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Purdue University’s Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture will provide a home and care for the National Thanksgiving Turkey and alternate following this week’s National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation at the White House. The turkeys will live at Purdue’s Animal Science Research and Education Center, where they will reside in a separate enclosed indoor setting with access to a shaded grassy area. Purdue Agriculture’s Department of Animal Sciences includes a nationally recognized poultry program, with experts in nutrition, health, education, behavioral neuroendocrinology, management, behavior and animal welfare. The turkeys were raised under the supervision of Phil Seger, 2021

Formal dress is optional, and you won’t have to worry about traffic or parking, as the Franciscan Health Foundations of Northern Indiana and South Suburban Chicago invite the public to participate in the “Make History and Make A Difference Virtual Gala.” The virtual fundraiser will broadcast from The Field Museum in Chicago on Thursday, Dec. 9. The pre-show begins at 6:30PM and the 45-minute broadcast follows at 7PM. You can watch from your computer, tablet or mobile device. “We have an exciting evening planned for this year’s Virtual Gala, which will allow us to reach a much broader audience than

Initial phase begins this fall, calls for 14 new faculty in public health Purdue University is launching one of the largest faculty hiring initiatives in its history as a key part of a $75 million Equity Task Force effort to diversify the racial makeup of its faculty ranks. Over the next five years, 40 full-time faculty will be added through several academic clusters as part of this initiative. The plan’s initial phase, begun this fall, will focus on hiring 14 faculty in public health, including areas such as policy, equity, communications, nursing, pharmacy and nutrition. The goal is to expand Purdue’s

A juvenile has been arrested in connection with school threats displayed on social media, Michigan City Police announced Monday.   Police arrested the 14-year-old on Monday afternoon. The Investigative Division along with School Resource Officer Cpl. Combs were contacted and immediately responded to start processing this investigation. Interviews were conducted and information was gathered by Detectives regarding the social media post. MCPD Detectives were able to identify the source of the messages and probable cause was established to warrant an arrest. Police said Monday that detectives are continuing to investigate the incident and witnesses continue to be interviewed. Michigan City Police

Michigan City Wolves junior Andrew Oleksiuk hit an 18-yard field goal in double overtime to give Michigan City the 31-28 victory over Valparaiso Friday night at Ames Field in the 5A Regional 5 Championship. Racion Anderson scored a pair of touchdowns for the Wolves and sophomore Tyler Bush threw for a pair of touchdowns, one to Treylen Simmons and the other to Omarion Hatch. City (9-3) advances to the Class 5A Semi State where they will host Zionsville, a 35-14 winner over Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger on Friday night. This marks the Wolves’ third trip to Semi State in five

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana will have a turkey distribution at the Salvation Army in Michigan City on Thursday, Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. CT. Turkeys will be provided through the generosity of Beacon Health System Associates. The Salvation Army is located at 1201 S. Franklin Street. The distribution will provide 150 turkeys to 150 households. Turkeys are offered free of charge. First come, first served, while supplies last for those in need of food assistance. One turkey will be distributed per household. Distributions will be drive-thru. Please remain in your vehicle and open your trunk

The Michigan City Street Department will begin fall leaf pick up this Monday.

Andrew Smith, a mechatronics engineering technology student at Purdue University Northwest (PNW), was part of a three student team that won the 2021 Amazing Packaging Race at the annual Pack Expo trade show in Las Vegas. Smith, a fourth-year student at PNW, along with teammates Anna Troutt of Virginia Tech and Serena Pu of California Polytechnic State University, were able to complete a series of challenges across four exhibit halls to win the $3,000 prize. The competition required competing teams to search the exhibit halls to find the ten booths that had specific tasks to be completed by each team.

Michigan City High School (MCHS) conducted a ceremony honoring veterans on November 10th in the high school gym. It was done the day before Veterans Day because November 11th was a scheduled E Learning Day for the school. The ceremony was a modified military parade, featuring the MCHS band, choir and Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCROTC). The guest speaker was Northwest Indiana’s US Congressman Frank Mrvan. Congressman Mrvan recognized the sacrifices of veterans, of how they put “service over self.” He also noted the performance of the band, choir and MCJROTC students as an example of the outstanding young men and women being

The body of a 1-year-old child was recovered from a pond in Hammond on Thursday. Indiana State Police were dispatched to the area of I-80 and the Kennedy Avenue ramp Thursday afternoon for a report of a person in a retention pond. The pond is located on the south side of the ramp from I-80 eastbound to northbound Kennedy Avenue. When troopers arrived at the scene, they spoke to a construction worker who showed them what appeared to be a body in the retention pond. The Hammond Fire Department also arrived on scene and immediately entered the water, removing the

Marquette Catholic High School has officially opened its Veterans Day fundraiser. This year, we’re selling fleece jackets and stocking caps with all proceeds again to benefit Folds of Honor, a not-for-profit that distributes scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled members. Fleece jackets are $35 each and available in men's and women’s sizes from XS-4XL. One-size-fits-all stocking caps cost $20 apiece. Marquette is offering a fleece and hat combination special for $50. Interested parties can pay via cash or check payable to Marquette Catholic High School. Current families can also charge their FACTS account. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce1oLqNSK1rJMrhqRiMcklttr9YuUCjZVwDqR7SyE7_NBcxw/viewform to place your

Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Northwest Indiana Chapter celebrated the spirit of giving by awarding National Philanthropy Day® honors to local philanthropists at outdoor events in Lake and Porter counties. Awards were presented to Carol Smith for Outstanding Individual Philanthropy; Suncrest Christian Church for Outstanding Organization; Willow Wilson for Young Philanthropist; and Flora Richardson Foundation for Outstanding Foundation. Each award presentation was filmed, in order to be shared via social media. Carol Smith was nominated by the Legacy Foundation to receive the award for Outstanding Individual Philanthropy. Smith was one of the founding members of Friends of Marquette Park, which

During the investigation of a serious violent felony, the Brown County Sheriff’s Department had a possible location of where a rifle was discarded along a 2-mile stretch of roadway. Indiana Conservation Officer K-9 moose and Bohbrink searched and cleared a good portion of the area. K-9 Moose, after cutting his ear, gave ICO K-9 Libby a chance on the second half of the suspected location. K-9 Libby, along with law enforcement personnel, located the firearm a short distance later, in an area that had not yet been searched. A great example of collaboration between agencies with some extra 4-legged help,

HealthLinc has started providing COVID-19 vaccinations to children ages 5-11. Earlier this month, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) granted approval of the Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is one-third of the dose given to adolescents, teens and adults and is given in a two-dose series, three weeks apart.   Over six million children in the United States have tested positive for coronavirus, 20,000 have been hospitalized and 500 have died, according to the most recent data from American Academy of Pediatrics.   “This is a big step in our efforts to stop COVID-19,” states Beth Wrobel, HealthLinc CEO.

Valparaiso City Utilities once again earned state and national recognition for operational excellence by industry leaders in water management. Valparaiso’s Utility has been recognized with a Peak Performance Award for continued operational excellence by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and awarded distinctions for laboratory excellence, safety and groundwater protection by the Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA). Presented in Washington, D.C., the NACWA Peak Performance Award was Valparaiso’s second consecutive Gold Award, a recognition for having zero permit violations for the entire calendar year. The award was Valparaiso’s eleventh recognition from NACWA, the nation’s recognized leader on clean