News

Yesterday, Gov. Eric Holcomb outlined the immediate steps he will take to improve the state’s Department of Child Services (DCS)—including tapping the state’s surplus to increase support to the agency in key areas and appointing a new associate director to implement the recommendations of a just-completed agency assessment. The Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group (CWG) conducted the six-month assessment of the agency and developed 20 recommendations based on its findings. Gov. Holcomb called for this thorough review of the agency in Dec. 2017. The CWG report outlines 20 recommendations aligned to CWG’s findings regarding DCS’ strengths and challenges. The

A pair of ramps previously scheduled to close Tuesday, which connect I-94 to U.S. 20/U.S. 35 in LaPorte County, will now remain open for a while longer and will be closed for a shorter period of time once they do close as crews continue to work on a resurfacing project in the area. The ramps affected are the eastbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40B) connecting to U.S. 20 W/U.S. 35 N and the westbound I-94 ramp (Exit 40A) connecting to U.S. 20 E/U.S. 35 S. They will now remain open for up to two weeks and, once the closure occurs, it

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly helped the Senate pass the bipartisan annual national defense bill, which includes a number of provisions he led or supported that would support Indiana’s role in our nation’s defense and protect American security interests and U.S. defense-related jobs. Last week, Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor about his work to support Indiana’s role in the national defense and on protecting U.S. defense-related jobs. The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would support our troops and give them a pay raise, protect critical American national defense industry jobs, and bring resources to a number

Join the La Porte Chamber of Commerce for a breakfast on Tuesday June 26th at 8:00 a.m. to  hear special guest speaker Frank Cardello from the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board (NWIWB). The breakfast will take place at Bethany Lutheran Church, located at 102 G Street, La Porte. Frank Cardello is the treasurer of NWIWB and will present an overview of the Board and its significant role in the region. Mr. Cardello’s presentation will cover the NWIWB’s work on human capital development and the initiatives, resources, and incentives available to employers. The cost is $12 for Chamber members and $17 for

Indiana’s unemployment rate stands at 3.2 percent for May and remains lower than the national rate of 3.8 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 four 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 15,928 over the previous month. This was a result of a 2,659

On Saturday morning, La Porte County Sheriff's Office Deputies were dispatched to the intersection of US 6 and US 421, South Junction to a two-vehicle crash. Deputies arrived at the scene and began the crash investigation. One of the drivers, 89 year old Donald Machler of La Porte, died in this crash. Deputies at the scene requested the assistance of the Sheriff's Office Fatal Alcohol Crash Team (FACT). Members of FACT responded and have started an open investigation. Alcohol has been ruled out as being a factor in the crash.

Friday, Attorney General Curtis Hill announced a $100 million multistate settlement with Citibank for fraudulent conduct involving USD LIBOR -- a benchmark interest rate that affects financial instruments worth trillions of dollars and has a widespread impact on global markets and consumers. (The acronyms stand for “U.S. Dollar” and “London Inter-bank Offered Rate.”) forty-two state attorneys general involved in investigating this matter allege that Citibank misrepresented the integrity of the LIBOR benchmark to state and local governmental, not-for-profit, private, and institutional trading counterparties by concealing, misrepresenting and failing to disclose these facts: -Citibank, at times, made USD LIBOR submissions to

Friday, Indiana U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski applauded the passage of dozens of bills in the House aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. Next week, the House will consider legislation Walorski introduced to improve access to non-opioid pain treatments. The bill is named for Dr. Todd Graham, the South Bend doctor who was shot to death after refusing to write a prescription for opioid painkillers. The measures approved by the House include legislation to: Crack down on the shipment of illicit synthetic opioids into the U.S. from overseas -Prevent drug traffickers from circumventing

  Road construction crews have began the Johnson Road resurfacing project. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase 1 will be from US Highway 35 to CR 300 North. Phase 2 will be from CR 300 North to the area of US Highway 20. In the active construction zones, Johnson Road will be limited to one lane of travel. Motorists who must utilize Johnson Road should expect slowed traffic, traffic backups and large equipment being operated. LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office stated “If traveling along Johnson Road during this project, please adhere to the additional construction zone signage, maintain

SR 14 in Jasper County will be closed starting Monday, June 18, until early August between I-65 and CR 900 as part of a resurfacing project. Earlier this year, SR 14 was closed from U.S. 41 to SR 55 in Newton County due to safety concerns after a harsh winter. That stretch will also be resurfaced as part of this project. In addition, the section of SR 14 between SR 55 and I-65 will be resurfaced later this year, but will remain open until then. We’ll have more details on this project as it approaches.

Friday, Indiana U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski applauded the passage of dozens of bills in the House aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. Next week, the House will consider legislation Walorski introduced to improve access to non-opioid pain treatments. The bill is named for Dr. Todd Graham, the South Bend doctor who was shot to death after refusing to write a prescription for opioid painkillers. The measures approved by the House include legislation to: Crack down on the shipment of illicit synthetic opioids into the U.S. from overseas -Prevent drug traffickers from circumventing

Opportunity Enterprises will host their annual Celebration of Achievement awards breakfast on June 28, 2018 at 8 am at Aberdeen Manor. The awards are presented to individuals with disabilities in recognition of outstanding achievement in meeting personal goals. Awards are also presented to outstanding volunteers, staff, and businesses for supporting individuals with disabilities. An inspirational program will be hosted by Marc Ruiz, OE board member and senior partner at Oak Partners in Valparaiso. The clients, staff, volunteers, and businesses were nominated by fellow clients and staff and a blind vote was held by the Board of Directors to select the

With extreme heat and humidity expected over the next few days, Mayor Meer would like to remind the citizens of cooling centers located within the City of Michigan City. Cooling 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,

Over 24 days, the La Porte County Sheriff's Office issued 58 citations and made 6 arrests as part of the 2018 Click It or Ticket mobilization. More than 230 Indiana law-enforcement agencies joined thousands across the nation to enforce seat-belt laws in cars and trucks, for both children and adults, in the front seat and back, both day and night. The overtime, high-visibility traffic patrols were supported with federal traffic-safety funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

A mobile operation that is replenishing and refurbishing raised pavement markings will start Monday and continue through July 1. As crews move through the locations, there will be lane closures with flaggers directing traffic. Please exercise caution in these zones and slow down to protect workers. The areas being worked on include: • A 20-mile stretch of U.S. 6 between U.S. 35 and U.S. 31. • A 17-mile stretch of SR 23 between U.S. 6 and U.S. 20. • A 21-mile stretch of U.S. 31 between U.S. 30 and U.S. 20. • Ramps connecting U.S. 31 to 7th Road (Veterans

NIPSCO announced a new grant to support local nonprofit organizations that provide public safety education and training across northern Indiana. Grant opportunities will include community and youth public safety education programming and training for first responders. Areas could include, but are not limited to, police and fire department fire and carbon monoxide safety programs, education and training in the prevention of damage to underground natural gas lines, and child-related safety education. Grant funding is not intended to cover the purchase of equipment other than that needed to support public safety education programs and training. Grants are available in amounts ranging

The Indiana Department of Education on Tuesday awarded New Prairie High School for student success on AP exams for the 2016-2017 school year, according to State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie). During the 2018 Indiana AP Recognition Ceremony, the DOE and College Board recognized more than 70 schools for having 25 percent or more of their graduating class earn a score of 3 out of 5 or higher on at least one AP exam. Pressel said high school students take AP exams after they complete courses designed to demonstrate they are prepared to handle college-level work. With a successful AP

Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced yesterday that according to the official canvass of primary election returns recently certified by the Election Division, 20 percent, or 870,336 of Indiana’s 4.4 million registered voters cast a vote in the May 8 Primary Election. The complete 2018 Primary Election Turnout and Absentee Chart with voter statistics for each county can be viewed online (at: https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/Election_Turnout_and_Registration_20180608_124613PM.pdf). The report was compiled by the Secretary of State’s office using voter data gathered in Indiana’s 92 counties. Voter turnout in the 2018 primary represents a significant increase from the 2014 midterms and is comparable to the

As of June 13th, more than $3 million in FEMA assistance has been approved to help Indiana residents recover from the February flooding, and more than 2,400 registrations have been received. Federal funding is now available to homeowners and renters for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses after severe storms and flooding on February 14 – March 4, 2018. This assistance is available to affected individuals in the Indiana counties of Carroll, Clark, Dearborn, Elkhart, Floyd, Fulton, Harrison, Jasper, Jefferson, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Ohio, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Spencer, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh,

LaPorte County Emergency Management would like to remind people with the up and coming heat that is expected, Cooling Centers will be available at the following locations. **Michigan City** -Michigan City- City Hall 100 E Michigan Blvd during regular business hours, Monday thru Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm -Michigan City Fire Administration Building during regular business hours, Monday thru Friday 800am to 4:00pm **LaPorte City** -LaPorte County Complex the lobby area is open 24 hours -LaPorte Civic Monday thru Friday during regular business hours The Center Township Trustee office is also a warming and cooling center Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9-4