secure and maintain housing. “We have a long history of caring for people with housing instability, and it can impact their health and overall quality of life,” said Matthew Burden, President/CEO of Porter-Starke Services. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to help connect the people we serve with a safe and stable

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – The Burn ‘Em Brewing team and community leaders celebrated the brewery’s new spot at 1215 E. 2nd St. with the turn of a shovel at a recent ground-breaking event. “This has been a long time coming, and we are happy to be here. Hopefully, we will be open by the end of the year,” said Steve Murray, Burn ‘Em Brewing head brewer and one of the Michigan City friends who opened the brewery in 2014. “We can’t wait to see you here when we open the doors.” “There is progress inside the walls despite the fact

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced two more Merit Division hires. Both deputies will begin serving the citizens of La Porte County right away. Deputy Jet Balenia returns to the agency following a brief hiatus. Deputy Pablo Pesa joins the agency having over a decade of law enforcement (LE) experience and holding several specialty certifications. Deputies Balenia and Pesa join the other recent hires with LE experience, Deputies Jeff Loniewski and Joe Walker, in the Patrol Division. More information will be released by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office in the coming weeks relating to all the

A new Treasurer of the Duneland Chamber Board of Directors has been elected. Lisa Human, CPA, senior manager and QuickBooks ProAdvisor with CLH, CPAs & Consultants, was recently elected to serve  the roll. She was elected at the board’s annual membership meeting this year, after previously serving as an at-large member of the Executive Committee, according to Building Indiana Business. Human has a long history of community volunteerism, including having served Homeward Bound, an organization dedicated to creating community through affordable housing in La Porte County. Additionally she serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Ivy Tech Community

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public that area law enforcement are investigating several reports of banking check thefts and fraud. Personal and business checks are being stolen from mailboxes and by other means then altered and cashed, police say. “We strongly encourage the citizens of Jasper County to be vigilant, monitor your banking accounts, and report any suspicious activity to the local authorities,” the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said. “If you have any information, please contact the Jasper County Sheriff's Office at 219-866-7344 or by using the ‘Submit a Tip’ in the Sheriff's Phone App.”

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health has awarded an additional $1 million in grants to eight organizations working to improve Hoosiers’ health as part of the Health Issues and Challenges program, which was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2021 with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. This is the third round of grants through the program and brings the total awarded since June to nearly $45 million. Entities were invited to apply for funding for programs to help improve health outcomes related to one or more of the following priority areas: tobacco use, food insecurity/obesity, lead

Photographers of all ages are welcome to submit photos of the Duneland area for a chance to be featured on the next Chesterton town banners. The winner's name will be announced via a press release to the media. Banners will be displayed by mid-May 2023 for a full year. The image must be in a portrait orientation and high resolution for large format printing. Only two submissions are allowed per participant. The deadline for submissions is March 10, 2023. You can enter by either emailing your image(s) to info@dunelandchamber.org or mailing to 220 Broadway, Chesterton, IN 46304. Include your name,

On Feb. 17 in the Stardust Room at Blue Chip Casino, the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) held its annual dinner and awards celebration. During the event, the chamber recognized the achievements of various members as legacy owned businesses or milestone years of membership in the Chamber. The Chamber also announced winners in several different awards categories. The winners (pictures provided of each of the award recipients) included: Large Business of the Year: GAF Small Business of the Year: Duneland Landscape Community Impact of the Year: RL Roofing Young Professional of the Year: Seth Spencer of Sera Group Ambassador

A Lowell trooper recently had an eventful day while patrolling in the district. On Saturday, February 18th, at 7:00 a.m., the trooper stopped a Chevrolet Cruze on I-94 at the 40 mile-marker for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and also observed marijuana products in the passenger area of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in approximately 1 lb. of marijuana products in the front seat.  Additionally, 60 grams of cocaine, 96 Xanax tablets and 76 Adderall tablets were also discovered in the vehicle.  The driver,

"The LaPorte County Board of Elections held a public meeting on Tuesday to address the primary candidate challenges put forth by the Democratic and Republican Party Chairs. It is the sole responsibility of the Chairs to ensure the voting record of a candidate aligns with the party they claim to represent. A candidate is only eligible to represent the party if the last two primaries they pulled align with the chosen party. Two candidates, Edward Hueston and Todd Saturday were removed from the ballot on the basis of their voting record. In addition, Angie Henzman, the Democratic Party Chairwoman brought

The Valparaiso Police Department announced the promotion of five individuals from within their ranks. Effective immediately, Jon Watson and Cassidy Schafer have been promoted to Lieutenant, while Ryan Sobierajski, Peter Castillo, and Kaci Morris have been promoted to Sergeant. Jon Watson is a seven-year veteran, who has served in various roles within the Valparaiso Police Department, including as part of the Porter County Highway Interdiction Team. Jon has also served VPD as an Accident Reconstructionist and Field Training Officer (FTO), acting as the Coordinator of the FTO program for the last few years. Jon is a 2011 graduate of Chesterton

To accommodate South Shore Line passengers attending the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting taking place Feb. 23-25 at McCormick Place, the South Shore Line will be offering select weekday train stops at McCormick Place Station on Thursday, Feb. 23, and Friday, Feb. 24. In addition to regular SSL weekend service to McCormick Place, the following weekday trains will make special flag stops at McCormick Place on Feb. 23-24: Note: Eastbound Trains 109, 113, 119, 121, 123 terminate at Carroll Ave.; Train 209 terminates at Gary Metro Center; Trains 9, 17 & 19 terminate at South Bend. All weekend trains except

La Porte Community Schools, School Board President Jim Arnold and Vice President Ryan Seaburg attended the Indiana School Boards Association’s fifth annual State House Day in Indianapolis on Tuesday. The gathering featured  briefings on the status of current K-12 education bills, discussions with legislative leaders and bill authors, and an opportunity for school board members to engage with their local representatives and senators. The event opened with ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin and ISBA General Counsel Lisa Tanselle providing an update on bills affecting the education community and an overview of ISBA’s advocacy efforts and focus. ISBA President Tom Simpson

The City of Valparaiso announced that South Campbell Road will be closed between Boundary Street and Brown Street from Feb. 27 through July 14 for road reconstruction, including new sewer, water main and sidewalk. A bike trail will also be added to promote growth and pedestrian access to the Downtown Barrel District. Detours will be posted. Truck traffic is directed east to Sturdy Road due to the low clearance at the Washington Street viaduct.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is altering motorists of alternating overnight lane closures on eastbound and westbound I-94 in Lake County through March 1. Overnight work hours are approximately 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. The work is to set up phase one of continued concrete restoration work. The work zone during phase one will be the inside shoulders and left lane, with the outside right shoulder used for an additional travel lane.

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. --A man was arrested for impaired driving after the semi he was driving carrying 40,000 pounds of mail overturned on I-65. Photo courtesy: Indiana State Police Early Monday at around 12:15 a.m., dispatch received a call of a semi crash on I-65, southbound lanes at the 246.2 mile-marker.  This is one mile south of the Crown Point exit. Preliminary investigation shows that the Volvo truck drove off the roadway and overturned, resulting in the trailer breaking open and the contents falling out.  The trailer was loaded with 40,000 lbs. of U.S. Mail. Further investigation resulted

HAMMOND, Ind.-- A man died early Monday after a crash on I-94 in Lake County, according to Indiana State Police. At around 2:00 a.m., troopers were dispatched to I-80/94 at the Indianapolis Boulevard exit ramp for a single vehicle crash. A trooper arrived at the crash scene and observed a Chevrolet Impala that had exited eastbound I-80 onto northbound Indianapolis Boulevard and rolled, coming to a rest on its roof in the ditch. The driver had been ejected from the vehicle and was pinned underneath the Impala.  A passenger, who was wearing a seatbelt, was able to be removed from

The Franciscan Physician Network Center for Midwifery is now open in Crown Point, expanding Franciscan Health Crown Point’s offerings to meet the healthcare needs of women of all ages. “Franciscan Health Crown Point has consistently built and broadened our services to meet the needs of the community by advancing technology such as our robotics program, broadening our expertise as evidenced with our partnership with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital for neonatal intensive care services, and now, expanding our choices for women’s services through our midwifery center,” Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Daniel McCormick, MD, said. Women's

The Valparaiso Police Department announced the recent retirement of Patrol Lieutenant Phil Spence. Phil has served with the City of Valparaiso for nearly 30 years, beginning his career with VPD in 1993 as a “Special Officer” and becoming a dispatcher in 1994, before being sworn-in as a Probationary Patrolman on February 16, 1995.  Phil attained his first promotion, to Sergeant, in 2005 and was again promoted in 2017, to Lieutenant. During his career, Phil remained a valuable member and leader within the Patrol Division.  Phil served many roles within the Valparaiso Police Department, including as a Hit and Run Investigator,

A Michigan City man is facing charges including attempted murder after making a 911 call for help and then firing shots at officers on their arrival. On Friday, at 5:25 a.m., dispatch received a 911 call from the 1500 block of E. Barker Avenue in Michigan City. The male caller asked for help but provided no other details. Three officers responded to the Barker Avenue residence to conduct a welfare check on the caller. The officers attempted to get the caller to come to the door by knocking and announcing their presence. While doing so, movement could be heard inside