News

Nearly $173 million in federal funding provided for commuter rail expansion Gov. Eric J. Holcomb today announced nearly $173 million in federal funding that will allow construction to begin on the expansion of the South Shore rail line to a double track, a decades-long priority for the region.  The $491 million project, which is a key piece of Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda, will speed passenger rail service between Gary and Michigan City as well as make critical safety improvements at grade crossings and platform improvements at five stations. “By improving commuter rail through the region, the project is a

Porter County, Indiana – Porter County has been awarded $81,326 by the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program to support local food pantries and homeless shelter services. The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army, United Jewish Communities and United Way of America. A Local County Board will determine how the awarded funds will be distributed. The Local Board is encouraging all nonprofits that serve

City of La Porte Police officers responded yesterday to what became an eight-hour standoff with a subject, according to Police Chief Paul Brettin.  At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, the LaPorte County FAST Team and the City of La Porte Detectives Bureau attempted to serve arrest and search warrants to an individual on the 200 block of Belden Street. Upon contact, the subject barricaded themselves inside the home, indicating they would cause harm to themselves should the officers enter. Brettin said residents in the immediate area were notified for their safety and many evacuated. Negotiators from the LaPorte County

La Porte County native Lauren Varga has joined Unity Foundation as Marketing and Program Manager. Varga joins the Unity team with over ten years of business development, community outreach and government experience. She is a graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) with a Bachelor’s degree in History and International Studies and George Mason University (Arlington, VA) with a Master’s degree in Public Policy. “I’m thrilled to join the Unity team to help support their collaborative community betterment efforts,” said Varga.In her new role, Varga will provide marketing, program and administrative support to help Unity meet its mission to strengthen the

The La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership will present their new committee, La Porte Young Professionals, with a virtual event, How to be a Good Board Member, on January 21st from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. With an introduction from City of La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody, Monica Komasinski, Executive Director of Leadership La Porte County, will share what responsibility, commitment and conduct is expected from a board member in most organizations.To register for this event, click the ticket link or email lindsayj@laportepartnership.com and you will receive a Zoom link.This is the first event held by the Laporte Young Professionals. If

The City of La Porte Police will now be able to patrol via bicycle to keep our city safe, according to City of La Porte Police Chief Paul Brettin. The Jeep eBike was donated to the department by Matt Magnuson of La Porte Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM. Brettin said this new means of transportation will give officers a new tool to patrol the city's trails and streets."This new bike is a fantastic addition to our department as we look to expand our patrol," Brettin said. "We are beyond grateful to Matt Magnuson and his team at La Porte Chrysler Dodge

A new report from the Office of the Attorney General and Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking shows that, while human trafficking remains a pervasive problem in Indiana, the state has improved its strategies to reduce human trafficking and assist trafficking survivors. Human trafficking is the use or threat of force, fraud or coercion to compel an individual to engage in commercial sex, marriage, labor or services. In 2019, 157 Indiana human trafficking cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline – a 19% increase from 2018. Of the 157 cases reported in 2019 in Indiana,

In addition to the Indiana Department of Transportation's snow and ice removal operations during winter storm events, the agency also pre-treats roadways with brine solution prior to winter weather if conditions allow.  This typically occurs 24 to 48 hours before precipitation begins to give time for crews to apply brine solution and time for it to dry and adhere to the surface of the road. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about pre-treatment of state roadways. What is brine?Salt brine is an anti-icing solution made up of water and 23.3 percent salt that is used to prevent snow

The American Red Cross and the National Football League are teaming up this January, during National Blood Donor Month, to urge individuals – especially those who have recovered from COVID-19 – to give blood and to help tackle the national convalescent plasma shortage. Right now, more donors are needed to help hospital patients. During this critical time, the Red Cross and NFL are thrilled to offer all those who come to donate an opportunity to receive a special thank you this month. Those who come to donate blood or platelets this January will be automatically entered to win two tickets to next year’s Super

On July 19, 2020, family members of Laura WOLFE (46 YOA) reported her as a missing person to the Marion Illinois Police Department.  As Illinois authorities continued to investigate, information developed that WOLFE had recently traveled through La Porte County. On July 31, 2020, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) was made aware of the WOLFE missing person investigation being conducted by Illinois authorities.  Members of CID began to provide assistance in the multi-agency investigation.   On August 21, 2020, articles belonging to WOLFE were located on property belonging to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD /

The Boys Basketball game scheduled for January 8th at Crown Point has been moved to January 27th.  We will thus be making changes to both the JV and Varsity games for both boys and girls.  Instead of playing boys and girls varsity games on the night of Friday, January 8th and then playing boys and girls JV games on the morning of Saturday, January 9th, we will now play girls JV and Varsity on January 8th, and boys JV and varsity on January 27th.  It will be:Friday, January 8    5:30/7:30    JV/Varsity Girls Basketball    Michigan City @ Crown PointWednesday, January

The Michigan City Civil Service Commission promoted two officers today due to the September retirement of Sergeant Anthony McClintock. Corporal Dave Cooney was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and Officer Nick Krause was promoted to the rank of Corporal. Congratulations to Sergeant Cooney and Corporal Krause on your promotions! Thank you for your service!

Each year, Save the Dunes bestows their highest honor - the Paul H. Douglas Memorial Award - for outstanding service to the cause of preserving and protecting the Indiana dunes. The Douglas Award is in recognition of Illinois Senator Paul H. Douglas. His magnanimous contributions to establish the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore despite bitter opposition from the steel industry, Indiana businesses, and elected officials are unmatched by no other. This year, Save the Dunes proudly presents the prestigious Paul H. Douglas Award to Shannon Eason of Michigan City, Indiana. Through Eason's long history of environmental leadership, she has collaborated on

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is warning and alerting citizens of a telephone scam that has surfaced this week involving the Sex and Violent Offender Registry (SVOR). Registered sex offenders have been receiving unsolicited calls from a subject purporting to be “Sergeant Novak”, an employee of the LCSO.  The scammer states a new DNA sample needs to be collected from the offender for the amount of $1,000.  The scam artist then provides specific instructions to the offender relating to the purchase and transfer of prepaid money cards. The Administrators of the SVOR do not collect any fees relating

The Michigan City Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce newly elected directors and officers to the board for 2021.  During the November and December Board of Directors’ meetings, the following directors and officers were unanimously approved.  Approved for their first three-year terms is Paz Garcia with Sodexo, Kim Giannetti with General Insurance Services, and Mark Zemrowski with Von Tobel Lumber and Hardware.  Elected officers for 2020 are Bill Gertner with Horizon Bank as Chair, Jill Nygren with Franciscan Health Michigan City as Chair-Elect, Megan Applegate with Applegate & Co., CPA, as Treasurer, and Brenda Temple with Blue Chip Casino,

December 31, 2020 On behalf of the LaPorte County Health Department COVID-19 team, the Board of Health, in collaboration with the Laporte County Commissioners, we want to take a moment to inform the public of changes that have occurred with our COVID-19 County Metrics. Unfortunately, as of December 29, 2020, LaPorte County status shifted from Orange to Red. Consistent with the Governor’s executive order 20-50 dated 12/10/2020 on restrictions; the size of social gatherings will be limited by the color metric of the county Red-25 people. When a county is in the Red metric, these requirements remain in effect until

Pandemic EBT continues to nourish children during COVID-19 National Emergency The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved Indiana to continue providing Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits for school-aged children through the entire 2020-2021 school year. P-EBT provides the value of school breakfast and lunch to families of children who would otherwise receive free and reduced-price school meals, if not for COVID-related school closures.  Indiana children are eligible to receive P-EBT as a supplement on their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT accounts – for current SNAP households – or as a new benefit – for other eligible households – to

Thursday, Dec. 31: Regular weekday schedule in effect on New Year's Eve. Alcohol is prohibited after 7pm; glass bottles are prohibited at all times. Friday, Jan. 1: Weekend/holiday schedule in effect on New Year's Day. Ticket Office Schedule: If ticket office is closed please purchase from ticket vending machine (credit or debit only), our mobile app or onboard the train (cash only). Thursday/Friday, Dec. 31-Jan. 1: All ticket offices will be closed except Millennium Station. NICTD administrative offices in Chesterton and Michigan City will be closed.

Three deer hunting seasons are open in January, but two are closing soon. Archery and special antlerless firearms seasons close Jan. 3. Reduction zone season runs until Jan. 31. Also, All 2020 annual hunting and fishing licenses are valid through March 31, 2021. The 2021 annual licenses will go on sale starting Jan. 1, but are not valid until April 1.

Last week, City Controller Yvonne Hoffmaster, while reviewing records, discovered that the City's vendor, who handles the City's prescription drug reimbursement for the City, had not posted the scheduled December deposit of approximately $175,000 into the City's bank account.Taking immediate action, Controller Hoffmaster contacted the vendor to inquire as to the status of the deposit, only to discover that the vendor had processed fraudulent documents submitted to the vendor electronically by an unknown individual, who had forged Controller Hoffmaster’s signature and changed the electronic deposit intended for Michigan City to a different bank account in another state.City Controller Hoffmaster immediately