News

Indiana Auditor of State Tera Klutz, CPA, made the “big-reveal” of the updated Indiana Transparency Portal (ITP) offering Hoosiers a more accessible and in-depth look at the state’s finances and assets. Utilizing the latest in data delivery technology, Auditor Klutz worked closely with several state partners to update the site that has been traditionally known for receiving the highest awards for government transparency. The transformation includes interactive dashboards that provide overviews of some of the more popular and the most complex financial information about state revenue and expenditures. The site can be accessed by visiting www.in.gov/itp .

On Monday at approximately 7:45pm, Officers from shift two of the Michigan City Police Department responded to a report of three male subjects fighting in the 700 block of Belden with one reportedly having a knife. Upon arrival of Officer Cody Washluske and Matthew Babcock, observed several individuals outside the residence and an additional red Chevy Tahoe parked in the middle of the road. As Officer Babcock had his emergency lights activated, and before he could exit the vehicle, the red Chevy Tahoe began driving in reverse, and accelerated towards Officer Babcock’s police car. With no chance for reaction the

The Trail Creek Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred at Little Caesars Pizza located in the Evergreen Plaza at 2026 E US Highway 20, Trail Creek, IN. At approximately 9:38pm, two black male subjects entered the store and confronted employees.  Both subjects, who hid their faces, displayed handguns and demanded the employees turn over the money in the cash drawer. After the robbery the suspects fled the store in an unknown direction. A LaPorte County Sheriff’s Deputy and his K-9 partner attempted to track the suspects, however they were unsuccessful. Fortunately, no one was injured during the

On Wednesday, June 27, 2018, Opportunity Enterprises is privileged to host Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. The Lt. Governor will be in Valparaiso along with the Task Force for Individuals with Disabilities throughout the day. An open meeting of the 1102 Task Force addressing issues related to individuals with disabilities will meet at 10 am at the Porter County Community Foundation. Immediately following this public meeting, the Lt. Governor and members of the task force will tour Opportunity Enterprises at 2801 Evans Avenue in Valparaiso. Members of the media are invited to attend. Please confirm attendance to Becky Jascoviak atbecky.jascoviak@oppent.org or 219.464.9621

The Indiana Career Explorer (ICE) Pilot Program has expanded by 20 middle schools across the state of Indiana for the upcoming 2018-19 school year. The ICE Pilot Program is designed for eighth-graders to utilize all components of the Indiana Career Explorer tool, including career exploration, career plan development and skills and work values assessments. Local schools joining the ICE Pilot Program include: -Duneland School Corporation: Chesterton Middle School, Chesterton -John Glenn School Corporation: Harold C. Urey Middle School, Walkerton The expansion of the ICE Pilot Program is a result of SEA 297 passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2018

Lazy summer days are not always in the cards for Indiana teachers, who are not paid when classes are not in session. Besides working a job during summer break, some teachers hold a second job after the school bell rings. New data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that nearly one-in-five teachers worked a job outside of the school system during the 2015-2016 school year. President of the Indiana State Teachers Association Teresa Meredith says educators simply are not being paid adequately. Teachers in Indiana earn between $24,000 to $90,000 annually, according to the National Education Association. That's

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a train/pedestrian collision that occurred on Saturday. At approximately 12:30 PM, deputies were dispatched to the South Shore railroad tracks located near the area of East Bell Avenue and North Cottage Grove Avenue in Hudson Lake. Responding deputies were advised a train had struck a pedestrian, possibly a female. Deputies arrived in the area and began a search. A short time later, a female was found underneath the fifth train car. The commuter train, number 506, was traveling west and carrying 122 passengers. The female was identified as a seventeen (17)

In Jasper County an eleven-year old passenger was airlifted after being ejected when their vehicle rolled over on I-65. Preliminary investigation revealed Sunday evening, a 2003 GMC Yukon, was south bound in the right lane on I-65 when the Yukon had a tire failure causing the driver, a 40 year old from Indianapolis, to overcorrect. The Yukon went off the roadway into the center cable barrier and rolled over. The driver was airlifted from the scene to Christ Advocate Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois with non-life threatening injuries. Her passenger, an 11 year old, of Indianapolis was ejected from the

Cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) attended the GenCyber Camp at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond from June 18-22. Skills needed for a career in cyber security were developed at this camp. These are also skills that cadets use when competing in Cyber Patriot, the national cyber security game where cadets act as security managers for an organization, defending and counterattacking against a cyber attack. This camp, like all JROTC activities, was done at no cost to the cadets or MCHS. The camp was funded by the National Security Agency

At the June 19, 2018 Michigan City Common Council meeting, a former City of Michigan City employee made false accusations and statements claiming that the Mayor’s political campaign fund has been the beneficiary of the proceeds from his golf outings and Mayoral Ball’s. In Ron Meer’s tenure as Mayor, which is now in year seven, there have been (5) Golf Outings and (3) Mayoral Ball’s and none of the money raised by these events has ever gone into the Mayor’s political campaign fund. The truth is, the proceeds from these (8) events, which total $176,341.36, have gone to help many

If you pay rent for your Indiana home, you may be eligible to take a tax deduction of up to $3,000. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyone who rents their principle place of residence in Indiana may take a renter’s deduction on their tax filings as long as the rental property is subject to Indiana state property tax. Renters can deduct up to $3,000 or the amount of rent paid, whichever is less. If you, for example, paid $3,500 in rent, you may only claim a deduction of $3,000. Similarly, a person who paid $2,700 in rent costs may only

The Indiana State Department of Health has named Bethany Colson executive director of the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. Colson has served as deputy director at the center since 2016, where she has managed the center’s budget and contracts and overseen special projects and operations of its regional centers. She has served as interim director twice, most recently following the departure of former director Christine Moody. Previously, she served as early intervention coordinator for the center, providing oversight to programming for children from birth to age 3. She also has worked as a speech language pathologist at

A Midsummer Garden Party will be held at the Barker Mansion on Saturday, June 30, from 7-9 pm. This throwback event takes place in the Barker Mansion gardens amid the roses, Tiffany globes and Greek statuary. The evening will include lite bites and retro drinks. Garden games including bocce ball and croquet will be on hand. Costumes circa 1920 (flappers and gangsters) are encouraged. Price is $20 per ticket or 2 tickets for $30. Registration is required via Eventbrite. The midsummer event begins at 7 pm Central Time. The garden will be the primary setting for the event, but guests

A statewide research partnership is getting a financial boost to continue its work to improve the health of Hoosiers. The National Institutes of Health is awarding 33 million dollars to the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, a collaboration between Purdue University, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. Deputy director of the institute Connie Weaver says Indiana is one of the unhealthiest states in the country, and their research work aims to change that. This is the third five-year grant Indiana C-T-S-I has received, and since its formation in 2008 Weaver says it has uncovered dangerous lead levels

On Saturday night, a semi tractor-trailer was southbound on I-65 at the 240 mile marker. Preliminary investigation by Troopers Zach Beaver and Kurtis Jones shows that a 2013 Freightliner, owned by Eagle Expressways Inc., left the roadway and traveled into the woods west of the interstate. The truck traveled 300 feet into the woods before coming to a rest. 1st responders were initially unable to reach the driver due to the trees that were surrounding the vehicle. Fire crews on scene were able to clear an area to the cab portion of the vehicle using chain saws. Once the driver

Looking for a job just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the mobile app called ICC Jobs available from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Job seekers in Indiana have the option to use the app created for the state’s job board, Indiana Career Connect (ICC). DWD launched the mobile app to complement ICC and expand the reach, flexibility and use of Indiana’s premier job search portal. The modernized ICC, launched in 2016, was accessed by over 215,000 unique visitors in 2017 and included nearly 120,000 job postings and more than 60,000 résumé postings last year. The free app

Local vocalist Mary Kay Steele with the group Me and the Boys will gleefully remind concert goers that “It don’t mean a thing,” at the next First Friday in the Chapel musical performance, at Noon, July 6 in the La Porte Hospital Family Chapel. The music, which will focus on traditional swing from the 1930s to today, will include selections from composers such as Gershwin, Arlen and Ellington. The group also plans to discuss the basics of swing music, and why it is so infectious. Peter Steele will join on piano, with Jack Collings on bass. Mary Kay Steele has been performing

The Indiana State Police out of the Lafayette Post have found the body of a female that has been tentatively identified as Terri Ann Bell, 43 of Veedersburg, IN.  Preliminary investigation has revealed that her body was found this afternoon at about 4:00 p.m.in rural Fountain County near the town of Veedersburg.  Family has been notified.  The investigation is continuing.  No other information will be released at this time.

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is reminding taxpayers that data thieves don’t take a summer vacation. In fact, summertime tends to be a favorite period for tax scammers, as many individuals are awaiting a response from DOR or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after filing their tax returns. Tax scammers try to get individuals to disclose personal information, such as their Social Security number, account information and/or passwords. Neither DOR nor the IRS will initiate contact with customers by email to request personal or financial information. Anyone receiving suspicious emails or other forms of communication related to taxes should

From June 25-29, the South Shore Line will temporarily be busing weekday (Mon-Fri) passengers between Carroll Ave. and the South Bend International Airport while they upgrade sections of track and overhead wire. During this period, there will be no train service to or from Hudson Lake, and Trains 401, 422 and 424 between South Bend and Carroll Ave. will be canceled. NOTE: No bikes will be transported via bus for Trains 6 and 11. Train service between Carroll Ave. and Chicago will not be impacted.