News

In separate judgments this month, Attorney General Curtis Hill successfully defended the State of Indiana against challenges brought by two Indiana Department of Correction inmates. On May 10th, the Indiana Court of Appeals denied inmate Hubert Williams’ appeal of a LaPorte Circuit Court decision. The circuit court earlier denied Williams' petition for writ of habeas corpus, in which he argued among other things that the conditions of his parole did not apply since he refused to sign his parole agreement. (A writ of habeas corpus is a court order requiring officials to prove that an inmate’s imprisonment is valid.) The

The La Porte County Extension Homemakers are again hosting Lend A Hand Day. The date is Tuesday, June 4th from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Community Building at the La Porte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W. St. Rd. 2, La Porte. We will be assembling quilts, bags, backpacks, lap robes, wheel chair totes, birthday bags, hats and many other items that will be donated to La Porte County residents through local service organizations. Donations of fabrics, notions, thread, yarn and supplies are always welcome! Bring your own sewing machine or use one provided. A light meal will be provided

A new study shows America's beer industry has a major impact on the Indiana economy. The Beer Saves America study, commissioned by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute, says the beer industry contributes $5.5 billion to the state's economy annually and supports nearly 36,000 jobs throughout the state. According to the study, the jobs impacted by the industry account for $1.5 billion each year in wages and benefits. The industry is broken down to three categories: brewers and importers, independent beer distributors, and licensed retailers. The study says the industry generates $680 million in business, personal, and

According to a press release, Attorney General Curtis Hill recently obtained a one-year suspension of the medical license of Dr. Faizuddin Shareef, a Lake County physician who gave prescriptions to patients battling addiction without regard to proper procedures and safeguards. In an administrative complaint against Shareef’s license filed in March, Attorney General Hill alleged that Shareef provided substandard care to patients, eight of whom died of overdoses. Among other things, Shareef routinely ignored urine drug screen results indicating patients were using non-prescribed medications and illicit substances. Some urine tests also showed patients were not using all the drugs prescribed to

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) receives wage reports and new hire data from Hoosier employers documenting who is employed and receiving compensation. The agency’s unemployment insurance fraud investigation taskforce examines claims of individuals who intentionally provide false, misreported or unreported information in order to fraudulently claim benefits. As a result of the taskforce’s investigations, local courts recently found these individuals guilty of unemployment insurance fraud: 48 year old Alejandro Galvan, of Crown Point was sentenced to 18 months of probation and ordered to repay DWD $6,246 for the benefits he fraudulently collected. 37 year old Jason Howard, of

Portage Police have received a few reports of some vandalism and destruction of equipment at local playgrounds (Hannah's Hope and Countryside). Police are working on a long term plan to address this, but they say they need your eyes and ears as well. What police suspect are some middle school and high school aged kids who have committed these acts. Some of the destruction is occurring by some teenagers playing on the playground equipment and jumping/bouncing up and down on it; when it was not designed for that kind of weight/use.

The northbound right lane and shoulder are closed on SR 49 at U.S. 30 in Valparaiso while crews work on a patching and resurfacing project in the area. As a result, the ramp connecting northbound SR 49 to eastbound U.S. 30 is also closed until mid-June.

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Mike Braun announced his staff mobile office hours in June to better assist Hoosiers.Braun stated, "My staff will be holding mobile office hours around the state to better assist Hoosiers in these areas and other concerns.”La Porte’s will be Wednesday, June 12 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at LaPorte County Courthouse, Suite 104Michigan City’s will be on Wednesday, June 5 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Michigan City City HallSenator Braun will announce further dates and locations for regular mobile office hours through his website, Facebook, Twitter, and email list.

Michigan City Paper Box Co. will invest nearly $500,000 for new equipment into its Michigan City operations, according to the Economic Development Corp. Michigan City, Ind.The investment also will help the company retain eight jobs, EDCMC said.Al Hoodwin, CEO of Michigan City Paper Box Co., is appreciative of the support the city has given to the company. According to a press release EDCMC is the oldest manufacturer in Michigan City.

The annual ritual known as “Signing Day” that occurs at many high schools across the country typically involves student-athletes agreeing to play a sport at a college or university that has recruited them, usually in exchange for a scholarship. But now more high schools are lending the term to recognize graduating seniors who have “signed on” to work for local employers instead of attending college—a career path that has gone largely ignored by school corporations. Some schools around the state held symbolic 'Signing Day' events in May to honor those seniors who have chosen to go straight into the workforce,

The Michigan City Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a structure fire at 1:46 AM on Thursday. The call came in as a confirmed fire in the 200 block of East 8th Street. Engine Company #1 located at 10th & Ohio was the first to arrive on scene. Upon arrival they found a three bay detached garage fully engulfed with flames along with a utility pole east of the structure on fire as well. It was reported that the fire had destroyed most of the structure prior to arrival. Engine Companies #2 & #4 responded as well and

The Michigan City Police Kiddie Parade will be taking place on Saturday June 22nd. This year’s theme is “Candyland” so MCPD is urging participants up to age 12 to dress as their favorite candy or a candy theme entry. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded. A host of celebrity judges will present. After the parade ice cream will be served to all participants. Registration begins at 1pm at Healthlinc located at 7th & Franklin St. Treat bags will be given to all participants. Judging will be at 1:15 pm through 1:45 pm. The parade begins at 2pm and runs north

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced this week that a U.S. district court judge has signed a consent judgment negotiated between 16 state attorneys general and a Fort Wayne web-based electronic health records company that allegedly sustained a data breach compromising the data of more than 3.9 million people.In December of 2018, Indiana led a multistate lawsuit against the company – Medical Informatics Engineering Inc. and NoMoreClipboard LLC (collectively “MIE”). This case was the nation’s first-ever multistate lawsuit involving a HIPAA-related data breach.With the signing of the consent judgment, the 16 States will receive $900,000 in payments due to the defendants’

DNR grants totaling $632,880 will be used to fight aquatic invasive plants in Indiana’s lakes. The grants were awarded by DNR director Cameron F. Clark through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program in the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. The 42 projects involve 62 lakes and one river in 15 counties. The applications were submitted by local sponsors who share at least 20 percent of the total cost. (For a list of 2019-2020 grant awardees, visit wildlife.IN.gov/3304.htm.)

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed more than 70 Walmart stores and 18 Rural King stores in the state have received rhododendron plants infected with sudden oak death (SOD), a fungal pathogen that kills oak trees. Shipments containing infested material were sent to nine other states as well.Workers from the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology have been visiting stores across Indiana to destroy any stock that has been found infested and quarantine any stock that is symptomatic. The DNR has destroyed approximately 1,500 infested rhododendron so far and pulled another 1,500 from stores. The DNR has also ordered

The City of Michigan City is announcing that mosquito adulticiding (spraying for adult mosquito control) is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5th or Thursday, June 7th (weather determining and permitting.) When spraying occurs, it will commence at dusk and continue through the night until finished. The city asks the public to be alert when they see trucks with flashing lights and a spraying ULV machine, and to please give them plenty of room.The public can help the City by policing their yard and home for these type of items:-Get rid of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles or any water

The Valparaiso Police Department will be hosting the North American Police Work Dog Association (N.A.P.W.D.A) National Seminar. The seminar will include police canine teams, as well as certified Master Trainers and Trainers from across the country. There will be approximately 150 police personnel in the City of Valparaiso during the week of June 9th—June 13th. The week will include training and certifications for all canine teams. The topics covered will include narcotics detection, explosive detection, cadaver, tracking, building search, area search, aggression control, and search and rescue. Along with the basic training skills, there will be venues set up for

Indiana Conservation Officers have recovered the body of 23 year old Jacob Sandy, of South Bend. Wednesday morning, an employee of Indiana Dunes State Park observed Jacob’s body on the shoreline near where he was last seen on Saturday May 18th. The DNR said that the official cause of death is pending, but is believed to be accidental drowning. Jacob was last seen kayaking near Porter Beach on May 18th just before a strong storm moved into the area. His kayak was located in New Buffalo, Michigan on May 21st. The DNR stated “The family wishes to express their gratitude

There will be a free child car seat check this Thursday at Franciscan Emergency Center in Chesterton. Properly used child safety seats can save lives, but they must be properly installed in the vehicle. Make sure that your child safety seat is properly installed at a free car seat safety clinic from 2:30 to 4:30 PM in the parking area of Franciscan Emergency Center, 770 Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton.

As the 2018-2019 school year comes to a close and the kids prepare for a fun summer off, Sheriff David Reynolds and Herb Stepherson author of Junkbox Diaries continue to speak to the students about the substance abuse problems in Porter County. Tuesday morning they stopped in at Washington Township High School.