News

The Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law heard Sen. Young’s SB 488 on public defenders authorizing the Indiana Public Defender Commission to create a system for and guidelines governing multi-county public defender offices. The bill also specifies term limits, member appointments, and meeting requirements for the joint board of a multi-county public defender’s office.Representatives of the Indiana Public Defender Council and Public Defender Commission testified in support of this bill. The bill passed 7-0.

More Hoosiers are working than ever before, as Indiana ended 2018 by reporting record employment numbers for the year and job gains in every major sector measured by the state.The Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported on Jan. 18 that the total number of employed Hoosiers in December preliminarily reached 3,284,190, while private employment hit 2,731,600—both new highs for the state. Total preliminary private employment in 2018 grew by 42,700 people from the previous peak in December 2017, according to DWD. Dating back to July 2009, Indiana has gained 408,400 private jobs since state employment bottomed out during the recession.

Wednesday, the President and Board Members of the Bolt For The Heart (BFTH) foundation were welcomed to Governor Holcomb’s office for a personal “Thank you” for donating an additional 134 AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) units to the Indiana State Police. This brings the total number of AED units donated to the state police to 465 and marks the fulfillment of a 2014 pledge by BFTH to put an AED in state police road patrol vehicles. The value of this donation exceeds $600,000.Gov. Holcomb visited with Pierre Twer, the President of the BFTH, a non-profit organization, along with BFTH Board Members,

Indiana residents in favor of stronger gun laws are optimistic that 2019 will be the year that background checks are expanded. A pair of bills were introduced in the U-S House and Senate (H.R. 8/S. 42) that would extend the federal background-check requirement to all gun sales, including private sales. However, Edmund Smith with Hoosiers Concerned about Gun Violence explains there's a similar effort at the statehouse. Senate Bill 307, introduced by State Senator Mark Stoops (D-Bloomington), would require the sale or purchase of firearms to have to be completed through a licensed state dealer, with a background check. It

Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 15.  A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after midnight. Check back for updates on warming centers throughout the area.

With extreme cold forecast in the next week, Mayor Meer would like to remind the citizens of Michigan City that several warming centers will be open.Warming centers will be available at the following locations: Michigan City Police Station (24 hours) 1201 E. Michigan Blvd.  Michigan City Fire Administration Building (8am-4pm, Monday-Friday) 2510 E. Michigan Blvd.  Michigan City Senior Center (8:00am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday)2 on the Lake Michigan City City Hall (8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday)100 E. Michigan Blvd. Michigan City Public Library (during regular business hours) 100 E. 4 th  Street Keys to Hope Community Resource Center (8:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-12pm, Sunday-Saturday) 1802 Franklin Street Mayor Meer urges the citizens of

It has been recorded that more ice was shipped from La Porte County than from any other place west of the Hudson River. Keeping food cold in our early history was not an easy job, and ice harvesting on the lakes in the county was a major industry. Learn about the various companies that were involved in this industry, their locations as well as tools of the trade, methods of harvesting, and more. Travel back in time to touch actual blocks of ice donated by City’s Pure Ice, Inc.! Be sure to be here Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 9:00

Mayor Ron Meer is happy to announce that on January 19, 2019, the city made their final 2-million-dollar BAN (Bond Anticipatory Note) payment on the new Michigan City Police Station.  Soon after taking office in 2012, Mayor Meer and his administration began discussions regarding the construction of a new state of the art police department building on the site of the previous Eastport School. Working with Michigan City Area Schools Superintendent, Dr. Barbara  Eason-Watkins and then State Representative Scott Pelath, the city was able to secure the Eastport property in exchange for providing the school system a school resource officer

The Indiana State Police were requested by Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds to investigate a police action shooting involving one of his officers. Just after 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, evening, they received a call to assist EMS with a suicidal subject that resided in the 700 block of McCool Road in South Haven.  Two Porter County officers arrived at the home and attempted to get the person to answer the door, a third officer arrived and when they looked through one of the home’s window they saw a male, 46 year old Kevin Grant Vawter, of Valparaiso, who was bloody. The

The South Shore Line plans to provide substitute bus service between South Bend and Michigan City Carroll Ave. today, until EB Train 503 on Saturday, Jan. 26, in response to a frigid temperatures forecast. Weather conditions will be re-evaluated prior to Train 503 on Jan. 26 to determine if service may resume between South Bend/Carroll Ave.Service is suspended to and from Hudson Lake while substitute bus service is in effect. The South Shore Line encourages Hudson Lake passengers to board at Carroll Ave. Station for train service.Buses will arrive and depart with passengers to match the published Monday-Friday train schedule

State Rep. Jim Pressel, LaPorte County Farm Bureau members Mark Scarborough, Matt Schafer, Gene Schmidt, Joe Tuholski, Mike Schultz and Otto Werner. The group met with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis to discuss important agriculture-related issues. As the state’s chief executive on agriculture and rural affairs, Crouch advised the group on ag issues as they relate to LaPorte County and the state.

La Porte Schools ClosedHobart Schools - ClosedPortage Schools - 2 HoursValparaiso Schools - 2 HoursMichigan City Schools - ClosedWestville Schools - 2 HoursDuneland Schools - 2 HoursSouth Central Schools - 2 HoursMarquette Catholic - Late Start - 10amNew Prairie - Closed

The South Shore Line plans to provide substitute bus service between South Bend and Michigan City Carroll Ave. today until EB Train 503 on Saturday, Jan. 26, in response to a frigid temperatures forecast. Weather conditions will be re-evaluated prior to Train 503 on Jan. 26 to determine if service may resume between South Bend/Carroll Ave.Service is suspended to and from Hudson Lake while substitute bus service is in effect. The South Shore Line encourages Hudson Lake passengers to board at Carroll Ave. Station for train service.Buses will arrive and depart with passengers to match our published Monday-Friday train schedule

WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR Lake, Porter-Newton, and Jasper counties until noon today. Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 25 below zero expected. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will combine to create low wind chills. Frostbite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and gloves.

The Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter is hosting a Community Forum in Valparaiso to better understand the needs of the community and reach more residents affected by the disease. The public is invited to come together to ask questions about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, share their personal experiences, learn about available resources and discover volunteer opportunities. An estimated 2,700 people in Porter County are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and another 8,000 are caregivers. Nearly 27,000 residents are over the age of 65, putting them at increased risk of developing the disease.Community Forums are hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association in

Congressman Pete Visclosky (D-IN) announced today that Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) will be the new Chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus. Congressman Visclosky will continue to remain an active participant and steadfast supporter of the Steel Caucus’ mission.Congressman Pete Visclosky stated, “I am incredibly fortunate to have been on the staff of Congressman Adam Benjamin Jr. during the formation of the Congressional Steel Caucus, and since that time to also have served as Vice Chairman and Chairman.  The Caucus has always been an open and nonpartisan organization dedicated to supporting our steelworkers and the American steel industry. The Caucus has

The Michigan City Human Rights Department is updating its Local Hiring Registry. They are seeking qualified residents with documented experience in the building and construction trades that have an interest in working on municipal funded projects. Your name will be added to the list of Michigan City residents who are available to work with local contractors.  Those individuals with any union affiliation are encouraged to submit their information. A resume and copies of any training records should be included. All previous information will be purged from the Hiring Registry. For further information, contact the City of Michigan City, Human Rights Department,

The Indiana Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is providing services as usual during the federal government shutdown and has funding to support benefits through March. Clients are not currently experiencing any changes to their benefits because of the shutdown.Indiana WIC will continue to work with federal and state partners to make plans should the shutdown extend past March and will provide additional updates as needed.WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to social service programs for families and is available in all 92 Indiana counties. The Indiana WIC program currently serves an average of 145,000 women,

With extreme cold forecast in the next week, Mayor Meer would like to remind the citizens of Michigan City that several warming centers will be open. Warming centers will be available at the following locations: Michigan City Police Station (24 hours) 1201 E. Michigan Blvd. Michigan City Fire Administration Building (8am-4pm, Monday-Friday) 2510 E. Michigan Blvd. Michigan City Senior Center (8:00am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday) 2 on the Lake Michigan City City Hall (8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday) 100 E. Michigan Blvd. Michigan City Public Library (during regular business hours) 100 E. 4th Street Keys to Hope Community Resource Center (8:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-12pm, Sunday-Saturday) 1802 Franklin

The Indiana Department of Insurance market conduct examination of First American Title Insurance Company resulted in findings that some Indiana consumers were being overcharged for their title insurance from 2006-2008. First American is based in Nebraska and is licensed to sell title insurance in Indiana. As a result of these findings, Indiana Department of Insurance Commissioner Stephen W. Robertson ordered First American to reimburse consumers $3,126,103 plus an additional $38,142 for violating Indiana’s Gross Premium Tax Statute by underpaying taxes on the premium charged to consumers from 2006-2008. First American also has been ordered to implement corrective measures.First American filed a