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The second annual Diaper Drive by Franciscan Health employees and partners collected 20,000 diapers, distributing them to local organizations and helping more than 1,000 families in Northwest Indiana. The donations were distributed prior to the Christmas holiday to Franciscan Health Crown Point and Hammond Prenatal Assistance Programs, Duneland Healthy Families, Mental Health America of Northwest Indiana, Nurse Family Partnership and the Women’s Care Center. Becky Tilton, community health improvement coordinator, said Franciscan’s prenatal assistance program made it a priority to do a drive like this. Diaper insecurity is an often overlooked factor that can lead to child abuse and neglect,

SPatchy drizzle and fog before 4pm. Otherwise, a mostly cloudy day, with a high near 44 degrees.

Beginning 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 29th through 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 1st., troopers responded to numerous crashes, slide offs and assisting motorists calls.The concentrated area of problems was Interstate I-80/94 and I-65 through Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton and Jasper Counties. There were intermediate lane closures for crash cleanup and removal of wreckage in this area. The overwhelming cause of the crash incidents were motorists driving too fast for conditions. The information below is only calls for service along I-80/94 and I-65. Twenty two (22) Personal Injury Crashes (none life threatening)One hundred and eighty two (182) Property Damage CrashesForty nine (49) Slide

The Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law heard Sen. Koch’s SB 186 on enhancing penalties for some traffic crimes, like Operating While Intoxicated crimes and Leaving the Scene of the Accident, and consecutive sentencing for certain OWI crimes. The bill was amended in hearing to create a new crime of OWI resulting in catastrophic injury.  This will carry the same penalty as OWI causing death. A representative from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, victims, and and two county prosecutors testified in support of the bill. A representative from the Indiana Public Defenders Council testified in opposition of the bill.

Annually, the Valparaiso Police Department releases a summary of crime statistics, including traffic enforcement and arrests, as well as the top crash locations within the city. The crime statistics are major offenses that are defined by the FBI, while other collected data is gathered by the Valparaiso Police Department. In 2018, the City of Valparaiso had 442 major crimes reported, compared to 554 in 2017.  This is a 112 case reduction in major crimes, or 20% from 2017. Major crimes are classified as follows, with the 2018 reported cases in parenthesis:  homicide (0), rape (9), robbery (4), aggravated assault (24), burglary

More than 19,000 Hoosiers died from cardiovascular disease in 2017, making heart disease the leading cause of death in Indiana. February is American Heart Month, and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) encourages all Hoosiers to use the observance as an incentive to lowering their risk of developing life-threatening heart disease. Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. To lower your risk: Watch your weight, which includes eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits

Filing twice may put your refund on ice, warns the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR). By sending multiple tax filings, individuals are freezing tax processing in its tracks, ultimately delaying their potential refund. This is especially somethingDOR wants seniors to remember, as they may mistakenly file both Form IT-40 and SC-40 in an effort to claim the Indiana Unified Tax Credit for the Elderly.“Over 2,000 seniors mistakenly filed both the IT-40 and SC-40 last year claiming the Indiana Unified Tax Credit for the Elderly when only one of those forms was necessary,” explains DOR Commissioner Adam Krupp. “Unfortunately, most of

Late last week, NIPSCO , a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., announced the first phase of its plans to transition to lower - cost renewable energy resources, with the addition of three new wind farms that will be based in Indiana and tied into NIPSCO’s electric system serving nearly 500,000 electric customers. The announcement is part of the energy provider’s “Your Energy, Your Future” initiative – a customer - centric effort focused on delivering a more affordable and sustainable energy mix. Under NIPSCO’s plans to be coal - free by 2028, the company expects to begin replacing the coal - fired

Foggy conditions are expected throughout the day with freezing drizzle. Temperatures are supposed to warm up to 37 in the afternoon.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) announced a record-breaking year for small business growth Friday with the Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Indiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) helping launch 318 small businesses and secure $86.3 million in government contracts for Indiana businesses, respectively, in 2018. Together, the Indiana SBDC and Indiana PTAC assisted small businesses in the creation of 1,554 new jobs.  Along with leading Indiana's economic development efforts, the IEDC, which recently celebrated a second-consecutive, record-breaking year for new job commitments, works to support entrepreneurs and small businesses through the Indiana SBDC and Indiana PTAC networks.

Service on the South Shore Line will continue to be suspended through Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Out of an abundance of caution, Metra has determined that it continues to require additional time to address the damage to the Metra Electric District caused by a CN freight train derailment and adverse impacts from the extremely frigid weather.The SSL expects to be able to restore service on Sunday, Feb. 3. However, Sunday service is not a certainty at this time.SSL test trains will be operating Saturday, Feb. 2, to continue to assess track and wire conditions. These trains will not carry passengers.

According to a press release, The Valparaiso Police are investigating a general threat to school safety made Thursday by a 13-year-old male, while he was visiting family in Valparaiso. The male reportedly stated to Siri,“I am going to shoot up a school” and the reply identified multiple Valparaiso Schools due to his current location. The male then shared a screenshot of his Siri inquiry and response on social media. The male has been identified as a Chesterton Middle School student. His social media contacts shared this information with Chesterton Police, who contacted authorities in Valparaiso. The male made no direct

Yesterday, Indiana’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning awarded 22 grants from the School-Age Child Care Project Fund to school corporations and nonprofit organizations that offer care to school-age children. The grants, which total more than $1.53 million through the 2020 - 2021 school years, went to 22 public school corporations or nonprofit organizations that offer care to school-age children (ages 5 through 14), before or after the school day and when school is not in session. The recipients were chosen from a competitive field and represent 41 school-age child care sites in 14 Indiana counties. The grants supplement

Several of Indiana's state parks, state-forest and state-recreation properties are looking for volunteers to serve as campground hosts in exchange for free camping during their service. Hosts work a minimum of 20 hours per week. The volunteer period length varies at properties based on the number of applicants and on the amount and type of work required. Properties are looking for dedicated campers who enjoy working outdoors, as well as with people and DNR staff. A complete list of site availability and detailed information about hosting duties is at stateparks.IN.gov/2404.htm or you can contact the property where you would like

The second annual Diaper Drive by Franciscan Health employees and partners collected 20,000 diapers, distributing them to local organizations and helping more than 1,000 families in Northwest Indiana. The donations were distributed prior to the Christmas holiday to Franciscan Health Crown Point and Hammond Prenatal Assistance Programs, Duneland Healthy Families, Mental Health America of Northwest Indiana, Nurse Family Partnership and the Women’s Care Center. Becky Tilton, community health improvement coordinator, said Franciscan’s prenatal assistance program made it a priority to do a drive like this. Diaper insecurity is an often overlooked factor that can lead to child abuse and neglect,

Michigan City Area Schools - two hour delay La Porte Community Schools - two hour delay New Prairie Schools -two hour delay Westville Schools - two hour delay South Central - two hour delay Oregon Davis - two hour delay South Bend - two hour delay Tri-Township Schools - two hour delay - Wanatah-Lacrosse New Prairie - two hour delay Union Township Schools - two hour delay Marquette Catholic - 1.5 hour delay New Buffalo Schools - Closed

Regarding the travel status of the county, Porter County Government and Sheriff’s Office yesterday, stated “The initial alert level issued, has been LOWERED to Travel Advisory. A Travel Advisory means that routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas. Please exercise caution when driving, or avoid driving if possible.”

Turkey hunters can apply for a reserved turkey hunt online by visiting hunting.IN.gov from Feb. 4 to March 22. Click on the "Reserved Hunt Info" link. The online method is the only way to apply. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a valid hunting license for the species they wish to hunt. The application process is now consolidated into the online services website along with Licenses, Check-In Game, and HIP registration. A DNR online account is not required to apply. Hunts without registration fees will follow the same process as those with a fee. For hunts with

The Board of Directors of Shirley Heinze Land Trust announces the election of five new board members to three-year terms. Dale Nichols serves as Deputy General Counsel for The Northern Trust Company. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, American Bankers Association Trust Counsel Committee, and Section leader of the Chicago Bar Association Chorus. He is a resident of Chicago and Beverly Shores. Wendy Vachet is Regional Environmental Manager of Michael Baker International, Inc. in Chicago. She is a member of the American Planning Association, American Institute of Certified Planners, and a Board Member of the Miller Beach

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee is cosponsoring legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, more commonly known as the death tax. The bill, led by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), would end the punitive tax that negatively affects Hoosier farmers and small business owners. “Death should not be a taxable event,” said Senator Young. “Hoosiers should not be forced to sell a family farm or transfer ownership of a small business because of the loss of a family member. Let’s repeal the death tax once and for all.” The historic Tax Cuts