News

Thirteen local organizations will receive grants from NIPSCO—totaling $50,000—to help fund their safety and educational projects and programs throughout northern Indiana. “This was the first year we offered this grant and we were impressed to see the number of applications we received,” said Karen McCoy, public affairs manager. “Public safety, education and training, in all forms, are very important to us at NIPSCO and we’re excited to be able to assist these organizations in their mission.” This year’s recipients include: · Valparaiso Police Department, Project Safe Pathways · City of Hammond Fire Department, Fire Prevention Education · La Porte County

The Valparaiso Police Department is accepting applications for individuals seeking a career in law enforcement. The department will be testing individuals from these applications and from applications on file. Full application packets are available at the Valparaiso Police Department, located at, 355 S. Washington St. A complete application packet can also be downloaded from the department’s website atwww.valparaisopolice.organd returned to the department by mail. The minimum requirements needed to apply are: must be 21 yrs of age or older; hold a high school degree or GED; be a United States Citizen; possess a valid driver’s license and have no prior felony

This Friday, Olympic hopeful and American long jumper Norris Frederick will be giving a motivational speech to 800 juniors and seniors at Michigan City High School. In partnership with Indiana-based Sour Punch, the speech aims to spread their new brand purpose: “Embrace Your Punch,” a message of acceptance and self-love, which is important for today’s youth as teen suicide rates continue to rise. Leading up to October’s National Bullying Prevention month, the speech offers insight on how Sour Punch, the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana, and Norris are working to make a difference in the community. As someone

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is again reminding Hoosiers to be cautious about investments involving Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrency-related investment products. She is also reminding those who seek to sell these products to be aware of the laws pertaining to these investments. If these products qualify as securities, they should be registered with the appropriate regulatory agencies or qualify for an exemption from registration. The registration process provides some protection for investors by subjecting the offering to regulatory review. But even registered offerings can be fraudulent. Investors therefore should perform their own thorough due diligence before investing

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has been recognized among the best regional universities in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, released today. PNW ranks 35th nationally among the Best Engineering Programs, of engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Purdue Northwest’s undergraduate business program has also been rated as one of the top programs among those accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). “Purdue Northwest is committed to academic excellence, and the recognition of these high-performing academic programs further validates the quality of our faculty members, facilities and the education our students

The Chesterton Branding Leadership Team will show a video entitled "Why Downtowns Are Back and Why We Should Care". The video is from the Destination Development Association, experts on branding, marketing and more importantly, developing a destination and developing downtowns. The video is part of a series that shows the steps needed to successfully develop a downtown. The downtown is a community’s number one economic development recruiting tool. The members of the Chesterton Branding Leadership Team were impressed with the video and the information the video provided. The group agreed that CBLT should share this video at a town council

For three decades, U.S. News & World Report has identified Valparaiso University as one of the best universities in the Midwest. In the 2019 edition, released yesterday, Valpo is the No. 5 Best Regional University in the Midwest, No. 5 Best Undergraduate Teaching University and No. 1 Best Value in the Midwest. Notable U.S. News rankings: Valpo is No. 5 in the ranking of Best Regional Universities in the Midwest, which evaluates academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate and alumni support. Ranked No. 5 among regional universities in the Midwest for best undergraduate teaching, with

The Indiana Debate Commission announced the selection of Purdue University Northwest as the site of the first of two debates between U.S. Senate incumbent Democrat Joseph Donnelly and challengers, Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton. The debate will be held at 6 p.m. CDT on Monday, October 8 in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex on Purdue Northwest’s Westville Campus located at 1401 S. U.S. Highway 421.

TEAM WIMS celebrated with First Trust Credit Union, Al’s Supermarkets, and the Salvation Army at the Stuff a BUS on Saturday morning from 9a-11a at the Al’s Supermarket on Franklin in Michigan City. Generous people made a difference by buying bags of food for $5.00 or vouchers helping those that need our help in the community. For great photos and video of the event check out the WIMS Facebook and Twitter pages!

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this week led a group of Senators in urging President Trump to commit to meaningful US engagement during the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis (TB). The Senators said committing to not only sustained but expanded investment in the fight against this infectious disease is what’s needed to defeat TB in the US and around the world.Senators Young and Brown penned the letter to the administration alongside several other senators.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) announced that applications are being accepted from Indiana public school corporations for the Indiana Propane School Bus grant program. This marks the fourth round of grant funding made available by OED dedicated to propane school buses. Grant recipients will receive between 50 percent to 100 percent of the incremental cost difference between a new propane-powered school bus and a diesel or gasoline-powered school bus. To be eligible, Indiana public school corporations must own their own buses. Projects must involve the purchase of a minimum of two new propane school buses. Applicants must have

Following a years-long legal effort, Attorney General Curtis Hill prevailed in holding responsible for damages a public employee who bilked the City of Warsaw out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Former Street Superintendent Lacy Francis Jr. participated in a kickback scheme involving a private contractor, Pro Form Pipe Lining Co., and its owner, Marc Campbell. Francis helped the company win bids on 11 city projects involving installation of new lining for sewer pipes. The company deliberately overcharged for its work – sometimes by claiming to have done more work than what was actually performed – and shared the windfall

Attorney General Curtis Hill announced that he has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the death sentence of Fredrick Baer, a man convicted of brutally slashing to death a 4-year-old girl and her young mother. After being convicted of murder, attempted rape and theft, Baer was sentenced to death. His convictions and sentence were twice affirmed by the Indiana Supreme Court, and a federal district court denied Baer’s request for habeas corpus. Now, several years later, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Baer was entitled to habeas relief in the form of

The La Porte Police Department will conduct its final Aggressive Driving and Dangerous Driving Patrols for Operation Pull Over funded patrols for Fiscal Year 2018. Officers will focus on driving behaviors that lead to Aggressive or Dangerous driving habits. These would include but not limited to Speeding, Illegal Passing, Passing a School Bus with its Stop Arm extended, Reckless Driving, and more. Extra patrols will be conducted from now until the end of September. The La Porte Police Department asks the public to be vigilant of their driving habits to ensure not only the safety of themselves but also the

The South Shore Line will be busing passengers on three trains early Sunday, Sept. 9, while they complete switch work in the Miller area. The busing will take place from Dune Park to Gary Metro Center. EASTBOUND: On early Sunday, Sept. 9, Train #613 andTrain #601 passengers will be bused from Gary Metro Center to Dune Park Station to match our published weekend schedule, making all intermediate stops. South Shore Line passengers will load the bus near the loading zone at Gary Metro Center. WESTBOUND: On Sunday, Sept. 9, Train #600 passengers will be bused from Dune Park Station to Gary Metro Center to match our published

The Purdue University Northwest Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events opens its fall movie series, in collaboration with the Michigan City Public Library at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., Michigan City. The series runs on the third Sunday each month through November. All show times are at 2 p.m. This fall's lineup includes: September 16 - "Phantom Thread" A 2017 American period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps. Set in the glamour of 1950's post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds

Valparaiso Police are investigating a robbery that occurred on Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m.at the CVS Pharmacy on Calumet Ave. Police arrived and learned that a male subject had entered the store and demanded Xanex from the pharmacy. The male then fled the store westbound on foot after obtaining a large quantity of Xanex pills.The male subject was described as a male white, 6’0” tall with a thin build. He was wearing a blue hooded sweat shirt and camouflage tan pants. He had a dark colored mask over his face.Police continue to investigate the robbery and ask anybody with information

On Thursday September 6th Valparaiso High School Officials received information regarding a potential threat at the high school. School officials immediately notified Valparaiso Police of the potential threat. Valparaiso Police have opened an investigation regarding the threats and have since identified the individuals related to the investigation. Police continue to investigate. Police and school officials are releasing this information in attempt to dispel any misinformation (through social media and other media platforms) and to ease any public concerns regarding the safety at the Valparaiso High School. Police will be increasing patrols in and around the high school while they investigate

The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) announced that applications are being accepted from Indiana public school corporations for the Indiana Propane School Bus grant program. This marks the fourth round of grant funding made available by OED dedicated to propane school buses. Grant recipients will receive between 50 percent to 100 percent of the incremental cost difference between a new propane-powered school bus and a diesel or gasoline-powered school bus. To be eligible, Indiana public school corporations must own their own buses. Projects must involve the purchase of a minimum of two new propane school buses. Applicants must have

Following a years-long legal effort, Attorney General Curtis Hill prevailed in holding responsible for damages a public employee who bilked the City of Warsaw out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Former Street Superintendent Lacy Francis Jr. participated in a kickback scheme involving a private contractor, Pro Form Pipe Lining Co., and its owner, Marc Campbell. Francis helped the company win bids on 11 city projects involving installation of new lining for sewer pipes. The company deliberately overcharged for its work – sometimes by claiming to have done more work than what was actually performed – and shared the windfall