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At its February Executive Board meeting, the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) proudly presented the Norman E. Tufford Award to Barbara Waxman. Norman Tufford served as the first Executive Director of NIRPC from 1966 to 1985. The award named in his honor recognizes former Commissioners and NIRPC staff who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the region. "In addition to recognizing Barbara's tremendous contributions to the region," said NIRPC Executive Director Ty Warner, "it is especially appropriate, following the celebration of NIRPC's 50th anniversary, to give this award to someone who knew and worked with Norm Tufford, NIRPC's first

Halfway through the 2018 legislative session, House Republican efforts to reduce human trafficking are progressing. State Reps. Sally Siegrist (R-West Lafayette) and Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) discussed their proposed legislation and the importance of taking action to fight this issue and protect victims. State Rep. Sharon Negele (R-Attica) also discussed her proposal that would expand Silver Alerts to include missing children with disabilities.   Tune in for our Local News broadcasts at the bottom of every hour on WIMS for more information.

For many families, the New Year brings hope of long awaited tax refunds. People may make plans to pay off debts or make significant purchases. Unfortunately, tax identity thieves may also be making plans to use those hard-earned dollars. Tax identify thieves use other people’s Social Security Numbers (SSN) to file taxes and/or even obtain jobs. Most victims initially will not even be aware that this has happened. Some will be notified upon e-filing that a tax return has already been filed using their SSN. If you believe you have been the victim of tax-related or any other type of

On Friday night, the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) received a report of gunshots fired in the area of Gladstone and Silver Lane. Officers were dispatched to the area and found one male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to an area hospital and was initially listed in critical condition. The victim passed away and has been identified as 17 year old Daekwon L. Tobar and his family has been notified. Several witnesses have been interviewed at the County Metro Homicide Unit. No arrests have been made and an autopsy is expected to be scheduled for

The legacy of the late Allan “Al” Whitlow continues on through the announcement of the Al Whitlow Experience (AWE) mentoring program at Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City. Whitlow, who unexpectedly passed away on November 19, 2017, served as the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City for 13 years from 2001 to 2014. His long list of achievements that impacted the people and the programs of Michigan City also include service as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent for Michigan City Area Schools. He had coached the area’s youth, and he had

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) will announce a new initiative this week focused on ensuring every Hoosier has an opportunity to succeed. The initiative will kick off with several roundtable discussions throughout the state. The first event will take place on Tuesday, February 20, in Indianapolis and will feature a discussion with speakers representing Indianapolis non-profits, law enforcement, health, education, veteran and affordable housing organizations, and other community groups. Additional events will take place in Hammond on Wednesday, February 21, and Fort Wayne on Thursday, February 22. More specific details will be announced the day before each event.

Our country's need for blood is one that has been well-documented. The statistics pose a grim reality. In the United States, a little over 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day. Someone in America requires blood nearly every two seconds. The needs of car accident victims care not about a drastic shortage - one victim may require up to 100 pints of blood. Marquette's National Honors Society is doing its part to answer the call. Next Thursday, they'll be sponsoring a blood drive in the business lab of the Scholl Center. While those with Type O blood are

Ahead of National FFA Week, February 17-24, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) introduced legislation to update and modernize the charter for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) to reflect agriculture education in the 21st Century. The National FFA Organization's Federal Charter Amendments Act updates the FFA charter to allow for student officer vice presidents to reflect the regional diversity of the United States. Additionally, it provides governing flexibility for national officers in order to reduce operational delays caused by vacant seats. The amendments to the charter will also allow the

The next meeting of the Task Force for Assessment of Services & Supports for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities will be held on Friday, Feb. 23, at the Boonville Warrick County Public Library, 611 West Main Street in Boonville, Ind., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live. The link to the livestream is https://Indiana.AdobeConnect.com/taskforce1102/. Public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting so the task force can receive input regarding services and supports for people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations should be made by contacting

The entrepreneurship committee of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) board of directors will hold a public meeting at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the IEDC (1 N. Capitol Ave., Suite 700) in Indianapolis. Prior to the public meeting, the committee will hold an executive session at 12:00 p.m. at the IEDC for consideration of confidential pending incentive requests made to the state of Indiana by industrial or commercial prospects (confidential proposals in progress), discussion of records classified as confidential by state or federal statute, and confidential application information as provided in Indiana Code §§ 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4) and (7)

The South Shore Line will operate a regular weekday train schedule on Presidents’ Day, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018, with select trains stopping at McCormick Place for the Chicago Auto Show. All ticket offices will observe regular hours. Michigan City Transit Department will also be operating a regular schedule on Presidents Day.

The Town of Chesterton's Storm Water Management Board will move their regularly scheduled meeting to Tuesday, February 20th Due to the President's Day Holiday on Monday. Check wimsradio.com, as well as our Facebook and Twitter for more information on businesses and service departments adjusting their schedule for President’s Day.  

“Our board spent a lot of time vetting the applications we received,” said Lorelei Weimer, the executive director for Indiana Dunes Tourism. “We are very excited with the programs happening in Indiana Dunes Country this year, and we are even more excited to be able to support them, which helps make this area an even more attractive destination for travelers and residents alike.” The grants can be used for such things as developing and enhancing attractions, as well as advertising, printing and promotional expenses that bring visitors to the area and encourage overnight stays. The funds can also be used

Gov. Holcomb traveled to the Columbus Learning Center on Friday to participate in a roundtable discussion and to learn about the region’s successful and well-established workforce partnerships, including the Community Education Coalition and Economic Opportunities through Education (EcO) Network. While there, he heard directly from students who have taken advantage of local education and work-based opportunities to pursue pathways leading to rewarding and fulfilling careers in Southeast Indiana. The governor joined other state and local elected officials as well as education, community and business leaders. The goal of the visit was to learn about successful, locally-developed programs to skill-up Hoosiers and put them

An Evansville woman thought her husband was joking when he called and asked, “Would you retire if we were millionaires?” Donald Rebstock drove to where his wife, Lisa, works to show her the $1 million winning ticket. Donald won a top prize on a $10 50X The Cash Scratch-off from the Hoosier Lottery. His exciting week began two days before he bought the winning ticket. On Feb. 6, he played the new Multiply the Cash Scratch-off family and won $40. Two days later, he decided to play again at a retailer he frequents, Green River Motomart in Evansville. Donald bought

Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Indiana is pleased to announce they are the recipients of a $5,000 grant from Horizon Bank for the “Opening Doors to a Greater Lake County” project.  These funds are allocated for the repair and replacement of doors throughout the Merrillville ReStore.   Habitat for Humanity manages two resale shops in Lake County called ReStores.  The ReStores carry new and gently used furniture and home goods, as well as building materials.  Horizon Bank’s donation will ensure the doors in the ReStore close easily and securely and are aesthetically appealing to the general public.  The generous grant

Take the South Shore Line to the Region celebration "219 Day" this Saturday, Feb. 17, in Hammond. Free shuttle bus service will be provided for the event between the SSL Hammond Station and the Hammond Civic Center. The shuttle will run from 5 pm to 10:30 pm on Saturday, with signage directing passengers to the shuttle. Click here for the event schedule and more information.  

STORY UPDATE The driver of the 2007 Volvo has been identified as David C. Sturgis, 53 of Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. Family has been notified.  Sturgis was driving for Dalli Trucking Incorporated out of Greendale, Wisconsin. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INITIAL PRESS RELEASE An early morning crash, this morning, involving two semis, resulted in the death of one of the drivers. Preliminary investigation, by Trooper Nicole Maenza, revealed at approximately 2:50 a.m., this Friday, February 16, 2018, morning, a semi pulling two trailers for R L Carriers out of Wilmington, Ohio, and being driven by a thirty-seven year old man from Heartland, Wisconsin, had just got

“The Department of Education is heartbroken over yet another mass shooting which took place in a school. Each day, Indiana schools set safety as a top priority. We train; we partner. We fully understand the importance surrounding this enormous responsibility. As a Department, we remain committed to providing the resources and guidance our schools need to keep safety a top priority.”

In the four years since its inception, the Indiana Department of Revenue’s (DOR) Identity Theft and Fraud Prevention Program has stopped over $110 million in attempted identity theft and tax fraud. A continued decrease in fraud dollars is expected for 2018 through the use of DOR’s three-step authentication to detect tax fraud and the agency’s collaboration with other states to share fraud data patterns. More information about stopping ID theft can be found on DOR’s website at https://www.in.gov/dor/4794.htm. Information about the tax fraud prevention program and how to report tax fraud can be found on DOR’s website at https://www.in.gov/dor/4792.htm. For more information,