News

INDOT announced that the U.S. 12 (Indianapolis Boulevard) bridge over the Lake George Canal in Lake County will close Monday, April 1, through the end of June. Crews will be replacing the bridge deck on this drawbridge, along with resurfacing the road south to Columbus Drive. During construction, the bridge will be completely closed while the road leading up to the bridge from Columbus will be open to local traffic only. Northbound traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard will be detoured west on Chicago Avenue and north on U.S. 41 (Calumet Avenue) back to Indianapolis Boulevard. Southbound traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard will

A new report from the Indiana University Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy outlines a significant hurdle for Indiana nonprofits. The study suggests many lack basic technology tools to operate effectively. The report is based on Indiana-based nonprofits, spanning traditional public charities and religious congregations to other tax-exempt organizations like membership associations and advocacy groups. The study reviewed 1,036 Indiana nonprofits and found that 1/3 of those surveyed do not have an organizational website, although 60 percent use social media frequently or almost all the time. More than one-third

Indiana Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick issued a Statement Thursday on U.S. Secretary of Education’s call for the Elimination of Funding for the Special Olympics. “At a time when children across this nation deserve our support more than ever, I was extremely disappointed to hear our United States Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, call for the elimination of federal funding for the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics program goes beyond serving people with special needs. It exists as a national institution which showcases a spirit of inclusivity and respect across generations of Americans. The Special

Attorney General Curtis Hill on Thursday announced that his office has entered into a voluntary agreement for a license suspension of a Boone County pediatrician charged with multiple felonies. This agreement is between the Office of the Attorney General and Dr. Jonathon Cavins' counsel. Dr. Cavins, who practiced in Lebanon, was charged by the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office after a 12-year-old patient came forward with allegations he was inappropriately touched during a routine physical. The Office of the Attorney General has entered into an agreement with Dr. Cavins to suspend his medical license for 90 days while he is under

Michael Riehle recently was named president of chamber services for the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership. Riehle has spent 26 years in the financial services industry in banking as a commercial lender. The partnership was launched in February when the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce and the Greater La Porte Economic Development Corp. announced the organizations would move into a shared location but continue operating as separate entities with separate boards of directors. Riehel has provided his time, serving the community in a volunteer capacity for local non-profits, community boards and municipal associations. He has previously served as president

The West Lake Corridor Project, which would extend the South Shore Line eight miles and provide new rail service to Hammond, Munster and Dyer, has cleared another obstacle. The Federal Transit Administration recently gave the project a medium-high rating, according to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. The rating was needed for the West Lake Corridor Project to be considered for federal matching funds. The RDA said the next step for the project is for a request entry into the engineering phase, which the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, operator of the South Shore Line, is expected to do in

On Thursday, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Public Buildings Renewal Act of 2019, which incentivizes private financing to rebuild schools and public buildings through public-private partnerships. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) also joined as cosponsors of the bipartisan legislation that aims to spur needed infrastructure improvements. Once enacted, state and local governments would be able to enter into long-term contracts with a private sector company to design, build, finance, and/or operate the building for a defined period of time. Private investment in public building provides state and local governments with

The Franklin Street bridge in Michigan City was expected to remain closed until April 15th, but the La Porte County Commissioners announced that the bridge opened two weeks ahead of schedule on Thursday afternoon. The bridge has passed mechanical inspection and is cleared for operation.

United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Indiana Michael Dora announced more than $5.2 million in investments to help rebuild and improve rural water and wastewater infrastructure for 6,875 rural Indiana residents. Nationwide, USDA is working with local partners to provide financing for 49 water and environmental infrastructure projects. The funding is being provided through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. It can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents. Eligible communities and water districts can apply online on the interactive

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced that he is cosponsoring the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act (S. 151) to crack down on illegal robocall scams. The legislation, which was introduced by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), gives regulators more time to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties for those who are caught, promotes call authentication and blocking adoption, and brings relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address impediments to criminal prosecution of robocallers who intentionally flout laws.

Tuesday, the Lowell Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division filed charges on Lake County Sheriff’s Police Deputy Louis Vasquez after a three month investigation. The investigation was done at the request of the Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez. The investigation showed between September 2017 and November 2018, Vasquez accepted cash for completing at least 42 salvage vehicle inspection forms for Fast Import Cars, LLC of Knox, Indiana. These transactions are against Lake County Police Department policy and Indiana State code. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles considers a vehicle a salvage car if it was built in the last 7

INDOT announced that the U.S. 12 (Indianapolis Boulevard) bridge over the Lake George Canal in Lake County will close Monday, April 1, through the end of June. Crews will be replacing the bridge deck on this drawbridge, along with resurfacing the road south to Columbus Drive. During construction, the bridge will be completely closed while the road leading up to the bridge from Columbus will be open to local traffic only. Northbound traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard will be detoured west on Chicago Avenue and north on U.S. 41 (Calumet Avenue) back to Indianapolis Boulevard. Southbound traffic on Indianapolis Boulevard will

Michigan City-based Horizon Bancorp Inc. has completed its more than $135 million acquisition of Salin Bancshares Inc. in Indianapolis. As a result, all 20 Salin Bank and Trust Co. locations will be rebranded under the Horizon name. The acquisition was first announced in October. The closing of the deal brings the number of offices for Horizon to nearly 90 throughout Indiana and Michigan. Horizon says the acquisition enhances its core deposit base and expands its presence with new offices in Fort Wayne and Columbus and additional offices in Indianapolis and Lafayette.

13 new firefighters representing 6 region fire departments will celebrate the completion of a rigorous 9-week training academy at the Multi Agency Academic Cooperative (MAAC) Foundation this week. The graduation ceremony will be held on: Friday, March 29, 2019 at 6:00 PM at The MAAC, Emergency Services Training Campus located at 4203 Montdale Park Drive Valparaiso, Indiana 46383. The names of the graduates and their fire departments are the following:Justin Abascal, East Chicago Fire DepartmentJuan Avalos, East Chicago Fire DepartmentDawson Calvin, Hanna Township Fire DepartmentTyrone Jackson Jr., Gary Fire DepartmentBraden O'Kelley, Hobart Fire DepartmentGage Philp, East Chicago Fire DepartmentJames Pintor,

The Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society recently honored Scott Johnson, wildlife science program manager for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife, with the Hoosier Wildlife Award. The Hoosier Wildlife Award recognizes an individual who has made, or is making, a significant contribution to professional wildlife conservation in Indiana through research, management, law enforcement, education, or administration. Johnson’s contributions to wildlife conservation in Indiana include species restoration, population monitoring and management, and most recently, administration. He serves as Indiana’s state endangered species coordinator. Johnson has led efforts for the River Otter Restoration Program (wildlife.IN.gov/7438.htm), studied Allegheny woodrat populations (wildlife.IN.gov/3385.htm),

On Wednesday, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Pete Visclosky (D-IN) denied the Department of Defense’s request to use Defense funds for an unauthorized wall on the southern border of the United States. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to appropriate funds for designated and authorized purposes, and the reprogramming process has been historically utilized to allow Congress to maintain this Constitutional responsibility and oversight of Executive Branch requests to adjust funds to meet operational needs. However, the Department of Defense has indicated that – for the first time ever – it intends to move forward with the reprogramming action

Mayor Ron Meer is happy to announce that the City of Michigan City was just awarded a $1,000,000.00 matching grant (the maximum amount possible) to be used towards our roads from the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program from the State of Indiana. Mayor Ron Meer said on Tuesday, "This was a special team effort by the City of Michigan City and our consultants which allowed us to maximize our revenue and make this tremendous investment into our City's future. This is especially important as the extreme temperatures this past winter have taken a major toll on our local road system.

Indiana’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) is now accepting applications from families in 20 counties who may be eligible for grants for their children to receive high-quality, prekindergarten education through the On My Way Pre-K program for the 2019/2020 school year. The pilot program was expanded in 2017 from five to 20 counties to provide the benefits of early childhood education to more Hoosier children from low-income families. In addition to the five counties where On My Way Pre-K has been available since 2015 (Allen, Jackson, Lake, Marion and Vanderburgh) the program will be available for the

Disney Institute is bringing its renowned professional development course, Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence, to Valparaiso on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. Sponsored by Duneland and Valpo Chamber, the one-day event will help area professionals begin to understand the power of leadership values, discover how customer loyalty can be established, and gain insight into how organizational culture is strengthened. Participants gain an awareness of the systems and processes that can make exceptional customer service achievable and learn how to integrate personal creativity and organizational processes to support continuous improvement within their organization.This day of Disney Institute training uses business insights and

Tuesday, the Lowell Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division filed charges on Lake County Sheriff’s Police Deputy Louis Vasquez after a three month investigation.The investigation was done at the request of the Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez.  The investigation showed between September 2017 and November 2018, Vasquez accepted cash for completing at least 42 salvage vehicle inspection forms for Fast Import Cars, LLC of Knox, Indiana.  These transactions are against Lake County Police Department policy and Indiana State code.The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles considers a vehicle a salvage car if it was built in the last 7 model years