News

Summer’s end brought community recognition to the heart of Indiana as Pastor Dennis Meyer and Outreach Director Carey Garwood of Bethany Lutheran Church were honored with Good Scout Awards from the local LaSalle Council, Boy Scouts of America. In a ceremony hosted at the church on August 20, local Scouts and volunteers joined together to celebrate the impact Meyer and Garwood have had on local Scouting programs. The legacy of Bethany Lutheran Church’s involvement in Scouting was also commended. Decades ago, church leadership was majorly involved in the fundraising of Camp Topenebee, a local BSA camp that still serves youth

A $1,000 grant from CAPTRUST Community Foundation helped support the Franciscan Health Michigan City backpack project to provide a positive start to the school year for local students. The funds were part of the effort supported by the hospital medical staff and the Franciscan Health Foundation to provide 500 backpacks for Michigan City Area Schools and 100 backpacks for local Catholic elementary schools. Volunteers stuffed the backpacks with notebooks, binders and other school supplies for distribution at the MCAS Back to School rally. “The donation from CAPTRUST Chesterton was a huge part of helping us pay for the backpack project,”

Northwest Health is welcoming Stella Kyung, M.D., cardiologist and Dr. Owen Young, M.D., colorectal surgeon and general surgeon to Northwest Medical Group. Both physicians are based in the Medical Plaza on the Northwest Health – Porter campus in Valparaiso. Dr. Kyung is board-certified in cardiovascular medicine and completed two advanced fellowships after attending Medical School in New York. She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in advanced cardiovascular imaging at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Some of her interests include cardiac MRI, Cardiac CT imaging, preventive cardiology, heart

The Indiana State Department of health updated their weekly COVID county advisory level map on Wednesday. Lake County has moved down from an orange level with a score of 2 to a yellow level with a score of 1.5. Porter County has moved up from an orange level with a score of 2 to orange with a score of 2.5. La Porte and Jasper counties have moved down from an orange level with a score of 2.5 to orange with a score of 2. Starke County has moved up from an orange level with a score of 2.5 to a

Northwest Health is adding a new Northwest Medical Group location in La Porte County. The organization broke ground earlier this month at 6923 W. 400 North in Michigan City. The 9,372 square foot facility is expected to house new providers as well as two existing practices that will move to the new location. “We understand the need for additional primary care providers in La Porte County and want to continue to meet that need” said Ashley Dickinson, CEO of Northwest Health. “With this new location we are relocating three busy practices and creating space to recruit new providers to the area. We

On Wednesday, NIPSCO submitted a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adjust its base natural gas rates. NIPSCO sys the proposed increase will undergo a thorough regulatory review process, including the opportunity for public input. If approved by the IURC, it is anticipated that the new gas rates would be phased in over two steps. The first phase would go into effect no earlier than September 1, 2022. “Maintaining a safe system and ensuring the safety of our customers and communities is ingrained in all facets of the work we do now and it will continue to drive

This Saturday on the South Shore Line, South Bend Transpo will offer free shuttle bus service between the South Bend International Airport and Notre Dame Stadium for select trains. Eastbound Train 503 arrives at the South Bend Airport at 12:10 p.m. ET. Passengers may then board a Transpo shuttle, which will drop off near the Eck Visitors Center/Bookstore on campus. Westbound trains depart South Bend at 5:45 p.m. ET (Tr 508) and at 10:16 p.m. ET (Tr 510). Transpo will stage at the drop-off location on campus and leave at 8:30 p.m. ET to meet Tr 510. For the Bears

In Porter County, the two left lanes of eastbound and westbound I-94 will be closed between State Road 249 and State Road 149 (MM 19-22) from approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday, to 6 a.m. Thursday. The night time lane closures are necessary to complete joint construction at the bridges over Salt Creek.

Northwest Health is welcoming two new primary care physicians. Asma Aziz, M.D., family  medicine, and Sarah Polistico, M.D., pediatrics, have joined Northwest Medical Group and are caring for patients at offices in La Porte.  Dr. Aziz is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She completed a family medicine residency at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson, Michigan. Her areas of interest include preventive medicine, women’s health, chronic disease management, diabetes, hypertension, geriatric medicine, pediatrics, and wellness and lifestyle management.  Dr. Polistico completed her pediatric residency at both Makati Medical Center in Manila, Philippines and St. Barnabas Hospital in

The 2021 Stuff A Bus effort secured great results for the MC Salvation Army food pantry. Resulting in 9,480 pounds of donated non-perishable food/hygiene items, 519 meat vouchers (valued at $5 each), and $309.10 in cash donations. In spite of a few lingering obstacles from the continued COVID-19 pandemic, Saturday’s STUFF A BUS event was a success, according to Dorene Martinson, Marketing Director for First Trust Credit Union. First Trust has the lead role of organizing this event every year, and this year was a huge comeback year compared to last year’s event. “I’m pleased with the results we achieved this

Michigan City Police are investigating two armed robberies that occurred on Saturday and Monday.  On Sept. 25, at around 9 p.m. Michigan City Police Department was dispatched to Wendy’s located on Franklin St in reference to an armed robbery in progress. Officers responded to the area immediately and spoke to witnesses involved. Preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect had entered Wendy’s with a firearm demanding money from employees and fled on foot prior to officer’s arrival. Officers determined that the suspect had fled west on foot. Police said on Monday that detectives continue to interview witnesses, attempt to identify any

Michigan City Police Chief Dion Campbell announced Tuesday that the Michigan City Police Department received the “Patriot Award” from the ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve). Chief Campbell was nominated by Corporal Michael C. Elkins, a 10-year veteran of the Michigan City Police Department and Supervisor on Uniform Patrol Shift 2. The award is presented to supervisors who support their employees involved in the National Guard or Reserves. It reflects a wide range of measures, including flexible scheduling, time off, and compensation. Corporal Elkins has dedicated 19 years of service to the National Guard and currently holds the

There will be overnight lane closures on eastbound I-80/94 near State Road 912/Cline Ave (MM 2.2-5.7) from 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 28 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, September 29. The left lane will be closed after 8 p.m., two left lanes will be closed after 10 p.m., and the three left lanes will be closed between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. If needed, this schedule will be repeated from approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 29 to 5 a.m. Thursday, September 30. These lane closures will be to set up the new traffic configuration for the sixth and final phase of the

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana will have several upcoming mobile food distributions in LaPorte County. The following is a list of upcoming distributions: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 10 a.m. – Noon CT WHERE: First Church of God, 2020 E. Lincolnway, LaPorte, IN 46350 *This distribution is provided by Morgan Stanley Move for Meals and will serve up to 300 households. Wednesday, October 13, 2021 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. CT WHERE: HealthLinc, 710 Franklin Street #200, Michigan City, IN 46360 *This distribution is provided by HealthLinc and will serve up to 200 households. Monday, October 18, 2021 10 a.m.

Horizon Bank is pleased to announce the recent donation of $3,000 to Samaritan Counseling Centers, Inc., a non-profit organization that has faithfully provided personalized mental healthcare to individuals across the community for four decades. Samaritan Counseling Centers’ team of a dozen therapists work with patients who are facing a wide range of personal mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and more. The Center provides the full spectrum of mental health services to patients, including anxiety therapy, family therapy, child therapy, depression therapy, psychotherapy, and interventions. “The services that Samaritan Counseling Centers provides its patients, many of whom are in extremely dire situations with a limited ability

PORTAGE, Ind. - Lake Michigan beaches nearby are closed due to a large chemical discharge into the water by US Steel Plant Mike Lorber will be joining Ric G. Federighi tomorrow at 8:10am to talk about this in more detail.