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Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is reminding Hoosiers that early and absentee voting for the May Primary Election has begun. From now until May 7, any eligible voter can cast an absentee ballot in-person at their county clerk’s office or request an absentee ballot by mail. Voters who chose to vote absentee in-person have until noon on May 7, the day before the primary election, to cast their ballot. Voters who choose to vote by mail may request an absentee ballot online at www.indianavoters.com or from their county clerk’s office. Request for absentee ballots by mail must be delivered by April

Sheriff John T. Boyd announced that the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office will be participating in the 4th Annual Northwest Regional Sheriff’s Camp later this year. This year’s camp will be held on August 7th, 8th and 9th at the Indiana Dunes State Park from 8:00AM-4:00PM each day. The cost of the camp is $40.00 per camper. A lunch, snacks and drinks will be provided to the campers each day. The camp is open to girls and boys of the four (4) participating counties between the ages of nine (9) and fourteen (14). Applications for the camp can picked up

The La Porte County Sheriff's Office is announcing an upcoming Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Sheriff's Office and La Porte Police Department. The meeting will take place April 24th, at Cummings Lodge. The doors will open at 6:30 PM and the meeting will begin promptly at 7:00 PM. Members of the Sheriff's Office and La Porte Police Department will be present to field questions from the public. Citizens are encouraged to attend the event so they can be provided with further information about the various aspects of the two agencies.

The "Energy Efficiency in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin's Industrial Compressed Air Systems" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report focuses on analyzing energy use, energy efficiency, and CO2 emissions-reduction potential in industrial compressed air systems in these 5 selected East North Central U.S. states. One of the major barriers to effective policy making and increased action by states and utilities to improve energy efficiency in industrial compressed air systems is the lack of information and data on the magnitude and cost-effectiveness of the energy savings potential in industrial compressed air systems in each state. For more

Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) released the following statement after voting for a balanced budget amendment Thursday: “I am disappointed in tonight’s vote. Families in northeast Indiana make tough decisions every day to balance their budgets and live within their means, and Washington ought to do the same. I will keep fighting for a balanced budget amendment, a vital step toward reining in spending and addressing our nation’s growing debt.” Because the legislation is a Constitutional amendment, it required the support of two-thirds of the House to pass. Thursday’s vote was 233-184, short of the two-thirds threshold. Congressman Banks spoke in

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels has announced plans to once again freeze tuition on the West Lafayette campus. The move marks the seventh consecutive year of holding the line on tuition, which now extends through the 2019-2020 academic year. The university says combining the tuition freeze with room and board rates which have been held flat or lowered and potential textbook savings through Purdue's partnership with Amazon, the total cost of attending Purdue is lower than it was in the 2012-2013 academic year. Purdue estimates families have saved a total of about $465 million through the deferral of tuition, fee,

In an update to a story WIMS has been following, The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 47 year old Jeffrey J. Bilyak of Chesterton following an investigation by members of the Sheriff’s Office Fatal Alcohol Crash Team (FACT) and Detective Bureau. The criminal arrest warrant was issued for Bilyak for the following charges: Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death, Reckless Homicide and two counts of Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury. Wednesday, Bilyak surrendered himself at the La Porte County Jail for the above listed charges on the arrest warrant. Bilyak

The Michigan City Police received an unfortunate call of criminal mischief occurring at the St. Stanislaus cemetery Thursday morning at 7:30am. Upon arrival of the cemetery staff, they discovered that approximately 50 grave headstones and statutes were knocked over or damaged. Additionally, a portion of the outer fence was damaged in the incident. Immediately upon hearing this disturbing information, Chief Mark Swistek sent additional officers to this area including Greenwood Cemetery to access any other damages. With this ill-fated occurrence, it appeared to be a random act of vandalism that was completely irrational. With the help of the Indiana State

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) continues to partner with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to share the top tax filing season concerns referred to as the “IRS Dirty Dozen” tax scams for 2018. Avoiding paying taxes by hiding money or assets in unreported offshore accounts is the eleventh scam in the 12-part series.  Offshore tax cheating is a long-running scheme to evade paying taxes by hiding income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts, foreign trusts, employee leasing schemes, private annuities or insurance plans. Individuals then access these funds through debit cards, credit cards or wire transfer. While there are legitimate

A group of students from Krueger Middle School in Michigan City spent Spring Break in the Tampa Bay area on a science field trip. The group snorkeled in Rainbow River with manatees, kayaked in a mangrove forest, visited the Clearwater Aquarium, and conducted a biodiversity study of the Gulf, among other activities. The trip was coordinated by Krueger Science teacher Kate Triemstra and also involved schools from New York, California, and Washington state. Each spring, MCAS middle school students are able to join in the spring break study trip; next April the group will travel to Washington, DC.

The Michigan City Police Department has just completed their participation in the OPO Blitz 93 covering St Patrick’s Day for Dangerous Driving. During OPO Blitz 93 St Patrick’s Day for Dangerous Driving the Michigan City Police Department had 18 extra patrols working 59hrs in overtime. Officers stopped 99 vehicles. One warrant arrest was made for False Identity Statement, one Runaway arrests, one arrest for false Identity.  Non-custodial arrests; 2 Never Receiving a License, 2 Driving While Suspended Prior. Officers wrote 71 Citations; 48 Seat Belt violations, 2 Suspended Prior and 1 Suspended infraction, 1 No Valid License, 1 Expired License

The Indiana Department of Education announced the 2017 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics and Reading Results for Indiana on Tuesday. As reflected in eighth grade reading, Indiana was one of eight states to have a significant score increase. Since 2015, Indiana’s overall student score for eighth grade reading increased four points to 272. In overall student scores in fourth grade mathematics and fourth grade reading however, there was a one point decrease. In 2017, Indiana’s overall student score for fourth grade math of 247 is eight points higher than the national average score of 239. To view the

On Tuesday, in a joint hearing of the United States Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees, U.S. Senator Todd Young from Indiana called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to implement stronger protections for Facebook users and their online privacy. “I represent the honest, hardworking people of Indiana, and I keep returning to the question of: What are reasonable consumer expectations of privacy? What does the average Hoosier think, when they think about their information online,” said Senator Young. “While the scope of this problem is unclear, I believe consumers all over the internet are certainly less protected than they should be

Renowned writer and Boston surgeon Atul Gawande explores the relationships doctors have with patients nearing the end of life in the “Frontline” documentary, “Being Mortal,” which will be presented from 6–9 p.m., Wednesday, April 11 in Alumni Hall, Student Union & Library, at Purdue University Northwest, 2233 173rd St., Hammond. The film presentation will be followed by a panel discussion addressing the issues in caring for the dying. Panelists include Dr. Y. Frantz Brignol, Dr. Vatsai Patel, Father Ted Mauch, Bioethicist Jana Lacera, and Nina Stur, Associate Director of Patient Care Service, St. Catherine’s Hospital, East Chicago. This event is

A $5 million alliance between the PNC Foundation and DonorsChoose.org, is entering its second year of providing new resources to Head Start and public pre-K classrooms across the PNC footprint. The effort provides much-needed educational supplies and experiences to help prepare young children for success in school and life. From now through May 31st, PNC will match, dollar-for-dollar, donations that support public pre-K and Head Start teachers’ project requests in the PNC service area listed on DonorsChoose.org, subject to restrictions and a maximum dollar amount. The duration of the match campaign depends on the number of project requests and donations.

It takes women more than 15 months to earn what men earn in 12. But pay inequality is not the only discrepancy Indiana women face in the workplace. Today is Equal Pay Day, symbolizing how far into 2018 women would need to work order to make the same amount men did in 2017. Data from the U-S Census shows the 2018 wage gap between women and men is about 20 percent. President of the National Organization for Women Toni Van Pelt explains pay inequality impacts women their entire careers, affecting vacation time, retirement savings and other aspects of life. According

The City of Michigan City, Economic Development Corporation Michigan City, Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, Blue Chip Casino, and the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board and WorkOne will be hosting the 3rd Annual Michigan City Community Job Fair on Wednesday, April 18th. The Community Job Fair will take place in the Stardust Room at the Blue Chip Casino, 777 Blue Chip Drive in Michigan City, from 1:00 pm–4:00 pm. The event will be open to the public and attendees are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their resume, dress in business attire, and be ready for on-site interviews. Over 50 employers,

On Sunday evening, emergency responders were dispatched to the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department in reference to the La Porte County E-911 Regional Dispatch Center receiving an alarm from the “Indiana Safe Haven Baby Box”. Shortly after the dispatch, Mr. Charles Kohler, a Coolspring Township Volunteer Firefighter, arrived and immediately went to the “Baby Box”. Mr. Kohler reported to a Sheriff’s Deputy that upon opening the “Baby Box”, he located an infant inside. Mr. Kohler removed the infant from the “Baby Box” to medically evaluate the baby. A La Porte County Emergency Medical Service Ambulance arrived a short time later.

Join PFLAG Michigan City & LaPorte County Meeting (Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Michigan City and LaPorte County Chapter on Tuesday, April 10th, at 6:30 pm. Join them in learning about LGBTQ+ resources available in our area. There will be a panel of presenters. Please come prepared with any questions you’d like to ask and kindly record resources to share with our resource directory committee. Meetings are for those 18 years of age and over—are held the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm and will always include advocacy, education, and support. We meet at PARC

The La Porte County Public Library will celebrate World Creativity & Innovation Week on Tuesday, April 17 from 4:00pm – 7:30pm in Spark Labs at the Main Library, with support from the YALSA grant awarded to the library, by having adult and teen volunteers work side by side to lend a hand and make a difference assembling 3D printed parts into prosthetic hands. All assembled hands will be donated to enablingthefuture.org. All ages are welcome to come and take part in this wonderful community event. Don’t know about 3D printing? Want to learn more of what happens at Spark Labs?