News

For this week’s “Felon Friday” post on their Facebook page, the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is seeking 38-year-old John R. Skomac Jr., aka JR. who is wanted for two counts of Burglary, each count a Level 5 Felony. If you know the whereabouts of Skomac, you are encouraged to provide your anonymous tips to Sergeant Brett Swanson of the Fugitive Apprehension Street Team (FAST). Sergeant Swanson can be reached by texting or calling (219) 363-9623.

Thursday night a group of about 50 people gathered at the Michiana Humane Society to recognize Remember Me Thursday. And an amazing thing happened.   A rainbow appeared stretching horizon to horizon above the shelter. The Rainbow Bridge? It's a real thing. Remember Me Thursday can be an incredibly moving event for people who have recently lost a beloved pet.   Some people have attended each of the eight years, bringing back memories of all they've loved. As the sun set on over 400 luminarias, each dedicated to a pet or shelter animal that has left us, they stood in

Beginning on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, everyone in northern Indiana’s 219 and 574 telephone area codes will be required to use 10 digits, rather than seven, to make local phone calls. (For example, callers should start dialing “219-555-5555” or “574-555-5555” instead of “555-5555.”) Local calls made with seven digits will still work until the end of the permissive dialing period on Oct. 24, 2021, which was established to allow everyone time to adjust to the new dialing pattern and to make any required system changes before 10-digit dialing becomes mandatory for local calls. This six-month transition period started in April.

The annual La Porte Fire Department Open House will be Saturday Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This gives the public the chance to get to know the firefighters.  The fire department encourages attendees to bring the kids and check out Station 1 located at 809 W. 18th St. Those attending will get a free lunch, tour the station, check out the EDITH House and watch an extrication demonstration by the firefighters. No RSVP is necessary.

To accommodate passengers attending the Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin football game at 11 a.m. CT Saturday at Soldier Field, the South Shore Line plans to stop select trains at Metra’s 18th Street Station, which connects passengers directly to the Soldier Field entrance via a pedestrian walkway. As 18th Street Station is not a regularly scheduled stop, SSL passengers utilizing 18th St. for this game should purchase tickets for Museum Campus/11th Street. Train seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Passengers are encouraged to arrive early at boarding stations. As a reminder, masks are required in all SSL stations and

Trail Creek Family Fun Day is taking place this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hansen Park, 100 E. St. in Michigan City.  Family Fun Day gives you a chance to canoe in a 25-foot Voyageur canoe and learn about Trail Creek. Attendees can experience other fun activities, such as fish art printing and investigating the bugs and fish that live in Trail Creek.  The Trail Creek Watershed Partnership is a group of local citizens, elected officials, agency and non-profit staff working together to protect and improve Trail Creek. Learn more on their Facebook page.

The Indiana State Department of health updated their weekly COVID county advisory level map on Wednesday. Porter County has moved from a metric score of 1.5 yellow advisory to a metric score of 2 with an orange advisory. Lake and St. Joseph Counties remain at a score of 2 with orange advisories. Jasper County has moved from a score of 2 orange advisory to a score of 2.5 with an orange advisory. La Porte and Starke counties remain at a score of 2.5 with an orange advisory. Newton County remains at a score of 3 out of 3 with a

Knights of Columbus Council #5929, based out of St. Patrick’s and St. Anne’s Parishes in Chesterton and Pine Township, has made a $6,000 donation to update the St. Patrick’s school antiquated computer lab for the 2021-2022 school year.  Knight Dwight Noble (right) presented the check to St. Patrick’s principal Richard Rupchich (left) on Tuesday. “Being a Knight is all about Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism,” Dwight Noble said. “The school came to us with a plea for help, and our council united and responded in a big way!” The Council #5929 of the Knights of Columbus have resumed meeting in

The Valparaiso Fire Department recently swore in three firefighters in a special ceremony at City Hall. The new firefighters are Caila Vale, Will Phillis and Colin Mancera. The City of Valparaiso says that with the addition of more firefighters this year, the department will have four firefighters on each engine for emergencies. This puts the department in the top 20 percent nationwide for departments their size, according to the press release.

A crash on I-65 sent one person to the hospital Tuesday afternoon. At 1:45 p.m., a state trooper responded to a crash on I-65 southbound at the 246.8 mile-marker. Preliminary investigation showed that a 2010 Ford Focus was traveling southbound in the far left lane when the driver, 36-year-old Jaime L. Wheeler, of Wheatfield, lost control of the vehicle on the wet roadway. The Ford then struck the trailer of a semi that was traveling in the center lane. The Ford was wedged under the trailer resulting in injuries to the driver, who was transported to the Franciscan Health Hospital

NiSource, one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, announced the launch of the Columbia Gas and NIPSCO mobile apps by its operating companies. The apps are now available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.  The mobile apps closely mirror the functionality available on the respective operating company customer-focused websites, including bill payment, managing enrollments (e.g., Paperless Billing, AutoPay and Budget Plans), examining usage, reporting an electric outage (NIPSCO only) and viewing bill history. The mobile apps also include the newly released start, stop and move service feature. Jennifer Montague, senior vice president

The La Porte County Health Department (LPCHD) has received confirmation from the Indiana State Department of Health that a pool of mosquitoes submitted for testing has tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the first positive identification of West Nile Virus in La Porte County this year. The La Porte County Health Department stated the following, “The species most likely to transmit the virus are those that prefer to breed in containers therefore it is important to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes that may potentially carry viruses. Avoid leaving standing water in yards and around homes. Clean birdbaths and

A Hobart man has been charged in a fatality crash that occurred on June 13, at 6:28 PM, deputies were dispatched to the area of US 20 and Pinetree Drive, reference a personal injury crash. Deputies arrived and found one of the involved drivers trapped inside his vehicle and unresponsive. That driver, 19-year-old Malachi R. Young of Michigan City, was pronounced dead at the scene. Given the circumstances and dynamics of the crash, the Sheriff’s Office Fatal Alcohol Crash Team (FACT) was activated to assist with the investigation. Following their initial response, FACT members continued investigating the crash.  As a

Faculty members from Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will present a series of interdisciplinary lectures and discussions this fall on critical race theory, racism and teaching evaluations, ethics of protest, and who is hurt by racism. In its second year, the successful free, educational series, “Race, Racism, Anti-racism,” will feature four lectures presented by PNW faculty members from the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences. Karen Bishop-Morris, associate professor of English at PNW, will act as moderator for the series. This series fosters dialogue to contribute to the deeper understanding of race, racism and race relations within the United States and