News

Law enforcement officials from throughout LaPorte County gathered on Tuesday with organizers of the Bolt for the Heart Family 5K to tout the effort to bring lifesaving automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to every squad car in the county. The inaugural Bolt for the Heart 5K Family Run/Walk, presented by Franciscan Health, will be 8AM on Sunday, Sept. 8th in Washington Park. The eight law enforcement departments in LaPorte County are partnering with Bolt for the Heart and Play for Jake in this event, where 100 percent of the proceeds will go toward the goal of placing AEDs in police cars

The ramp connecting westbound I-94 to southbound I-65 will close Monday, July 29, for approximately one week. Crews will be working on a bridge deck overlay and doing joint repairs. The detour will have drivers use the ramps at SR 53 (Broadway) to get to eastbound I-94 and access southbound I-65.

Indiana State Police (ISP) and Portage Police Department have each received a report about a possible police impersonator who came into contact with two different women within nine days of each other. ISP received a report of a female who was stopped on I-65 south bound at the 249 mile marker (109th Street exit-Crown Point) on July 8th at approximately 9:50 p.m., she stated that the vehicle was a late model black/dark blue Ford Crown Victoria with red/blue lights inside the windshield.  The male white driver, described as older, with short gray hair and a moustache, wearing brown/khaki pants with a

The LCSO is partnering with Bolt for the Heart, a Carmel based non-profit organization, Franciscan Health and the Play for Jake Foundation, for a Family 5K Run/Walk. The event will be Sunday, September 8th, at 9AM, in Washington Park. The event will assist by raising awareness of heart disease and equip EVERY police vehicle in La Porte County with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).To learn more and sign up check out www.boltfortheheart.com

Last summer, the Chesterton Branding Leadership Team (CBLT) conducted the Downtown Chesterton Survey to learn what residents and non-residents do in downtown Chesterton, what activities and businesses they want in the downtown, and if they support Chesterton becoming a quiet/safe train zone. The survey had three open-ended questions, and each question had over 1,000 responses. The responses are summarized in the final report. People were asked what changes they wanted to see in downtown Chesterton. Responses covered both downtown and other parts of Chesterton. Respondents were asked what kinds of activities they would like to see in downtown. The report

Governor Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources director Cameron Clark recently announced details of the second round of the Next Level Trails grant program, including three workshops in August for interested applicants. Next Level Trails, which will dedicate $90 million of State funds over the life of the program, is the largest infusion of trail funding in state history. The grant program is divided into two components: a $70 million fund for regional projects and a $20 million fund for local projects. Each requires a minimum 20 percent project match, which can include monetary contributions, land value, and in-kind donations

Yesterday, executives of Tri-Pac will celebrate the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in South Bend. The company will be joined by state and local officials. Tri-Pac, a chemical manufacturer of aerosols and liquids, confirmed plans in 2017 to relocate its medical device, over-the-counter and specialty chemical manufacturing operations from Michigan, to South Bend. The new $8 million, 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is located on 10 acres in St. Joseph County and is already operational. To support its new Indiana operations, Tri-Pac committed to creating up to 70 new jobs by the end of 2020 and has already hired nearly

INDOT announces that the intersection of U.S. 41 (Calumet Avenue) and Conkey Street is closing Wednesday as part of a project initiated by the City of Hammond to build a pedestrian bridge connecting the Erie Lackawanna Trail.Crews will be installing beams on that new bridge. The intersection will close by 6 a.m., reopening by 8 p.m. 

Yesterday, Senator Mike Braun, Senator Todd Young, Representative Pete Visclosky (IN01), Representative Jackie Walorski (IN-02), Representative Jim Banks (IN-03), and others around the state introduced legislation honoring the 50th Anniversary of the return of the Indiana Rangers. An official statement from the Press Office of Senator Mike Braun explained, “The Indiana Rangers and all members of the armed forces who served in the Vietnam War continue to be held in the highest possible regard by their community and the United States; we honor the service of this unit on the 50th anniversary of the return of the Indiana Rangers; and for

State Road 39 is closed in LaPorte and Starke counties while crews perform chip seal operations. The road will close between U.S. 30 and State Road 8 and is anticipated to reopen by the end of Tuesday, weather permitting. State road detours must use state-maintained roads only. Detours will be posted.

The Indiana State Police along with Troopers from Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania will be conducting state-wide patrols targeting violations of the “Move Over” laws in each of those states beginning Sunday, July 21. The project, which was initially started by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, encompasses the five states that border the State of Ohio. Troopers in all participating states will be conducting high visibility enforcement and education of the “Move Over” law. Indiana state statute 9-21-8-35(b) requires vehicles to “move over or slowdown.” Indiana statute 9-21-8-35(b) and (c) states: (b) Upon approaching a stationary authorized emergency

A Kouts Woman has been indicted for willful failure to pay federal payroll taxes. Sixty-one year old Kathy L. Lynch, of Kouts, was indicted on nine counts of willful failure to pay federal payroll taxes, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch. The Indictment alleged that Lynch has owned and operated two health care clinics, Kouts Health Care, Inc. and its predecessor company Kouts Family Health Care, Inc. since January 1999. As alleged in the Indictment, between January 1999 and September 2015, Lynch withheld payroll taxes (i.e., federal income taxes and Medicare and Social Security contribution taxes) from her employees’ paychecks but failed

The Indiana General Assembly passed a new law this year that is now in effect (Senate Enrolled Act 363) requiring a Hunting Guide License for those that provide hunting guide services for money or other goods or services (barter or trade). The license costs $100 a year. The application for the license and monthly report form can be found at wildlife.IN.gov/2371.htm While hunting guides (also called outfitters) have not been licensed by the Indiana DNR in the past, fishing guides have been licensed for a number of years. The Indiana General Assembly also modified language for penalties as it pertains

This past Friday, just before 10:30 pm deputies from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 2500 North block of US Highway 35 in reference to a two-vehicle motor vehicle crash. It was determined that a Chevrolet Cobalt had struck a Toyota Tundra head-on. The Chevrolet was operated by 27 year old Kimberly Morehouse of La Porte, and the Toyota was operated by 45 year old Agustin Flores-Garay of Chicago. Morehouse was pinned in her vehicle and had to be extricated by firemen. Both Morehouse and Flores-Garay were transported to South Bend for treatment of serious injuries. The

Four ramps connecting Cline Avenue and Michigan Street in Gary being paved this week. The ramps connecting eastbound Michigan to southbound Cline; and connecting southbound Cline to eastbound Michigan are closed through Tuesday. The ramps connecting westbound Michigan to southbound Cline; and connecting southbound Cline to westbound Michigan will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Valparaiso Police are reminding residents that National Night Out is almost here. Register your neighborhood by July 29th to get involved in the August 6th event. Contact Sgt. Hall at 219-462-2135 (ext. 2376) or at jhall@valpopd.com before it is too late.

Michigan City Police Announced the retirement of Officer Doug Samuelson. Samulson is retiring after 22 dedicated years of service Additionally Doug has been and will continue to be the FOP Dunes Lodge 75 President.

INDOT announced that a bridge deck overlay project is set to begin today on State Road 312 in East Chicago. The bridge over the Indiana Harbor Canal – just east of U.S. 20 – will have one lane of traffic maintained in each direction during the project, which is anticipated to wrap up by mid-August.

The former host of the Outdoor Channel hunting show “Fear No Evil,” has pled guilty in federal court to unlawful transportation of wildlife, in violation of the Lacey Act. Forty-one year old Christopher Brackett, of East Peoria, Ill., admitted to killing two bucks within minutes of each other in Indiana in December 2013 while filming an episode for his show. Indiana law only allowed hunters to kill one buck per season. Brackett also admitted to transporting the larger buck, which he nicknamed “Unicorn Buck,” across state lines to his home in Illinois. The footage featuring “Unicorn Buck” appeared on an

Indiana’s unemployment rate drops to 3.5 percent for June and remains lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. Indiana’s labor force had a net decrease of 10,126 over the previous month. This was a result of a decrease of 3,123 unemployed residents and a decrease of 7,003 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.39 million, and the state’s 64.8 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 62.9 percent. In addition, regular unemployment insurance claims in the reference week (12th of the month) continue to