News

Patients who once had to drive two counties away for bariatric surgery and services can now find weight loss assistance closer to home in LaPorte County. Franciscan Health Michigan City has opened a bariatric services office at Woodland Health Center, 8865 West 400 N. Suite 125 in Michigan City. The office will provide treatment and support for patients before and after their weight loss surgery, which can be done at Franciscan Health Michigan City. The staff includes bariatric surgeons Dr. Thomas Shin, MD, FACS, who is bariatric program medical director, and Dr. Sandra Wischmeyer, DO. Both are independent physicians who

Last year, January was proclaimed as National Mentoring Month in La Porte and Michigan City by each of the respective acting Mayors, inviting our community to celebrate the benefits of mentoring and the impact it has on young people. The Collaborative is hosting a special luncheon “Celebrating Our Youth” on January 30th at the Silver Palace from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Tickets are available from any of the agencies involved in Mentoring Collaborative or RSVP to info@unitedwaylpc.org by 1/22/2020. Community members are invited to enjoy luncheon event to learn about how local organizations are changing lives and impacting our community through

The Indiana State Board of Education (Board) met yesterday for its January business meeting and considered approval of two teacher preparation programs. The Board also ended interventions in two school districts.The Board unanimously approved teacher preparation programs at Manchester University and Vincennes University.Board members voted 10-0 to return Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy to Gary Community School Corporation, ending the Board’s intervention.Following a presentation from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), the Board voted 6-2 to return control of Emma Donnan, Emmerich Manual, and Thomas Carr Howe to IPS, ending the Board’s intervention. The Board will next meet on February 5,

REFUSE DEPARTMENT The Refuse Department will be closed Monday, January 20, 2020 to observe the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday. Trash pickup will resume on Tuesday, January 21st, and delayed a day for the remainder of the week. 

INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb on Tuesday delivered his 2020 State of the State address to a joint convention of the Indiana General Assembly. The governor focused on his commitment to bold ideas that will improve the health, safety and well-being of Hoosiers. Full text of Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s 2020 State of the State address is attached. “Thanks to the energy, ingenuity and hard work of Hoosiers across our state – and the work we’re doing with them – the state of our state has never been stronger,” Gov. Holcomb said. As a part of the Governor’s ongoing

Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs recognized in U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings HAMMOND and WESTVILLE, Ind. —Purdue University Northwest (PNW) College of Nursing programs have been recognized among the best in the country in the U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings, released today. PNW ranks 39th nationally among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. Purdue Northwest’s online RN-to-BSN program, now in its 11th year, is one of the undergraduate degree programs offered by the PNW College of Nursing, a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence. PNW also is ranked 77th nationally of Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs. A

The South Shore Line will operate a regular weekday train schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. All ticket offices will observe regular hours.

South Shore Line officials announced that construction has been completed on a second tunnel entrance/exit to the East Chicago Station platform. The new portion of the station is set to open to commuters on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. The project was designed to improve ingress and egress from the station, and includes a covered walkway on the east side of the station accessing a new head house, stairwell and tunnel leading to the eastern portion of the parking lot.

On Sunday, January 12, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Trooper Brian Runyon responded to a single vehicle crash in Newton County.  Preliminary investigation by Trooper Runyon revealed that a black, 2012 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Andrew Kepchar, 29, from Crown Point, IN, was traveling north on County Road 400 West near Morocco, IN.  The Silverado left the roadway and struck a utility pole.  The vehicle then rolled onto its passenger side and caught fire.  As a result of the initial impact, the power lines were knocked down at the scene which hindered first responders being able to access the vehicle.  A

The Michigan City and La Porte communities will be the location of two wellness screenings provided by the Wellness Outreach department of La Porte Hospital. Screenings offered include a blood glucose screening and a depression screening. Information about cervical cancer will also be available. These events are free and registration is not required. Stop by between 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. for screenings and to chat with a wellness coach. Wednesday, January 15: Wellness Screening in the lobby of the Physician Offices at 3777 N. Frontage Road, Michigan City, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 21: Wellness Screening in

The La Porte County Drug Task Force is releasing their yearly statistics and activity report.  The La Porte County Drug Task Force, an initiative of Indiana HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), is a multi-agency unit comprised of investigators from The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan City Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  In their third year of existence, The La Porte County Drug Task Force had the following statistics in 2019:                              393 total cases worked                                 175 controlled narcotics purchases                                 131 individuals were arrested                                

Spare change from parishioners at Holy Name Catholic Church added up to a valuable donation to help expectant mothers in need at the Prenatal Assistance program at the Franciscan Health Franciscan Health Crown Point St. Clare Health Clinic A check in the amount of $1,913.33 was presented to the Franciscan Health Foundation on Jan. 6 by Sandy Lewis, who oversaw the effort to raise money through the Holy Name Baby Bottle Ministry. In the fundraiser, members of the Cedar Lake church fill empty baby bottles with their spare change. Lewis said the church collected more than 33,000 coins. The Prenatal Assistance program at St.

Jeff Santana has filed his candidacy for a 3rd Term for Laporte County Council At Large. Santana stated he has been very emphatic and passionate in saving all the taxpayers money, which by the way, I too am a taxpayer and watch the spending of dollars closely. I could list numerous accomplishments that the Council has made during my first 2 terms, but in doing so I could fill up a whole newspaper page. Santana said being retired from Michigan City Fire Dept., in which he served over 28 years, has allowed me to have the time for the position

On Thursday, in Michigan City 46 year old Edward Lee Sanders was arrested on drug and weapons possession charges. Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on January 2nd, Officer Adam Brinkman was on duty patrol when he observed a Dodge Charger commit a traffic infraction. Officer Brinkman conducted a traffic stop on the Dodge in the 900 block of Wabash Street. Immediately after, Officer Brinkman was assisted by Officer Mike Oberle, and his K-9 partner Axel, along with Troopers from Indiana State Police. K9 Axel alerted for the presence of narcotics on the Dodge Charger. A search of the vehicle led to

Construction has officially begun on the new, land-based Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary. Officials last week broke ground on the $300 million casino, which was approved by the Indiana General Assembly last year. The groundbreaking included representatives from Hard Rock International, state and local officials, and three members of the Jackson 5, who are from Gary. The 200,000-square-foot complex will include 1,650 slot machines and 80 table games; a sportsbook and bar; six restaurants, including a Hard Rock Cafe; a Rock Shop retail store and a 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live venue, according to the publication. A Hard Rock

During the Friday afternoon lunches at Valparaiso High School, students were overheard discussing a potential bomb threat within the school. School staff and law enforcement were immediately notified by those students who had heard the comments and an investigation ensued. The students were quickly identified and spoken with. The threat was found to have no credibility and the students admitted to be joking about any such action.  School officials and the Valparaiso Police Department are confident the school is safe for normal operations. VPD is advising parents to educate your children about the dangers of making any such statements regarding school

Friday morning at approximately just before 10:30 a.m., the Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch Center in Lowell received a report of a subject displaying a firearm on I-94 in Porter County.  Troopers located the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop for speeding on I-80 near Burr Street. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was in possession of a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun.  Trooper Potesta determined that 31 year old Steven D. Krucina, of Valparaiso, had been cut off by the driver of a silver Honda SUV in the area of I-94 and State Road 249. In response,

The Michigan City and La Porte communities will be the location of two wellness screenings provided by the Wellness Outreach department of La Porte Hospital. Screenings offered include a blood glucose screening and a depression screening.  Information about cervical cancer will also be available. These events are free and registration is not required. Stop by between 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. for screenings and to chat with a wellness coach.  Wednesday, January 15: Wellness Screening in the lobby of the Physician Offices at 3777 N. Frontage Road, Michigan City, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Tuesday, January 21:  Wellness Screening in the Lobby

On January 8th, 2020 at approximately 11:00 A.M.; a male subject entered Charley’s Eastside Liquors located at 1509 E. Michigan Blvd. with a portion of his face covered and a blunt force object in his hand.  This male subject demanded money from the cashier, which she supplied.  The suspect took an amount of United States Currency and fled from the store.  Initial responding officers gathered all the evidence that was observed from the scene, including obtaining images from the liquor stores video surveillance system.  The immediate area was searched, and the suspect was not located.  Images that were obtained from

Honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by becoming a volunteer at one of Indiana’s DNR properties this year. DNR provides a variety of ways for citizens to make a difference in maintaining, improving, and restoring Indiana’s natural and cultural heritage. Several opportunities are available, including maintaining trails, helping in nature centers, sharing photography or artwork. DNR also welcomes citizens to bring their own unique talents to a volunteer opportunity. This is a great time to explore the DNR volunteer website for more information at on.IN.gov/dnrvolunteer. On Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, some properties will have self-directed