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Companion legislation to U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly’s bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act was signed into law yesterday by President Trump. The legislation passed the House in July and the Senate earlier this month. Donnelly introduced the Senate version of this bill with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) in May 2017. The bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act will increase the effectiveness of the current suicide prevention lifeline system and Veterans Crisis Line by requiring the Federal Communications Commission—in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs—to study the current national suicide hotline system

Valparaiso Schools are back in session and motorists should remember to slow down in school zones. Many students will be walking to and from school and motorists should be aware of the increase in pedestrian traffic around schools in the city. A reminder to all motorists that speed limits in school zones are reduced during the morning and afternoon hours. Valparaiso Police will have an increased presence in and around school zones this week as students return to school. Motorists should provide additional time on their daily commute due to the start of school this week. School buses will be

This morning the Indiana State Police were proud to present three life-saving awards to three teachers at Morgan Township School and one to a member of the Valparaiso School District who was unable to attend the event. Eric Braden, Matt Wellsand and Gaelyn Mlynarcik, of Morgan Township School, and Kevin Marine, of Valparaiso Schools, were each presented their awards by Superintendent Doug Carter during a ceremony at the office of Morgan Township. Supt. Carter praised each of the teachers for their quick thinking and heroic efforts that saved the life of Jax Whited. Jax is the son of Indiana State

Sunset Hill Farms welcomed Devon Allman with special guest Duane Betts at the Prairie Magic Music Fest on Sunday. TEAM WIMS was broadcasting live and check out our WIMS Facebook and Twitter pages for great photos and video from the event!

Governor Holcomb released the report detailing the school safety recommendations compiled by a working group formed by Indiana Department of Homeland Security Director Bryan Langley, in conjunction with David Woodward, the Indiana Department of Education’s Director of School Building Physical Security and Safety. Gov. Holcomb directed several next steps regarding the 18 recommendations in the report: · The Indiana State Budget Agency will direct an effort to identify costs associated with the recommendations and how they might be funded, whether through existing programs or other local, state or federal sources. The governor will use the information as he determines his

The LaPorte Police Department has received a ton of reports from residents who say they've been contacted by phone from someone purporting to be from the IRS. The caller tells the resident that they owe money and threaten that if they do not make arrangements to send payment they will be arrested. Please do not give out any of your personal information over the phone, or agree to send any money. Hang up immediately. This is a SCAM and one of many ways that criminals try to con you out of your money. According to the IRS website, the IRS

The Michigan City Parks and Rec Department and the Michigan City Public Library will collaborate for the summer’s final Movie in Washington Park with the showing of Paddinton 2 on Friday, August 17. Paddington Bear tries to buy an antique book for his aunt's 100th birthday, but his quest brings him into conflict with an unscrupulous actor who also wants the tome. Rated PG. The movie will be shown in the North Pointe Pavilion at dusk.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available on Unity Foundation of La Porte County’s website at www.uflc.net. Through support of Independent Colleges of Indiana and Lilly Endowment, Unity Foundation is offering two full-tuition, four-year college scholarships to benefit La Porte County residents. They provide full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study, leading to a baccalaureate degree at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. Nontraditional students - those who have been out of high school for any period of

Governor Holcomb released the report detailing the school safety recommendations compiled by a working group formed by Indiana Department of Homeland Security Director Bryan Langley, in conjunction with David Woodward, the Indiana Department of Education’s Director of School Building Physical Security and Safety. Gov. Holcomb directed several next steps regarding the 18 recommendations in the report: ·         The Indiana State Budget Agency will direct an effort to identify costs associated with the recommendations and how they might be funded, whether through existing programs or other local, state or federal sources. The governor will use the information as he determines his

TEAM WIMS was broadcasting live from the Goodwill Military Veteran Stand Down event on Thursday in La Porte at the National Guard Armory. Veterans received information on employment and housing opportunities, details about Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, health care, dental care, free personal care items, free clothing, care kits, backpacks, transportation to and from the event, legal assistance, free dinner and more. Check out our WIMS Facebook and Twitter pages for great photos and video from the event!

Indiana’s award-winning Jobs for America’s Graduates program, which helps high school students achieve success through graduation, will be expanding in the upcoming school year as part of Governor Eric Holcomb’s goal to add 250 more programs throughout the state. In Indiana, between 8,000 to 10,000 high school students drop out each year, and 40 percent of those never enter the workforce. But through JAG, more of those students are finishing school and preparing for future careers at the same time. In the 2017-18 academic year, 95 percent of students enrolled in a JAG program graduated from high school. JAG Indiana

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available on Unity Foundation of La Porte County’s website at www.uflc.net. Through support of Independent Colleges of Indiana and Lilly Endowment, Unity Foundation is offering two full-tuition, four-year college scholarships to benefit La Porte County residents. They provide full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study, leading to a baccalaureate degree at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. Nontraditional students - those who have been out of high school for any period of

The Duneland Chamber of Commerce is hosting Taste of Duneland featuring the European Market on Saturday, September 1, from 10 am to 10 pm. A Duneland community tradition, this summer taste celebration will be held in Thomas Centennial Park in historic downtown Chesterton, Indiana. Taste of Duneland will feature food and craft vendors with food and items for purchase. Leroy’s “Hot Stuff” and Running Vines Winery will be providing adult beverages for purchase in the beer garden. Live music will be taking place in the gazebo all day beginning with Gerry Hundt, then Darrell Ritchea, and capping off the night

The Michigan City Public Library is proud to announce the Writing Out Loud 34th Season lineup for Fall 2018. All programs are at 7:30pm and are followed by a reception hosted by the Friends of the Michigan City Public Library and a book signing. Programs are supported with funds by the Patrons of Writing Out Loud, the Michigan City Public Library Endowment Fund, and the Friends of the Library. Writing Out Loud was created in 1984 with a grant from Indiana Humanities. Since then over 136 authors have appeared at the library. The Next event will be Jaimy Gordon, Saturday,

Tuesday night, Valparaiso officers participated in National Night Out. Over 30 officers and numerous civilian employees and Volunteers in Police Service (VIPs) participated in the national event. The event is designed for the community to show their support against criminal activities in their neighborhoods/communities and their support for police. Officers visited events in 11 neighborhoods, those neighborhoods included: Pine Creek Neighborhood, Lexington Green, Campbell Street Café, 1705 block of Northwood Ct, 2100 block of Worthington Dr., Hawthorne Neighborhood, Mistywood Neighborhood, Keystone Commons Neighborhood, Pepper Creek Neighborhood, Oak Grove and Trinity Church (Central Neighborhood). Each neighborhood hosted a different event. Some

In a statement: The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office said it is receiving an influx of scamming calls related to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use the regular mail, telephone, or email to set up individuals, businesses, payroll and tax professionals. The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. Recognize the telltale signs of a scam. Please be sure to verify the source before giving out any personal information. (The link

State health officials are urging Indiana residents to take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites amid an increase in West Nile virus activity across the state. As of August 6, one human case of West Nile virus disease has been detected in Vanderburgh County, and 168 mosquito samples in 27 Indiana counties have tested positive for West Nile virus. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) expects to continue to see increased West Nile activity throughout the state as the mosquito season progresses. State health officials recommend the following preventive measures: Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are active (especially

A $2,500 donation to Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) by the Michigan City Public Art Committee (MAC) will honor veterans by inviting them to attend LCA’s annual summer arts festival for free. The Lubeznik Arts Festival (LAF), now in its 37th year, will attract thousands of shoppers and arts enthusiasts to the Lubeznik Center campus, 101 W. 2nd St., in Michigan City on August 18 and 19, 2018. For more information please visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or call 219.874.4900.

The Michigan City Parks & Recreation Department announces that the Oasis Splash Park in Washington Park, Michigan City, Indiana will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, August 13th & 14th, 20th& 21st, and 27th & 28th. Hours of operation are 10am-12pm, 12:30am-2:30pm, 3pm-5pm (weather permitting). The final day of operation for the 2018 season will be Monday, September 3rd. The Splash Park is a water attraction with fountains and other features for children to play in and is a great alternative when the lake is not an option. It is a zero depth park with a controlled atmosphere. The park

The following is a statement from Chief Troy Williams: “On August 7th, 2018 at approximately 9:36 a.m. Portage Police Officers were dispatched to a collision involving a freight train that reportedly struck a juvenile on the CSX railroad tracks. The location of the collision was south of the Woodland Village Mobile Home Park - 5757 U.S. Hwy 20, Portage, IN, (there are two sets of CSX railroad tracks that run parallel to the southern end of the mobile home community, which is located south of U.S. Hwy 20 and west of Willowcreek Road). Officer Laura Lightfoot was the first officer