News

Indiana Dunes Tourism (IDT) announces the election of two new members to its Board of Directors: Kurt Gillins and Matthew Soliday.Gillins was appointed by the Porter County Commissioners and will complete Jesse Harper’s term,  who was elected as a Center Township Trustee for Porter County. Gillins is the Vice President of Programs and Communications for the Valpo Chamber. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Valparaiso and has been involved with numerous productions at the Memorial Opera House. Gillins lives in Valparaiso with his wife, Patty, and daughter, Lilly. Soliday, who was also appointed by the Porter

Lisa Goodnight, Ph.D., a 25-year member of the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) faculty, has joined the senior leadership team as vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement.As vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement, Goodnight is responsible for all development, marketing and communications, alumni relations and strategic events functions of the university. She serves on the Chancellor’s Senior Leadership Team, chairs the Chancellor’s NCAA Division II Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Council and co-chairs the Multicultural Campus Council.Goodnight started her journey as a freshman on Purdue Northwest’s Hammond Campus in 1982. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication at Purdue Northwest and

On Wednesday, March 20, Michigan City Mayor, Ron Meer and the Human Rights Commission and will kick off DisAbility Awareness Month by saying “thank you” to Michigan City Area School Bus Drivers and Monitors and Student Support Services staff members who serve students with disAbilities.  A special early morning donuts and coffee event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at the MCAS Transportation Department where Mayor Meer, Director of Student Support Services, Stacy Attar and Carl Ridle, Executive Director of the Michigan City Human Rights Commission will say “thank you” to all who get our students to/from

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that nearly 3,400 Hoosiers will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and an estimated 1,100 will die as a result of the disease this year. Screening and early detection can save lives, and screening does not have to be expensive or uncomfortable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is urging Hoosiers to get regular screenings and make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce their risks of developing the disease, which is the third-most commonly diagnosed cancer among both

La Porte Hospital is opening the doors to its chapel for another “First Friday” concert.  On April 5, at noon, the musical ensemble, Knit Together will be playing and singing its popular southern gospel and folk music.  Instruments to be played for this performance include the soprano, baritone, and concert ukulele and a rain stick.Members of the group include Wayne and Lori Stefano, a local couple who have been married for nineteen years as well as Tammy Glanser who is married to her husband Gary.  The Glansers are proud parents of three children and many grandchildren.Selections for the April 5th,

Randall S. Moore, MD, MBA, will join Franciscan Alliance as senior vice president and COO for Franciscan Health and Care Solutions, Kevin Leahy, President and CEO of Franciscan Alliance, announced Monday. Dr. Moore will be responsible for assisting Franciscan Alliance achieve the quadruple aim of healthcare providers: improve the patient experience and satisfaction with care; improve the health of the population Franciscan is privileged to serve; reduce the cost of care; and improve the experience of providing care for the 18,000 coworkers of Franciscan Alliance’s healthcare ministry. Dr. Moore will work closely with all divisions within Franciscan to advance the

Barker Middle School held its third quarterly “STEM Community Challenge” on Friday, February 22. This quarter’s challenge was to design a paper airplane that would fly the farthest distance. Students on several Barker teams took on teams from elementary schools and area businesses and organizations.The winners were:3rd Place: Coolspring Elementary 6th grade "Apex Legends"2nd Place: Barker Mr. Trotter's IMPACT group1st Place TIE: Barker Ms. Pol's IMPACT group & Barker's Mr. Callaway's IMPACT groupThe first place teams both designed a plane that traveled the entire distance of the school gym and hit the wall each time in a 3-round “fly-off finale.”The

On Sunday at around 4:00 a.m., the Valparaiso Police responded to the Silhavy Rd. Holiday Inn Express in reference to a disturbance that occurred within a hotel room.  Upon arrival, police made contact with 40 year old Christopher Hotter, and 31 Lindsay Littlefield, both of Valparaiso. It was learned the two had been involved in a altercation while sharing a room at the hotel with three juveniles, all of whom were related to them.  During the investigation, police noted the extreme intoxication of both Hotter and Littlefield. It was determined they were unfit to care for the children, having placed

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is warning taxpayers to be on alert when getting phone calls claiming they have unpaid tax bills. These phone calls are often scams designed to threaten individuals with some sort of law enforcement or legal action in order to get them to send money towards bogus tax bills. The federal government’s Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) reports that 14,700 victims have paid more than $72 million as a result of phone scams since 2013.Customers should be aware that DOR and the IRS will never:Call demanding immediate payment using a specific payment method,

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.5 percent for January and remains lower than the national rate of 4.0 percent. With the exception of one month when it was equal (October 2014), Indiana's unemployment rate now has been below the U.S. rate for more than five years. 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 7,613 over the previous month. This was a result of an increase

South Shore Line will be offering 10% discounts on monthly passes during the month of March.During the February polar vortex, South Shore Line services were suspended for several days due to the extreme temperatures. Crews ran tests throughout the day and night during this time to determine whether rail lines were safe. Unfortunately, the record-breaking temperatures caused problems ranging from downed electrical lines on South Shore Line’s tracks to damage on Metra Electric District tracks that the SSL runs on in Illinois, resulting in cancelled service on both train lines. Metra and South Shore Line crews worked around the clock

Mayor Ron Meer is proud to announce the City of Michigan City’s recent inclusion in the State of Indiana’s Lead-based paint remediation program which is sponsored by Medicaid and administered through the Indiana State Department of Health. Home owners, Landlords, and Renters who live in a home, or own a home, built before 1978 can receive a free home inspection to determine if the residents are being exposed to lead-based paint hazards. Homes providing child care are also eligible for this service. If lead-based paint exists, this program will also pay for removal of the lead hazard. To be eligible

La Porte Physician Network has recruited a new family medicine physician, Dr. Tia Dorn, to Michigan City. Dr. Dorn’s office is located at the LifeWorks Campus, 3777 N. Frontage Road, Suite 400 in Michigan City. She is accepting new patients. She is board certified in Family Medicine. Her education and experience has left her with a special interest in women’s health, nutrition, homeopathy and outpatient procedures. To make an appointment with Dr. Dorn, call 219-877-3841. For more information, visit laportephysiciannetwork.com.

Work is set to begin Monday, March 18, on an intersection improvement project at U.S. 20 and SR 2 in Rolling Prairie. This project will see a “dogbone” interchange built at this location, eliminating the traffic signal and creating a bridge carrying motorists north-south with east-west traffic passing underneath. Roundabouts will be placed at the north and south ends of the bridge, creating the so-called “dogbone”. During the project, the corridor will be closed to north-south (LaPorte to New Carlisle) traffic between CR N 500 E and Oak Knoll Road, while east-west traffic (Michigan City to South Bend) will be

The Indiana Department of Transportation reminds middle and high schools teachers across the state that the application deadline for the 2019 Paint the Plow campaign is March 15. All schools interested in taking part in the program are encouraged to get their applications in before the deadline.Paint the Plow is open to all middle schools, high schools and career-technical schools across the state. Classes/programs from middle and high schools are invited to paint an INDOT snow plow blade with original artwork to represent their school. Applications and additional program details can be found here: painttheplow.indot.in.govIn addition to being seen in

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced the 2017-2018 Four Star Schools. Created by IDOE, the Four Star Schools designation recognizes great schools in Indiana.The Four Star School Award has been in existence for over 30 years. To receive Four Star designation, a school must receive an “A” on the state’s A-F accountability system and have excellent ISTEP pass rates. A total of 234 schools received the award.For more information regarding the Four Star School Award, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/accountability/four-star-schools. To view acomplete list of recognized schools, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/news/2017-2018-four-star-list.pdf. Local schools on the list: Saint Patrick School - Chesterton Saint Paul Catholic

Late Saturday evening, Deputy Trey Masterson was dispatched to the 2100 west block of Joliet Road, reference a noise complaint. At approximately 10:05 PM, Deputy Masterson arrived at the residence. He proceeded to stop his fully marked patrol vehicle in the driveway and prepared to exit. Then he observed a silver Kia going in reverse, moving directly towards his vehicle. Deputy Masterson activated his emergency red and blue lights in an attempt to alert the driver. However, the Kia continued and struck the front end of Deputy Masterson’s vehicle. As a result of the crash, Deputy Masterson immediately began an

Friday, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s announcement that it will deactivate an import alert on genetically engineered (GE) salmon and salmon eggs from entering the U.S. This is welcome news in Albany, Indiana, where AquaBounty made a $14 million investment – purchasing a defunct fish facility for cultivating GE salmon. The FDA had previously approved the facility and the product for human consumption, but production could not begin due to a provision in the 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act that resulted in FDA issuing an import ban. This important investment could create up

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced that State Budget Director Jason Dudich will leave his post in May to serve as the vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer of the University of Indianapolis. Dudich has served as the state budget director since 2017 after being appointed by Gov. Holcomb. During his tenure, Dudich developed, presented and managed one balanced budget and is diligently worked on a second. He has helped manage the fiscal operations of the state ensuring integrity as well as maintaining strong reserves and the state’s AAA credit rating. Dudich will continue in his current role through the

La Porte Physician Network has recruited a new family medicine physician, Dr. Tia Dorn, to Michigan City.   Dr. Dorn’s office is located at the LifeWorks Campus, 3777 N. Frontage Road, Suite 400 in Michigan City.  She is accepting new patients. Dr. Dorn has always wanted to be a doctor, primarily because she enjoys helping people accomplish their health and wellness goals.    Dorn said, “I love working with patients of all ages. My favorite part of family medicine is partnering with patients to help them accomplish their goals. We are a team working towards their optimal health.”  Dorn obtained her medical