News

The Duneland School Corporation is welcoming a crop of new teachers for academic year 2025-26, the Town of Chesterton reported. New secondary teachers for 2025-26 academic year: *Mark Harris, Chesterton High School. *Courtney Blackwell, Westchester Middle School. *Ruth Ficaro, Westchester Middle School. *Zakery Pfizer, Westchester Middle School. *Maria Hewitt, Liberty Middle School. New primary teachers: *Jackie Hood, Trojan Learning Center. *Jillian Matzke, Liberty Elementary School. *Abigail Parkerson, Bailly Elementary School. *Renee Nagel, Bailly Elementary School. *Riley Popplewell, Liberty Elementary School, *Leah Schoenborn, Liberty Elemetary School. *Fatima Chavez, Westchester Intermediate/Middle School. Photos from Town of Chesterton Facebook page.  

Coolspring Avenue will be closed Monday Aug. 11 and Tuesday Aug 12 from Franklin Street to Cleveland Avenue to thru traffic temporarily for pouring curbs and gutters and replacing topsoil. The city says to please use alternate routes if possible. All road construction is weather permitting and subject to change. Updates will be provided as they become available.

Donations are coming in for the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce Diaper Drive for the The Salvation Army Michigan City Corps and Community Center. They are accepting donations of diapers and wipes for the entire month of August. The Chamber office is located at 200 E Michigan Blvd, and we are here 8 am - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Press release, Indiana State Police - Lowell Post:  Lowell- On July 24, 2025, 20 probationary troopers graduated from the 87th Indiana State Police Academy.  Two of those probationary troopers are being assigned to the Indiana State Police Lowell Post and will begin their next phase of training, which includes a three-month field training period, riding with veteran troopers.  Upon successful completion of field training, the troopers will be assigned a state patrol vehicle and will begin solo patrol. These troopers have already completed over 1,200 hours of structured training in law enforcement techniques as well as hands-on training at the

Join Michigan City Area Schools today at Elston Gill Field from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the 2025 City-Wide Back to School Rally. Student names will be checked, and parent/guardians will be asked to show ID. Students' parent/guardian must be present to receive school supplies. There will be free food, school vaccinations, activities, information, and prizes. See the flyers or the City-Wide Back to School Rally page for more details.

The Michigan City Police Department, Wal-Mart, and City Kids New Wave continue their collaborative efforts to get bicycles into the hands of youth across the city. This week, MCPD delivered another round of bicycles to City Kids New Wave—many of which were generously donated by Wal-Mart. In addition, officers were able to provide refurbished bicycles that "needed a little TLC" before being gifted to local youth. "This partnership, formed over the summer, is built with long-term goals in mind—creating more opportunities for engagement, mobility, and community connection for our youth," MCPD said on its Facebook.

A terminated Porter County Jail officer has been charged with two felony counts, the Porter County Sheriff’s Police reported to the Town of Chesterton. Fifty-year-old Johnny Maynor III, is charged with trafficking a controlled substance with an inmate, a Level 5 felony; official misconduct, a Level 6 felony and a misdemeanor count of trafficking with an inmate. According to the police, on June 11 the Detective Bureau began investigating information received from the Jail Division, concerning a jail officer suspected of trafficking contraband with an inmate. Maynor was subsequently identified as that jail officer, the PCSP said. Maynor was hired

In Michigan City, Rieth-Riley has temporarily closed sections of Coolspring Avenue between Franklin Street and Cleveland Avenue today to perform concrete removal. Detour signage is set up to redirect traffic.

WESTVILLE, Ind. – Registration for Franciscan Health’s Strong, Healthy, Empowered (SHE) Women’s Health Conference is now open. The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central on Saturday, Oct. 4 in the Great Hall at Purdue University Northwest, 1401 U.S. 421 in Westville. The SHE Women’s Health Conference aims to uplift and empower women across Northwest Indiana to advocate for their own health. The event features breakout sessions, exhibitors, free health screenings, a pamper room, giveaways, light breakfast, lunch, snacks and more. Keynote speakers include Indiana State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP; Dunebrook Executive Director Tammy Gierke

Valparaiso, IN. — The MAAC Foundation is proud to announce Nicole Gladstone as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2025. In her new role, Gladstone will oversee all operations and strategic initiatives of the MAAC Foundation, a nonprofit training campus for firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, and K-9 units. Her appointment comes at a time of growth and opportunity for the organization, which continues to expand its offerings, partnerships, and impact throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond. “I’m honored to join an organization with such a strong legacy and meaningful mission,” said Gladstone. “Being married to a first

A man was arrested for Sunday's fatal shooting in Michigan City, the Michigan City Police Department announced. On Sunday just after 2:30 a.m., the county dispatch center received multiple calls indicating that gunshots were being fired outside of Matey’s Bar and fighting was taking place inside and outside the bar. Multiple units responded to the scene and were assisted by officers from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department, Long Beach Police Department and Trail Creek Police Department. The first responding units located 25-year-old Dante Sellers of La Porte at a parking lot entrance across the street from the bar. Sellers

The man that the Chesterton Police Department said crashed his car downtown on Monday morning, is facing both felony and misdemeanor charges, the CPD is reporting. According to the Town of Chesterton, the CPD is asking the Porter County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to file the following against the 51-year-old Porter man: *Child endangerment, a Level 6 felony punishable by a term of six to 30 months. *Possession of cocaine, also a Level 6 felony. *Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor. *Reckless driving, Class A misdemeanor. *Operating a vehicle without ever receiving a driver’s license, a Class C misdemeanor.   The

Explore the Legacy of George Pullman—The Man, the Company, and the Community, Sunday, August 10th at 12:00pm CST The Barker Mansion invites you to take a journey through time with its upcoming History Hour, titled "Pullman: The Man, the Company, and the Community," held on Sunday, August 10 at 12pm (noon) CST. This presentation explores the complex and compelling story of George Pullman, the industrialist who transformed American rail travel and labor relations. Born in 1831 in Brockton, New York, Pullman revolutionized long-distance rail travel through the Pullman Palace Car Company. His vision extended beyond engineering comfort—he created a model

CROWN POINT, Ind. – Representatives from Franciscan Health, The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation and Tonn and Blank Construction joined community leaders and coworkers Tuesday morning for a topping off ceremony at the future Dean and Barbara White Cancer Center. The Cancer Center was made possible in part by a $30 million donation from The Dean and Barbara White Foundation in Nov. 2023, the largest gift ever received by the Franciscan Health Foundation. Franciscan Health Crown Point staff, Franciscan Alliance leaders and board members along with construction crews from Tonn and Blank and community partners added their signatures and

In La Porte County, an INDOT contractor will conduct overnight lane closures on I-94 between U.S. 421 and U.S. 20/35 beginning on or after Monday, August 11. Lane closures will take place during the overnight hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for approximately three weeks. Nightly left lane closures will be utilized so that concrete patching work can occur. I-94 is currently reduced to two lanes through the work zone so this will further reduce traffic to one lane to the right in each direction during these overnight timeframes. Construction work this year includes concrete patching along this stretch of I-94

In Lake County, U.S. 231 is now open to through traffic. Cline Ave is closed south of U.S. 231 through approximately August 10. The detour follows Parrish Ave and 117th Ave. Flagging operations are scheduled for U.S. 231 on Monday, August 11 and Tuesday, August 12 to complete this utility work.

The Michigan City Police Department announced they have welcomed back Officer Jose Mota-Haro. Officer Mota-Haro previously served with MCPD before pursuing an opportunity with another law enforcement agency, the department said on social media. "We are excited to have him return to continue protecting and serving the very community where he grew up and still resides," MCPD said.

Join Northwest Indiana Green Drinks for a special and rare program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on regional restoration efforts, Thursday, August 7th, 6:30 pm, via Zoom or Save the Dunes Facebook Live. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office and U.S. Steel have partnered to investigate and address impacted sediment within the Eastern 5 Miles of the Grand Calumet River and Marquette Park Lagoons through a Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) project agreement. The Eastern 5 Miles project is one of various GLLA projects intended to address the Grand Calumet River’s impaired beneficial uses by restoring sediment as critical

In Portage, Prairie Duneland Trail will be closed on Friday, August 8 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a community Trail Cleanup Day. Portage Department of Recreation Parks & Marina says they’ll be working on the section from Samuelson Road to McCool. All volunteers are welcome.

Truck Driver Killed in Crash on I-65-the Latest from the Indiana State Police-Lowell Post Jasper County- On Monday, Aug 4th, at approximately 10:00 p.m., troopers responded to a multi-vehicle crash on I-65 southbound lanes at the 218 mile-marker. This location is two miles south of the Fair Oaks exit and three miles north of Rensselaer. Preliminary investigation shows that traffic on I-65 was slowed for construction that was taking place in the area. A red bobtail tractor was stopped in traffic in the right lane when a blue semi-truck/trailer approached from behind at a high rate of speed. In an attempt