News

  Ivy Tech Northwest service area campuses will be closed Saturday, February, 10, 2018. This includes all locations in Gary, East Chicago, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Michigan City, and La Porte.

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb today announced Kristine A. (Kristi) Osterday as his appointment to the Elkhart County Superior Court 1. Judge Osterday will succeed the late Judge Evan Roberts who passed away in November 2017.  Judge Osterday currently serves as magistrate judge in Elkhart County. Prior to her appointment as magistrate in 2016, Judge Osterday was in private practice. She also previously served as a deputy prosecutor in the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office. Judge Osterday received a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University South Bend and her law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law. Judge Osterday will be sworn

The Indiana State Police Alliance (ISPA) is seeking donations for a building restoration project. ISPA recently received a grant through the Indiana Historical Society for the preservation of a historic weigh station located on the Indiana State Police Museum’s property. An additional $2,500 must be raised by the ISPA in order to complete this refurbishment project. Your donation to the ISPA at https://www.gofundme.com/ispmuseumweighstationrestorationproject will help restore this important piece of Indiana State Police History.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers wishing to attend the Chicago Auto Show taking place Feb. 10-19, 2018, at McCormick Place. An eastbound passenger extra will run on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 17. The train will depart McCormick Place at 4:52 p.m., run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Carroll Avenue, Michigan City. This train will not serve Hudson Lake or South Bend. Additionally, several weekday trains will make flag stops at the McCormick Place Station from Feb. 12-16 and Feb. 19th. All weekend trains except Train 601

Applying for college financial aid is not complex and can be extremely beneficial. That’s the message of College Goal Sunday, a free, financial aid application assistance program, scheduled at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Purdue University Northwest campuses and dozens of other Indiana locations. The Purdue Northwest program takes place at the Hammond Campus in Room 200 of the Student Union & Library, 2200 173rd St. At the Westville Campus, the program is scheduled in Room 265 of the Technology Building, 1401 S. U.S. 421. For more information and a complete list of sites, individuals may visit the

Snow Removal Parking Restrictions With snow removal from previous storms still ongoing and a major winter storm set to begin tonight and lasting through Friday evening, Mayor Ron Meer has declared the following: Sec. 94-254-Parking restrictions during a snow removal condition. Snow removal conditions have been declared by the Mayor, the following traffic regulations shall be in effect: Effective at 3:00 p.m., on Thursday, February 8, 2018. (1) No vehicle shall be parked on a designated “snow route.” (2) On even numbered days, no parking shall be permitted on that side of the street with even numbered addresses from 6:00

..WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches are possible north of highway 6. * WHERE...La Porte-St. Joseph IN-Elkhart-Lagrange-Steuben-Berrien-Cass MI- St. Joseph MI-Branch-Hillsdale- * WHEN...From late Thursday night through Friday evening. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions, including during the morning commute on Friday. Significant reductions in visibility are possible.

On Wednesday, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office charged 20 year old Rahim Brumfield with Murder in the January 18, 2018, homicide of Tysiona Crawford. A Firearm Sentencing Enhancement was also filed. Probable cause was found and an arrest warrant was issued. The defendant was ordered held without bond. At the time of the press release, Brumfield has not been arrested and taken into custody. Law enforcement is seeking the public’s help in locating him. If you have any information as to his whereabouts, please call CMHU at 235-5009, Crime Stoppers at 288-STOP, or your local law enforcement agency. If

Indiana House Democratic Leader Terry Goodin from Austin issued a statement after the close of the first half of the 2018 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Goodin said the first half of session was like Gilligan’s Island. The General Assembly has the tools, but still cannot get off the island. Three years ago, the Republican majority repealed the Common Construction Wage with the promise that wages would not fall and tax savings would be realized. Goodin refers to the Midwest Economic Policy Institute’s report recently issued that found that since then-Gov. Mike Pence signed the repeal into law, wages

The Future Careers Expo scheduled for today at the A. K. Smith Career Center has been cancelled. A number of factors contributed to this decision, including the school delays this week, guest speakers/interviewers/exhibitors with flu, and weather-related concerns on the part of those driving some distance to be there tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is not a makeup date. They'll try again next February.

South Shore Line service updates will be in effect to accommodate passengers wishing to attend the Chicago Auto Show taking place Feb. 10-19, 2018, at McCormick Place. An eastbound passenger extra will run on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 17. The train will depart McCormick Place at 4:52 p.m., run non-stop to Hegewisch and make all local stops terminating at Carroll Avenue, Michigan City. This train will not serve Hudson Lake or South Bend. Additionally, several weekday trains will make flag stops at the McCormick Place Station from Feb. 12-16 and Feb. 19th. All weekend trains except Train 601

For some kids, it can be the most difficult part of the school day. We're talking about lunch time, and it's especially hard if you have to eat by yourself. To help promote inclusion in middle schools, Managed Health Services (MHS) is hosting a bullying prevention initiative at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso on Friday, Feb. 9th, at 10:00 a.m. CST. MHS is sponsoring an assembly in honor of National No One Eats Alone Day, created by the non-profit Beyond Differences. More than 600 students will attend a bullying prevention program in the school auditorium performed by Young Actors

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone living in the unincorporated areas of Porter County about County Ordinance 10.020,, ‘Parking after Snowfall.’ The ordinance in summary means if there is expected to be 2+ inches of snowfall, vehicles must be moved from the roadway. Failure to move your vehicle, could result in your vehicle being towed at your expense and a County Ordinance citation with fines up to $50.00. This is very important, as it speeds up County Highway’s ability to clear the roadways safely as well as widen the roadway for emergency vehicles to have access

An Indiana State Police Trooper who lives in Merrillville found that his police car, personal car, and his home had been damaged by gunfire. The trooper was awoken around 4:19 a.m., this morning, with what he thought were gunshots. He looked out his residence but saw nothing. When he came out if his home on Harrison Street this morning he saw that there was a bullet hole in his Chevrolet Aztec (personal car) and another bullet hole in his Dodge Charger (police car). Both bullet holes were on the front passenger side. The bullet that struck his police car ricocheted

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) and Commissioner Adam Krupp warn customers to always be leery of any suspicious phone calls or emails that may be tax scams. Over the last week, DOR has received calls from concerned Hoosiers who have been contacted by an organization identifying themselves as a “crime investigation unit” within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state’s revenue agency. Hoosiers have been threatened with arrest warrants and told to provide Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and/or bank account information in exchange for no further legal action. Even during special circumstances, taxpayers will usually receive

The victim from Tuesday morning’s homicide investigation at Patrick Metals in Mishawaka has been positively identified as Aaron Woods, Jr., 37, of South Bend. This remains an active and ongoing St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) investigation. Several individuals have been interviewed in the course of the investigation. At the issuance of this release, no arrests have been made.

Troopers at the Lowell State Police Post had a busy 24 hours from Monday into Tuesday morning. Slick roads contributed to many of the crashes along I-80/94 and I-65. Troopers covered 88 crashes, of which 75 were property damage crashes and 13 were personal injury crashes. The injuries sustained in the crashes were mostly minor injuries. Troopers also responded to 29 assistance requests which included slide offs that did not need a crash report as well as vehicles with flat tires, out of fuel or other mechanical issues.

On Saturday afternoon, the St. Joseph County Police Department was dispatched to the 59300 block of Myrtle Road regarding a welfare check. Responding officers found two individuals in a residence there deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. The deceased have been identified as husband and wife, Philip A. Wilmes, 81, and Barbara J. Wilmes, 80. Per protocol, the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) was activated and is handling the investigation. Initial indications are that the incident is a murder/suicide, but it is an ongoing investigation. Autopsy procedures have been scheduled for today in Fort Wayne.

On Sunday morning, whiteout conditions in Northwest Indiana contributed to numerous crashes, including a 17 car pileup at the 7.2 mile marker and a 13 car pileup at the 6.2 mile marker of east bound I-80/94. Troopers Brian White and Lionel Douglas responded to each scene. Minor injuries were reported, none serious. The road closure at the 7.2 mile marker involved 4 separate crashes that included 17 vehicles. This resulted in the roadway being closed for an extended period of time. Several of the vehicles were relocated to a truck stop on Burr Street where the crash reports were taken

The Indiana State Police are investigating an incident that occurred on Friday evening on I-65 where a car was hit by gunfire.  Troopers George and Huston responded to a local car dealership in Highland who had reported that one of their cars had been hit by gunfire while on I-65.   A nineteen-year old employee had picked up a 2018 Kia Soul in Carmel, IN and was transporting the car back to the Highland dealership.   The employee was north bound on I-65, south of the US 30 exit in the left lane when a silver car pulled alongside him.   The employee