News

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) held the first of a series of community road shows to discuss Indiana’s new OB Navigator Program, which is aimed at reducing the state’s infant mortality rate. Indiana currently ranks 7th in the nation for infant mortality, which is defined as the death of a baby before his or her first birthday.Governor Eric Holcomb has tasked ISDH, in partnership with the Family and Social Services Administration and Department of Child Services, to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate to the lowest in the Midwest by 2024. As part of that effort, he signed House

Franciscan Physician Network Heart Center Michigan City has welcomed two cardiologists, Dr. Eyad Alhaj, MD, and Dr. Abdullah Quddus, MD, to its staff. Also, urologist Dr. Robert K. Korsch, DO, has joined the Franciscan Medical Pavilion staff in Michigan City.Dr. Alhaj is board certified in cardiology fellowship-trained in cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Alhaj’s clinical interests include cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure and cardiac imaging.Dr. Quddus is board certified in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Quddus’ clinical interests include clinical cardiology, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, left/right catheterization and interventions, peripheral vascular disease and interventions, transesophageal echocardiography, intravascular ultrasound, transcatheter aortic valve implantations, balloon aortic

Franciscan Physician Network Health Centers in Schererville and Valparaiso have welcomed new family physicians to their respective staffs.Welcoming new patients in Schererville, Dr. Kenneth Polezoes, MD, is board certified in family medicine. Dr. Polezoes’ clinical interests include pediatrics and well child care, preventative medicine and public health, sleep medicine and sports medicine.Franciscan Physician Network Schererville Health Center is in Cherry Creek Center at 7310 West Lincoln Hwy. (U.S. 30) in Schererville. To make an appointment, go online at FranciscanDocs.org or call (219) 322-4673.In Valparaiso Dr. Janet Bilder, DO, is board certified in family medicine and provides expert pediatric, adult and

The East Chicago elevator is expected to be out of service for approximately one week due the ordering of replacement parts for repairs. As repairs to the Gary Metro Center elevator are currently in progress, the recommended alternative Accessible location is Hammond Station. Updates will be sent as they become available.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is assisting Chesterton High School in attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest field trip on Tuesday, September 17 at Indiana Dunes National Park from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. They are seeking 52 “Stewards” to meet the requirements for the record.Stewards will be required to go through a background check and attend the entire field trip. Each Steward will be assigned 50 field trip participants and will be required to provide a written statement to Guinness after the field trip. Stewards cannot be employees of the Duneland School Corporation or have

Sign-ups for put and take pheasant hunts begin on Sept. 7 at 6 a.m.On that date, hunters can begin purchasing a reservation for put and take pheasant hunts at on.IN.gov/INhuntfish. They do not need to log in or create an online account to purchase a reservation, but must have an online account to look up completed reservations at a later date. Hunters must register online for put and take hunts, as these hunts are no longer available on a first-come, first-served basis at Fish & Wildlife Areas (FWAs).The cost is $30 per reservation. Reservations are non-refundable; however, they can be

A total of 20 wildland firefighters comprising employees from the Indiana DNR, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Parks Service, and Hoosier National Forest recently traveled to Alaska for a 14-day assignment to assist with wildland fire operations in the Upper Yukon Zone.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is reminding parents that immunizations are an essential part of getting ready to go back to school.School immunization requirements have changed for the 2019-20 school year. Two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine are now required for grades K-7 and 12. Two doses are recommended for all other grades. In addition to these requirements, ISDH also encourages parents to make sure that their child is current with all recommended vaccines, including:An annual influenza vaccine.The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.Two doses of the meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) vaccine for students entering grade 12. Some Indiana

U.S. military veterans from around the world and across the nation begin arriving in Indianapolis next week for activities surrounding the 101st National Convention of The American Legion, the nation’s largest organization of wartime veterans. Nearly 9,000 members of The American Legion Family are expected between August 22nd and 29th. The American Legion previously held national conventions here in 1990, 1995 and 2012. Veterans of all five branches of the armed forces who have served in uniform anytime since December 7, 1941or those who are currently serving, are invited to join The American Legion and participate in the convention activities.

NICTD, operator of the South Shore Line, has provided an update regarding its Double Track Northwest Indiana Project (DT-NWI). An environmental analysis was conducted in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and concluded in November 2018 with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact. The FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program has three phases – 1) Project Development; 2) Engineering; and 3) Construction. Each phase of the project involves extensive requirements that must be completed and approved by the FTA in order to advance to the next phase. The project has completed the Project

The Board of Directors meeting for the Michigan City Urban Enterprise Association scheduled for this Monday has been canceled due to a lack of actionable agenda items and lack of a quorum. The next scheduled meeting will be Monday, September 16th. 

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) announced a $1 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to support efforts by Porter-Starke Services and the Starke Taskforce for Overdose Prevention (STOP) to combat the opioid epidemic in Starke County. Porter-Starke Services and Starke County were among 80 recipients nationwide of funding through the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multi-year initiative supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to address barriers to access in rural communities related to substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. The funding, totaling $1,000,000 over three years, will support a

Due a fish kill in the area from what is possibly due to an as-yet unconfirmed chemical source, the Town Council has chosen to be extremely cautious and to close the Ogden Dunes beach until further notice. IDEM and IDNR are involved and the results of their investigation will be passed along as received. The Indiana Dunes National Park has closed their beach to the east of Ogden Dunes. Indiana American Water has restricted their intake of water at their Ogden Dunes filtration plant, so the water distribution will be unaffected. Visit www.ogdendunes.in.gov for more information.

The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission announced three nominees to fill a judicial vacancy. The Commission selected the following nominees:Magistrate Lisa A. Berdine - Lake Circuit CourtJudge Gina L. Jones - Town Court of MerrillvilleMagistrate Michael N. Pagano - Lake Superior CourtThe three nominees will be submitted to Governor Eric Holcomb for consideration. He will name a superior court judge. Under state law, the Commission must submit to the governor a list of three candidates with written evaluations of each candidate. Upon receiving the list of nominees, Governor Holcomb has 60 days in which to make an appointment to the

On Monday, just before 2:30 AM, LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to Gallops Marathon at West US 20 and SR 39, in reference to a male subject who was bleeding.  Upon the arrival of deputies, they were quickly able to determine the subject had been stabbed resulting in upper body injuries. The victim was later transported to an area hospital.Members of the Criminal Investigations Division were immediately contacted and activated. The investigation quickly led patrol deputies to a residence located within nearby Woodberry Mobile Home Park. Shortly after arriving, the suspect, 37 year old Shannon N. King, was

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced yesterday that Economic Injury DisasterLoans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and private nonprofit organizations in Indiana as a result of excessive moisture, flooding and flash flooding that began on Sept. 1, 2018. The loans are available in the following counties: Benton, Gibson, Knox, Lake, Newton, Posey, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo and Warren in Indiana. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at Disasterloan.sba.gov.Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at

Amanda Wuestefeld, who has worked full-time in the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife for more than 25 years, was promoted to division director this week. Wuestefeld replaces Mark Reiter, who retired in July. She is the first woman to hold the position for Indiana DNR Fish & Wildlife (DFW). For the past five years, Wuestefeld has served as the assistant division director. Before that, she served as the Hoosier Outdoor Heritage coordinator for eight years. In that capacity, she led the launch of the division’s first hunting recruitment program to introduce young adults to the sport.She also served as

The United Way AmeriCorps program of Northwest Indiana is looking for residents to support community initiatives in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, and Marshall Counties.The program is in need of 24 team members to support area nonprofit and school programs. AmeriCorps members serve as high school and college career advisors, K-12 tutors in area schools and volunteer recruiters. The 2019-2020 AmeriCorps program season begins in September. The experience is ideal for individuals who are in college, just graduated, looking to fill a gap year, retired or between jobs.Full-time, part-time and minimum-time positions are available. Program placements run now through May 2020

A Multiple Sclerosis Self-Help Group providing emotional and social support to patients, families, and caregivers affected by MS, meets at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the Month.  The next meeting will be held on September 10th in the La Porte Hospital Auditorium, 1007 Lincolnway, La Porte. Call 219-874-2681 for more information or to ask questions.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) held the first of a series of community road shows to discuss Indiana’s new OB Navigator Program, which is aimed at reducing the state’s infant mortality rate. Indiana currently ranks 7th in the nation for infant mortality, which is defined as the death of a baby before his or her first birthday.Governor Eric Holcomb has tasked ISDH, in partnership with the Family and Social Services Administration and Department of Child Services, to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate to the lowest in the Midwest by 2024. As part of that effort, he signed House