News

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly received an award from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) recognizing his outstanding support for law enforcement. Donnelly was also recognized for his work to draft, introduce, and shepherd to passage the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year. NAPO is a coalition of police associations from across the country.The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, which Donnelly authored and introduced with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) allows law enforcement agencies to establish or enhance mental health services for their officers. It also

At a press conference yesterday, Attorney General Curtis Hill discussed his ongoing determination to strengthen drug interdiction efforts across Indiana, including a collaboration with the Indiana Drug Enforcement Association (IDEA) to provide funding to regional interdiction teams. Through a $1.25 million grant to IDEA, the Office of Indiana Attorney General is supporting the establishment of highway interdiction teams (HITs) statewide. These teams, comprised of officers and drug-sniffing dogs, are cracking down on criminals who use Indiana thoroughfares to carry out their nefarious deeds. Through the grants, a total of eight police cars and five police K-9s have thus far been

On Wednesday morning, the House Republican Conference selected Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) to serve on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Congressman Banks will serve on the Subcommittees on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and Higher Education and Workforce Development. Banks served on the Education Committee for six years during his time in the Indiana State Senate.

The Dunes Arts Foundation (DAF) and the Dunes Summer Theatre present the musical The Spitfire Grill, directed by Steve Scott from the Goodman Theater, along with Musical Director, Jeff Otto. The play runs from May 25 through June 10 with performances every Friday/Saturday at 7 pm CST and Sunday at 2 pm CST at 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michigan City, IN 46360. A special “Celebration of the Arts” FUNraiser occurs during the June 9 performance. For a $50 donation, patrons will enjoy food from Fiddleheads, a drink ticket, music provided by Debra Sawyer, from the group AhTu, as well as

Earlier Wednesday morning, a crash between a passenger car and a semi sent one of the driver’s to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nicole Maenza revealed at approximately 4:40 a.m., a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 22 year old Tristen M. Riezinger, of Crown Point was east bound on I-80/94 at the .9 mile marker (Calumet Avenue) in the left middle lane when for unknown reasons ran into the back of a semi-trailer. The semi, a 2013 Freightliner, out of Frankfort, Illinois, loaded with 43,000 pounds of shingles on its flatbed trailer, was east bound

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Wednesday, applauded committee passage of her bipartisan legislation to combat the opioid epidemic by improving access to non-opioid pain treatments. The Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act (H.R. 5722), named for the South Bend doctor shot to death after refusing to write a prescription for opioid painkillers, was approved by the Ways and Means Committee as part of broader legislation to address opioid abuse. Dr. Graham’s wife Julie was in the audience as the committee voted to send the legislation to the House floor.

La Porte County Solid Waste District have organized a Household Hazardous Waste collection this Saturday from 9am-2pm at the La Porte County Fairgrounds. They will be collecting Household Hazardous Waste, Electronics, Appliances, Tires*, and Shredding your documents. For more information call 219-326-0014 or email sgeeburns@solidwastedistrict.com. *Tire information- First four passenger car/truck are FREE, additional of that size are $1 each. Semi/ tractor tires are $5 each, tires larger than 54" in diameter are $75 each.

School leaders from districts across the nation on Tuesday attended Indiana’s first-ever State Education Chief Roundtable on school safety. Held during the 2018 Indiana Advanced School Safety Specialist Academy, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) invited representatives from all 50 states and U.S. territories in an effort to extend the national discussion on school safety and share best practices. Looking to further safety discussions through collaboration and partnership, this State Education Chief Roundtable is anticipated to be the first of many national collaborative discussions on school safety. For more information on Indiana’s commitment to school safety or to learn more

Valparaiso Police are investigating a vandalism that occurred in Central Park in downtown Valparaiso on May 4th. Numerous landscaping lights were damaged in the park. The male subject (wearing a maroon shirt) is a person of interest and police are seeking the male subject's identiity. Anybody with information regarding the male subject is asked to call the Valparaiso Police Department at (219) 462-2135 (Detective Jason Hamilton) or text a tip to Tip411 (847-411) and enter "Valpo" in the message field prior to sending your information. Check out the WIMS Facebook page for photos.

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday, calling for action to protect the hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees across the country at risk of losing the pensions they earned through decades of work. Donnelly highlighted the stories of a number of Hoosiers who would be harmed by pension cuts. According to a press release, without congressional action, the nearly 150 multiemployer pension plans listed by the U.S. Department of Labor as in “critical or endangered status” could fail, potentially leading to the collapse of the federal pension insurance program, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. This

. Nine adults were injured in a five vehicle crash that occurred when water from a heavy rain pour covered parts of I-80/94. Preliminary investigation revealed,just after 11:30 p.m., Monday, a Chevrolet Tahoe hydroplaned in the left lane of I-80/94 east bound at the 27 mile marker (this is one mile east of the Chesterton exit). The left lane was completely covered in water due to the heavy downpour of rain. This caused the Tahoe to crash head on into the concrete median wall. The Tahoe came to an uncontrolled rest facing north. It was then sideswiped in

Shortly after 10:00 a.m. Monday morning, a Mishawaka school bus driven by 65 year old Albert Nagy was in the left northbound lane of Main Street in front of John Young Middle School in Mishawaka. Mr. Nagy intended to turn left at the light on Omer to get to the middle school. A Ford Taurus driven by 28 year old Derek Morris of Mishawaka, was travelling southbound on Main Street. Witnesses told investigators that the Taurus crossed the center line, striking the bus. Mr. Morris was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were two students on the bus at the

Paul Tobalt, a 2014 graduate of Michigan City High School (MCHS), and four year Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) cadet, was sworn in as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps at Purdue University in West Lafayette on May 11th. Tobalt attended Purdue on the Navy/Marine ROTC scholarship. That scholarship is worth $180,000 in educational benefits. Tobalt’s first duty station will be Quantico, VA, 40 miles south of Washington, DC. He will attend The Basic School (TBS) there, which is where all Marine officers, regardless of their military occupational specialty (MOS) or job, attend. He

NIPSCO has announced the opening of a request for proposals (RFP) to consider a combination of potential resources to meet the future electric needs of its customers. The need for the future electric capacity follows the projection made by the company in its last Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to retire 50 percent of its coal-fired electric generation by 2023, with its Bailly Generating Station on track to retire by the end of May 2018. NIPSCO is considering all sources in the RFP process in conjunction with the company’s 2018 IRP. The IRP process involves several months of analysis, public meetings

Governor Eric Holcomb is directing flags across the state to be flown at half-staff for Peace Officers Memorial Day. Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today (Tuesday). Gov. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents across Indiana to lower their flags to half-staff.

The Indiana State Police were called by the Porter County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) Monday morning to investigate an officer involved shooting that involved one of their officers. At approximately 1:16 a.m., a deputy with the PCSD was going to a call in the area of U.S. 6 and 200 West when he clocked a motorcycle on U.S, 6 doing 80 miles-per hour. The officer attempted to make a traffic stop on the motorcycle who took off. The officer (in a fully marked Ford Explorer county police car) pursued the orange Kawasaki “sport” motorcycle from U.S. 6 to State Road 149

The Mobile Health Unit of La Porte Hospital will be out in the community throughout May to provide bone density screenings and to educate on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. Come and visit the Mobile Health Unit to learn more about these two important topics. The Mobile Health Unit program has been made possible by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte. Upcoming Dates and times of the Mobile Health Unit visits are: 1 -2:00 p.m., May 16, Kabelin’s, 512 Andrew Ave, La Porte

The second of two Healthcare Foundation of La Porte grant cycles in 2018 will open today. Organizations seeking grant funding for projects related to the health and wellness of La Porte residents are encouraged to apply. Proposals are due by June 29 at midnight for consideration. Priority will be given to evidence-based projects that encourage collaboration between community organizations. Organizations can visit hflaporte.org/grants to learn more. HFL only accepts applications through their Grant Portal, a link to which can be found on the HFL website. Applications sent by any other means will not be reviewed. Proposals requesting funding of more

The United Way of LaPorte County announced its new annual gala SEEDS OF IMPACT will be held on Sunday, May 20 from 1-4 PM CST at Friendship Botanic Gardens. Set in the beautiful Chinese Bridge Garden of the Friendship Botanic Gardens in Michigan City, SEEDS OF IMPACT will delight guests with a concert performance by internationally renowned jazz and funk bassist Dwayne Dolphin, showcasing his signature sound and exceptional showmanship in this up close and personal performance. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information visit: unitedwaylpc.org/seedsofimpact

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski congratulated Hannah DeSchepper, a Penn High School junior, on winning the 2018 Congressional Art Competition for Indiana’s 2nd District on Saturday. DeSchepper’s winning artwork, “Kehinde Kahlo,” will hang in the U.S. Capitol for the next year alongside other winners from across the country. “Congratulations to Hannah on this exciting achievement!” Congresswoman Walorski said. “Visitors at the Capitol will be able to see her passion and creativity with her artwork on display for the next year. I want to thank all the talented young Hoosier artists who entered this year’s Congressional Art Competition – it’s always a privilege to