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 La Porte residents can continue riding with Transporte for free through the month of June, according to Manager Beth West. The transportation service began its essential-only free rides following the governor’s “stay-at-home” order. Until now, essential rides included trips to the grocery store, pharmacy and doctors’ offices only. West said beginning June 1, they will now provide transportation to laundromats and the library as well. “Though we must still restrict our rides to essential travel only, we are happy to add a few more essential stops to the list for our passengers,” West said. “As the outbreak continues, we are

A MESSAGE FROM MAYOR DUANE PARRY REGARDING WASHINGTON PARK HOURS We have one of the most popular stretches of beachfront in Indiana right here in Washington Park. With the warm weather we had this past holiday weekend, we had more visitors than expected. Unfortunately, most did not exercise the required social distancing, jamming nearly elbow-to-elbow on the beach and in the main parking lot throughout the day and into the night. The congestion associated with the large crowds and higher than normal temperatures created conditions right for several disturbances, fights, and a shooting on Saturday evening.  Michigan City maintains beach

After careful thought and deliberation, the La Porte County Agricultural Association (the “Board”) has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 LaPorte County Fair originally scheduled for July 12 – July 18.“For the last 174 years, the La Porte County Fair has been held without hesitation and the Board is extremely proud of that,” said Steve Mrozinski, Board President. “However, our priority is the safety of all of those involved in making our Fair great. After reviewing federal, state, and local guidelines, and knowing how quickly and easily the Covid-19 virus spreads in large groups of people, the Board

While the Michigan City Police Department would normally refrain from commenting on the actions of another jurisdiction, there are times when it is necessary to comment on tragedies that affect us all. Due to the current situation in Minneapolis, Chief Campbell, on behalf of the Michigan City Police Department, wished to issue the following statement: The Michigan City Police Department strongly denounces the actions that resulted in the death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Words can’t fully express the emotions of grief and anger we all are feeling over this senseless tragedy. There is no excuse for what

The Indiana Department of Transpiration announces the beginning of a bridge preventative maintenance  project on the State Road 912 ramp to eastbound and westbound I-80/94. This project will begin on or after Thursday, June 4. During phase one of the project, the southbound Cline Avenue/State Road 912 ramp to eastbound and westbound I-80/94 will be reduced to one lane. The right lane and shoulder will be closed for work. The project is expected to be completed in August, 2020. INDOT urges drivers to stay alert near crews and follow traffic directions carefully. Drivers are encouraged to allow extra time when

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 646 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 33,068 the total number of Indiana residents known  to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. A total of 1,907 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 37 over the previous day  following a correction to the previous day’s total. Another 161probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive

              This morning (05/28/20) at approximately 3:17 AM, deputies were dispatched to the 7800 west block of State Road 2, rural New Durham township, in reference to an unresponsive male subject lying along the roadway.  At approximately 3:21 AM, Deputy Austin Howell arrived and located the subject.  Soon thereafter, a crash scene was discovered nearby.           The crash investigation determined that a blue 2002 Harley-Davidson motorcycle had been traveling east on SR 2.  The motorcycle failed to negotiate the curve, left the eastbound lane of SR 2, drove off roadway and overturned/rolled over in the lawn of a nearby residence. 

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 23 year old Lanard D. Edwards of Michigan City. Wednesday at around 12:30 AM, Captain Andrew Hynek observed a passenger vehicle stopped on Grand Beach Road east of El Portal Drive. As Captain Hynek neared the vehicle, he noted it was now traveling west on Grand Beach Road towards him. He observed the vehicle disregard the stop sign on Grand Beach Road at El Portal Drive. Captain Hynek initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Michiana Drive and Grand Beach Drive. The driver of the vehicle was identified as

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 30 year old Aaron M. Metzner. Listed as 5’10” and 135lbs, and “Brown / Brown”. His last known addresses were in Chesterton, Portage, Valparaiso, and Hobart. He may be in the company of Edward Furlong Jr, Ashley Jones, or Michael Weiss. Last known to drive an older gray sport utility vehicle with a cracked windshield on the passenger side, possibly a Jeep Grand Cherokee. He is wanted on the charges of Battery and Theft. His photos can be found on the Porter County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page.

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 370 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 32,437 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total. Intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remains steady. As of today, more than 41 percent of ICU beds and nearly 82 percent of ventilators are available. A total of 1,871 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 21 over the

Appointment based COVID-19 testing sites and scheduling information for the LaPorte County community are as follow: FREE COVID-19 TESTING IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLYProvided by LHI/OptumServe Health ServicesOnline appointments are available at https://lhi.care/covidtestingPhone registration is available for those without Internet access at 888-634-1116Testing Location:Michigan City High School8466 W Pahs RdMichigan City, IN 46360

To clear up any misunderstanding, the City of Michigan City did advertise on February 6th, for all seasonal positions, including lifeguards. The City received only one application from a returning lifeguard from last year, and no others with required qualifications. Lifeguarding has always been a high-risk job. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, those who work to protect beachgoers are facing a new level of danger.     From stubbed toes to cardiac arrests, open water lifeguards are trained to act as first responders for all manner of medical emergencies that can happen at the beach, often putting them in very close proximity to

A La Porte City Hall employee recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to Mayor Tom Dermody. “This news is a sobering reminder to all of us that the coronavirus situation is far from over,” Dermody said. “We are keeping this individual in our thoughts and prayers during this time, and we will continue taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our employees and residents as the pandemic maintains its hold in the United States.” City Hall was closed to all employees on Tuesday to allow for deep cleaning. Though the CDC recommends that only those displaying symptoms be tested,

Valparaiso Police Mourn the Loss of Officer It is with great sadness; the Valparaiso Police Department announces the loss of Sergeant Steve Kobitz. Sergeant Kobitz end of watch came May 25, 2020,  as a result of cardiac complications.  Sgt. Kobitz was in an on-duty status when he was discovered in distress while in his police vehicle, which was parked in the lot of the Valparaiso Police Department.  Sgt. Kobitz was immediately tended to by his fellow officers when he was discovered, and Valparaiso Fire soon responded and took over treatment.  Sgt. Kobitz would later succumb to his condition while at

Franciscan Alliance has added a new feature to the Franciscan MyChart application called On My Way. The On My Way feature allows patients to see wait times and easily reserve their spot in line at all Franciscan ExpressCare locations in Indiana and Illinois. Saving your place in line is as easy as opening the Franciscan MyChart application on any smart phone or tablet device, clicking on the On My Way icon and answering a few simple questions. Patients without the Franciscan MyChart app can still use On My Way by going through a link on the FranciscanExpressCare.org website. With On

On Sunday, May 24th, 2020, at approximately 10:00 P.M., officers from the Michigan City Police Department responded to the area of Washington Park Lot 1, for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located a 17-year-old male subject that was shot during this incident. His injuries were non-lifethreatening, and he was treated and released. A short time later, officers were dispatched to Franciscan Hospital in reference to a second gunshot victim that was brought to the emergency room. The 25-year-old female victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was also treated and released. Additionally, two vehicles sustained damage as a

In Hanna Township, LaPorte County this past Thursday evening, off-duty Sergeant Tony Wallace was alerted to a suspicious site and items that had been found on private property in the 5000 west block of Volk Road. The site and items were discovered by an adult female who resides in the area. The suspicious site was a hole that was approximately three feet wide, approximately ten feet long and approximately two feet deep. The hole was located just east of the Richman Ditch in a small wooded area. Clothing and a shovel were also located near the hole. After responding and

In Lake County, the ramp from Kennedy Ave southbound to I-80/94 eastbound is closed through Thursday, May 28. The Kennedy Ave northbound ramp to I-80/94 eastbound will not be impacted. Drivers should seek an alternate route. If going southbound on Kennedy Ave, drivers can utilize U.S. 20, 169th St, 173rd St or Ridge Rd to get to State Road 912 and then on I-80/94 eastbound from there.

This past Friday, Governor Holcomb announced he has asked the State Budget Agency (SBA) to initiate plans to reduce state agency appropriations by 15 percent for Fiscal Year 2021 because of the sharp drop in state revenues that was reported for April and to prepare for a continued decline in state revenue because of the economic impact of COVID-19. The SBA already has initiated actions to reduce spending for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Cost savings measures were instituted in April to review operations, space, travel, hiring and many other areas for savings. In

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 16.9 percent for April and is higher than the national rate of 14.7 percent. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 40,450 over the previous month. This was a result of an increase of 446,017 unemployed residents and a decrease of 486,467 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.23