News

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced yesterday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $267 million in 103 infrastructure projects to upgrade water and wastewater systems in rural communities. USDA is making investments in 35 states through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. The funds can be used to finance drinking water, storm water drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents. Locally, the Town of North Judson will use a $4,892,000 loan to convert a portion of the town's combined sewer collection system into separate

The Valparaiso Police Department will be participating in the 35th annual National Night Out on Tuesday August 7th from 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m. National Night Out is an national event designed to unite community members and police against neighborhood crimes. Police Chief Jeff Balon is inviting community members to organize an activity for the event. “This is a great night for community members, neighborhoods and crime watch groups to organize special activities in their neighborhoods”, explained Chief Balon. Valparaiso Police Officers will be visiting the special activities planned in each neighborhood to show their support. Officers from the K-9

The Indiana State Police (ISP) All Crimes Policing Team (ACP) based out of the Lowell District joined forces with Pulaski County Sheriff Department (PCSD) to conduct a multi-jurisdictional enforcement effort in Pulaski County this past weekend. Friday, July 13th from 1:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., officers saturated the roads in Pulaski County.  This combined effort led to 19-traffic citations issued, 125-warnings, with a total of 144 traffic contacts. There were 8 criminal arrests, 2 driving suspended prior, 2-operators never licensed, and 4-warrant arrests (one being a felony warrant). Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department with the success of this enforcement effort are planning similar enforcement

On Thursday, Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group (PCMEG) executed a search warrant in the 800 Block of Elkhart Street in the Aetna Area, with the assistance of the Gary Narcotics Unit and Gary S.W.A.T. PCMEG recovered 3 handguns, ammunition, drugs (including cocaine, marijuana and steroids), paraphernalia, scales and approximately $1,500.00 in cash from the residence. Arrested on initial charges of Felony Possession of Narcotics, was 47 year old Gary resident, Marshall Brown. PCMEG is filing additional charges with the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office for Dealing. Brown was transported to the Lake County Jail.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will host their annual State of the Chamber & Community Awards Wednesday, July 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Allure on the Lake in Chesterton. With a lively welcome from Ric Federighi of WIMS Radio, the event will kick off with an update on what the Chamber has accomplished so far this year and what their goals are moving forward. Immediately following are the Community Awards portion of the program. Many local organizations, businesses, and individuals are being awarded for their efforts in making the Duneland community a better place to live,

The Dunes Summer Theatre presents the Tony-Award winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opening Friday, July 20. The show runs for three weekends, ending August 5. Performances are Friday/Saturday at 7 PM CST and Sundays at 2 PM CST at 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michiana Shores, Indiana 46360. Tickets for the show are $15 for Seniors and Students, and $18 General Admission. To order tickets, visit dunesartsfoundation.org or call 219-879-7509. The newly air-conditioned Dunes Summer Theatre is operated by the Dunes Arts Foundation a 501(c)3 organization.

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as one of five finalists for the statewide Indiana Chamber of the Year for 2018. The organization was judged by a panel of five professionals located outside of Indiana in the areas of leadership and organization; finance; advocacy; membership; and programming, and finalists for the award were announced during the Annual Conference of the Indiana Chamber Executives Association. The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst organization committed to ensuring that its member communities are vibrant places to live, work and play. Through service to the towns of Beverly Shores, Burns Harbor,

The Valparaiso Board of Works recently approved an Emergency Hiring Process for the police department. This is due to the immediate need for an experienced police officer. The Emergency Hiring Process allows the department to hire an experienced police officer expediting the training time, which typically takes up to one year. The department is accepting applications for current certified sworn police officers who are Indiana Law Enforcement Academy graduates and currently members of the Indiana Public Employee/Police Retirement Fund (PERF). Experienced officers may also be eligible for the department’s lateral transfer program. Applications must be completed and returned to the

The Michigan City Police Department is asking for assistance by dropping off book donations for both children and adults at the Michigan City Police Department for the “Little free Library” located at the playground behind MCPD. Please feel free to drop off the books at the little library or the front desk of the police department. Also the Gardena Park location is in need of books. MCPD gives thanks again to the Michiana Lions Club for their work and partnership with this community project.

U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led 14 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees yesterday, urging the chairs and ranking members to support the Burmese military sanctions provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act as the bill heads to conference before Congress is able to send it to the president. Burmese military officials have been implicated in gross human rights abuses and other atrocities against ethnic minorities in Burma, particularly a horrific campaign against the Rohingya people. Earlier this year, Senator Young

Delve into the history of Gilded Age America and the Barker family through the lens of fashion on Friday, July 20 from 7-9pm.This lively discussion will go in-depth on the types of materials that were popular, and the strict social norms that dictated the clothes and the various outfits that would be worn for certain occasions. The talk will also feature a collection of original Barker clothing being publicly displayed for the first time. Guests can design their very own Victorian and Gilded Age clothing by using various patterns, clothing examples and events to inspire you. Paper and colored pencils

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as one of five finalists for the statewide Indiana Chamber of the Year for 2018. The organization was judged by a panel of five professionals located outside of Indiana in the areas of leadership and organization; finance; advocacy; membership; and programming, and finalists for the award were announced during the Annual Conference of the Indiana Chamber Executives Association. The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst organization committed to ensuring that its member communities are vibrant places to live, work and play. Through service to the towns of Beverly Shores, Burns Harbor,

The Valparaiso Board of Works recently approved an Emergency Hiring Process for the police department. This is due to the immediate need for an experienced police officer. The Emergency Hiring Process allows the department to hire an experienced police officer expediting the training time, which typically takes up to one year. The department is accepting applications for current certified sworn police officers who are Indiana Law Enforcement Academy graduates and currently members of the Indiana Public Employee/Police Retirement Fund (PERF). Experienced officers may also be eligible for the department’s lateral transfer program. Applications must be completed and returned to the

On Thursday, Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group (PCMEG) executed a search warrant in the 800 Block of Elkhart Street in the Aetna Area, with the assistance of the Gary Narcotics Unit and Gary S.W.A.T. PCMEG recovered 3 handguns, ammunition, drugs (including cocaine, marijuana and steroids), paraphernalia, scales and approximately $1,500.00 in cash from the residence. Arrested on initial charges of Felony Possession of Narcotics, was 47 year old Gary resident, Marshall Brown. PCMEG is filing additional charges with the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office for Dealing. Brown was transported to the Lake County Jail.

The Northern Indiana Bank On Alliance is teaming up with WorkOne to offer free financial classes in Elkhart, Lake, LaPorte, Porter and St. Joseph Counties. The Alliance and WorkOne have been working together for more than year to develop the program curriculum. Classes are open to the public and available at WorkOne offices in Elkhart, Gary, Hammond, LaPorte, Portage and South Bend. Class topics include financial recovery, budgeting, banking, credit scores and small business planning. Class schedules and times vary. The program is powered by the local United Ways and Purdue Extension Offices across the five counties. In 2015, the

Thursday, during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee business meeting, Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) was named chairman of the newly established Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. The subcommittee will provide oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) electronic health records transition and other enterprise technology modernization projects. The subcommittee will oversee technology modernization projects at the VA, principally the $15.8 billion, 10-year electronic health record modernization program which will replace the department’s legacy EHR system with the commercial Cerner Millennium EHR. This is the largest EHR transition effort in the country and one of the largest IT contracts in the federal

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson will travel the state educating citizens on investment fraud using a variation on BINGO. The game is designed to educate Hoosiers on how to avoid falling prey to fraudsters. All events are free and will include prizes and refreshments. Secretary Lawson will visit the following locations for a BINGO event throughout the summer to educate citizens on investment fraud. All events are free to the public and open to the media. The event will last for an hour. All times are local. September 11th – South Bend, St. Joseph County Public Library (Main Library)

The Porter County Health Department is accepting applications for the position of Full Time Food Service Coordinator (35 hours per week). The incumbent will be responsible for completing a variety of daily, monthly and annual reports to be submitted to the Health Administrator. Applications can be obtained online @ www.porterco.org/DocumentCenter or at the Porter County Health Department, 155 Indiana Ave, Suite 104, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and completed application to the above address, attention: Letty Zepeda, Health Department Administrator. For more information and to download an application visit: www.porterco.org/jobs.aspx

The popular Behind the Scenes Tours journey into the nooks and crannies of the building which are normally off-limits. Guests discover remnants of the past such as the central vacuum system, the furnace, and intricate electrical panels. The two-hour tour takes participants on back stairways and into the basement. The Barker Mansion is located at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City, IN. The 38-room mansion was built by freight car industrialist and philanthropist John H. Barker in 1905, after he expanded onto his father’s original 1857 home on the same site. Barker took advantage of the mansion’s location right next

An anonymous donor gifted Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana with a $65,000 donation toward building a home in Hammond. “We were thrilled to receive this very generous gift which will help another family remove themselves from a high-rent situation and into their very own home,” said Executive Director Dawn Michaels. “We send a very genuine thank you to this kind-hearted donor.” While this donation will fund a significant portion of a three-bedroom, one bathroom, single-family home in Hammond, an additional $30,000 will need to be raised before construction can begin. Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana ensures all funding