(La Porte County, IN) - Families are invited to spend an evening with local farmers and professionals in the agriculture industry to learn about one of La Porte County’s top industries.

La Porte County Farm Bureau will host its first-ever Family Ag Night from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, in the Community Building at the La Porte County Fairgrounds.

The free event is open to the public and will feature more than ten interactive stations showcasing the various sectors of the agriculture industry.  Live animals and farm machinery will be onsite, and free hot dogs and popcorn will be provided.

La Porte County Farm Bureau President Mark Parkman said members of the organization look forward to engaging with patrons and sharing information on the importance and impact of agriculture in the community.

“Agriculture contributes over $35 billion to the Indiana economy, and our farms here in La Porte County all play a role in that,” Parkman said.

Family Ag Night is part of the La Porte County Farm Bureau’s Ag Day celebration. National Ag Day is a program of the Agriculture Council of America that recognizes and celebrates the abundance provided by agriculture.

This year’s National Ag Day is Tuesday, March 18.  For more information about National Ag Day, visit www.agday.org.

(Gary, IN) - One person was killed this morning in a crash involving truck belonging to the Indiana Department of Transportation on Interstate 80-94 in Lake County. 

According to Indiana State Police, a car about 8 a.m. crashed into the truck in the eastbound lanes near Grant St. in Gary. What led up to the crash remained under investigation.

The name of the victim, so far, has not been released.  The accident resulted in two of the eastbound lanes being closed and traffic to back-up. 

(La Porte, IN) - Traveling with a bad headlight resulted in an arrest during a fairly good sized drug bust in La Porte.

This happened early Wednesday on Indiana 39 just south of the Indiana Toll Road.

During a traffic stop, Indiana State Police said there an odor of marijuana and a back seat passenger, Ian Marshall, was asked to step out of the vehicle.

While speaking with officers, police said a plastic bag containing over seven grams of cocaine and more than three grams of methamphetamine began falling from his pant leg.

Police said he was also in possession of nine grams of marijuana.

Marshall, 47, of Michigan City is charged with counts including Level 5 felony possession of cocaine and Level 6 felony possession of methamphetamine.

The driver, Sheilla Marshall, was cited for allegedly having 10 grams of marijuana on her possession.

(La Porte, IN) - A brew pub is coming to downtown La Porte.

Blockhead Beerworks plans to occupy the main level of the building owned by the Carpenter’s Local Union No. 1485 at 1100 Lincolnway across from the old La Porte Hospital site.

Blockhead Beerworks, known for its innovative drinks and Asian fusion cuisine, has an existing operation in Valparaiso

“We’re really excited to be expanding to La Porte and offering something fun and unique for the community,” said Cory Muro, Co-founder of the business.

Blockhead Beerworks is owned and managed by the same partners that own and operate Tomato Bar Pizza Bakery, which has locations throughout Northwest Indiana.

“As a La Porte County resident, it makes it more exciting for me to bring Blockhead so close to home,” Muro said.

La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership Executive Director Bert Cook said the facility will also feature a brewery and distillery along with off street parking with room for about 70 vehicles.

“I think it will be a really popular restaurant in La Porte,” he said.

The brew pub is expected to be operating this summer.

A $200,000 grant from the La Porte Urban Enterprise Association will help with the building modifications required for the business to operate. UEA funding is derived from local manufacturers, who contribute 35-percent of the money they save from local tax incentives to the UEA. 

Mayor Tom Dermody said the UEA grant continues the momentum of growth in the downtown.

“When we look for development opportunities, we start with finding good partners and we have two of the best here with the Blockhead team and the Carpenter’s Union.  This project is an exciting one in the heart of our downtown and our team is confident it’s going to be a major success,” he said.

(La Porte, IN) - Roughly 4,000 NIPSCO customers in La Porte yesterday experienced flickering lights.

According to NIPSCO, the problem lasted for about two hours during the afternoon before NIPSCO crews were able to fix it.

NIPSCO spokesperson, Tara McElmurry said an equipment failure within a power line that impacted multiple substations was to blame.

“Our operations team were able to work together and isolate the issue and then, ultimately, resolve the issue and resolve those flickering lights,” she said.

Mayor Tom Dermody said a number of people called City Hall to inquire about the problem. Service for customers impacted by the problem returned to normal about 4:30 p.m, according to NIPSCO.

(Indianapolis, IN) - Governor Mike Braun has signed two executive orders aimed at getting the unemployed back to work faster and finding any fraud that exists in the state’s unemployment insurance program.

According to the governor’s office, Executive Order 25-33 directs the Department of Workforce Development to take steps to identify fraud and abuse in the unemployment insurance program.

These measures include:

• Verifying applicant eligibility through the use of state and federal new hire directories;
• Cross-checking applicant eligibility through state and federal incarceration records, state death records, and the Multi-State Integrity Data Hub;
• Conducting additional review and investigation of claims filed from a single internet protocol address using a similar mailing address or bank account;
• Ensuring claims made from out-of-state applicants are appropriately verified prior to approval and payment

The Department of Workforce Development will provide quarterly progress reports to the Governor on their findings and the amount of improper payments prevented by these data-focused efforts to prevent fraud and abuse.

“We need to crack down on fraud in unemployment insurance to protect the integrity of the program and the taxpayer dollars that fund it,” Braun said.

Executive Order 25-32 requires additional work search activities for recipients of unemployment insurance and tasks the Department of Workforce Development to more rigorously audit work search activities to ensure compliance.
 

“Unemployment insurance is an important temporary safety net, but it should be exactly that: temporary assistance while searching for a new job. Research shows more rigorous work search requirements lead to unemployment recipients finding work faster,” Braun said.

(La Porte County, IN) - A flock camera allowed police to catch an alleged drunk driver who fled after a close encounter with a flagman at a La Porte County intersection.

Phillip Hoopingarner, 51, is charged with operating while intoxicated and never receiving a driver’s license.  He was also taken into custody for failing to appear on an arrest warrant issued out of Lake County.

According to La Porte County Police, the Chesterton man was traveling at a high rate of speed late Tuesday morning on Wozniak Road in Coolspring Township when he slammed on his brakes for a flagman directing him to stop.

Following an argument, police said Hoopingarner began driving off and the flagman to avoid being hit jumped out of the way but the front bumper still clipped his knee.

The flagman called 911.

Police said a flock camera picked up the suspect’s vehicle in La Porte where a responding officer spotted it on Pine Lake Ave.  The officer made a traffic stop of the vehicle in the parking lot of McDonald’s where Hoopingarner was placed in handcuffs after allegedly refusing a certified blood alcohol test.

Police said there was an odor of alcohol on his breath along with alcoholic beverage containers in his vehicle.  The flagman reported he was not injured.

(New Buffalo, MI) - Residents in New Buffalo are mourning the passing of a former member of the city council.

Brian Flanagan was 68.

Flanagan served on the council for one four year term, which expired in November.  He and former mayor John Humphrey worked closely on several controversial things like prohibiting new short term rentals in residential areas of the city during their four years together. 

“I got to know him as a guy who was very selfless and cared for this community very much.  I, for one, greatly appreciated his input during my time as mayor and I will certainly miss him very much as a friend,” Humphrey said.

Flanagan was also known for his expertise on things like marinas and was described by many as friendly and kind.

His son, Devin, is an officer at the City of La Porte Police Department.

Flanagan after taken to a hospital on Tuesday passed away the following day.

(La Porte, IN) - A man is charged with badly hurting two La Porte Police Officers during a major struggle downtown this month.

According to police, officers about three weeks ago were called to the 900 block of Lincolnway on a report of a man later identified as Jerry Smith being drunk and screaming.

According to police, the 21 year old Smith after becoming very combative and forced one of the officers to the ground where he struck his face on a sidewalk.

The officer, bleeding profusely with a swollen shut right eye, left for medical treatment at the request of other officers trying to diffuse the situation.

Police said Smith, continuing to resist, slammed the hand of another officer into a curb, which caused one of the bones in the officer’s hand to break. Eventually, Smith was strapped to a stretcher and taken to the hospital where he allegedly continued to cause major disruption.

Smith is charged with battery and other counts in La Porte Circuit Court.

(La Porte County, IN) - A man is facing potential time in prison for allegedly taking money but not finishing a job he was hired to do where horses are kept near Rolling Prairie.

Joshua Pratt, 42, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with Level 6 felony fraud.

According to court documents, a La Porte County Police officer in late November responded to Transitions Equestrian Center in the 2500 block of E. 850 North.

Police said the owner reported Pratt claiming to be an old high school classmate offered to finish some electrical work at the business without charging for labor.

The owner hired the Michigan City area man and agreed to his request for an advanced cash payment of more than $3,200 for lumber and other materials.

Initially, he showed up to perform the jobs that included trenching an area outside for an electrical hook-up and work on an indoor electrical outlets, according to court documents.  However, the owner described the work as “unsatisfactory” and unfinished with live wires creating a fire hazard in the barn housing more than 40 horses.

Police said the owner tried contacting Pratt, who became distant and difficult to reach.  After not hearing back from him, the owner posted a warning about what she perceived was a scam on social media.

In response, police said Pratt in text messages requested the owner remove the post and promised to return to the property the next day. However, the owner asked him to refund her payments and not return, police said.

According to court documents, Pratt told investigators the job was 90 percent finished and the owner still owed him for the labor.

He blamed a death in the family, health concerns and other things for not returning to the job site, police said.

Pratt could face an up to 30 month sentence, if convicted.

According to police, Pratt has been involved in a dozen small claims civil cases since 2006. 

(La Porte County, IN) - A stretch of state highway locally will be closed beginning on Monday.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana 104 will be closed between county roads 525 S and 700 S to allow for bridge work at the Kankakee River.

That work is scheduled to be finished in mid-June.  The official detour will follow Indiana 4 and Indiana 23, INDOT said.

(Michigan City, IN) - Crime has gone down in Michigan City.

That’s according to La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan, who cited statistics from the Michigan City Police Department at this week’s La Porte County Council meeting.

Fagan said there was a 17.5 percent drop crime last year and a seven percent reduction in criminal offenses the previous year.

He said more community policing where officers maintain a greater presence on the streets and interact with citizens was a contributing factor along with the excellent work of the La Porte County Drug Task Force.

Fagan said the success rate of the task force in arresting suspected narcotics dealers has been recognized at the federal drug enforcement level.

The drop in crime happened after Michigan City restored the number of officers at its department by raising salaries and implementing new programs and strategies to combat a rise in crime in previous years.

“Things are on an upward trajectory in our most populous city,” he said.

(La Porte, IN) - A convicted La Porte drug dealer is back behind bars on allegations of selling cocaine.

Oscar Arzate, 37, was arrested last week on a La Porte Circuit Court warrant charging him with Level 3 felony dealing cocaine.

According to court documents, Arzate is accused of selling 1.5 grams of cocaine for $200 outside his residence in the 800 block of Kingsporte Lane.  Police said Arzate carried out the exchange in July inside the vehicle of a customer parked in his driveway.

The charge was upgraded to a higher felony due to Arzate having a prior cocaine dealing conviction from 2015, according to court documents.

During his initial court hearing, Arzate was granted a public defender and was scheduled for trial in August.

(La Porte County, IN) - A lengthy police chase ended with a violent crash and injuries Tuesday afternoon near Westville.

La Porte County Police said an officer tried stopping the driver on the Indiana Toll Road for tailgating but the vehicle accelerated, triggering a pursuit close to Portage where the suspect conducted a U-turn.

Police said after reentering La Porte County, the chase veered southbound on U.S. 421 until the SUV left the road and crashed, rolling several times before coming to rest near 250 South.

The driver, Kleve Panayoty, 42, of Brooklyn, New York fled on foot but was soon apprehended, police said. Two passengers were taken to an area hospital with undisclosed injuries.

Panayoty is charged with resisting law enforcement and leaving the scene of a crash, both Level 6 felonies, along with Class C misdemeanor never receiving a license.

Multiple other agencies, including La Porte Police, Indiana State Police and the Porter County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the pursuit.

(Michigan City, IN) - Police say a Michigan City area man was found with drugs after leading officers on a chase with a moped.

Shane Leslie, 29, was still being held today in the La Porte County Jail.

It was nearly 1 a.m. on February 16 when Leslie ignored efforts by an officer to pull him over for traveling 40 mph. in a 30 mph zone, according to court documents.

Police said the pursuit veered onto Karwick Road then Warnke Road before the suspect in his bid to escape crashed the moped along some railroad tracks. 

Eventually, he was grabbed in the nearby parking lot at Sullair during a foot pursuit, according to court documents.

Police said Leslie was found in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine and a smoking pipe. He’s facing charges that include resisting law enforcement.  Leslie was also ticketed for speeding, disregarding a stop sign and not having a valid driver’s license.

(Michigan City, IN) - A Michigan City man could get time in prison for allegedly beating and robbing a homeless person.

According to Michigan City Police, 36 year old Briene Henderson approached a man living in his car. He allegedly struck the 65 year old man twice and forced him to hand over his bank card along with the PIN number.

Police said the card was used at an ATM to remove $400 from the victim’s bank account.

The incident happened in October in the area of Holliday and Edward streets.  Henderson is charged with multiple counts, including robbery, which could bring him as much as a 16 year sentence.

(La Porte, IN) - A suspected fentanyl dealer in La Porte is facing criminal allegations.

Alexander Lopez, 21, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with Level 3 felony dealing in a narcotic drug.

According to court documents, he was caught in February of 2024 selling one gram of fentanyl pills in front of his residence in the 200 block of Noble St. The charge was upgraded because the alleged deal took place within a short distance from Lincoln Elementary School.

Lopez was being held in the La Porte County Jail without bond pending his initial court appearance, which is scheduled on Friday.  He could face anywhere from a 3 to 16 year sentence.  

(La Porte County, IN) - A La Porte County man is facing potential time in prison for not keeping up on his child support payments.

Marc Gaines, 46, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 2 with non-support of a dependent child, a Level 6 felony.

According to court documents, Gaines has paid more than $12,000 in child support since he was ordered to pay $46 a week in 2009. However, his alleged unpaid balance exceeds $23,000.

Authorities said it’s been almost a year since Gaines has made a child support payment and his driver’s license was suspended for being delinquent in his payments.

According to court documents, there’s evidence that Gaines has ability to pay down his child support debt because of him selling online items such as motorcycles and social media posts of him holding a large number of $100 bills.

The investigation indicates he possibly works as a mechanic out of a garage outside a home in northern La Porte County.  He could face an up to 30 month sentence.

(La Porte County, IN) - Brake failure may have been the cause of a crash involving an overturned dump truck in La Porte County last week.

The accident happened Friday just before 10 a.m. at U.S. 20 and State Road 39.

According to La Porte County Police, the truck driver told investigators he applied his brakes while approaching the intersection but the brakes failed. He would up running the red light, striking a mini-van going through the intersection.  The dump truck hauling some type of aggregate material wound up on its side.

Police said the truck driver, a 64 year old man from Chicago was taken to the hospital in La Porte complaining of pain.

John Lambert, 82, of New Carlisle was the driver of the van. He and his 80 year old female passenger were taken to a hospital in South Bend complaining pain and minor lacerations, police said.

(Fish Lake, IN) - More than 100 migrating Sandhill Cranes have been found dead in Fish Lake from Avian Influenza, which has resulted in millions of deaths of mostly chickens in Indiana and across the nation.

Eli Fleace, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources Avian Flu Health Specialist, said Sandhill Cranes migrating north have been hit especially hard this year by the current H5N1 strain of the virus. 

“This is the first time that H5N1 has caused a mortality event in the cranes at this scale,” he said.

According to DNR, close to 1,500 Sandhill Cranes in Indiana have died, so far, this year from bird flu in LaPorte, Starke, Jasper, Newton, Green and Union counties.

Historically, Sandhill Cranes migrate from winter nesting places as far south as Florida to Michigan in February and early March.

Fish Lake is an unincorporated community in eastern LaPorte County with a body of water that has the same name as the community of about 1,000 residents in Lincoln Township.

Sean Leone, who lives along the shoreline, said he has picked up over 30 Sandhill Crane carcasses from the frozen lake since he began seeing the dead birds on the ice about two weeks ago.

Leone recently found a couple of individuals willing to help him dispose of as many of the remaining carcasses on the ice as possible.

“I can look out my window right now and count 45 of them,” he said.

He’s also planning to use a boat or raft to reach any carcasses floating in the water once the ice melts or becomes too thin to safely walk on. 

Leone said he wears gloves and a mask as recommended by DNR for people wanting to dispose of the carcasses without contracting the virus. He’s also following DNR recommendations to use a bleach solution or alcohol to sanitize his clothing afterwards along with a shovel that he uses to place the carcasses into plastic bags he takes to a dumpster.

“There’s still a lot to pick-up,” he said.

Leone said he’s disposing of the carcasses so they don’t come into contact and infect predators like hawks and eagles along with dogs or cats.

Sandhill Cranes are still migrating and landing in pockets of open water on Fish Lake to get a drink before resuming their trip north.

Fleace said a similar number of Sandhill Cranes succumbing to bird flu have also been reported at another popular migrating pit stop at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife area in Starke County.

He believes the Sandhill Cranes are more susceptible this year to the virus from the strain possibly mutating and being able to attack the immune systems of the birds stronger than in the past. And, since Sandhill Cranes travel closely together in flocks of 20,000 or more, “it’s easy for them to spread the disease to each other,” he said.

Fleace said he’s hoping the surviving Sandhill Cranes from greater exposure to the virus will develop enough immunity in their populations to be only minimally impacted during next year’s migration season.

“I’m expecting to see fewer Sandhill deaths next year,” he said.

Fleace said the worst of the death toll in wild birds and poultry from the virus this year should be over soon.

He said the virus found in the feces of infected birds dies quickly as temperatures warm up, which reduces the risk of spread. Once migration season is over, Fleace said the birds from rest will also build up their immune systems weakened from such long travels.

“It is a cold weather virus so as the temperatures start to warm up we’ll see fewer and fewer cases,” he said.

(St. Joseph County, IN) - Police started beefing up their presence today around the new Amazon data center going up outside New Carlisle to try and increase safety. 

The ongoing construction has brought more traffic in the area of Indiana 2 and U.S. 20.

As a result, police said more drivers have been speeding, multiple crashes have occurred and some people living nearby have had trouble getting out of their driveways.

Police will be working with the Indiana Department of Transportation and Amazon to address the concerns.

(La Porte County, IN) - He’s just a freshman but a New Prairie High School student has brought home a state championship in wrestling.

Matthew “MJ” Staples remained without a defeat all season by winning the state title Saturday night in the 157-pound weight division. He finished the season with a 45-0 record.

Staples became just the second state wrestling champ in the history of New Prairie High School. He’s also one of a few freshmen wrestlers to ever win a state title in the upper weight classes.

(Porter County, IN) - The driver of a pick-up truck was killed this morning in a head on collision with a semi-truck near Chesterton.

The crash happened about 9 a.m.

Porter County Police said the westbound 2024 Ford Ranger pick-up truck was passing a slower moving vehicle on U.S. 20 near Brummitt Road.

For unknown reasons, police said the pick-up veered over the center line, striking the oncoming semi head on.   The semi truck driver attempted to avoid the collision by maneuvering to the right but was not successful.

So far, the name of the deceased has not been released.

(La Porte County, IN) - Police rounded up a wandering pony in La Porte County yesterday.

Late in the morning, two Indiana State Police troopers responded to a report of a pony in the median of the Indiana Toll Road outside La Porte. Upon arrival, police said the pony was not there.

After a more than half hour search, the troopers spotted the pony along a fence line on the southern edge of the Toll Road but the pony took off running.  Eventually, the officers were able to catch up and grab the pony, which had become tangled in some vines.

The pony was returned to its owner with help from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office.

(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County Police arrested a driver last night after she ran out of gasoline.

Julie Johnson, 38, was booked into the La Porte County Jail on charges such as possession of methamphetamine, operating while intoxicated and driving on a suspended license.

According to police, a patrol officer was in the area of 500 South and Pine Valley Dr. when he noticed a pick-up truck parked on the south side of the road with its hazard lights flashing.

Police said Johnson explained she was heading to Kingsford Heights from La Porte when she ran out of fuel.

Johnson, who exhibited multiple signs of impairment, denied consuming alcoholic beverages but revealed snorting methamphetamine earlier in the day.  A bag containing a small amount of methamphetamine along with a straw was allegedly found on her possession.

Police said a blood sample was taken from Johnson due to suspected drug impairment, but investigators were still waiting for the test results.

(New Carlisle, IN) - Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced an in-person networking and hiring event. It will take place next Thursday, February 27 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. (CST) at Monroe’s Crossing on 7038 N. Chicago Rd. at Hudson Lake.

Organizers say they’re looking for a wide range of people, from experienced tech professionals to those seeking a career change. “We recognize the need to bring more women and military talent into the data center industry,” they wrote in an announcement, “and are committed to creating opportunities for diverse professionals to thrive.”

The event will feature the following activities:

• Welcome & Introductions – Meet AWS DCC builders & leaders and fellow attendees
• Meet & Greet – Engage with AWS DCC employees and hiring managers
• One-on-One Conversations – Learn about AWS DCC career paths and opportunities
• Light Refreshments & Cocktail Hour – Enjoy a relaxed, welcoming environment
• Networking – Connect with professionals in the industry and grow your network

Participants should register ahead of time. Click this LINK to reach the registration page.

(La Porte, IN) - 2^nd District Congressman Rudy Yakym just completed a tour of area industries that brought him through La Porte.

Yakym made 13 stops, mostly at regional industries on his Indiana Innovation Tour.

The congressman talked with Hoosiers about a wide range of issues important to them, including regulations, taxes, jobs, the economy, a secure southern border, government efficiency, and more.

“The best and most important part of my job is meeting with hardworking Hoosiers across the second district,” Rep. Yakym said. “It was great to be on the road this week listening to small businesses, innovators, and manufacturers. Their insights help me fight for policies that support growth, create opportunity, and ensure every Hoosier can thrive.”

In La Porte, Yakym toured Boss Industries and met with employees who are making high quality air and gas compressors, generators, and similar systems sold around the country.

(La Porte, IN) - Allen Williamson, formerly of La Porte County, has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the Indiana State Police. He will serve as the Deputy Superintendent of the Investigations Bureau.

Williamson is a 1981 graduate of New Prairie High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University at Bloomington in Public and Environmental Affairs specializing in Criminal Justice. Since 1987, Williamson has been a Trooper and a detective on the Toll Road and in Porter and La Porte Counties.

He and his family now reside in Madison County.

(Michigan City, IN) - Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch is scheduled to deliver her State of the City speech on March 4.

The public is invited to the free event at the Holdcraft Performing Arts Center at 1200 Spring St.

The mayor will give an overview of what’s happened since taking office just over a year ago and what’s coming up in the future.

“As the city grows, this administration continues to evolve with it,” she said.

According to the mayor’s office, doors will open at 8:30 a.m. with the address beginning 30 minutes later.

“This State of the City is about open communication, transparency and educating our community. We’ll celebrate our accomplishments, acknowledge the challenges we face and talk about what’s ahead for Michigan City,” she said.

Deuitch said one of the focuses of her administration has been to better serve residents and position the community better for the coming years.

“We’ve worked hard this year to improve in all areas, from how we manage our finances to the quality of the services we provide,” she said.

(La Porte, IN) - The La Porte Little Theatre is celebrating its 100^th birthday with an upcoming open house.

The theatre club started in 1925 then moved in 1954 to a former church building at Third and A streets where it’s been ever since.

The theatre survives from the continued support of volunteers and patrons of the musicals, dramas and comedies performed on the stage by members of the community.

The open house is scheduled Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.

La Porte Superior Court 4 Judge Greta Friedman, who’s a member of the theatre club, said it was started with help from a professional actor, Graham Young, who came here from London and received community support for his desire to start a local theatre club.

“Although he was no longer acting professionally, his love of theatre continued,” she said.

There are five plays on the 2025 season schedule, beginning with “The Music Man,” which has six performances lined up from February 28 through March 9.

(La Porte, IN) - A new oil painting of the historic downtown La Porte courthouse is available now for the public to see.

The painting is hanging inside the La Porte County Clerk’s Office on the main level of the courthouse.

Clerk Heather Stevens said people walking up to the counter at her office can easily see the image measuring about four feet high and two feet wide.

“We wanted it displayed where everybody can see it,” she said.

The artist was Tim Perry, a realtor and former clerk-treasurer for the Town of Long Beach.

Stevens said she asked him to paint the courthouse for her, personally, and she was going to pay him for it out of her own funds. But, after she saw the finished product, she decided the painting should be at the courthouse and Perry donated it.

“This way, everybody can enjoy it,” she said.

(La Porte, IN) - Recognition has been paid to a La Porte man who has worn many hats in city government for a long time.

Terry Scherer, President of the La Porte Police Merit Commission, was presented with a plaque during Tuesday’s La Porte City Council meeting.

Fellow police commission member, Mike Kellems, said the plaque was for his many years of dedication to the La Porte Police Department.

Scherer, who’s now retired from law enforcement, started with the police department in 1980 and, eventually, worked his way up the ranks to police chief. He is also a former member of the La Porte City Council for multiple terms.

“I just love working with people,” said Scherer during the presentation.

Scherer also gave thanks to his late parents for their example on “public service” and “loving people.”

Kellems said Scherer is also retiring from the police merit commission.

He credited Scherer’s leadership on the merit commission for helping to restore the number of police officers at the force to where they used to be several years ago.

(La Porte County, IN) - At least one person was injured Friday morning in an accident involving multiple vehicles, including a semi-truck that wound up on its side in LaPorte County.

The accident happened after 9 a.m. (central time) at U.S. 20 and Indiana 39.

According to LaPorte County Police, three commercial motor vehicles and a passenger vehicle were involved in the collision.

Traffic was still moving in both directions on U.S. 20 but the westbound driving lane was closed just east of the intersection.

Police said the northbound lane of Indiana 39 at the intersection was also closed.  Motorists should expect to encounter delays near the intersection until the accident scene is cleared.

The semi-truck on its side came to rest on the shoulder beside the northbound lane of Indiana 39 while the heavily damaged passenger vehicle was also off the roadway just a short distance away.  The semi was pulling an open trailer filled with what appeared to be some type of aggregate material.

Some of that material spilled from the trailer onto the shoulder.  We'll provide further details once they're made available. 

(Michigan City, IN) - Charges have been filed against the alleged seller of fentanyl used in fatal overdoses recently in Michigan City.

Ashley Coleman, 38, is charged with two counts of dealing resulting in death, both Level 1 felonies and Level 3 felony dealing in a narcotic drug.

According to the La Porte County Drug Task Force, a drug trafficking organization being run in Michigan City was identified during an investigation. As the investigation further developed, two fatal overdoses happened on February 2 and February 9.

Rhonda Hurley was found dead at 232 S. Porter St. while James Cobb was discovered unconscious at 2508 Chickadee Dr. and pronounced dead at the hospital, according to court documents.

As a result, the investigation intensified and Coleman quickly developed as the suspected dealer of the fentanyl tied to the deaths, according to the task force.

Michigan City Police Chief Marty Corley vowed to continue efforts to hold drug dealers profiting from such tragedies accountable.

“These drugs do not just affect individuals struggling with addiction. They destroy lives, fracture families and put entire communities at risk,” he said.

Coleman could face anywhere from a 20 to 40 year sentence for each of the deaths.

(La Porte County, IN) - A flock camera in La Porte County snared a driver with a lifetime ban on his license.

Songkham Malaivanh, 43, of South Bend is now potentially facing several years in prison for the alleged Level 5 felony violation.

A La Porte County Police officer on February 15 was monitoring traffic on U.S. 20 in Springfield Township when he received a flock camera alert on the registered owner of a Kia passenger car having a lifetime ban on his driving privileges.

Police said the officer spotted the car in the area of Indiana 39 and 450 North based on an image of the vehicle provided by the flock camera and pulled it over after confirming the lifetime ban on his license during a computer records check.  

Malaivanh told the officer he was aware of the lifetime ban on his license, police said. The reason for the lifetime ban was provided.

(La Porte, IN) - Police in La Porte used a flock camera database to quickly recover a car allegedly stolen by the owner’s girlfriend.

Denise Jones, 40, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with Level 6 felony vehicle theft.

According to court documents, officers on Valentine’s Day were called by a man reporting his girlfriend took his Pontiac Grand Prix without permission three days ago and never returned it the previous night as promised.

The officer entered the license plate number from the car into a Flock camera database, which revealed the car had recently been at a specific location on Michigan City’s north side, police said.

In response, police said the officer reached out to Michigan City Police, which quickly located the car and Jones behind the wheel.  Jones was transported to the La Porte County Jail where she was also booked on a charge of resisting law enforcement.

(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County officials have pulled the plug on a lighted sign advertising a marijuana dispensary in Michigan outside New Buffalo.

The mobile sign was along U.S. 12 outside a fireworks store paid by a dispensary to have the sign on its property.

The sign is now prohibited from being there after the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday denied the request by the fireworks store manager for a zoning variance to keep the sign at that location.  

The board heard from Derek Thompson, who lives on Grand Beach Road directly across the street from where that sign existed for the past couple of weeks.

Thompson said the LED sign disrupted his family’s peace after sunset.

“This sign is extremely bright.  It ruins our night within our home,” he said.

The BZA felt the sign in the back of a truck posed a hazard to drivers because of how bright and close to the highway it was located.

“I tend to agree with that as well, especially when those LED lights are at a lower level.  I feel it’s a safety concern,” said BZA President Melissa Mischke.

Mischke also expressed support for a proposed statewide ban on advertising marijuana dispensaries because of how prolific billboards promoting marijuana shops have become in Indiana where the drug remains illegal.

“I, too, as a Hoosier, I’m just generally offended by Michigan’s pot advertisement in my face,” she said.

Board members were also upset the sign remained there despite a recent order to remove it until the board decided the matter this week.

(La Porte, IN) - Details are being released about a man forced from a home with something similar to tear gas in La Porte last week.

It happened on Valentine’s Day in the 200 block of Planett St.

La Porte Police said officers were called there about a man who allegedly pointed a gun at his spouse and a nearby neighbor. The man also refused to come out of the home, police said.

The La Porte Police Emergency Response Team tried to negotiate with the man, who allegedly threatened to harm officers if they came inside the residence.  

He finally came out after chemical munitions were released into the residence and he was taken into custody. So far, additional details have not been made available.

(La Porte County, IN) - A La Porte County woman lost more than $1,000 in a phone scam.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Wanatah area woman reported she was told by the caller that her bank account got hacked and, to protect herself, she needed to transfer some money from the account to a cash app then onto a credit card.

After doing so, the woman said she gave out the credit card numbers, allowing the caller portraying himself to be from her bank access to the funds, according to police.

The victim told police she was called again the next day and conducted another similar cash transfer for the fake bank representative.  After contacted a third time, the woman realized it was scam and notified the sheriff’s office.

Police said she was taken for almost $1,700.

(New Buffalo, MI) - For a while, the New Buffalo High School boys’ basketball team exchanged leads with their rivals from Bridgman, but the Bees just had too much sting for the Bison.

New Buffalo, down by seven points at halftime, wound up losing 66-44 at home on  Tuesday during senior night. Head Coach Nate Tripp said he was pleased with how his players competed against one of the best teams in the region.

“It’s OK. Our guys played really well,” he said.

The Bison scored five of the first eight points on a short bucket while driving to the rim from M’Nason Smothers and a nothing but net three point shot by Keyon Tomilo.  James Shaw later sank a five foot bank shot just before nailing a three point bucket.

Gradually, Bridgman opened up a four point lead but the Bison went ahead again toward the end of the first quarter on a three point shot from Sam Tripp followed by a bucket and free throw from Brysun Perry. The Bees, though, quickly opened a nine point lead in the second quarter.

However, the Bison pulled to within five points on buckets close to the rim from Lucas Forker and Trevor James before halftime.

The consistently good shooting from all over the court from Bridgman allowed the Bees to extend their lead to 13 points during the third quarter and lock up the victory early in the final period.

The loss came after the Bison cruised to victories over Countryside Academy, Howardsville Christian and Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School.  

New Buffalo (13-8) will play their last regular season game at River Valley on Friday then open up the District 4 tournament on Wednesday, February 26 at Our Lady of the Lake in St. Joseph. Tripp is hoping for a deep post season run.

“We’re ready. We’re playing much better basketball now.  We’re hitting it at the right time,” he said.

(La Porte, IN) - The City of La Porte is buying two vacant lots to help with a new fire training center under construction.

The lots consist of more than 2.5 acres of ground on Philadelphia St., and are being purchased for $95,000 under an offer approved by the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety Wednesday night. City Attorney Nick Otis said the price was based on the average of two appraisals.

“We had previously tried to purchase this a couple of years ago. The owner at the time was not ready to sell.  They were now when we re-approached them,” he said.

Fire Chief Andy Snyder said the land purchase will allow the new facility to have access to fire hydrants with the ability to provide greater volumes of water for training purposes.

“We’re excited about it,” he said.

The fire hydrants tapping into larger water mains will be new and also serve nearby properties.

Snyder said construction of the projected $1 million training facility at the fire station on Daytona St. began in the fall. He estimated the four story building will be finished probably in May. Training has previously been conducted at other facilities in areas like Valparaiso and Michigan City. The training facility will also help lower the fire insurance rates of local property owners.

About one half of the training facility’s cost is being funded with a grant from the Health Foundation of La Porte.

(La Porte County, IN) - The eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 in LaPorte County were closed this morning due to a crash involving a semi-truck.

It happened near the 38 mile marker close to Bleck Road near Michigan City.

The semi jack knifed. No injuries were reported. Further details were not readily available.

(Michigan City, IN) - Michigan City officials have come out in support of a proposed ban on marijuana dispensary advertising in Indiana, where the drug remains illegal.

Without opposition Tuesday night, the city council adopted a resolution in favor of a proposal to ban all forms of marijuana dispensary advertising in the state, and another measure that would restrict the location of billboards promoting such products. Councilman Don Przybylinski said copies of the resolution will be sent to every Indiana state senator and lawmakers serving on committees that might consider the proposals in the house and senate.

Przybylinski frowned upon the several billboards in Michigan City advertising dispensaries within a short drive outside New Buffalo, Michigan. He said children, especially, “should not be exposed to such advertising in their home environments.”

Michigan City resident Scott Mellon said he understands both sides of the issue, but the measures at the statehouse, if adopted, would be an example of government overreach, and possibly challenged in the courts based on freedom of speech laws protected in the U.S. Constitution.

“We can’t protect kids from the world. You think kids don’t know what’s available across the border?  They know,” he said.

Another resident, Tommy Kulavik, supported the city council’s decision, saying marijuana is still classified by the federal government as a controlled substance.

“I’m kind of getting sick and tired of getting all of their marketing material and advertising letters in my mail box,” he said.

Councilwoman Daisy Lee, a public school teacher, said marijuana dispensary advertising seems to “normalize” the use of illegal products in the state and encourage their use particularly among children.

“When these things are advertised constantly, it makes it more o.k. for the kids to have access to it,” she said.

Under House Bill 1026, billboards advertising marijuana would not be allowed within 1,000 feet of a school bus route, playground, and other places commonly frequented by children. That measure is before the House Committee on Commerce and Technology.

Senate Bill 166 banning all forms of marijuana dispensary advertising has been referred to the Senate’s Judiciary Committee.  So far, no hearings have been scheduled to consider any of the proposals.

(La Porte County, IN) - Traffic on the Indiana Toll Road was backed up early Wednesday afternoon near the St. Joseph and LaPorte County line.

The pile-up involved multiple semis and cars, and happened late Wednesday morning near the 61 mile marker. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported in the crash, police said.

More than a half dozen semi-trucks, several cars and an Indiana State Police vehicle were hit in the accident, causing slow moving traffic in the eastbound lanes, according to ISP.

Police were asking drivers to avoid the area and travel slowly due to slick road conditions.

(La Porte County, IN) - The New Prairie School Corporation will soon begin looking for a new high school football coach.

Casey McKim is taking over the football program in Lowell after winning four sectional titles and once making it to the state finals during his five seasons at New Prairie High School.

Superintendent Dr. Paul White said he hopes to have the position filled well before the end of the school year.

“Certainly, we hope maybe by spring break that we could have somebody identified.  It’s hard to predict how long that will take,” he said.

White said McKim did a great job in taking what was already a strong program to the next level by incorporating passing more into what was once a rushing dominated offense.

“Historically, we’ve been a mud it out on the ground and we’re still definitely that but we got kind of more diversified on things we did,” he said.

McKim left after winning four straight sectional titles. His career record at New Prairie High School was 48 – 17.

(La Porte County, IN) - Two members of the boys’ national basketball team at La Lumiere School were chosen as McDonald’s All-Americans this season.

Darius Adams and Jalen Haralson were among the 24 players chosen as McDonald’s All Americans from over 800 nominees from across the country.

“It’s just nice to see all of their hard work get recognized on the national scene,” said Head Coach Pat Holmes.

Adams, a 6’5” forward, is averaging 17 points a game while Haralson, a 6’7” forward, has a 15 point scoring average per game. Adams is committed to play next season at the University of Connecticut. Haralson signed to play at the University of Notre Dame. Both are members of the East squad, which is scheduled to play in the McDonald’s All-American game against the West team on April 1 in Brooklyn, New York.

The last time La Lumiere had two players from the same team selected to play in the much coveted games was 2017 when the Lakers brought home a national championship. The Lakers (18-11) are at risk of not receiving an invitation to the Chipotle National Finals for the second consecutive season. Holmes said the only way his team to receive one of the eight bids is to win their Nike Elite conference tournament in Augusta, Georgia during the first weekend in March.

“We have our work cut out for us,” he said.

So far, the Lakers have won just two of their nine conference games. For whatever reason, Holmes said the team has not quite lived up to his pre-season expectations.

“You’d think with all of the seniors we have that we’d be in a better position but we just haven’t been able to put it together,” he said.

Jaren Jackson, Jr. and Brian Bowen, II, were the last Lakers from the same team chosen as McDonald’s All-Americans. Jackson now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA while Bowen is with the Stockton Kings in the NBA’s G League.

(La Porte County, IN) - Charges have been filed against two men allegedly caught in Indiana with a trunk load of marijuana and THC products while returning from Michigan.

Luis Diaz, 23, and Cade McConnaha, 21, are each charged with Level 5 felony dealing in marijuana and Level 6 felony possession of marijuana. According to court documents, the two men from Iowa Iowa were returning home February 4 from Detroit when they were stopped on Interstate 94 outside Michigan City for a traffic violation.

Police said both men appeared extremely nervous during the stop, and police acquired enough evidence to allow for a search of the vehicle.  In all, 13 pounds of marijuana, more than 1,100 THC vape pen cartridges, four pounds of THC wax, 17 ounces of THC edibles, and six boxes of THC syrup were found inside two large trash bags and suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle. Police said one of the bags also contained an undisclosed amount of cash in stacks held together by rubber bands.

Police said at least some of the marijuana was purchased legally in Michigan from a dispensary. Both men could each face up to six years in prison on the most serious of the two felony counts.

Initially, they were being held in the La Porte County Jail on $15,000 cash only bond.

(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County Police say a woman who struck a NIPSCO pole near Michigan City over the weekend was impaired by alcohol.

The crash happened early Sunday in the area of Johnson and Pahs Road.

Police say the driver, 22-year-old Amilia Limias, of La Porte, went off the road for about 300 feet before striking the NIPSCO pole and then a guard rail. Her vehicle sustained heavy front end damage.

Limias is charged with a Level 6 felony due to a prior OWI conviction, authorities said.  Her alleged blood alcohol level was just over two times the legal limit.

(Indianapolis, IN) - A proposal, creating the possibility of several dozen Illinois counties joining the state of Indiana is gaining traction in the Indiana state legislature.

A House committee on Monday approved a bill, which would create a commission to discuss how Indiana could “embrace” counties in Illinois wanting to secede from their state. The bill would establish the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission, that could discuss, and even recommend whether it is advisable to adjust the boundaries between the two states.

If passed, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun would appoint five members to the commission, with Illinois appointing the other five. To actually have counties in Illinois break off and join Indiana still requires a longshot process that has not occurred in modern U.S. history.

First, the Illinois Legislature would have to adopt a similar bill and agree to adjusting their borders to place those counties wanting out into Indiana. Approval would also be required by the U.S. Congress.

According to state lawmakers, there are counties in Illinois wanting to secede out of a feeling they have no voice in state government because of democratic dominance out of Chicago

(Indianapolis, IN) - In honor of National FFA Week, seven Indiana FFA State Officers met in the Statehouse to receive a proclamation and resolution declaring February 15-22 FFA Week.

“Indiana FFA and their membership embodies agriculture, youth education and development like no other organization,” said Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture.

“It was a pleasure to have these outstanding young professionals representing the State of Indiana and agriculture so well in the Statehouse today and I look forward to celebrating FFA Week with them,” he said. 

Gov. Mike Braun signed a proclamation to name this week FFA Week in recognition of all the work the Indiana FFA Organization, agriculture educators and FFA advisors do to cultivate the next generation of agriculturists for the state.

During the week, chapters across the state and nation will host a variety of events to educate, advocate and celebrate the agricultural industry. From community service projects to a farmer’s breakfast, these activities pay homage to the dedication and commitment of today’s agriculturalists. Throughout the week, the Indiana FFA State Officers will travel the state to participate in activities alongside local FFA chapters and their communities.

The Indiana FFA Association also received a Senate Concurrent Resolution highlighting the impact of the FFA Organization, which is preparing more than 14,000 members in 90 of Indiana’s 92 counties for the over 250 unique careers in the food, fiber and natural resource sectors.

FFA members are agriculture’s future leaders, future food suppliers, future innovators and more! Whether it is through service projects or community gatherings, FFA Week is a time for FFA members to raise awareness about agricultural education and the role the FFA Organization plays in the development of agriculture's future leaders.

The first National FFA Week was held in 1948, when the National FFA Board of Directors designated a weeklong celebration to recognize George Washington’s example and legacy as a leader and farmer. For the past 77 years, FFA members across the country have taken part in agricultural, leadership and service-based activities during National FFA Week.

(La Porte, IN) - LaPorte County Sheriff Ron Heeg was opening mail at his desk as he does any normal day when, suddenly, he found inside one of the envelopes an antique postcard depicting an in color image of the old LaPorte County Jail.

In the lower right hand corner of the post card was the handwritten date of August 20, 1916.

The envelope also contained a typed letter written by Lowell Joerg, a 96 year old man from California, who explained he stumbled upon the postcard in an antique store many years ago in his home state.

He’s quoted in the letter as saying “By golly, I think I’ll send it back home where it can be appreciated. Heritage is important.”

Joerg is a long time collector of post cards, who in recent years has made it a practice to return postcards to their place of origin.

In response, Heeg said he purchased about 50 stamps and sent them to the man for him to send more postcards to their “rightful homes.”

Heeg said he also thanked the man in writing and wrote him a brief history of the old jail built from Indiana limestone. The old jail opened in 1907 and was torn down to make way for the new jail still in use since 1977.

The sheriff described the standard sized postcard arriving in the mail on Valentine’s Day as being in “remarkable shape” with no post marks or any writing on it.

Heeg said he plans to frame the postcard and place it somewhere within the building for the public to view.

Former Sheriff Jim Arnold vividly remembers the old jail because his father, Cliff, lived in a four bedroom residential section of the multi-story building when he was sheriff for two terms in the 1960’s.

Back then, Arnold said sheriffs were expected to live in the jail because the job from having much lighter staffing was viewed more as a round the clock position.

Arnold, who became the sheriff for two terms beginning in the late 1990’s, said he moved in with his father at the old jail for a short time after returning from military duty in 1967.

He later began his career as a deputy at the sheriff’s office, which was housed in the same building as the old jail.

Arnold said the current jail, which is just a short distance from where the old jail stood, can house about six or seven times as many inmates as the old facility, which had room for roughly 50 or 60 offenders.

He was stunned to learn about the postcard and see a picture of the old jail on it.

“I looked at that and said oh, my gosh.  It just brought back so many memories of when you worked there,” he said.

(La Porte County, IN) - NIPSCO customers won’t see as much of an increase in their electric bills as originally sought under a tentative settlement in the rate hike appeal.

The proposed deal reached between NIPSCO and its largest customers along with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor is now before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for final approval.

Under the tentative settlement, NIPSCO Director of Communications Wendy Lussier said the average residential electric customer using 672 kilowatt hours per month would see an increase of about $23 on their monthly bill.

That’s a 16.75 percent increase spread over multiple years, she said.

In comparison, Lussier said the 22 percent increase NIPSCO requested in September would have meant about a $32 per month increase in the average monthly bill of customers using 729 kilowatt hours of electricity per month.

The difference in monthly usage amounts reflects a new, lower rate for multi-family units negotiated in the proposed settlement.

“The proposal includes rate implementations phased over two steps to spread out the impact to customer bills,” she said.

The settlement includes an additional bill payment assistance program for income-qualified customers that would be funded with voluntary ratepayer contributions and $1.5 million in year from NIPSCO shareholders.

According to the OUCC, the lower rate increase would reduce the amount of revenue NIPSCO was hoping to generate by more than $111 million from the $257 million in extra funds the utility was originally seeking to collect.

In its request for a rate hike, NIPSCO cited a need to pay the roughly $2 billion cost of transitioning to renewable energy and more than $760 million for upgrades in its electric transmission and distribution systems along with other improvements to be completed by the end of this year.

Specifically, the settlement was agreed to by NIPSCO’s largest customers U.S. Steel, Walmart, the RV Industry Users Group and NLMK Indiana.

The Citizens Action Coalition is calling for the IURC to deny the agreement.

If approved, CAC claims the settlement would “target Hoosier families with larger rate increases so large and politically connected commercial and industrial customers can get smaller rate increases.” 

“NIPSCO’s residential customers cannot afford yet another exorbitant rate increase,” the CAC said.

CAC emphasized it does support the multi-family rate option and the low income assistance program contained in the agreement.

According to NIPSCO, it’s seeking the rate increase to pay for the cost of converting to reduce its carbon footprint as it moves from coal to wind and solar with help from natural gas.

The IURC, which can approve, deny or modify the proposed agreement, has scheduled a settlement hearing for March 25 with a decision expected at some point later in the year.

The settlement was reached after the La Porte County Commissioners on February 5 ratified a separate deal with NIPSCO in exchange for the governing body withdrawing from the rate hike appeal.

The deal includes a commitment from NIPSCO to look at keeping its coal fired generator in Michigan City open by studying the potential of converting it into a natural gas burning power plant or one that stores electricity for use by customers in batteries.

Right now, the generator is on track to close at the end of 2028.

If NIPSCO goes through with the closure, the utility also agreed to study the potential of building a natural gas burning power plant or battery storage facility at another location in La Porte County.

Attorney Shaw Friedman, who represented the La Porte County Commissioners in the rate hike appeal, said the idea is to retain NIPSCO’s good paying jobs here and the $5 million in property taxes produced annually from the generator.

NIPSCO also agreed to spend up to $5 million on additional electric infrastructure for any site in LaPorte County to assist with economic development.

In addition, the utility will extend until 2030 a commitment to spend $3.5 million on more electric infrastructure to help with any new manufacturing or solar farm developments at Kingsbury Industrial Park, according to the agreement.

That pledge secured for KIP in 2019 was scheduled to expire next year.

Friedman said he began negotiating the separate deal with NIPSCO after learning a settlement appeared to be in the making over the rate hike appeal regardless of La Porte County’s opposing stance on the matter.

“If the train is leaving the station and, they’re going to settle, let’s get what we can for La Porte County and that’s exactly what we did,” he said.

(Michigan City, IN) - Franciscan Health will be hosting a virtual diabetes prevention program online starting April 8. 

Franciscan Health’s Diabetes Prevention Program follows guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that have been proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. More than one in three adults have prediabetes, but most do not know it. Without lifestyle changes, prediabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes, like those implemented through the Franciscan Health Diabetes Prevention Program.

Groups meet weekly for a total of 16 sessions, prior to six monthly follow-up sessions with a trained lifestyle coach. Throughout the course of the program, participants work with a certified healthy lifestyle coach who guides them in practices to lose weight, move more, reduce stress and build confidence, according to Franciscan officials.

Officials said the program is open to participants ages 18 and older who have been diagnosed with prediabetes, not those who have previously been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. They must also have a body mass index greater than 25. Those who had a previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes or a screening result indicating a high risk of type 2 diabetes are also eligible to participate.

The year-long program costs $99 and is covered for approved Medicare beneficiaries, officials said.

Registration is required and space is limited. To register, people can complete the DPP Qualifying Questionnaire online by clicking here.

Those with questions about the Diabetes Prevention Program are asked to register for the Virtual Q&A Session, by clicking here.

(Rolling Prairie, IN) - Every so often tragedy strikes. Lives turn upside down. The rest of us count our blessings. But just as often, down the road somewhere, a silver lining appears.

On August 2, 2011 tragedy struck the Pokuta family of northern La Porte County. Their 17-year-old daughter Lauren was in a serious car accident with six other teenagers. They all walked away, but Lauren wasn’t so lucky.

“The prognosis was not good,” said her father, Michael Pokuta. “She was in a coma for quite a while, in a vegetative state and on a feeding tube, in and out of hospitals and rehab centers for a couple of months.”

Over the past thirteen-and-a-half years, supported by her parents, Lauren has battled back from a traumatic brain injury. “She’s a miracle,” continued Pokuta. “They said that she would never talk again; they didn’t know if she would ever communicate or recognize anybody. She’s broken all the barriers. It’s amazing how resilient she is.”

And now Lauren’s silver lining is shining bright, thanks to the SHARE Foundation in Rolling Prairie. Recently Lauren moved into a home where she can enjoy some independence. It’s located at Sharing Meadows, a residential facility for people with special needs. For years, Pokuta had volunteered at the organization’s annual Leprechaun Hunt, driving tractors around the property. Little did he know what went on there every day, much less that his daughter would one day live there.

Pokuta says the opportunity to use the newly-rehabbed residence has been an answer to prayers. “We’re very excited for Lauren,” he said. “It was our hope and our dream that someday Lauren would be well enough to move out on her own and to have an independent life, rather than living at home with mom and dad. She felt in her heart that she wanted to get out on her own, as well. There never seemed to a right time or a right place. Through the good Lord’s graces, Sharing Meadows came along and provided that for Lauren.”

Lauren has regained enough strength and motor skills to walk, but due to impaired equilibrium, she sometimes needs a wheelchair. As such, the regular facilities at Sharing Meadows couldn’t accommodate her. Sitting on a parcel in between sections of Sharing Meadows property is a ranch-style brick house that would be perfect, but the foundation didn’t own it… until a chance encounter a few years ago changed that.

SHARE Foundation Director Bill Harmon struck up a conversation with another tractor driver at their annual summer fundraiser. “You know, there’s a lot more that happens at a Leprechaun Hunt than just hunting leprechauns,” joked Harmon. He asked the man if he knew who owned the house next door. The volunteer replied that he owned the house, with fifteen acres, and was thinking about getting rid of it. As Harmon recalls, “We didn’t really have the money, but we said, okay, God will provide if this is something that is supposed to happen.” 

Apparently it was meant to happen.

“We don’t believe in coincidences at Sharing Meadows,” said Harmon. “Amazingly enough,” he continued, at about the same time, “there was an estate gift that came in for the exact amount of money that we needed to purchase the home and the fifteen acres.”

Harmon says another anonymous donor paid for the house to be renovated. Over the past year, the home’s interior has been updated and reconfigured to be ADA compliant.

“We’re just blessed that she has the opportunity to move into Sharing Meadows and for them to take her under their wing and to give her a new life and a new home,” said Lauren’s dad.

Pokuta and his wife Tonja are themselves facing a major adjustment. They’ve held their daughter’s hand through every step of her recovery. But at some point, every kid leaves the nest, and now it’s Lauren’s turn. “We were very nervous. It’s like a child going off to college for the first time,” admitted Pokuta. “She’s done surprisingly well—better than anyone could have hoped or dreamt.”

As the newest member of the Sharing Meadows family, Lauren isn’t alone. She has a live-in caregiver, as well as a roommate, Tonya, who coincidentally suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident many years ago. “They have a bond,” said Harmon. “They can relate together because of the shared experience of what they’ve been through.”

Appropriately, the new Sharing Meadows residence has been nicknamed the “Butterfly House.”

“There’s value in using shared experiences to grow friendships, and that’s what the Butterfly House represents,” said Harmon. “We all have those moments when we’re a caterpillar, but when we find where we belong and that place where we’re accepted, we bloom like a butterfly.”

A walking path cuts through the property, connecting two halves of Sharing Meadows. “We want the Butterfly House to be right in the middle of our community,” said Harmon. “It’s our hope that not only will it be beautiful, but it will encourage everybody to get outside and go on walks and hikes throughout our property.” SHARE Foundation is working on securing a grant to plant wildflowers on the land to attract butterflies.

Meanwhile, two butterflies inside the home are spreading their wings.

SHARE Foundation does not receive government funding and relies on private donations to continue its work. If you would like to support efforts like the Butterfly House, check out https://sharefoundation.org/.

(La Porte, IN) - The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office received an unexpected, thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift.

Recently Sheriff Ron Heeg opened a letter from Lowell Joerg of Stockton, California. It included a postcard featuring the La Porte County Jail, dated August 20, 1916. The old paper relic depicts the Indiana Bedford limestone jail that stood along State Street from 1907 to 1977.

The 96-year-old Joerg explained that he collects old postcards and sends them back to their places of origin. As a bit of a relic himself, Joerg says he’s seen a lot of changes throughout his life. He says he got the idea as a way to keep history alive: “I said to myself, ‘By golly, I think I’ll send it back to where it can be appreciated. Heritage is important.’” He calls his work a “RE-DISTRIBUTION OF HAPPINESS.”

Joerg closed his letter to the Sheriff’s Office with a seasonal greeting— “HAPPY VALNETINE’S DAY to you and your staff.”

Sheriff Heeg thanked Joerg for his thoughtful gift and sent him some extra stamps to further his mission.

Last year Joerg sent a postcard of the old U.S. Post Office headquarters to the Postmaster General in Washington, D.C., who published a story about him. To read the story and see a picture of Mr. Joerg, known as the “Postcard Man,” click this LINK.

(La Porte County, IN) - A La Crosse man was arrested for holding a woman at gunpoint in his apartment.

According to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, police were called to The Hangar Grill Pub on Washington Street in La Crosse on January 5.

A 33-year-old woman advised officers that a violent altercation had taken place the previous evening in an apartment upstairs. She claimed the resident of that apartment, 36-year-old Mikael Moreno, had invited her there, then an argument ensued between them. According to police, Moreno “brandished a firearm, battered her, and held her against her will.” Hearing her calls for help, someone knocked at the door, at which time the victim was able to flee.

Following an investigation, detectives were able to present evidence to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and La Porte County Circuit Court, which issued a warrant for Moreno’s arrest. He was tracked down and apprehended on Friday at a rural Scipio Township business. Moreno has been charged with the following offenses:

• Criminal Confinement w/a Deadly Weapon, L3 Felony

• Criminal Confinement, L6 Felony

• Pointing a Firearm, L6 Felony

• Battery w/Injury, A-Misdemeanor

He is being held in the La Porte County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte woman is accused of attacking two friends after a night of heavy drinking.

According to La Porte Police, 36 year old Erica Lumpp along with two other women and a man were in a hot tub together and drinking heavily last Saturday at a home on Keston Elm Drive..

At one point, police said Lumpp while getting out of the hot tub to grab an alcoholic beverage fell and busted her head open, but the gash was closed with super glue and they all returned to the hot tub.

A few hours later, an argument erupted and Lumpp allegedly stabbed the man with a small screwdriver. Lumpp then attempted to stab a woman with a butcher knife then punched her twice in the face, police said.

She could face anywhere from a one to six year sentence on each of two battery related counts filed in La Porte Circuit Court.  

(Michigan City, IN) - A man caught shoplifting in Michigan City fled, but was later apprehended by police with help from social media.

Patric Patterson, 36, of North Liberty, is facing a Level 6 felony charge of theft. He allegedly failed to pay for several food items when he walked past the self-check-out at Walmart in late December. He was escorted into the loss prevention office at the store, then fled when informed police were on their way, according to court documents. Police said investigators came across a Facebook photo of Patterson, who was identified by the loss prevention officer as the suspect in the image.

According to court records, Patterson was arrested last week after being served with an arrest warrant a few weeks after the alleged theft.

He is accused of walking out of the store with a package of sliced chicken breast, a box of crackers, mayonnaise, cheese, and French onion dip, valued at just over $18. 

Authorities said the charge was upgraded to a felony because Patterson had a prior conviction for theft.

(La Porte, IN) - A convicted felon is facing charges after a loaded handgun was found in his vehicle in La Porte.

Ziahn Chaney, 22, of South Bend is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with unlawful carrying of a handgun, a Level 5 felony.

According to court documents, a La Porte Police officer on February 5 pulled him over in the area of Indiana 2 and Andrew Ave. after discovering the license plate on his Chevy Tahoe was for another vehicle.

Police said a 9 millimeter handgun was found inside a cardboard box wrapped in clothing inside the trunk of his vehicle.

According to authorities, it was illegal for him to be in a possession of a firearm due to prior felony convictions for resisting law enforcement in La Porte and St. Joseph counties.

(La Porte, IN) - A man is facing charges for leading police in La Porte on a brief high speed pursuit.

George McClellan, 63, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement and operating a vehicle without obtaining a license, a Class C misdemeanor.

According to court documents, a La Porte Police officer early on February 4 attempted to stop a vehicle for having an expired license plate in the area of Maple Ave. and Jackson St. McClellan then turned into an alley and began traveling at high speeds and allegedly turned onto Clay St. then came to an abrupt stop in the 500 block of Jefferson Ave.

Police said McClellan was ordered from the vehicle at gunpoint and stepped out holding an unidentified beverage in a large bottle. 

McClellan, who revealed being a user of methamphetamine, was cited for having expired plates, according to court documents.

(La Porte County, IN) - Two men are facing charges after caught with a large amount of marijuana and other dispensary products in La Porte County.

The items seized included more than 1,000 THC vape pen cartridges.

Authorities said the men were heading back from Michigan when stopped last week on Interstate 94. Also confiscated were 13 pounds of marijuana, four pounds of THC wax, over a pound of THC edibles and even some THC syrup, according to authorities.

Police said several stacks of cash were also recovered. The men are from Iowa.

(Michigan City, IN) - Nest Community Shelter will be holding a “Coldest Night of the Year Walk” at Washington Park in Michigan City to raise funds and awareness for rural homelessness and the unique issues surrounding homelessness in the community.

The walking fundraiser is just one of many scheduled to take place nationwide on February 22.  Nest Community Shelter is the only shelter in the northern part of the state taking part in the 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. event

According to Nest Community Shelter, the walk beginning at the Senior Center will occur on a marked course in the park and end with a complementary chili dinner.

People can register for the event at www.nestcommunityshelter.org.

(La Porte County, IN) - The Unity Foundation of La Porte County has received a $3.6 million grant to assist in creating more workforce and affordable housing.

The grant is from Lilly Endowment Inc., through the Community Leadership Implementation Grants component of the eighth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative.

“We are delighted to receive this great news from the Lilly Endowment Inc. Our goal is to increase access to safe and affordable housing for people who live here. We are so grateful they share our vision,” said Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation President. “

This is one of 30 implementation grants being awarded through GIFT VIII, which is a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support the efforts of community foundations, and their partners, to strengthen quality of life for the people in the towns, cities, counties and regions they serve.

With the grant, the Unity Foundation will “Open Doors to Housing” by supporting workforce and affordable housing developments, modernizing government, and removing barriers to housing development.

In 2020, the Vibrant Communities of La Porte County process identified housing as the top priority in La Porte County. As a result, the Unity Foundation, in partnership with the La Porte County Office of Economic and Community Development, conducted a Housing Study and Action Agenda in 2021.

The Unity Foundation then approached partners to strategize how to accelerate the Housing Action plan. Partners for this grant include the City of La Porte, Michigan City, La Porte County, Habitat for Humanity, Homeward Bound, and the Health Foundation of La Porte.

The Unity Foundation views this grant as an accelerator that will complement existing efforts to build workforce and affordable housing. It will support “smart development,” which includes implementing efforts to build on existing vacant lots, redeveloping and rehabilitating aging properties, and adding units of housing to upper story buildings in city centers.

The grant will also help municipalities update their comprehensive plans and modernize government through better software and technology.

Beginning in early 2025, the grant will support projects identified by the partners over the next three years, including the Singing Sands development in Michigan City, Homeward Bound’s Karwick Village, and La Porte County Habitat for Humanity’s Woodward Block.

“With these funds, we're not just breaking ground on new construction, we're breaking down barriers to affordable housing in La Porte County,” said Homeward Bound President Sandi Keller. 

In 1990, Lilly Endowment launched the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative to help establish and further develop community foundations throughout Indiana.

Lilly Endowment hoped that Indiana’s community foundations could enhance the quality of life in their communities by convening conversations among people of diverse ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, occupations, races and cultural traditions about their communities’ most compelling needs and opportunities as well as the best ways to address them.

(La Porte, IN) - Daycare will be provided at the new La Porte School Corporation Districtwide Early Learning Center next school year.

Supt. Dr. Sandra Wood informed the school board this week that talks are happening with an outside daycare provider who would work at the early learning center under contract.

“One of the key components to the childhood center that we are planning is that it will offer daycare in conjunction with pre-school so families that work have an opportunity to be able to drop off children for pre-school and have the child care component built right in,” she said.

Wood said she hopes to have a contract worked out with the provider for the school board to take action on next month.

The new districtwide early learning center will be housed at Lincoln Elementary School, which is closing at the end of the current school year.

Wood noted, there will be no bus transportation provided to a vast majority of the pre-school children. However, an exception could be made for special education students due to the additional strain it could place on the transportation system, which is already struggling to maintain enough bus drivers.

(La Porte, IN) - A driver stuck on a set of railroad tracks safely made it out of his car before it was struck by a Norfolk Southern train in La Porte. But it's why he was stuck there in the first place that has our attention.

The crash, and his arrest, may not have happened had he not been highly impaired, and distracted by a woman showing him her breasts while they were FaceTiming each other.  That’s the picture police put together during an investigation that led to charges against 27 year old Zachariah Vigil. The La Porte man is facing misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of a crash.

The accident happened around 2 a.m. Monday, after Vigil had been watching the Super Bowl. He was driving to his girlfriend’s house, according to the charging information filed in La Porte Superior Court 3. Vigil told investigators he became districted by the site of his girlfriend's breasts that she was showing him on Facetime, which caused him to drive up on the rails next to the crossing at Orchard Avenue and Second Street.

Police said Vigil tried pushing the car off the tracks before the vehicle was struck by a freight train.

According to court documents, the girlfriend picked up Vigil and was just leaving the scene of the crash when they were stopped by one of the responding officers.

Vigil, who was in the front passenger seat, had an alleged blood alcohol level of .273 percent.  Police said a strong odor of burnt marijuana was detected inside his car at the crash site as well.

(La Porte County, IN) - Kingsford Heights Elementary School will have a new principal soon.

Holly Wireman will replace current principal Amy Kosior before the start of the 2025-26 school year. Kosior is moving on to the newly created position of Director of Student Support Services within the school corporation. 

She began her career in education as a middle school science teacher, and later spent several years as assistant principal at La Porte High School, said La Porte Schools Superintendent Dr. Sandra Wood. The changes were announced at this week’s school board meeting.

“Having that comprehensive experience from elementary all the way through high school, we believe she will be able to jump right into this position,” Wood said.

Currently, Wireman is principal at Lincoln Elementary, which is closing at the end of the current school year to become the single site for the school district’s early learning program.

“We think she is going to be a great fit,” Wood said.

(Michigan City, IN) - A suspected member of a shoplifting ring targeting Kohl’s retail stores in Chicagoland and Michigan City has been caught, and is being held in the La Porte County Jail.

Andy J. Silva-Guedez, 30, of Chicago, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 4 with theft, and organized theft, both Level 6 felonies. Court documents allege Guedez and four other individuals went into Kohl’s at Dunes Plaza in Michigan City on July 4 to steal several items. Three suitcases were taken off shelves and stuffed with men’s, women’s, and children’s athletic shoes. Athletic shoes were also placed into backpacks worn by two of the individuals when they entered the store.

Police said the suspects ran into two store employees while trying to leave, knocking one of them to the ground. They fled in two separate vehicles.

Police said the stolen suitcases and 31 pair of shoes were valued at more than $3,000.  Eventually, investigators discovered other Kohl’s stores were hit with similar thefts in the Chicago area by what was believed to be the same ring.

A few weeks later, police said authorities in Morton Grove, Illinois, responded to a Kohl’s and caught Guedez inside the store after he started loading shoes into a suitcase. Guedez came into the store with another individual, who managed to get away with an undisclosed amount of fragrances placed into a duffel bag.

He could face an up to 30 month prison sentence on each count.

(Michigan City, IN) - An elected official from Michigan City was stopped for allegedly driving twice the speed limit, and is now accused of being impaired at the time.

Joseph Nelson, 40, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 4 with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Nelson is a city councilman representing the community’s 3^rd Ward. Officials say before 2 a.m. on Saturday, Nelson was in the area of Willard Ave. and 7^th St. on Michigan City’s north side, when an oncoming police officer clocked his speed at 60 mph. in a 30 mph zone.

During a traffic stop, police said the officer detected a suspected odor of marijuana coming from Nelson’s vehicle and smell of alcohol on his breath. After the officer asked for his driver’s license and vehicle registration, Nelson allegedly handed him the vehicle registration along with a municipal identification badge, listing him as a member of the city council. Nelson explained he did not have his driver’s license on his possession.

No marijuana was found in the vehicle, however, an empty alcoholic beverage container was located on the back passenger side floorboard. Police also found a loaded semi-automatic handgun inside a bag in the trunk of the vehicle.

Nelson was taken into custody after refusing to submit to a certified blood alcohol test. He could face up to a one year jail sentence on the Class A misdemeanor count.

Nelson is in the second year of his first four year term on the nine member city council.

(La Porte County, IN) - A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

According to forecasters, snow will start to fall early Wednesday afternoon, and become heavier through the evening. The snow is likely to continue into early Thursday morning.

Most of the La Porte area is predicted to receive 3-6 inches of snow, but there could be some isolated areas that receive more. Areas farther south and east have a better chance for a mixture of rain and snow, according to forecasters.

(La Porte, IN) - Eight soloists and four ensembles from La Porte High School have qualified for the upcoming State Solo and Ensemble Contest in Indianapolis on February 22.

In what school officials described as a remarkable showing, the state finalists were among the 88 LPHS students who earned 125 Gold Division medals. The selections happened Saturday at the Indiana State School Music Association Vocal and Piano Solo and Ensemble Contest at Valparaiso High School.

The state-qualifying soloists from LPHS are Keith Berrier, Anaya Cunningham, Karsyn Klein, Isaias Mejia-Palma, Kairah Ohime, Nick Oss, Noah Parmer, and Halyn Pumroy.

"I’m really proud of our students’ commitment to musical excellence that made this contest so successful. They prepared the solos and most of the ensembles with minimal help and completely outside of class time.  The Gold ratings confirm not only their talent but their commitment to countless hours of preparation," said LPHS Choir Director Thomas Coe.

(La Porte, IN) - Harbor Freight, which bills itself as America’s go-to store for quality tools at lowest prices, has officially announced it will be opening a new store in La Porte.

According to company officials, the new store at 1340 West Indiana 2 is expected to open this spring. An official opening date will be announced closer to opening.  Construction using local workers and companies from the surrounding area has already begun.

“We’ve been looking to open a location in La Porte for a number of years so that we can provide the tools and equipment at tremendous values to the community,” said Trey Feiler, Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Construction for Harbor Freight.

The company has more than 1,500 locations across the country.  The store in La Porte will be located at the former Al's Supermarket location at Maple Lane Mall. 

(Indianapolis, IN) - Over 900,000 egg laying chickens at an eastern Indiana farm are being destroyed from another case of Avian Influenza.

This comes after more than 2.6 million egg laying chickens were ordered euthanized in late January at a farm in the southern part of the state.

Denise Derrer Spears, Communications Director for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said precautions to limit the spread are strongly recommended as they were after the virus reemerged as a threat in the state about six weeks ago.

“We’re still being vigilant in encouraging producers to continue to keep the bio-security levels really high and watch for any signs of illness,” she said.  

Spears said the latest case of the H5N1 strain of the virus was confirmed Sunday night in the results of testing from an egg production facility in Jay County between Ft. Wayne and Muncie. Prior to that, nearly three times as many egg layers were ordered depopulated for the same reason at a Rose Acre Farms operation in Jackson County near Seymour.

So far this year, three other infected farms impacting over 350,000 egg laying chickens and close to 40,000 turkeys were in Jay County, according to BOAH. Indiana’s two remaining confirmed cases impacting over 26,000 egg layers chickens and more than 18,000 turkeys were in the same region of the state in Adams and Allen counties.

Spears said producers statewide, though, should be taking precautions. She pointed to a recent Indiana Department of Natural Resources report confirming deaths in wild birds from the virus as far to the north and west in counties such as LaPorte, Starke, Porter and further south in counties like Vermillion, Pike and Hamilton.

“There’s reason for concern statewide,” she said.

Spears also cited the continued spread of the virus in nearby western Ohio.

“There’s a lot of virus in that general region,” she said.

Spears said another reason to be concerned is the upcoming migration season has started for birds such as Sandhill cranes. The virus is spread primarily from contact with droppings from various waterfowl including ducks and geese. Spears said a significant number of Sandhill Cranes migrating north have been confirmed dead from the virus in Tennessee. There have also been recent signs of Sandhill Cranes dying from the virus in the southern part of Indiana.

“We could be lying ahead of this as well,” she said.

According to BOAH, a 10 kilometer control zone is placed around each infected farm.  Farms within the zone cannot bring in or ship birds or transport eggs without a negative test result and permit from BOAH to guard against a spread and potential human infection from the commercial food supply. As a precaution, Spears said consumers of eggs from unregulated producers with small backyard flocks should exercise proper cooking and handling methods.

“We do know heat will kill the virus,” she said.

Indiana ranked second in the nation for egg production last year with close to one billion while Ohio placed a close third, according to USDA.

(La Porte County, IN) - There was major jump in alcohol related motor vehicle crashes in La Porte County last year.

The La Porte County Sheriff’s office says deputies handled 52 motor vehicle collisions involving the use of alcohol in 2024, compared to just 22 in 2023. Sheriff Ron Heeg expressed concern about the sharp increase.

“High visibility aggressive traffic enforcement will continue and remain a priority to increase the safety of motorists traveling on roadways across La Porte County,” he said.

The sheriff’s office also reported investigating a total of 1,050 motor vehicle crashes in 2024.  Those crashes included 17 deaths - a 31 percent increase in fatalities over the previous year.

The sheriff’s office also investigated 27 percent fewer major crimes like burglary and 22 percent fewer violent crimes such as battery.

(Indianapolis, IN) - Indiana lawmakers are considering making the day after the Super Bowl a state holiday.

Millions of Americans wake up the Monday after the Super Bowl wishing they had an extra day to recover and many even call off sick, which coined the term “Super Bowl Flu.” But soon, this may no longer be an issue for Hoosiers.

Indiana House Bill 1517 aims to declare the day after the Super Bowl an official state holiday, called “American Professional Football Day."

State Representative Mitch Gore, who is one of the authors of the bill, said studies show nearly 17 million people call in sick nationwide every year after the big game and about 30% of workers report reduced productivity.

(La Porte, IN) - Health Foundation of La Porte has announced a change to its grant timeline for 2025.

This year, HFL will accept grant applications addressing strategic priorities (Healthy Children, Healthy Living, and Healthy Minds) and Healthy La Porte requests on a rolling basis. HFL will not have two separate grant cycles.  

This shift to a rolling basis extends what has been referred to as Cycle 1, absorbing the grantee partners who may have been planning to apply in Cycle 2.

This transition is meant to foster ease of applying for grantees and increase HFL’s response times to grant applications, HFL officials said.   

Rolling Grant Cycle Key Information and Dates: 

• Applications submitted by March 15 will be notified of a decision by June 15, 2025. 

• Applications submitted between March 16 and June 15 will be notified of a decision by September 15.  

• All grant requests over $25,000 require a Letter of Inquiry (LOI).   

• LOIs will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants will be notified of LOI decision within 7 days of LOI submission. 

• All LOIs must be received by May 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm CT. 

• HFL’s Grant Portal will close June 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm CT. 

HFL’s Grant Portal can be accessed at hflaporte.org/grant-opportunities. Eligibility information, budget forms, and FAQs can also be found at HFL’s website.  

AED Grants Applications Accepted February 14 

Each year, La Porte County nonprofit organizations and governmental entities can apply for AED grants from HFL. AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are life-saving devices that help people survive sudden cardiac arrest.  

Grants requests for AEDs, cabinets, and signage are accepted beginning February 14. Apply early as AED grants are limited! 

Visit hflaporte.org/when-seconds-count-aed to learn more and view available signage options.  

To be eligible for AED grants, applicants must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or a governmental entity. Requests for AED grants are only accepted through HFL’s grant portal.  

Please call HFL at 219.326.2471 with any questions regarding 2025 grants.  

The Salvation Army of Michigan City will host two informational sessions for families interested in the Pathway of Hope program.

Sessions will take place on February 12 at 9:30 a.m. and February 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army at 1201 S. Franklin Street.

The open house events are free and open to Michigan City residents interested in learning more about the Pathway of Hope program.

Pathway of Hope is a case management program. Families that enroll will meet one-on-one with a Social Services Director for 12- to 18-months. It is a free service but limited to residents of Michigan City who have at least one child under the age of 18 residing in the home, officials said. 

“This program is designed to use a family’s inherent strengths and build on what is strong within the family unit to build a stronger future for everyone,” said Cheytaya Rainey, who oversees the Pathway of Hope program.

“We want to help parents overcome barriers and change their mindset and become self-sufficient with a goal of creating a solid foundation and brighter future for their children and grandchildren,” she said. 

Through Pathway of Hope, Rainey said she works with families to break the cycle of generational poverty.

“We can break that cycle by addressing what is standing in the way and preventing people from reaching a point of self-sufficiency,” she said.

This program can address a variety of challenges including household finances, education, transportation, childcare, mental health, physical health, and more.

More information about Pathway of Hope is available by contacting Rainey at (219) 874-6885.

Other free services offered by The Salvation Army of Michigan City include a food pantry, diaper bank, utility assistance, weekend backpack feeding program, summer camp, emergency overnight shelter, spiritual care, and more.

(La Porte, IN) - A LaPorte couple is making plans with the $300,000 they won recently on a Hoosier Lottery Quick Draw ticket.

Debra Keller purchased the ticket, which matched all 10 of the numbers drawn in the game.  After finding out she won the big prize, Keller said she texted her husband that she had a surprise for him when he got home from work.

Mr. Keller thought she made him some brownies but Mrs. Keller said she was too distracted to bake “after finding out what I won,” she told the Hoosier Lottery.

The couple plans to refinish their hardwood floors and take a cross-country train trip with some of the prize money.

(La Porte County, IN) - There’s going to be a new overhang at the entrance to the La Porte County fairgrounds to replace the one seemingly there for forever that’s falling into disrepair.

County Councilman Randy Novak, who’s also member of the Fairgrounds Management and Event Corporation, said the overhang welcoming people to the fairgrounds is no longer structurally sound.

“We’re going to replace it,” he said.

The La Porte County Commissioners last week approved the request to replace it from Novak, who revealed grants will be used to fund the cost.

“The wood is starting to rot away. The steel is getting rusty,” said Commissioner Steve Holifield.

Holifield said he wasn’t sure how long the span at the entrance to the fairgrounds has been there but he remembers seeing it on trips to the fair as a child in the late 1970’s.

"It moves a little bit when the wind blows.  It's time to replace it with something," he said.

Novak said an architect from Westville is working on the design of the new overhang. 

(Michigan City, IN) - A Michigan City educator has been honored for her outstanding teaching.

Diane Gasaway has earned the “Lead. Learn. Proclaim.” Award from the National Catholic Educational Association. The award recognizes outstanding efforts, contributions, and achievements in support of Catholic school education.

Gasaway teaches sixth and seventh grade math at Queen of All Saints Catholic School in Michigan City.

She has worked in Catholic education for 37 years, teaching multiple subjects and grade levels, mentoring new teachers, and serving on the principal’s leadership team.  Gasaway is known for helping students after school and praying for them daily. Accoring to an announcement put out by NCEA, “Mrs. Gasaway’s passionate dedication to education, leadership and service builds up those around her and makes her indispensable to her school and parish community.”

Only nine teachers nationwide were selected for this year’s award. Gasaway will be honored among them on April 21 at the national NCEA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

(Washington, D.C.) - Second District Congressman Rudy Yakym was on Capitol Hill this week for the first meeting of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee.

The hearing focused on prosecuting cases totaling hundreds of billions of dollars for fraudulent unemployment benefits. Much of the fraud stems from pandemic claims.

According to the Government Accountability Office, such fraudulent claims total at least $135 billion, or about 15% of total unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The Department of Labor’s Inspector General says that number is closer to $200 billion. And only $5 billion of it—less than 4%-- has been recouped.

Fraud was rampant in some states more than others, Yakym noted. “California alone accounts for $20-33 billion of fraudulent pandemic UI payments,” he said in the committee hearing. “One estimate put the state’s improper payment rate at nearly 37% in the first sixth month of the pandemic. No business could survive allowing for over one-third of payments that are made to be fraudulent.”

Yakym said local taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for the losses. “Hardworking Hoosiers in my district don’t want their taxpayer dollars going to subsidize California or any other state with such lax payment controls,” he said.

The statute of limitations to prosecute these cases expires at the end of March. Yakym and others are pushing Congress to extend that deadline, in the hopes of bringing more fraudsters to justice.

(Indianapolis, IN) - Another abortion argument has been settled, this time out of court.

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office has reached an agreement with the state’s Department of Health to make abortion reports available. A South Bend pro-life group, Voices for Life, sued to obtain access to Termination of Pregnancy Reports (TPRs) to verify that abortions are being performed according to the state’s new strict limitations. But health department officials claimed that TPRs are confidential medical records, even though the reports had been previously available.

Last month newly-elected Governor Mike Braun issued an executive order requiring health care providers to submit TPRs and cooperate with the Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Todd Rokita had already issued an official legal opinion that withholding TPRs is a violation of the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.

In the settlement announced Monday, the state agrees to comply with lawful requests for the reports, which will have minimal redactions to protect anonymity.

In a statement, Melanie Garcia Lyon, Executive Director of Voices for Life, thanked the Thomas More Society, whose attorneys litigated the action. “The public release of these reports is a victory for vulnerable women and children in Indiana,” she added. “Access to these reports will help ensure abortionists are held accountable for violating health and safety regulations.”

State health department officials did not issue a statement following the settlement.

(La Porte, IN) - A new store in downtown La Porte is in the business of offering clothes for all ages and other things like coats and diapers at no cost.

You might ask how the owners make a profit?

Giggles at 614 Lincolnway also offers a variety of skin care products, five gallon containers of laundry detergent and other merchandise, like new prom dresses, at affordable prices.  People leaving with free items are also welcome to leave a donation.

Owner Abby Vogel said the idea is to meet a need in the community, which has been generous with donating plenty of mostly gently used clothing and other things, in a welcoming retail atmosphere to help people needing a little extra boost.

“No judgement.  No questions. If you need it, you need it,” she said.

Clothing for babies, toys and formula are among the other no cost items for young children at the back of the store. Items for older children and adults are in the basement.

“We have shoes. We have hats. We have gloves.  Anything you can possibly think of we probably have it,” she said.

Some of the donated clothing and other items at the store are brand new. Her skin care products include soaps, lotions, sugar scrubs and bath bombs made by her and a business partner.  Prom dresses given to her by the owner of a bridal store going out of business are priced, right now, at $50.

“We probably have maybe a hundred dresses here,” she said.

Vogel, who was formerly the manager of a gas station and casino, said she and her husband are parents to three foster, four adopted and their two biological children.

The no cost side of the business venture started by offering free items for foster families but the response from donors left them with plenty of goods to make available for all people

“At that point, we just opened it up to any child or anyone in need that needed things,” she said.

So far, Vogel said things have gone pretty successfully and she’s in it for the long term, if possible.

“We’ve made it through our first couple of months.  So, as long as we’re able to keep paying the rent and keep paying the things we need to pay like the electricity, we will stay and we will be here as long as we can to support the community,” she said.

Giggles is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(La Porte County, IN) - The La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership combined with the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, held a Third House Session for one of its largest audiences to date.

Featuring a panel of locally elected state, county and city officials, the event welcomed more than 120 attendees to Purdue University Northwest’s Great Hall Event & Conference Center for an update on important issues facing our community and state.

LEAP President of Business Services Mike Riehle said, “Our intent for this event is to not only shine a light on legislation that is being pushed forward down state, but also to highlight some of our local city and county initiatives.

Riehle said the panel discussion gives people in attendance an opportunity to talk directly with local and state leaders on the issues that matter most to them, their families and their businesses.

“This year’s turnout is a testament to the value our community places on staying informed, and we are happy to provide an outlet for this,” he said.

Michigan City Chamber of Commerce President Kurt Gillins said the session is a great chance for local and state legislators to come together and discuss the issues that matter most to “our business community.”

“Having an open dialogue like this helps our businesses have a voice. We are pleased to co-host this event with our partners at LEAP, strengthening our collective efforts to support economic growth and prosperity in La Porte County,” he said.  

This year’s panel featured State Senator Mike Bohacek, State Senator Rodney Pol, State Representative Jim Pressel, State Representative Pat Boy, County Commissioner Connie Gramarossa, Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch and La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody.

While topics ranged from legislation moving through the Statehouse to updates on local services like road funding, a common theme for the morning was Senate Bill 1 and property taxes.

Governor Mike Braun has made reducing skyrocketing property taxes a major priority for the current legislative session.

"My big concern this year is going to be property taxes.  I don’t know how we police, pave and plow the roads without the funds that we’re looking at. We’re talking about millions and millions of dollars lost in the counties. That to me is a huge concern,” Pol said.

“I know that while things will improve for our residents who are homeowners, it will make it difficult for local government.  You can’t have the layers of government that we have if you’re going to eliminate property taxes,” Dermody said. 

Dermody also said feedback from constituents was a key component of the session in helping state and local governments work to the best of their ability.

(Plymouth, IN) - A third shift worker was killed late Thursday night in an industrial accident in Plymouth.

It happened at Hoosier Tire when the victim, Marshall Hunt, 30, got caught in a press that makes racing tires, authorities said.

The Indiana Department of Labor along with other agencies are investigating.

Further details were not released.

(Porter County, IN) - It was like winning the lottery, of sorts, for an Indiana family with two cows that gave birth to five calves in just one week.

Luke Goetz said he’s had previous cows deliver twins, but he’s never heard of anyone with a herd bearing triplets.  Even a veterenarian that checked on the cow recently, didn't think she was carrying more than just one calf.

“It was a complete surprise,” he said.

One out of every 105,000 beef cows gives birth to triplets and, in many cases, not all three of the calves survive. All of the triplets at the Goetz farm near Valparaiso, along with the twins, seem as healthy.

“They got boundless energy,” said his 20 year old daughter, Amaleah, who seemed obviously thrilled.  “I’m pretty happy that God had this planned,” she said.

Mr. Goetz and his wife, Michelle, have eight children, and raise more than 30 beef cows on their farm. They use the mostly to keep their freezer well stocked with meat. The rest is taken by extended family members and friends. Mr. Goetz said he also uses the cows for breeding, to provide feeder calves, and show animals in the Porter County Fair by his children in 4H.

On January 9, the cow - a full blooded Simmental - had just delivered a calf with no need for assistance. Goetz was informed by his wife about the birth, and showed up to check on the mother and her newborn, then left. He returned about four hours later, and was shocked to see “two other ones sitting in there.” Goetz texted his daughter and notified her about his discovery.

“We were just so excited. I haven’t been that excited in a long time.  It was crazy,” she said.

She said the mother has accepted each of the calves and has plenty of milk, but not quite enough to keep all three of them in good supply. So, she began feeding them one gallon bottles of formula to make up the difference.

“I’m still bottle feeding them.  They’ll take a bottle morning and night.  They’re doing great,” she said. Feeling kind of like their mother, too, is another reason Goetz is overjoyed by their presence.

“The best part is going in there and they come running and bounding up to me and they get right in the position to get a bottle.  I love that,” she said.

She named the bulls, Shawn and Gus, and the heifer, Juliet, after the main characters in “Psych,” one of the favorite TV shows of her little sisters.

Goetz said she’s not having to supplement the needs of the other twins, whose mother is allowing both of them to feed just fine. She's been able to keep up with twice the average newborn demand for nutrition.

“They’re in good health, too.  I’m watching them right now.  They’re just running across the pen,” she said.

All five of the newborns have one father, “Harvey,” who was also born on the farm. Harvey was also used by Goetz in breeding for other, much larger calves who were just part of single births.

“It’s pretty cool that it wasn’t a bull that we bought. It was a bull that we had that’s giving us so many awesome babies,” she said.

(La Porte, IN) - One person is still on the loose following a police chase that still led to the capture of another individual.

La Porte County Police say at around midnight on Thursday, a flock camera detected a stolen vehicle in the area of Indiana 39 and the Indiana Toll Road. A sheriff’s deputy located the Mazda CX-5 on U.S. 35, south of Lincolnway, triggering a pursuit down several city streets. Eventually, the car stopped in the area of Andrew Ave. and 19^th St. Two males subjects then fled from the vehicle on foot.

Police say the passenger, Courtney Williams, 28, from Benton Harbor, Michigan, was arrested. The driver, known only as “TayTay,” managed to get away. The car was stolen in Benton Harbor.

(Michigan City, IN) - A Michigan City woman is accused of taking slot machine credits from another person and using those to play the slots for herself at Blue Chip Casino.

Maxine Moss, 36, is charged with Level 6 felony cheating at gambling and misdemeanor theft. Court documents say back in September, a woman at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, momentarily left a slot machine after racking up $92 in credits, but returned to find her credits had been cashed out of the machine.

The investigation quickly led to Moss, who was located after allegedly spending down the credits at other slot machines. Police said there was just over $50 of the stolen credits left before she redeemed them in a kiosk at the casino for cash.

Court documents also revealed Moss had been evicted from the casino for 72 hours in April for allegedly committing a similar theft.  Moss was being held on a $605 bond, and had previously been arrested back in February for similar charges.

(La Porte, IN) - The first female police officer at the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office has passed away.

Mariann Midler was 76.  She died Tuesday at home. La Porte County Sheriff Ron Heeg said Midler worked at the department from 1980 to about 1991.

“She was a trailblazer and a pioneer,” he said.

Heeg, who started with the sheriff’s department in 1997, said he didn’t know Midlar but a floral arrangement for her services has been ordered by the department. 

“She was gone for about six years before I started,” he said.

Heeg said he’ll also pay his respects to Midlar and her family at her visitation on Friday. Former La Porte County Police officer Mike Kellems also said Midlar was “very competent,” “very capable” and “always very professional.” Kellems became a police officer in late 1980’s and remembered her “as a lovable mother type” yet firm, when necessary.

“When you went into a situation where you needed some back up, you always appreciated that she was there with you. She’d be right there with anybody,” he said.

Her visitation Friday Is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Haverstock Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

(Michigan City, IN) - Residents of Michigan City could soon expect a tougher approach to trash dumping on the city's curbs.

Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch told the city council this week she has a potential solution to get the attention of seemingly uncaring violators that encourages more citizens to report trash dumping. Lately, it has become a bigger issue, and she is not taking it lightly.

“We want a clean city and we just can’t tolerate it,” she said.

Deuitch offered no specifics, but did reveal plans to request changes in some of the existing city ordinances to more aggressively tackle the issue. She also indicated plans to address complaints of dumping much more quickly through citations and pick-up. Trash dumping is expected to be one of the topics to be addressed during a town hall meeting scheduled February 13 at City Hall. The doors open at 5 p.m.

(La Porte, IN) - There seems to be no answer to the hundreds of crows roosting every night at the La Porte County courthouse, and the mess they leave behind the next morning.

During the La Porte County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Director of Facilities Sheryl Lestinsky said the problem with droppings is more of a challenge in the winter because the sidewalks cannot be power washed without the risk of ice forming.

“It’s hard to keep up with,” she said.

Lestinsky also said if something ever worked to persuade the crows to go elsewhere, that couldonly transfer the problem to another location in the city. The crows roosting in the trees on the courthouse lawn, and even in the bell tower, have been a longstanding problem. The use of strobe lights and other things have been tried in the past with only short term limited success.

“We have used many different mechanisms on trying to work with these birds,” said Commission President Connie Gramarossa.

Unfortunately, she said it seems like cleaning the sidewalks on regular basis might be the only way to deal with the stubborn crows, unless they find some other favorite roosting place.

“I don’t know where we’re going to go from here,” she said.

Commissioner Steve Holifield said the use of lasers to discourage crows elsewhere seems to have good reviews. However, he doesn’t believe the use of lasers is possible here with the U.S. 35 overpass being so close to the courthouse, and potential for the lights to distract drivers.

“Maybe, it’s just something that we’re going to have to live with,” he said.

In 2021, the use of noise makers only crows can hear was credited with keeping the birds away from the courthouse for several months.

(La Porte, IN) - The City of La Porte is seeing some big savings from going solar.

The solar panels installed at the municipal waste water treatment plant in 2019 saved about $250,000 in 2024 according to La Porte Waste Water Department Superintendent Jerry Jackson. Now, the plant runs mostly on energy from the sun.

“The solar power plant provides about 89 to 92 percent, depending on the year, of all of the electric the treatment plant needs,” he said.

Over a 20 year period, Jackson estimated the annual savings will total to over $2 million. It’s expected to take another eight years or so for the investment to pay for itself.

(Michigan City, IN) - Michigan City has a few million dollars in casino money coming because of an error by the state.

The Indiana State Comptroller sent $12.3 million in casino funds to Gary that should have been distributed to East Chicago, and Michigan City, to ease their losses in gaming revenue following the opening of the Hard Rock Casino along Interstate 94 in Gary. An accounting mistake was cited for the mix up.

Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch told the city council last night she’d been downstate recently to address the situation.  Deuitch is lobbying for a lump sum payment for the amount owed to the city instead of monthly installments.

“We want all of our money now, if possible,” she said.

One possibility is, the state could forward all of the money to both communities, and allowing Gary to payback the state over a period of time. The state legislature is allowing “deficiency payments” to Gary, Michigan City, and Hammond, until the end of this year to make up for losses from the lost business casinos in those communities incurred from 2022 through 2025 since Hard Rock Casino opened its doors.

(Michigan City, IN) - NIPSCO has agreed to look into the possibility of keeping its power generating station open in Michigan City as part of a settlement involving the utility’s contested request for an electric rate increase.

The La Porte County Commissioners on Wednesday approved the deal, which has  already been signed by Erin Whitehead, Director of Regulatory and Major Accounts at NIPSCO. La Porte County was the only government agency to join the rate hike challenge, which was also appealed by U.S. Steel and Walmart.

Under the agreement with La Porte County, NIPSCO has agreed to a six-month study for the potential of converting the coal fired generating station near the lakefront, along U.S. 12, into one fueled by cleaner burning natural gas.

For several years, NIPSCO has been planning to close the generation station as early as 2028 as part of its plan to rely more on supplying electricity from the wind and sun.

Under the agreement, the utility will also look at converting the generating station into a facility that stores electricity in batteries for release to power customers as needed. NIPSCO is also committed, under the agreement, to study the possibility of building a generating station fueled by natural gas at another location in La Porte County if the utility closes its Michigan City power plant.

Attorney Shaw Friedman, who represented the La Porte County Commissioners in the case, said keeping NIPSCO active in generating power in the county, would help retain jobs, and the $5 million in local property taxes currently paid by the utility.

“Those who pay NIPSCO rates should receive the benefit of the jobs and tax revenues from any new generating facility,” he said.

NIPSCO also agreed to spend up to $5 million on additional electric infrastructure for any site in La Porte County to assist with economic development. The utility will extend a commitment to spend $3.5 million on more electric infrastructure through 2030, to help with any new manufacturing or solar farm developments at Kingsbury Industrial Park. Friedman said that pledge was secured in 2019, and is scheduled to expire next year. In exchange, La Porte County will no longer be one of the parties appealing the rate hike still before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Friedman was hired in early December by the commissioners, who expressed concerns about the ability of many residents already strained by inflation to afford the higher rate NIPSCO is seeking. NIPSCO is pursuing a 22 percent increase in electric rates. 

NIPSCO says the increase is needed to pay the roughly $2 billion cost of transitioning to renewable energy, and more than $760 million for upgrades in its electric transmission and distribution systems. It also includes other improvements schedule to be completed by the end of this year.

Friedman said he negotiated the settlement due to a belief NIPSCO will get a reduced, but still double digit percentage rate hike, and desire to get La Porte County something in return. Commissioner Steve Holifield said he believes NIPSCO has a renewed interest now to keep generating at least some of its electricity with fossil fuels.

Holifield said federal dollars for renewable energy production may be at risk, as it was allocated under the previous administration. President Donald Trump’s longstanding opposition to renewable energy claims we are relying too heavily on power from wind and solar.

“It appears to me they (NIPSCO) don’t have a second plan in place,” he said.

(La Porte County, IN) - We have more details regarding a vehicle pursuit late Tuesday morning in La Porte County that ended with a foot chase and capture along Interstate 94 between Michigan City and Chesterton.

Titus Long, 30, of Chicago and Adena Drury, 28, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were taken to the La Porte County Jail on charges of resisting law enforcement.

La Porte County Police said Long was behind the wheel of a white Jaguar when he was clocked speeding on the Indiana Toll Road. He failed to stop for an officer attempting a traffic stop. That resulted in a 10 mile car chase before officers lost sight of the vehicle. Several minutes later, an officer spotted the car at U.S. 20 and Indiana 39 in Springville, which led to a second chase.

Police said Long stopped near the weigh station, close to Chesterton, and fled on foot into a wooded area. Drury, the passenger, also ran, but was apprehended a short distance from the car.

A helicopter from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the manhunt for Long. He was captured after being bitten by one of the K-9 unit dogs tracking him. There's no clear motive as to why the Long didn't pull over for the initial traffic stop.

(La Porte, IN) - A major country music act is coming to La Porte County to perform during the 10^th annual Red Wine and Brew fund raising event for local first responders.

Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy is scheduled to be on the stage on June 28.

The three day event hosted by Bethany Lutheran Church in La Porte will again be held along Johnson Road near 500 West.

Church member Carrie Garwood said Big & Rich with a reputation for being patriotic is a perfect fit for the event that has raised more than $170,000 for local police and fire departments along with other first responder units.

“That offer went out and got accepted,” she said.

Other major country music performers booked for the event are Lee Greenwood, known best for the song “God Bless The USA,” along with Parmalee.  Greenwood has been in the spotlight again recently for his performances of the song during events for President Donald Trump.

“He was well suited to fit into the patriotic theme and our 10 year anniversary,” said Pastor Dennis Meyer.

Greenwood and Parmalee are scheduled for June 27. Another country music performer, Dillon Carmichael, is scheduled for June 28.  There will also be a raffle for a 1971 red Chevy Corvette as part of the fund raising event with tickets offered at $10 apiece.

Further information about Red Wine and Brew is available at redwineandbrewfest.com.  People can also call or text (219) 362-3312.

(Trail Creek, IN) - Charges have been filed in connection with a 2-year-old boy who was shot in the thumb.

Tyler Woods, 27, of Michigan City, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 1 with neglect of a dependent as a Level 3 felony. Woods could face anywhere from a 3 to 16 year sentence.

Acording to court documents, Woods went to a home in Trail Creek in late October to watch several children belonging to family members who were out of town. The investigation shows he left a loaded handgun in the pocket of his jacket that he had placed in the corner of a room.

Woods told investigators he was in the kitchen getting ready to fix dinner when he heard the gun fire once. One child had accidentally been shot int he thumb. He and another woman immediately took the child to the hospital.

According to the investigaion, the boy found the gun, removed it from the pocket of the jacket, and fired it.   

(La Porte, IN) - A local official is adamantly opposed to a measure being considered at the Indiana Statehouse that would require school board candidates to identify their political party.

Under a bill submitted in the State Senate, school board candidates would run for their party’s nomination during the May primary election. The nominees from each party would then face each other in the November general election. Right now, school board elections statewide are non-partisan.

On Tuesday morning's edition of the Morning Mayhem on 96.7 The Eagle, La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody, who once served on the La Porte School Board, frowned on the proposed legislation.

“It’s a crap,” he said.

Dermody expounded on the issue, saying it’s wrong to politicize school board positions because the focus, “should be about the kids and how we make the best school system possible.”

Some supporters of the bill argued that revealing party affiliation would provide voters more insight on the ideologies of school board candidates.  Currently, the measure is under consideration in a senate committee.

Dermody once served 10 years as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives. 

(Michigan City, IN) - A Michigan City man has been accused of having methamphetamine inside a nap sack draped over his shoulder.

Eric Hacker, 39, was charged in La Porte Superior Court 2 with a Level 3 felony dealing in methamphetamine, and Level 4 felony possession of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Hacker on July 31 was given a ticket in Michigan City for a traffic violation on his bicycle. He was later stopped while driving in Michigan City for pulling out from a stop sign in front of a police officer on York St. According to court documents, one of the officers recognized Hacker as the man he just dealt with for the infraction on his bicycle, and noticed he seemed extremely nervous in the front passenger seat. 

After stepping out of the vehicle and fighting with police, several officers placed him in handcuffs. Hacker continued to struggle, despite being restrained, as officers placed him in a squad car.

With help from a drug sniffing dog, 13 grams of methamphetamine and a glass smoking pipe were allegedly recovered from the nap sack he left inside the vehicle. Police said the licensed driver was allowed to go after they were given a warning.

(Porter County, IN) - La Porte County Police were involved in a capture of at least one person during a foot chase near Interstate 94 late Tuesday morning.

Details about the chase are limited at this time, but authorities say it appears a car was involved along with one man, who ran from police northbound into a wooded area between Chesterton and Michigan City.  Police K-9 units were used in the pursuit of the man, and apprehended him within a short time.

At one point, the westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were shut down because of the situation triggered by a motor vehicle pursuit. As more details become available, we will update  this story.

(La Porte County, IN) - A number of farm animals were killed when a barn went up in flames early Tuesday morning in La Porte County.

The fire happened at about 2:30 a.m. in the 7200 block of N. Range Road, a few miles north of U.S. 20. Kankakee Township Fire Chief Zach Rasiuk said a pig died in the roughly 600 square foot two story barn, which was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Additionally, Laporte County Police say there were 30 chickens inside the barn along with five rabbits.

All of the animals were presumed dead because of a failed attempt to save them. Residents of the nearby home were awakened by their dog barking. That alerted them to the fire, but they were unfortunately driven back by the smoke and flames.

Rasiuk said all that remained of the building were exterior cinder block walls on the main level, and parts of the charred wooden upper level of the structure. along with some metal beams warped by the intense heat from the flames.

“There wasn’t much left standing,” he said.

A utility task vehicle and miscellaneous tools inside the barn were also destroyed.  The house on the property was a few hundred yards away from the barn and was never threatened by the fire.

The cause of the fire was under investigation with help from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, though Rasiuk noted it seemed to have started near an electrical panel on the opposite side of the barn from where the chickens were kept.

(La Porte County, IN) - A box truck slammed into the face of bridge near Michigan City on Friday, and the driver has been issued six citations.

According to La Porte County Police were one of the agencies that responded at about 5:30 a.m. to a bridge at U.S. 20 and Interstate 94. According to reports, the aluminum roof of the box truck and cab were peeled back from contact with the bottom of the bridge, which left metal debris from the truck all over the road.

The crash resulted in collisions involving three other vehicles, but no injuries were reported.

The box truck driver told investigators his GPS indicated the bridge was 16 feet high and insisted he was within clearance for his load. However, police said the truck was oversized for the bridge, which sustained gouging and paint loss from the impact.

(La Porte, IN) - A roughly $30 million plan has been developed for replacing much of the aging streetscapes in downtown La Porte.

Solutions are currently being sought for funding the growing cost of maintaining the brick sidewalks, brick planters, trees, and other streetscapes that were installed in during the 1990’s. Craig Phillips, the city’s Director of Community Development and Planning, said the streetscape replacement, once it begins at some point, will be paid for by the city through a combination of borrowed funds and grants.

He said the work will be done in phases as funds are available, probably over a five to ten year period within the district, which encompasses 140 parcels.

“It’s a big area."

The plan is heavily focused on replacing most of the bricks with less expensive and not as costly to maintain concrete. 

For many years, property owners in the city’s Business Improvement District have paid for maintenance from its annual $85,000 budget. The funds are generated by a special assessment levied on their property tax bills.  However, the money is not going as far as it used to due to inflation and higher cost maintaining the streetscapes from the effects of time.

“That’s nowhere near enough money to actually cover that maintenance,” said Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership.

The options being explored range from increasing the tax levy and disbanding the district once its 10 agreement with the city expires.

“We all want the same thing.  Infrastructure that’s in better shape and a sustainable plan and resources to maintain that over time,” he said.

Already, a decision has been made not to fix any more of the 138 brick planters damaged when periodically struck by motor vehicles. Beginning in the spring, two damaged planters along Lincolnway at Jackson St. and Michigan Ave. will be replaced with much shorter ones made from concrete.

For drivers, Phillips said the concrete planters will be like running over a standard sized street curb with damage restricted to the plants.  

“It’s just not going to cost as much to repair. That’s what a lot of cities are going to now,” he said.

More perennials will also be planted to reduce the $30,000 expense paid for by the BID every spring.

“The annual plantings are the largest single cost for the BID district.  On top of that, when a planter is destroyed, the rebuilding of that is a cost that’s extreme as well.  That is outside of their budget,” Cook said.

The plan calls for every planter to be replaced, eventually, and some of the brick sidewalks to be replaced and made from decorative stamped concrete.

Cook said updates are also planned for the outdoor electrical system, which has many outlets that don’t always work when needed for special events and lighting especially during the holidays.  Other work includes replacing a number of trees put in along storefronts that have died from reaching their shorter lifespans.

“These are all issues that have to be addressed,” he said.

(Indianapolis, IN) - Cannabis products, and marijuana are still illegal in the state of Indiana. Now, state lawmakers are targeting all forms of advertising for marijuana and marijuana dispensaries in states like Michigan and Illinois, where the retail sale of the drug is legal.   

The latest proposal in the Indiana House prohibits advertising a product containing marijuana, or a marijuana business by any medium, within the state of Indiana. A previous bill introduced to House lawmakers simp.y outlawed billboards that advertise marijuana or a marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of certain places, such as interstates and state highways.

State Representative Jim Pressel of Rolling Prairie said he supports both measures.

“Should we be advertising it and making it look like it’s a legal here?  I don’t believe that is good policy,” he said.

Pressel said the flood of billboards advertising marijuana on major Indiana roads like Interstate 94 and Indiana 39 is bad enough. But, now, Pressel says there are pamphlets and other forms of literature from marijuana dispensaries being distributged to Indiana residents through the mail.

“They’re actually sending out mailers. We need to get in front of that,” he said.

Recently, a truck containing a large sign advertising a dispensary outside the New Buffalo was seen parked on multiple occasions in downtown La Porte along Lincolnway.

Both proposals are before the Indiana House Judiciary Committee for review, and possible action calls for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office to seek civil penalties and other costs for violations.

“We need to hold somebody accountable for it,” he said.

Pressel said it’s too early to know if the proposals will be amended as they go through the legislative process, but feels some type of marijuana advertising ban has a decent chance of being adopted.

“That will gain some traction,” he said.

Pressel said advertising marijuana dispensaries and their products in Indiana is happening while people continue to be arrested if caught with the drug legally purchased outside the state.

“We don’t need to promote it to where consumers believe it is a legal substance.  I just think that is unfair to everybody. We’re addressing it.  Hopefully, we’ll get it across the finish line,” he said.

The state legislature is in session this year until the end of April.

(La Porte County, IN) - Another driver traveling in La Porte County was caught with dispensary marijuana purchased in Michigan.

A La Porte County Police officer clocked the car traveling 67 miles per hour at 1000 North and 200 East.  During a traffic stop, the officer detected the smell of burnt marijuana.  That’s when the driver admitted to posessing marijuana, purchased at a dispensary in Michigan. 

Police said about two dozen pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes were confiscated. He was not arrested for having the marijuana, but it was confiscated to be destroyed. 

The Fish Lake man was cited for speeding and allowed to go.

(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County Police stopped a car for traveling well below the speed limit and arrested the driver for operating while intoxicated Sunday night.

La Porte County Police say Rebecca Bierly, 53, of Koontz Lake, veered over the center line in a Chevy Impala Sunday evening. They clocked her vehicle moving at 35 miles per hour on U.S. 35 in Washington Township. The speed limit in that area is 55 mph.

Her alleged blood alcohol level was .148 percent.  Police said she has a previous charge of operating while intoxicated still undecided by the courts in St. Joseph County.

(La Porte County, IN) - A local girl with a big heart is doing something to help other kids in painful situations.

Little Baylor showed up at the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office this week with a unique delivery: dozens of Squishmallows, those irresistibly soft and cuddly plush toys.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, Baylor, who goes to school in the New Prairie school district, had been collecting the Squishmallows for a while and decided to put them to good use. They are for officers to give to children in traumatic situations.

Sheriff's Captain Derek Allen says it's a reality they deal with more often than people know. “We see the worst of the worst, a lot of things that a normal citizen doesn’t see on a day-to-day basis, and one of the most tragic events is when there’s children involved,” he said. “Any sort of little item, or trinket, or gift—in this case a Squishmallow— that we can provide them just as a sign of comfort or care, this is going to help out tremendously.”

With her donation, little Baylor also included a handwritten note of encouragement for other kids. It read:

"I hope you girls and Boy injoy the stuffy when you are sad or alone a stuffy will be there for you know mater want you are ok and you are loved, enough, kind, and you matter dont be afraid of everything so you go out there and do your thing good luck girls and Boys. And that is why you are made.”

Allen says the Squishmallows have already been dispatched in patrol cars across the county, deputized to cheer kids up, courtesy of Baylor.

(South Bend, IN) - A New Prairie High School freshman wasted no time putting her newly-learned lifesaving skills to good use.

Last month, Valeria Markiewicz was at a South Bend restaurant with her family celebrating her mother’s birthday when a man nearby started choking. Some people these days would get out their cameras and start filming, but Valerie jumped to action. “No one was sure what to do, so I ran over there,” she told HTNN.

Markiewicz said she calmly pushed her way into the situation and performed the Heimlich maneuver until the food the victim was choking on, came up. “I just grabbed him and started performing everything that my teacher taught me,” she said.

She said she just became CPR certified in her biomedicine class last semester. Valeria was pretty matter-of-fact about why she did it.

“I always think, if that was my brother or one of my family members, I’d like them to be saved if I wasn’t there,” she said. “I wanted him to be safe, I wanted to make sure he was okay. Because he has a family waiting for him. You don’t want something to happen to your family member, so I just took action; I ran over there and helped.”

Not surprisingly, Valeria says she intends to pursue a career in medicine and maybe become a doctor someday.

(New Carlisle, IN) - A new South Shore train depot in New Carlisle is getting closer to reality. A public meeting was held there Wednesday night to look at options.

A plan to build a station in New Carlisle was unveiled in 2018, but was derailed by the pandemic. Now that the Double Track project is complete, and business is booming near New Carlisle, South Shore president Mike Noland says a new station is back on the agenda.

“We kind of put the study on the shelf, admittedly,” he said. “Then all of a sudden the GM plant comes along, and then Amazon comes along, and it really kind of reignited the idea.”

In addition to local residents accessing the route between South Bend and Chicago, Noland pointed to a potential need for workers to commute to the thousands of jobs projected at the Indiana Enterprise Center outside of town.

“I’ve heard people from Michigan City would love to be able to get on a train and ride over here to New Carlisle, jump on a employee shuttle and get to a job,” he said.

Another impending rail improvement at the South Bend International Airport could also boost traffic through New Carlisle. Plans are underway to reroute South Shore tracks from the east side to the west side of the airport. With that time-saving adjustment, Noland said, “we can run a two-car shuttle back and forth between 11^th Street in Michigan City and the airport, and do it in less than thirty minutes.”

Three sites have been proposed for a new commuter train station in New Carlisle. Two near the U.S. 20 viaduct are likely landing spots. The original site proposed six years ago is the current location of the American Legion Post 297. In recent years St. Joseph County has purchased and cleared a mobile home park next to the Legion for such a development. The new proposal is for a parcel of land on the west side of the viaduct, along Marvel Lane. Noland said as many as six homes would need to be acquired to make that location viable.

The third option presented was a station outside of town closer to the Indiana Enterprise Center. That option did not appear to be popular among the 60 people who attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Amenities such as pedestrian tunnels, bicycle and golf cart paths, and possible commercial development were also discussed.  “We certainly heard that folks would like us to have it be walkable, tied into the community, closer to downtown,” Noland said. A big impediment, he added, are the Norfolk-Southern tracks between the South Shore line and downtown, posing an “infrastructure challenge” that could affect cost.

Noland said wherever they put a new station, the project is still at least three to five years away.

(South Bend, IN) - A Michigan City man has been sentenced in federal court for a firearms offence.

Andre Anderson-Dawson, 41, violated a protective order in 2019 while armed with a stolen 9 mm firearm, which only made things worse, since he was already a convicted felon.

Anderson-Dawson pled guilty to having the gun illegally in 2023, and this week was sentenced in South Bend's U.S. District Court to four years and ten months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

While on release awaiting sentencing, court documents show that Anderson-Dawson was involved in another incident resulting in an additional three counts of felony domestic battery.

According to the District Attorney's Office, the federal case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Michigan City Police Department and the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office.