News

The United States Census Bureau has released data on Indiana home building in the first month of 2018, indicating a small decrease for single-family construction starts for January. Single-family permits are down 10% from December 2017 when 948 permits were pulled. There were 858 permits pulled in January of 2018, a 1% decrease from January of 2017 when 868 permits were pulled. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes remains steady in January at 72, on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Any number over 50 indicates that more builders view sales

The Michigan City High School Choral and Band departments will be presenting three concerts during the month of March. Classics Night I will take place on Tuesday, March 6th, at 7 pm in the high school auditorium. This concert will feature all of the high school choral groups. Classics Night II will take place on Thursday, March 8th, at 7 pm in the high school auditorium. This concert will feature all of the high school bands. Swing Night will take place on Wednesday, March 14th, at 7 pm in the high school auditorium. This concert will feature the Treble Chorale,

The Portage Police department is hosting an “Active Shooter Survival Guide for Teachers administrators and Office Staff” workshop. Portage Township Schools staff are encouraged to register for any of the dates (March 13th, 20th, April 10th, April 17th). Contact Debbie Bolin at 764-5713 or dbolin@portage-in.com. Classes will be held at the Portage Police Department and are from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) hosted the first Indiana gathering of teachers and scholars launching the Big History Project in the state. Nearly 30 PNW faculty members and several educators from Northwest Indiana K-12 schools gathered recently at PNW's Hammond Campus to kick off the Big History Project in Indiana. The session was led by Bob Regan, education director of bgc3, and Bob Bain of the University of Michigan, lead faculty member of Big History. What is Big History? Dubbed "a social studies course that runs on jet fuel," the Big History Project is inspired by the work of notable historian

In Michigan City, on Wednesday March 21st beginning at 8:30am plastic eggs with candy filled for the upcoming Easter egg hunt. This will take place in the Senior Center located in Washington Park. Refreshments and drinks will be provided throughout the day. Lunch will be served at 11:00am. You may stop in for a few hours to assist. As many volunteers as possible are needed to fill 50,000 eggs. MCPD is 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

There is an opening in Porter County for the position of Fourth Deputy Treasurer. Applications and/or resumes will be accepted at the Treasurer’s Office counter, 155 Indiana Avenue, Suite 209, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Applications may be acquired at the receptionist console at this same address. Mark the envelope “Porter County Treasurer, Confidential”. This is a full-time non-exempt position with benefits and an annual salary of $40,000. A probationary period applies for the first ninety (90) days. During this period the salary is based on 95% of the offered salary. For more information and to download an application visit: www.porterco.org/Jobs

Efforts to protect Lake Michigan and it’s critical shoreline habitat received a big boost from the Indiana Supreme Court earlier this month. A unanimous decision by the Court on a beach access case focused on defining whether the lake’s shoreline is in the public trust or private control. The Court’s decision is the most expansive state affirmation of the public trust doctrine along the Great Lakes shoreline, firmly putting the state’s Lake Michigan shorelands into public, not private, ownership. The case boosts protection efforts for vital shoreline habitat areas, which serve as a buffer zone between the lake and the

Hoosiers affected by severe weather and flooding in Indiana will have convenient access to assistance, as the State of Indiana opens three state assistance centers in Northern Indiana. Three one-stop disaster centers will open the week of Monday, March 5. Lake County: 3460 Vermillion Street, Lake Station Indiana 46405 (Polk Elementary School, in the gymnasium.) Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jasper County: 112 Carnation Street SE, Demotte Indiana 46310 (Demotte Town Hall) Open Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Open Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Elkhart County: 608 Oakland Drive, Elkhart Indiana

Have you ever wanted to view La Porte County from the skies? Are you curious about what the towns looked like from the 1950’s, or right before the La Porte overpass was built? The La Porte County Historical Society Museum is having a display entitled “Up Up and Away!: A look at Aerial Photography from La Porte County!”, offering aerial photographic views throughout the decades. This current Spring display will be up from March 1st to the end of May 2018. The exhibit features an array of stunning photos from the collection of the Historical Society that show the growth

University Park Mall, a Simon mall, announced this week that the center will serve as a donation location for the American Red Cross as it works to offer relief for Hoosiers affected by the catastrophic flooding in northern Indiana. Throughout the month of March, shoppers may stop by Guest Services to make a cash donation to the American Red Cross. The mall will also donate all change tossed in the fountain to this worthy cause. In addition, donations can be made by phone by calling 1-800-513-2599, or by texting Red Cross to 90999. The Department of Homeland Security reports that

Burns Harbor Town Councilman Kevin Tracy is shaving his head on Sunday, March 11 to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.  The event hosted by the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids (NICK) foundation benefits the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; which is a charity dedicated to funding promising research towards finding cures for childhood cancers. Of all federal funding directed at cancer research, only 4% makes its way to childhood-specific cancers, creating an enormous funding gap.  Tracy said, “the problem is only more obvious when you realize the average age of a child receiving a cancer diagnosis is only 6 years

Friday morning just before 1 a.m. the Porter County Sheriff’s Department attempted to stop a vehicle just outside the city limits, in the area, of Highway 130 and Froberg Rd. The vehicle sped off and refused to stop. The vehicle entered the city, in the area, of Ransom Rd and Campbell St. Officers from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and the Valparaiso Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver continued to drive in a reckless and dangerous manner. The pursuit continued south bound on Campbell St to Indiana Ave. The vehicle traveled eastbound thru numerous streets in

Gov. Holcomb, on Thursday, signed an executive order creating an Office of Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning to help more people skill-up for good paying jobs with Indiana companies. The new state office will work to double the number of Hoosiers who participate in apprenticeships or other work-based learning programs by 2020 and will expand these valuable opportunities for both students and working adult Hoosiers in a more diverse range of industry sectors.To boost apprenticeship programs for working adults, the Office of Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning will work with the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance and expand federally approved apprenticeships.

Michigan City Human Rights Commission will kick off Disability Awareness Month by saying “thank you” to Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) bus drivers and monitors and Student Support Services staff on Wednesday, March 7. Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer will make his way around town to recognize transportation and special education staff excellence. His first stop will be take place at 8:45 a.m. at the Bus Barn located at 1100 South Woodland Avenue where coffee and donuts will be served. Later on in the day, Mayor Meer will address staff from the MCAS Student Support Services Department during a cake

24 year old Roddell Durbin, Jr., appeared Thursday before a St. Joseph County Superior Court judge and was sentenced to 10 years for Possession of Child Pornography. Three (3) of those years are to be executed in the Indiana Department of Correction, with seven (7) years of the sentence suspended. He was also sentenced to 2 years reporting probation upon his release from the DOC, when he will also be required to register as a sex offender. Mr. Durbin previously pled guilty by agreement to all four counts with which he was charged in September 2017. Of these four counts,

Jason Anderson, 39, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced before South Bend District Court Senior Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Thomas L. Kirsch II. Anderson was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment and 2 years supervised release. According to documents in this case, in or around March of 2017, Anderson possessed one or more firearms after having been convicted of serious drug offenses in both Indiana and Illinois. The court sentenced Anderson under the Armed Career Criminal Act due to his prior convictions. This case was investigated by the Bureau of

Indiana’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) is now accepting applications from families in 20 counties who may be eligible for grants for their children to receive high-quality, prekindergarten education through the On My Way Pre-K program for the 2018/2019 school year. The pilot program was expanded in 2017 from five to 20 counties to provide the benefits of early childhood education to more Hoosier children from low-income families. The program will be available for the 2018/19 school year in Bartholomew, DeKalb, Delaware, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Harrison, Howard, Kosciusko, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Vigo Counties.

The LaPorte County Sheriff s Office is joining law-enforcement agencies across Indiana this March to increase dangerous and impaired driving patrols for the NCAA Tournament and St. Patrick's Day. Last year, the weekend beginning St. Patrick' s Day had the highest number crashes involving impaired drivers. With March 17, 2018 falling on a Saturday, police are conducting random patrols, saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints intended to make our roads safer. The top causes of all Indiana traffic crashes are drivers following too closely and failing to yield the right of way. Aggressive, distracted and impaired driving reduce reaction times to

31 year old Branden Furnari of South Bend, Indiana was charged with possession of a firearm (destructive device) not registered in the National Firearms Registration Record. According to documents in this case, Furnari was arrested after allegedly selling destructive devices to an undercover law enforcement officer. Furnari explained in detail how to assemble the components using the “Det cord” and “Blasting caps” which was all provided in the transaction for $800 dollars to the undercover officer. The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that a Complaint is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until, and unless,

Earlier this week, The House of Representatives voted in favor of State Rep. Jim Pressel’s (R-Rolling Prairie) House Resolution 8 urging the General Assembly to study the use of electronic communication devices while driving. Pressel’s resolution calls for a study committee to review the use of electronic communications devices, like a cell phone or smartphone, while operating a motor vehicle. The committee would also take a closer look at the relationship between the safety of workers in construction zones and the use of cell phones while driving. Pressel said interim committees are an important avenue in which to research complex