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The Indiana State Department of Health updated the weekly Covid county advisory levels on Wednesday. Porter County is in yellow level at a 1.5 out of 3. Lake, St. Joseph and Jasper counties are at an orange level with a score of 2. LaPorte and Starke counties are at an orange level with a score of 2.5. Newton County is at a red 3 out of 3 level. 

Michigan City Police say that one person is dead after a drug overdose Sunday afternoon.  Officers were dispatched to 300 Block of South Street at 12:30 p.m., in reference to a drug overdose.  When officers arrived they assisted LaPorte County EMS and Michigan City Fire Department with 20-year-old Michigan City resident Dennis E. Barger III, who appeared to be under the influence of opiates. Barger III was immediately transported to Franciscan Health Michigan City where he was later pronounced deceased.   While Officers were speaking with witnesses, a second Michigan City resident, a 26-year-old female, also showed signs of being under

The Save the Dunes organization was able to literally save a dune through a partnership with the Town of Long Beach, and funding provided in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake Michigan Coastal Program.  Beginning in 2019, Save the Dunes and the Town of Long Beach began the project to restore the natural dune habitat and enhance public access at “Stop 24”, one of the town’s public dune and lakeshore access sites. Save the Dunes said that Stop 24 was overrun with invasive plant species, and that the path to

Michigan City Police are seeking to identify individuals who robbed a gas station Monday morning. Police say that on Monday at 5:03 a.m. the GoLo gas station located at 1701 Greenwood Ave. was robbed by three African American males. These males then ran north away from the business following the robbery.  Police say residents that live directly north of the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and South Woodland Ave are asked to review any residential surveillance systems they may have from 5 to 5:10 a.m. to look for individuals running or entering a vehicle during this time. Police are asking the

A Covid testing and vaccination clinic is available in La Porte at Rural King Parking Lot (East end of the lot, behind Walgreens) now through Saturday Sept. 18 from noon-8 p.m. Rapid antigen and PCR tests are available. The vaccine is free. You can choose either Pfizer (two vaccines) or Johnson & Johnson (one dose). 

The Valparaiso Police Department is pleased to announce the arrival of K9 Keno, assigned to Lt. Jerame Simpson, to the department.  K9 Keno is an 18-month-old Dutch Shepherd, who was purchased with funds obtained from the Porter County Substance Abuse Council Community Grant. Keno and Simpson recently completed full utility training at F.M K9 of Berrien Springs, Michigan, from where Keno was purchased. The certification falls within the North American Police Work Dog Association standards, in which all Valparaiso Police K9 teams meet annually.  Keno is now certified in narcotic detection, tracking, building/area search, article search, and obedience.  Simpson is

The decision to expand Michigan City’s 2021 Great Lakes Grand Prix by continuing with the two races this year really paid off in a big way for the community, by setting all-time records for both attendance and earnings, according to Visit Michigan City LaPorte Visitors Bureau. A total of 249,400 people visited the 12th annual event held August 4 - August 8, generating $17.7 million for LaPorte County’s economy. “We were expecting good attendance and we didn’t get disappointed” said Jack Arnett Executive Director of Visit Michigan City LaPorte “adding the AquaX events again was a big success and we plan on

The Indiana Department of Transportation Northwest District Office is hosting a vaccine clinic today from 1-5 p.m. at 315 Boyd Boulevard in La Porte.  This free clinic, put on by Indiana State Department of Health is open to everyone and features the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Residents in all Indiana counties can now resume feeding birds, DNR announced Monday. The DNR had recommended a statewide moratorium on bird feeding earlier this summer to slow the spread of a still-undetermined illness that is killing birds across the state. Biologists identified more than 750 possible cases in 76 counties that involved a specific set of clinical signs, including crusty eyes, eye discharge, and neurological issues.  The DNR says the actions of many Hoosiers significantly helped the DNR’s work related to the disease outbreak.  The DNR stated, “By taking down their feeders and submitting more than 4,300 reports, residents

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office says that deputies are receiving a number of complaints from bus drivers, who are out on their routes, regarding motorists who are disregarding extended stop-arms. The Sheriff's Office says that on Monday morning along US 35, a vehicle traveling ahead of a bus had blown through this extended stop-arm, while posting a picture of the incident to their Facebook page.  The Sheriff’s Office said that since this portion of US 35 is a multi-lane undivided roadway with no median or barrier, all lanes of traffic must stop for buses as they load or unload

A traffic closure in the area of Evans Avenue and Silhavy Road. The closure is allowing for the improvement of the area, to include additional traffic lanes, a new signal, as well as updated curbs, drains and underground pipes. The closure is scheduled to end on Oct. 15.   Valparaiso Police said, “During this time, the traffic pattern will change, causing a need for alternate routes to be taken and necessary travel in the area to be done with caution.”   Police say westbound traffic on Evans Avenue from Silhavy Road will not be changed at this time.   Local businesses will remain

Anish Chopra, M.D., an interventional gastroenterologist with Northwest Medical Group, has introduced advanced gastroenterology services to benefit higher acuity patients who have challenging gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. Dr. Chopra completed an advanced interventional endoscopy fellowship at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine where he gained experience performing procedures such as diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) including non-surgical endoscopic biliary access. Procedures like this have revolutionized the management of many gastroenterology diseases and are now available at Northwest Health.   Some examples of Dr. Chopra’s expertise include his utilization of a cholangioscope during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to visually inspect

Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) undergraduate program has earned the No. 1 ranking in its category in the annual U.S. News & World Report undergraduate program rankings for the 11th consecutive year. U.S. News also ranked Purdue’s ABE graduate program No. 1 earlier this year. The department includes 382 undergraduate and 191 graduate students. “The College of Agriculture community is extremely proud of the No. 1 ranking our undergraduate agricultural and biological engineering program has earned. I thank the dedicated faculty and staff members, led by Nate Mosier, for their commitment to undergraduate education and for their advancement

There will be a mobile food distribution Wednesday Sept. 15 from 10am-Noon at Fedder's Alley in Michigan City. The United Way, through a partnership with Food Bank and CCH, is providing both non-perishable and produce offered free of charge. All items will be pre-boxed. This is first come, first served, for up to 300 households, while supplies lasts. This event is for those in need of food assistance. There will be one box per household.  This will be a drive-through distribution. They ask to have your ID ready.  

A Covid testing and vaccination clinic is available in Wanatah through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The location is Hunt Park, 401 Cross St.  Rapid antigen and PCR tests are available. This is a free vaccine. You can choose either Pfizer (two vaccines) or Johnson & Johnson (one dose).

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) earned notable accolades among the best regional universities in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings, released Monday, Sept. 13. PNW’s School of Engineering ranks 53rd nationally among engineering schools whose highest awarded degrees are bachelor’s and master’s. PNW moved up from 60th in the 2021 rankings. PNW’s College of Nursing is included in the first-ever rankings by U.S. News & World Report of undergraduate nursing programs. PNW’s computer science program in the College of Engineering and Sciences was also included in the rankings by U.S. News & World Report of undergraduate computer science programs. This is only the second time U.S. News has rated computer science programs. PNW

The Porter County Health Department is reopening its Covid-19 testing facility on Monday in the 4-H Building at the Porter County Fairgrounds. To schedule a test go to: scheduling.coronavirus.in.gov To schedule a vaccine go to: vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov You can call (219) 465-3525 for further information.  A video with more information was posted on the Porter County Health Department Facebook page.