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Lawmakers in Indiana are being asked to bump the tax on cigarettes by two dollars a pack this legislative session. House Bill 1380 is authored by Gary Representative Charlie Brown, who says the idea is to make smokers feel, in their wallets, the urgency of quitting a very unhealthy habit. Bryan Hammon with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network says Indiana's tobacco tax is very low compared with most other states, and yet the smoking rate is well above average. Hannon says not only is it a deadly habit, it's costing taxpayers and businesses a lot of money. Hannon

Looking for a career that makes a difference? The La Porte County Family YMCA is now hiring for its Aquatics Department. Available positions include lifeguards, swim instructors and Aquatics Coordinator. If you are hard working and have a positive attitude, The Y would love to hear from you. No previous experience is required for our lifeguard and swim instructor positions, and the Y will provide training and/or certifications as needed. They are able to work around a variety of schedules but are particularly in need of staff members who are available to provide daytime coverage on weekdays. Y employees receive

Lubeznik Center for the Arts' (LCA) spring class & workshop offerings for children, teens and adults are currently open for registration. Weekly classes are available for those looking to develop new skills and workshops for those looking for a little "me time" and focus their creativity for a day or two. Offerings run from March 12 through April 14.  Classes fill quickly so all are encouraged to register early. To see a full listing of classes and to register for classes and camps please visit lubeznikcenter.org. Find out more about our expert faculty under the "Instructor Bios" link under the

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will open the 2018 individual income tax filing season on January 29th. The last day of tax season is scheduled for April 17th. Hoosiers can visit freefile.dor.in.gov to see if they qualify for INfreefile. For more information, customers may visit the website at dor.in.gov or call DOR Customer Service at 317-232-2240, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST.

This week, Indiana State Police officers will join their colleagues with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police and Michigan State Police, along with the organization Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to educate motorists about the signs of human trafficking and to enforce laws that crack down on traffickers. To report human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text BeFree to 233733. For more information about TAT, visit truckersagainsttrafficking.org.

The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) now has the ability to audit small business owners suspected of claiming fraudulent business expenses, thanks to a collaborative partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Businesses with an individual owner, known as sole proprietorships, may be required to fill out a 1040 Schedule C tax form as part of their federal income taxes. The Schedule C form lists all income, expenses, costs of goods sold and vehicle information, as a step to determine their federal gross income. The federal gross income is then reported to DOR when filing state individual income tax forms.

Indiana Conservation Officers arrested two Porter County men as a result of a concentrated patrol effort Friday evening, focusing on addressing snowmobile violations in southern LaPorte County. The area of US 421 and 375 South was saturated with officers from several agencies, including Indiana Conservation Officers, Westville Police Department and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office after a group of snowmobiles fled from Conservation Officers around 10:30 p.m. Friday and traveled to this area. 38 year old Matthew Clark of Valparaiso was arrested after he failed to stop for a Westville Police Officer attempting to conduct a traffic stop on 400

The Porter Police Department is investigating a stolen vehicle from the Travel Center of America (north) truck stop. The vehicle was taken on January 19th at approximately 12:15 AM. The surveillance video shows a male subject walk through the parking lot and get into a Blue 2016 Jeep Compass and drive away. A video is posted on the Town of Porter Police Department Facebook page. Please contact the Porter Police department 219-926-7611 with any information.

The League of Women Voters of La Porte County is pleased to present Diane Gonzales, Secretary of the La Porte County Board of Commissioners for the February 13 Lunch With The League. Her program will include updates on current projects and issues in La Porte County, and she will answer questions afterwards. Join the LWV for this informative 12:00 noon program at Patrick's Grille, 4125 Franklin Street in Michigan City. The general public is invited and reservations are not required. For non-members, a donation is requested. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 11:30 and may purchase a lunch of their

They may be gone but their service and sacrifice has not been forgotten. Yesterday, the Michigan City Fire Department paid tribute to Captain Lee Brady who died responding to call of a mayday on January 22, 1959 at the Liberty Theatre Fire. Captain Lee Brady was thirty six years old and had over twelve years of service on the Michigan City Fire Department. Captain Brady was assigned as an Assistant Fire Inspector and worked days on the Michigan City Fire Department.  His shift for the day had ended at 4:00 PM and he was on his way home when the

The Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) awarded its winter Get Active, Get Fit! prize on January 16, 2018 to Maddox Maxfield, a five-year-old from La Porte. His prize was his very first brand new bike and Spiderman helmet - his favorite superhero. Even through winter is here, it is important for children to continue being active. Sledding, building snowmen, and playing outside in the snow are all great ways to be active for 30 minutes or more each day. Maddox has stayed active this winter through the pre-school program at the YMCA. Among other community partners like the city

This past Thursday at around 8pm, the South Bend Police Department received a report of gunshots fired in the 1100 block of Clover St. Officers were dispatched to the area and located a single vehicle crashed on Hildreth St. near Twyckenham St. (this is approximately one block east of Clover). In an update, Friday an autopsy was completed for 17 year old Tysiona Crawford, the victim from Thursday’s homicide investigation. The forensic pathologist determined the cause of her death to be gunshot wound and the manner of her death to be a homicide. This remains an active and on-going investigation,

Nominations for the Governor's Century and Half Century Business Awards are now open. Chair of the House Committee on Commerce Small Business and Economic Development State Rep. Bob Morris (R-Fort Wayne) explained the important role local businesses play. Morris also explained why they should be recognized for their service to communities. These awards honor businesses that were founded and have continuously operated in the state of Indiana for at least 50 or 100 years. Award recipients will be presented with a commemorative certificate from Governor Eric Holcomb at the Indiana Statehouse. Applications are due February 16th. All eligible companies are

In order to accommodate an expected increase in passengers for the Women’s March Chicago on Saturday, January. 20th, the South Shore Line will have additional capacity available for Train 502’s run. In the afternoon, an eastbound passenger extra will run following the event. It will depart Millennium Station at 4:25 p.m. (Van Buren St. at 4:28 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.

Governor Eric Holcomb, joined executives of the St. Joseph County Airport Authority Thursday to announce that American Airlines will restart operations at South Bend International Airport (SBN), adding two new nonstop flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). A key part of Governor Holcomb's Next Level Agenda, expanding nonstop flight options will help increase the state's connectivity to key national markets and enhance quality of place for Hoosiers. The flights, which will begin June 7, will offer twice-daily service to both Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte, which serve as American Airlines hubs. Tickets for both

Marquette Catholic High School announced that Congressman Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN) will speak to several social studies classes on campus on Thursday, January 25th in the Rudy Hart Theatre. Visclosky serves as Indiana's First Congressional District Representative in Washington D.C. In his 33rd year in politics, Congressman Visclosky is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and also serves as the Ranking Member on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The Gary native has long been an advocate for Northwest Indiana's steel industry.

All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the 2018 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship. The local competition will be held Sunday, Jan 21, 2018 at 1pm at the New Gym at St Patrick’s Church in Chesterton. The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners progressing through local, district, and state competitions.

The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced the launch of On-Ramp, an accelerator program designed to assist early career creative entrepreneurs advance their business goals and objectives. The three-day Creative Entrepreneur Course will be May 18 - 20, 2018 in Madison, Indiana, and focuses on business skills, career goals, and community engagement learning. Those who complete the course are also eligible to apply for the On-Ramp fellowship, which includes up to $2,000 of project funding. More information on the specific training, mentorship and opportunities that On-Ramp provides is available at https://www.in.gov/arts/onramp.htm. Applications for On-Ramp must be completed through the Arts Commission's online

The Lake Michigan shoreline has a sand erosion problem that's hurting commercial shipping and threatening natural habitats, but there's a new plan to help. For about 200 years, man-made structures have been interrupting the southward drift of sand along the shoreline, which has lead to the erosion of some the region's most scenic beaches. Towns along the lakefront, have worked individually to try to stop the erosion, but that's had only limited success. Now Ethan Brown with the Alliance for the Great Lakes says his group and the state's Department of Natural Resources are teaming up with north shore towns

Jim Harper has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Indiana Secretary of State. After law school, Harper completed a federal judicial clerkship in Indianapolis. He now practices law in Porter County. Harper serves on the board of a non-profit law firm that provides free and reduced-cost legal services to veterans, as well as the Hilltop House, a Valparaiso non-profit that provides early-childhood education and other services to Porter County families. In 2016, Harper was the Democratic nominee for State Senate in the 5th District. The Democratic nominee for Secretary of State will be chosen at the Indiana Democratic