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Concrete restoration work on State Road 55 north of State Road 2 will be switching to the southbound side on or around Tuesday, September 7. Currently, northbound State Road 55 is closed to all traffic between 141st Avenue and 169th Avenue through Friday. Motorists wishing to go north from State Road 2 should continue to seek an alternate route. Local traffic seeking to access businesses or homes on State Road 55 in the closed section will need to come from the north and utilize southbound State Road 55 to get to their destination. Under no circumstances should motorists drive north

The Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City has announced that some attractions are temporarily closed due to LaPorte County being designated orange by the Indiana Department of Health The following attractions are temporarily closed to promote social distancing and community safety: -Observation Tower -Safari Train -Wings of Wonder Aviary The Peacock Café is also closed, but the Coop Snack Shack is open near the Red Barn from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm daily for grab-and-go snacks. The Health Department is also recommending wearing a mask in all public indoor settings if you are in an area of substantial or high

More than 70 rural and volunteer fire departments from 46 counties have been awarded more than $319,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants, DNR Director Dan Bortner announced Thursday. The awards will be used for training, installation of dry hydrants, or to purchase necessary firefighting equipment and gear to combat wildland fires. The grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Recipients were selected based on population density, acres of public wildlands protected, and wildland fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters. As in past years, emphasis was given

Humane Society of the United States honors Indiana state trooper who rescued abandoned dog   The Humane Society of the United States honored Indiana state police trooper Allison Marlowe with a 2021 Humane Law Enforcement Award for her rescue of an abandoned dog from a dangerous situation on I-65. The Humane Society says that on Aug. 1, witnesses reported to police that a dog had been dumped out of a van on the side of of a busy road and was seen running in and out of traffic. Indiana State Police say that the busy road was I-65. Working with

When Visit Indiana launched its summer road trips website, VisitIndiana.com visitors had a chance to decide on their favorite summer spot. The Indiana Destination Development Corporation compiled 50 of the top summer activities across the state for voters to consider, and The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo earned the top spot. The Indianapolis Zoo came in second, followed by Washington Park in Michigan City, which is home to Washington Park Zoo and the East Lighthouse. "There are so many beautiful places to explore in the Hoosier State, including our wonderful zoos," said Lt Gov. Suzanne Crouch. "This is the perfect time of year to get out and explore

The Indiana State Department of Health updated their weekly COVID-19 advisory map Wednesday. In our area, LaPorte, Lake, Starke and St. Joseph counties are in the orange level. Porter County is at the yellow level. The positivity change is up in all of these local counties other than Lake County. Additional information, can be found online at the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard. 

Eighteen organizations will receive grants from NIPSCO to help fund their safety education and training projects throughout Northern Indiana. This year, NIPSCO has granted a total of $63,000. Over the past four years since this grant program was initiated, a total of 62 projects were funded, totaling $213,000 in grant donations that positively impact safety education and programming within the NIPSCO’s service territory. This year’s recipients include: -American Red Cross - Northeast Chapter , Disaster Preparedness & Relief, serving Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Miami, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley Counties in NIPSCO service area -American Red Cross

Music director of the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, Carolyn Watson, has been nominated for one of Australia’s prestigious “Advance Awards”.  The 2021 Advance Awards are presented in categories such as the arts, emerging leaders, education and  research, life sciences, technology and social impact.  Now in its 10th year, the Advance Awards celebrate the works of Australians who are making an extraordinary impact on the global stage. The 2021 Advance Awards will be presented on September 8 during a virtual ceremony emanating from Australia. More information about the 2021 Advance Awards and Dr. Watson's nomination can be found  at www.advance.org

To show appreciation for their service to the community, the South Shore Line is inviting all nurses and active-duty first responders to ride the train free of charge Saturday, Sept. 11, through Wednesday, Sept. 15, on all Westbound weekday and weekend trains.  To participate, all nurses must present ticket collectors with valid IDs, and all first responders must present ticket collectors with active-duty identification. All active-duty police officers, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers and emergency medical technicians are welcome. Additionally, the South Shore Line is offering free Eastbound weekday rides Wednesday, September 1, through Sunday, Oct. 31 to all riders. Nurses and

There will be overnight lane closures on eastbound I-80/94 between mile marker 2.2 to 5.4 from approximately 8 p.m. tonight (Wednesday), until 5 a.m. on Thursday.  One right lane will be closed beginning at 8 p.m., and two right lanes will be closed after 10 p.m.  These lane closures will be in place to change the current work zone lane configuration on I-80/94 at State Road 912/Cline Ave. Starting Thursday morning, the four lanes of eastbound traffic will be shifted to the left with construction work occurring on the right. The furthest left lane will continue to utilize the chute

Franciscan Health Michigan City will participate in a new Safety PIN (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) grant provided by the Indiana Department of Health to lower infant mortality in Northern Indiana. Beacon Health System is the primary grant holder for the Region 2 collaborative. Along with Franciscan Health Michigan City, St. Joseph Health System, Elkhart County Department of Health and the St. Joseph County Department of Health will share funds from the grant of just over $1 million. Region 2 includes LaPorte, St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties. Franciscan Health Michigan City’s efforts will center on its Prenatal Assistance Program, which will

The Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest has announced the 2021 Innovators Awards Luncheon featuring special guest speaker Blair Milo. The luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, November 17 at the Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville. The annual celebration of innovators brings together business and community leaders from across the seven-county region of Northwest Indiana to celebrate the spirit of creativity and ingenuity of innovative individuals and teams across all industries and backgrounds. The 2021 Class of Inductees into the Society of Innovators will be presented during the event. This year’s luncheon

Porter County schools are partnering with the Council of Carpenters to launch carpentry State Earn and Learn (SEAL) programs. On Aug. 24, officials from the Indiana Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship (OWBLA), the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC), IKORCC signatory contractors, school officials, and community stakeholders gathered to formally recognize Porter County Career Center (PCCC), Portage High School, and Chesterton High School’s respective carpentry programs as certified State Earn and Learn (SEAL) programs. Developed in partnership with the IKORCC, these SEAL programs will serve as pre-apprenticeships for the IKORCC Carpenters Union. Students participating in the SEAL will earn

Yesterday, Governor Eric Holcomb signed two Executive Orders. In the first Executive Order 21-22, Holcomb renewed the public health emergency for 30 days. It is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021. In the second Executive Order, which extends the Executive Order specific to COVID-19 through Sept. 1. The short-term extension will allow for ongoing conversations with healthcare stakeholders to evaluate pertinent information that supports hospitals during the current COVID surge.

Northwest Health Welcomes New Surgeon Expanding both Bariatric Surgery and General Surgery Services Northwest Health has welcomed Andrew Martin, M.D. to Northwest Medical Group. Dr. Martin is a General Surgeon who also has experience in Bariatric Surgery. “With the addition of Dr. Martin, Northwest Health is able to increase its general surgery services and bariatric surgery services at Northwest Health – La Porte and Northwest Health - Starke,” said Ashley Dickinson, CEO of Northwest Health. Dr. Martin completed a fellowship in bariatric surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania prior to joining Northwest Medical Group. He

All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) branches are closed Saturday, September 4 through Monday, September 6 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Branches resume regularly scheduled business hours on Tuesday, September 7. For a complete list of branch locations and hours, to complete an online transaction, or to find a 24-hour BMV Connect kiosk near you visit IN.gov/BMV.

The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department is creating a youth baseball equipment exchange program. If you have baseball gloves, bats, cleats, or any other youth baseball equipment that is still in good shape and you are looking to get rid of it, donate it to the Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department. If you have equipment your child has outgrown, bring it in and exchange it for a larger size (if available). Donations can be made to Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department at City Hall. For question email williams@emichigancity.com . 

Governor Eric Holcomb has directed flags to be flown at half-staff to honor and pay our respects to the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan.  Flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset on Monday, August 30. Gov. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents to lower their flags to half-staff.