News

The Michigan City Urban Enterprise Association (MCUEA) announced their 2018 Business Grant Program. This grant is intended to provide funding assistance for existing businesses located within the Enterprise zone for exterior or interior rehabilitation of their property including machinery and equipment, signage and structural enhancements. The MCUEA will reimburse 50% of the eligible costs up to $ 7,500 per grant. There has been $75,000 appropriated for this program. The application must be mailed to: Michigan City Urban Enterprise Association P.O. Box 43 Michigan City, IN 46350 or emailed to: MCUEA1984@gmail.com Please contact Diane Wilczewski, Director at 219-561-6991 if you have questions

On Monday Morning, officers from the Indiana State Police Department responded to a two vehicle crash on I-65 northbound at the 232 mile marker (2 miles north of the Demotte exit), in which an Elkhart woman died. 23 year old Anastasia J. Chapman was pronounced dead at the crash scene where traffic was backed up due to pothole repair taking place one mile north of the crash location.

Enertech, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and Utility Resource Group will present the video and photo friendly Valparaiso Safety Day on Wednesday, March 21st, from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Porter County Expo Center 4-H Building, 215 E. Division Rd., Valparaiso. This free event brings first responders, utility, oil & gas, municipal, and county personnel together to take part in dynamic hands-on scenario safety training of a staged pipeline rupture – as close to the real thing as possible. A presentation on the Indiana Dig Law begins at 8:30, going over rules and regulations and the need to call

The Indiana Historical Bureau has agreed to designate the site of La Porte University with an Indiana State Historical Marker. The University was founded in 1838 and included the state’s first medical and law schools as well as a literary department. The medical school was the most robust, department, and it flourished until the early 1850’s. Its alumni included W. W. Mayor, MD., who collaborated with his sons, Drs. Charles and Will Mayo to found the Mayo Clinic. Dedication ceremonies for the historic marker will be held at the corner of Clay and Harrison Streets in downtown La Porte at

Governor Eric J. Holcomb will depart on a three-day economic development trade mission to Canada next week, where he will work to build relationships with one of Indiana’s largest economic partners. Indiana is home to more than 70 Canadian businesses, including global companies like CN Railway, Dorel Juvenile Group, KIK Custom Products and Magna Powertrain. Together, these businesses provide more than 15,600 jobs for Hoosiers, accounting for 8 percent of all Indiana jobs supported by foreign-owned businesses.

The Michigan City Police Department will be filling nearly 55,000+ Easter Eggs on Wednesday March 21st starting at 8:30am at the Michigan City Senior Center and they are looking for volunteers to fill the eggs. Breakfast will be served and at 11:30am Galveston Restaurant and Dominos will be providing lunch for all of the volunteers. The MCPD are seeking donations to cover the cost of the event and to purchase additional gifts for the children. Special coins will be placed in various plastic eggs that entitle the kids to sporting equipment and other great gifts. All donations can be directed

Every nine minutes in this country, a child under the age of six has to go to the emergency room because of accidental medication poisoning, and every twelve days a child dies. The Indiana Poison Center receives about 60-thousand calls for help a year. This is Poison Prevention Week, and Safe Kids Worldwide has released a report called Safe Medicine Storage. Morag Mackay is the group's director of research and says parents and caregivers often think childproof containers are enough to stop youngsters from getting sick. Mackay says their research finds in about half of over-the-counter poisoning cases, the child

University Park Mall, a Simon Mall, invites the community to a "Muppet Babies"-themed Disney Junior Play Date event. Aimed to entertain and delight children of all ages, the event will take place on March 31 from noon to 2 p.m.   Premiering March 23, Disney Junior's reimagined "Muppet Babies" chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of the young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin. Under the watchful eye of Miss Nanny, the Muppet Babies use their imaginations to embark on countless adventures that take them to the farthest corners of the universe and demonstrate to

CarolAnn Brown, Curator of Exhibitions at Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA), recently announced her resignation to pursue independent artistic projects. Ms. Brown served as LCA's curator for 12 years. During her tenure she mounted exhibitions that explored intriguing themes such as relationships between humans and animals in "The Hunt, The Prey The Spirit" and "Magical Realism". "I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be part of an arts organization that has had such a positive impact. It anchors the community and region. I will remain an active volunteer and supporter in the future to the LCA,"

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces the closure of all lanes of U.S. 20 (Indianapolis Blvd.) in East Chicago, between Chicago Ave. and 145th Street, going on now through Friday, March 23. This closure is necessary so East Chicago city crews can complete sewer work.    

This past Friday, members of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office Jail Administration received information that an inmate within the jail was in possession of a cellular telephone. Upon receiving this information, an investigation was immediately launched and Sheriff’s Office Detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division were called upon to assist. The investigation quickly progressed throughout the day and turned to an employee of Advanced Correctional Healthcare (ACH). ACH is the contracted medical provider for inmates housed in the La Porte County Jail. As a result of the investigation, Gina Salinas, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), was arrested for a

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is now accepting applications for Merit Patrol Deputy. Applicants who successfully complete and pass the various stages of the hiring process will be ranked on a list for any future vacancies that may arise within the Merit Division of the Sheriff’s Office. The hiring process will include the following stages: application phase, physical agility testing, written examination, computerized voice stress analysis examination, background investigation, Merit Division interview panel and a Merit Commission interview. Applications can be found online by accessing the Sheriff’s Office website: www.laportecountysheriff.com or by picking them up at the front desk of the

Most people have smartphones with them at all times, yet probably don't give much thought as to how secure they are from a cyberattack. Wenliang (Kevin) Du, Ph.D., an expert in mobile system security, thinks we should pay more attention and will share why when he comes to Purdue University Northwest (PNW) as the third speaker in PNW's School of Engineering Distinguished Speaker Series. Du will discuss recent attacks on the Android OS and how user data can be protected even if the operating system on the phone is compromised. Anyone who owns a smartphone can benefit from his presentation,

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces the closure of SR 149 at the Indiana Toll Road bridge, located between CR 1000N and Leeper Drive near Portage. The closure began today, March 19 and will continue through mid-June. This is necessary as Indiana Toll Road crews rehabilitate the Indiana Toll Road bridge at SR 149. State road detours must be along state-maintained roadways only. Northbound drivers on SR 149 will be detoured east on US 6, north on SR 49, west on I-94, west on US 20, and back to SR 149. Southbound drivers will be detoured east on US

The Michigan City, Refuse Department will conduct its Annual Spring Clean-Up beginning on March 26th. The Refuse Department requests that all residents separate the debris that is to be discarded into the following three (3) categories: Brush, limbs, shrubs, yard waste, and unpainted concrete (no black-top rubble); Rugs, lumber, furniture, mattress, and box-springs; and Appliances and tires. Tires can be rimmed or un-rimmed, and appliances include items such as stoves, refrigerators, air conditions, water tanks, etc. Residents may place items on curbside or in the alleys, whichever is most convenient. The City will be divided into three Zones, with each

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) invites aspiring entrepreneurs to turn their leading edge ideas and innovative product concepts into reality by entering its annual competition, The Big Sell. NIPSCO is this year’s presenting sponsor and PNW’s College of Business and College of Technology are hosting sponsors. Started in 2011, The Big Sell offers would-be business owners and product developers the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges comprised of successful local entrepreneurs and to the public while vying for $13,000 in prize money. The first place prize is $7,500, with $3,500 going to second place, and $2,000 to

Michael Sheldon, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, will present a talk on his latest book at Michigan City’s Barker Mansion on Saturday, April 7. His work, Young Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill, has been widely praised on both sides of the Atlantic. The free program is made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities. The mansion was one of 20 non-profit organizations in the state awarded the opportunity to host a recipient of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. In addition to Sheldon’s talk, mansion staff has planned complimentary programming throughout the afternoon. The

Porter County is now hiring for the full time position of Information Technologies & Service Systems Administrator. If interested in applying, you may email your resume to Don Wellsand at dwellsand@porterco.org, fax at (219) 465-3626, or you may come into the Administration Center and drop it off at the Information Technologies office. Candidates should submit an application with their resume as well. You may find an application to download (under Government, Employment, Tools) at www.porterco.org or you may come to the Administration Center to get one at 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) is encouraging Hoosiers to plan ahead for weather events as part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, March 18-24. Planning and preparation can minimize weather-related deaths, injuries and property damage. IDHS encourages Hoosiers to build a preparedness kit, identify shelter and practice emergency plans during this year’s preparedness week. As part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, there will be a statewide tornado drill at 10:15 EDT local time, Tuesday, March 20. This drill provides a valuable opportunity for families, schools and businesses to practice severe weather emergency plans. To learn more about preparing for

Indiana counties are finalizing damage assessments and the State has requested a federal review, which is the next step in the process for requesting federal assistance. No federal assistance has been granted for Indiana residents. Below are steps citizens should take while the review process continues: Document all aspects of damage, as well as any cleanup process that occurs; Keep receipts, and document any funds received through insurance; If assistance is needed in the meantime, reach out to 211 or the Red Cross at 888-684-1441; Pay attention to local media about local resources available. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security