News

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) has made a tremendous investment in protecting Hoosier’s identities and preventing refund fraud, stopping over $9.7 million in fraud in 2018. Since the program’s inception in 2014, DOR’s identity and refund fraud protection program has stopped over $119 million in refund theft. As the income tax return fraud program has matured, and return fraud has decreased each year due to advanced technologies, DOR staff continues to enact new prevention programs. The Schedule C verification program was the most impactful prevention program in 2018, followed by the excess withholding program. Using similar data analytics, the

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that State Road 331 (Capital Avenue) in St. Joseph County will close Monday, Oct. 29, for up to two weeks between State Road 933 (Lincolnway East) and Jefferson Street. Crews will be removing existing beams from the bridge over the St. Joseph River as part of a bridge reconstruction project. Weather permitting, the road could reopen sooner than the two-week timeframe. INDOT will post updates via its social media channels: facebook.com/INDOTNorthwest and @INDOTNorthwest on Twitter. Northbound drivers on SR 331 (Capital Avenue) will be detoured east on SR 933 (Lincolnway East), north on

Purdue University Northwest (PNW), through its Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS), was recently awarded a cooperative agreement from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) to research the ability to predict the lifespan of electronic components. The principal investigators for PNW’s proposal, CIVS Director and Professor Chenn Zhou, Ph.D. and PNW School of Engineering Professor Hansung Kim, Ph.D., said their research using 3D modeling and simulation will help to accurately predict the lifespan of a system component in its real-time environment, as well as identify specific factors for causing or accelerating its degradation. The cooperative

This past Saturday afternoon, Valparaiso Police responded to Valplayso, 1448 Glendale Blvd., to assist the Valparaiso Fire Department for the report of a small fire to the shelter. Officer Michelle Kodicek arrived on scene and began to investigate. She located a damaged rear door to the shelter, which had been forced open, and a burning plastic beverage receptacle inside. Valparaiso Fire arrived on scene and extinguished the fire with an estimated $950 damage to equipment inside the building. There was no apparent structural damage to the shelter. While still investigating on scene, Officer Kodicek located two male juvenile subjects who

All veterans are invited to ride the South Shore Line for free through the weekend of November 9-11, 2018, and on Veterans Day (November 11), observed November 12. As train personnel walk through the train, please let them know that you are a veteran or active military personnel, and they will provide you a ride at no charge. No identification will be required. On Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, trains will follow the regular weekday train schedule. Up to three children 13 years of age and under may ride free with each veteran on off- peak weekday and all weekend

The cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) earned a first-place finish in the orienteering event at the Hobart Army JROTC Raider competition on Saturday, October 20th. Fifteen teams representing schools from throughout Indiana, Illinois and Michigan participated.  The other physically demanding events were the tire carry, rope bridge, fitness challenge, buddy carry, stretcher carry, pull-ups and a 2.5-mile run. “Our kids gave it everything they had,” said Marine Instructor Master Sergeant Jeff Benak. “There were some pretty fit schools, particularly the Army JROTCs, as the Raider comp is one of

Valparaiso Police responded to the area, of State Road 49 and LaPorte Ave. at around 1:22 a.m. for a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. A male subject was lying in the roadway on State Road 49 when struck by a tractor trailer.  The tractor trailer was traveling northbound on State Road 49. The male was transported to Porter Regional Hospital and later airlifted to a South Bend Hospital for further treatment. At the time of the crash police were unable to identify the subject.  Police have now learned the pedestrian is a 16-year old man from Illinois. He was reported

At approx. 11:30 am Friday morning, Courthouse security Deputies Jon Keene and Aaron King were physically attacked by in individual who was later identified as 37 year old Joshua Duncan, from Michigan City. At approx. 11:30 am, Joshua Duncan walked into the courthouse and as he entered the security checkpoint, he without provocation or warning “sucker” punched Deputy Keene in the nose. He then turned toward Deputy King and began physically assaulting Deputy King. Deputy Keene drew his issued taser, deploying it on Mr. Duncan. as the fight continued, both deputies were eventually able to gain control of and handcuff

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and while escaping a domestic-violence situation is not easy for victims, immigrant survivors of abuse face especially difficult challenges. According to the C-D-C, every minute in the U-S about 20 people are physically abused by their partner, and experts say immigrant women are especially vulnerable. Kerry Hyatt Bennett with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence says language barriers, distance from family and friends, misconceptions about U-S law and financial instability make it difficult to get away. But Hyatt Bennett says immigrant survivors of abuse can get help from the police, the courts, and other

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for September and remains lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent. The monthly unemployment rate is a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicator that reflects the number of unemployed people seeking employment within the prior four weeks as a percentage of the labor force. Indiana’s labor force had a net increase of 4,564 over the previous month. This was a result of a 337 decrease in unemployed residents and an increase of 4,901 employed residents. Indiana's total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3.39

Chesterton Police will be accepting unused prescription drugs on October 27 from 10am to 2pm. They will be in the parking lot on the south side of Broadway, across from the Police Station. No needles, inhalers, or liquids will be accepted.

At approx. 11:30 am Friday morning, Courthouse security Deputies Jon Keene and Aaron King were physically attacked by in individual who was later identified as 37 year old Joshua Duncan, from Michigan City. At approx. 11:30 am, Joshua Duncan walked into the courthouse and as he entered the security checkpoint, he without provocation or warning “sucker” punched Deputy Keene in the nose. He then turned toward Deputy King and began physically assaulting Deputy King. Deputy Keene drew his issued taser, deploying it on Mr. Duncan. as the fight continued, both deputies were eventually able to gain control of and handcuff

Beginning on Monday October 22, 2018, City of Michigan City Departments will be picking up leaves in all areas of the city. Leaf pick-up will occur daily, Monday through Saturday, until all leaves are picked up. All residents are encouraged to rake, blow, and/or place their leaves near the street curb along the front of their property. Compost will also be picked up along with the leaves starting on October 22, 2018. If citizens have branches that need to be picked up, you are asked to please call in your requests to the Central Service Department at 873-1500. The Street

Downtown businesses will be offering trick or treating for Duneland families this year on Friday, October 26, from 4-6pm. Parents and their children should look for purple flyers in the windows of participating businesses along Indian Boundary, Calumet and Broadway in Chesterton. The Duneland Chamber will be handing out candy along with other local business in the chamber parking lot as well.

Financial aid professionals will be volunteering at 39 sites in Indiana to help college-bound students and their families open the door to financial aid during College Goal Sunday. The event is set for 2 p.m. (local time), October 28th. The free program assists Indiana students in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA form is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and student loans at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. The FAFSA MUST be filed by April 15th to be eligible for Indiana financial aid. College Goal Sunday

NIPSCO will complete the final phase of natural gas system upgrade in Wheatfield as part of the company’s ongoing modernization plan to upgrade their natural gas infrastructure system. The upgrade has included adding a new natural gas regulating station to ensure safe and reliable natural gas service to customers in the Demotte and Wheatfield area. Monday, October 22 through Monday, October 29 NIPSCO and their contracted crews from NPL, TDW, and Mulcare will be performing a routine procedure which will tie two main natural gas pipelines together at the corner of 1300 N and 50 W and the corner of

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Center of Workforce Innovations on behalf of the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board (NWIWB) and other partner cities of Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS), with nearly $8 million in Trade and Economic Transition Dislocated Worker grant funding to help mature dislocated workers reconnect with employment in growth occupations and industries. The grant award will be used to coordinate and implement a regional strategy to recruit mature workers that have experienced a dislocation in sectors negatively impacted by technology and automation. Specifically, partners will use pre-apprentice and registered apprenticeship, customized, just-in-time training to develop best practice

The 2018 City of Hammond Veteran Appreciation Day Committee continues to celebrate Veteran’s Day through November 30 by requesting donations for deployed military personnel in conjunction with the Veteran Appreciation Day Parade. Donations will be accepted at the Hammond Civic Center on Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm in the Business Office. There will also be a huge banner to sign to say thank you to deployed military in each of the five branches of the Armed Forces. These banners will be available to sign in Hessville Park at the conclusion of the Veteran Appreciation Day Parade

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is a free and impartial counseling program for people with Medicare. SHIP is provided by the Indiana Department of Insurance and Administration on Community Living. SHIP is part of a federal network of State Health Insurance Assistance Programs located in every state. All of SHIP’s services are offered at no charge to consumers. SHIP is not affiliated with any insurance company or agency and does not sell insurance. SHIP is staffed by a crew of volunteer counselors who have completed intensive training to offer Medicare beneficiaries objective assistance in complete confidence. With more

Seven Michigan City Area Schools instrumental music students have been selected to participate in area honor bands. Barker Middle School students Kyra Krachinski (flute) and Jameer Nelson (bass clarinet) and Michigan City High School student Autumn Reynolds (alto saxophone) will participate in the Indiana Bandmasters Association (IBA) All Region Band on November 10-11 at Portage High School. Michigan City High School students Adam Howard (trumpet), Mia Taylor (clarinet), Trinity Clayton (oboe), and William Mansfield (tuba) will be participating in the IBA All District Honor Band on November 17-18 at Kankakee Valley High School.