(La Porte County, IN) - Over 4,000 people have cast early votes in La Porte County.

La Porte County Clerk Heather Stevens said 2,189 early votes had been cast at the La Porte County Fairgrounds by the end of the day on Monday since early voting began on October 6.

She said 2,059 people had voted in Michigan City at 8^th and Wabash streets while another 308 votes were cast on the mobile voting unit.

“That is great,” she said.

Two other early voting locations opened today at the Wills Township Community Building and Wanatah Town Hall.  Stevens said voters should not have to wait long to vote since there are plenty of early voting machines keeping lines to a minimum.

“We just try to keep things moving as quickly and efficiently as we can,” she said.

(Indianapolis, IN) - Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced today that Indiana’s Jobs for Veterans State Grants program is successfully serving Hoosier veterans.

In the 2026 federal fiscal year, Braun said the program exceeded performance goals.

“I will always ensure Hoosier veterans receive the essential services they need to succeed. It is a win when we connect Indiana’s employers with these hard-working veterans who can in turn help our businesses thrive,” he said.

Operated by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the program uses federal funding to hire specialized staff members at WorkOne offices who offer targeted career services to Hoosier veterans looking for jobs and who connect employers with qualified military talent.

More than 66% of veterans who exited the program were employed in the second quarter, exceeding the program goal of 62%. Program goals are created in consultation with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Individual successes include a veteran served by the program now working at Pinnacle Oil as a production supervisor earning $110,000 a year.

“By helping veterans earn higher wages, we are helping businesses grow, creating opportunities that help all of Indiana prosper,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich.

To learn more about Gov. Braun’s workforce initiatives to support veterans, visit in.gov/dwd/veterans-services.

(La Porte, IN) - City employees in La Porte will not receive a pay increase next year.

Dwindling revenue from statewide property tax reform was cited by Mayor Tom Dermody as the reason before the city council Monday night voted unanimously in favor of next year’s salaries.

City employees will receive bonuses, which is a more affordable option, to make up for not receiving a raise.

City councilwoman Laura Konieczny, who seemed disappointed more can’t be done financially right now, called the employees the city’s greatest asset.

She said they come to work and do their jobs, no matter what the circumstances, “damn well.”

Dermody said bonuses will be paid next year to all full time staff and permanent part time employees.

(La Porte, IN) - The La Porte High School Marching Band finished in 11^th place in its return to the state finals over the weekend.

It’s the first year for Marching Band Director Mike Scheck, whose success reflected a desire from school officials to get the program back to the state finals after not making the cut since 2023.

Making the state finals every year almost seemed routine under Mickey Stisher, who retired in 2019 after more than 30-years as marching band director.

Scheck said he was pleased with the marching band’s performance in the state finals because La Porte was among the final programs chosen for the competition.

“We finished competitively, I think, in a really good spot,” he said.

Scheck was the marching band director at South Central High School before coming to La Porte this year.  

“I’m super happy with how everything went and thankful for the opportunity to take over a program like this,” he said.

(La Porte, IN) - The overnight shelter in La Porte is open again for the cold weather months.

Nest Community Shelter is in the old downtown train depot along Washington St. behind the La Porte County government complex.

Shelter Director Harry Holtkamp said anyone in need of help should not hesitate to come to the shelter, which is open seven days a week until April 15.

“We are here to make sure no one, no one stays on the streets,” he said.

The shelter is open daily from 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.

People staying overnight receive two meals and help at the Center Township Trustee’s Office in finding permanent shelter, employment and whatever else might be needed to help get them back on their feet.

(La Porte, IN) - There will be a change of leadership with the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra.

Music Director Dr. Carolyn Watson is not seeking a renewal of her contract after it expires at the end of the concert season.

She has been with the orchestra for six seasons in which she presided over a considerable improvement and strengthening in the artistic quality of the orchestra.

Watson said her decision was made with mixed emotions.

“Leading this orchestra has been one of the great joys of my professional career and I will miss the warm embrace of both the orchestra and the La Porte community,” she said.

Watson offered no specifics on her future plans.

“The time feels right for me to move on to the next chapter in my professional journey and I wish the organization every success moving forward,” she said.

(La Porte County, IN) - A sheep and goat show drew more than two thousand people Saturday to the La Porte County Fairgrounds.

The show was put on with help from Catherine Mrozinski of Rolling Prairie.

Mrozinski said there were more than 600 goats and sheep combined along with over 200 people of all ages showing the animals. 

She said the show drew more than twice the entries as a typical show that size.

“Very large.  Very good response especially knowing we had people come from as far away as Maryland,” she said.

Mrozinski said it was the first show she and several other La Porte County residents put on.  No decisions have been made yet on whether the show will return next year.

(La Porte County, IN) - A police chase ending with a crash Sunday night in the Michigan City area led to the seizure of dispensary marijuana purchased outside New Buffalo.

Cody Withrow, 31, of Indianapolis is charged in La Porte Superior Court 4 with resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana, both Level 6 felonies along with reckless driving, a Class C misdemeanor.

According to La Porte County Police, an officer about 7:30 p.m. began following a 2016 Toyota Camry traveling at a high rate of speed and making erratic, unsafe lane movements in the area of U.S. 421 and County Road 400 North.

Police said the officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver later identified as Withrow merged into the eastbound lanes of nearby Interstate 94.  He immediately veered off the interstate and returned to U.S. 421 before taking another ramp to head westbound on the interstate, police said.

Police said Withrow with the officer still in pursuit returned again to U.S. 421 and went back for a second time to the eastbound lanes of the interstate before veering onto the ramp to head northbound on U.S. 421.

He was still on the ramp when he rear-ended a pick-up truck.

Police said he drove around the truck but his vehicle with heavy front end damage came to a stop a short time later and he was taken into custody at gunpoint.

Two large bags containing the name of a dispensary in Michigan along U.S. 12 in New Buffalo Township were recovered from the trunk of Withrow’s vehicle.  Police said the bags contained various marijuana products still in their original packaging valued at more than $1,100.

Marijuana remains illegal in Indiana.  Withrow was being held in the La Porte County Jail on $755 bond.

(La Porte County, IN) – La Porte County high school football teams went 1-3 on Friday, running their combined record to 5-31 for year, with one regular season game left to play. Here are Friday’s scores:

Portage (1-8) 20, La Porte (2-7) 19

Crown Point (9-0) 41, Michigan City (1-8) 0

New Prairie (2-7) 43, South Bend Washington (0-9) 0         

Culver Community (3-6) 53, South Central (0-9) 16

Other scores from area teams:

Knox 36, Gary West 14

Culver Academies 50, John Glenn 7

Pioneer 35, North Judson 9

Caston 16, Winamac 8

(La Porte County, IN) - If you see a fire-breathing dragon light up a house near Joliet Rd with green flames, don’t call the fire department, or an exorcist. It’s just the home of Mike and Kim Schoner. Mike’s at it again, with another holiday light show.

He uses high-definition laser technology to project Halloween animation accompanied by music. There are six sets and over 30 minutes of entertainment, which Schoner says ranges from standard Halloween themes to Star Wars and Stranger Things. “We purposely try to do a little bit of everything to appeal to little kids and adults,” said Schoner, “but nothing too scary where it would offend anybody.”

The Schoners broke into holiday multi-media displaying last year with a Christmas show, which they plan to continue. A big change this year is the location. The Schoners have moved. Now their displays can be seen on S. Maple Lane Court, which is in the center of Park Place Subdivision, a couple of miles west of Door Village. Once there, you can tune your car radio to enjoy the music in your vehicle.

The Halloween light show can be viewed every night from 7-10:30 pm through November 1. The Schoners plan to run their Christmas display from December 12 to January 1. You can check their Facebook page, “S. Maple Lane Ct. Holiday Family Traditions,” for more details.

(Calgary, Alberta) - The cross-country Christmas train that passes through this area annually has announced some details for its next visit.

The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Holiday Train will begin its 32-day journey in Montreal on November 19, with stops in 182 communities across Canada and the U.S. It’s the 28^th year for the railroad spectacle, which has raised more than $28.3 million and over 5.6 million pounds of food for community food banks.

“Our railroaders take great pride in bringing the Holiday Train through hundreds of communities across our network to support people facing food insecurity,” said CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel. “This year, we are going farther south than we ever have before, visiting 10 communities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri for the first time.”

As usual the CPKC Holiday Train will make no stops in Indiana. However, the brightly-lit choo choo will travel through La Porte County on Monday, November 23, sometime between 2:00 and 4:00 am CST. Right now, organizers say the time windows are more broad due uncertainties this far out. Closer to the run, they should have more exact times.

For more details on the Holiday Train schedule, follow this LINK.

(Jasper County, IN) - A man pulling a boat when killed in a rollover accident on Interstate 65 this week was from La Porte.

Charles Cox, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Indiana State Police.

Police said early findings of the investigation show Cox was southbound when for unknown reasons his 1998 Ford sport utility vehicle struck the median at a high rate of speed.

The SUV came to a stop on its roof in the northbound lanes while the boat and trailer disconnected from the vehicle and came to rest in the median.

Cox was ejected from the vehicle, police said.  The accident happened north of the Rensselaer exit.

(South Bend, IN) - The Savannah Bananas are making a stop at Notre Dame in 2027.

The nationally acclaimed baseball team will play two games at Notre Dame during their world tour next year.  The first game will take place at Frank Eck Stadium on June 24, and the second will be at Notre Dame Stadium on June 26.

This will be the first ever baseball game to take place in Notre Dame Stadium, officials said. 

Tickets start at $35 and are available through the Banana Ball Lottery Program now until October 31 at 11:59 p.m.

(Michigan City, IN) - Franciscan Health, in partnership with Tonn and Blank Construction, is planning a medical office building on a portion of the former Marquette Mall property.

Franciscan Health plans to operate a 120,000-square-foot medical office building through the renovation of the former J.C. Penney store at the northwest corner of U.S. 421 and U.S. 20.

The land is just 2.5 miles north of Franciscan Health Michigan City, which sits at U.S. 421 and Interstate 94.

According to Franciscan Health officials, the building will house more than 45 physicians, cost-effective imaging, an urgent care and multi-specialty physician offices, including multiple physicians each specializing in internal medicine, orthopedics, family medicine, pediatrics, ENT/audiology and endocrinology/rheumatology.  The space will also support resident ambulatory rotations.

The multi-service medical office building supports Franciscan’s regional approach to cost-effective healthcare and aligns with two other similar Ambulatory Care Centers with multiple healthcare services currently under construction in St. John and Valparaiso, officials said.

“Meeting the needs of the patients we serve by locating services under one roof and making care more easily accessible supports our Franciscan values in action,” said Stacey Leva, DO, president and CEO of Franciscan Health Michigan City

Tonn and Blank Construction purchased the former Marquette Mall property in mid-2025.  Representatives from Tonn and Blank plan to present the project to city officials and request building permits later this month.

If approved, the project will be scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. 

Final plans for office relocations will be determined and shared with patients and staff closer to the opening of the building, officials said.

(Westville, IN) - A Westville woman is back home after taken by a medical helicopter with injuries originally believed to be from a motor vehicle striking her on foot.  

As it turned out, the investigation revealed no evidence of a vehicle involved and her not so serious injuries resulted apparently from falling.

Police also said alcohol was a factor.

According to police, the 62 year old woman last week was walking home from the Westville American Legion Post 21.  She was found next to the roadway by someone at Prairie Meadow Park, who called 911 reporting a woman hit by a motor vehicle.

Police said she was flown to a regional hospital out of precaution with hip and elbow injuries.

According to police, the woman later told investigators she believes a gust of wind created by a passing vehicle knocked her over, instead.   

Police said her injuries were consistent with what usually results from a fall.

(La Porte County, IN) - Separate federal lawsuits alleging wrongful termination against La Porte County government have been dismissed.

The lawsuits were filed by three people alleging they were fired for political reasons.

Two of the employees, including former La Porte County Highway Department Superintendent Allen Stevens, already had their cases dismissed before the final lawsuit from Dion Bergeron, a former seasonal employee, was dismissed yesterday in U.S. District Court in South Bend.

Lack of proof from Bergeron was among the reasons cited by a judge for dismissing that case.  

“It’s finally been dismissed, so we’re done with it,” said La Porte County Commissioner Steve Holifield, who was not in office when the lawsuits were filed or when the job terminations were made in 2023.

The terminations resulted from a majority vote by Commissioner Connie Gramarossa and then Commissioner Rich Mrozinski.

The vote followed a decision by the La Porte County Republican Party to remove Mrozinski as an official member of the party at a time when Mrozinski and party leaders were at odds with each other.

Stevens, who’s also the La Porte County Republican Party Chairman, was party chairman when Mrozinski was dismissed in a vote by leaders within the party.

(La Porte County, IN) - The firing of a gun inside a La Porte County home has resulted in criminal charges.

Jeremy Felker, 20, was arrested soon after the incident on Sunday in the Hudson Lake area.

La Porte County Police said there was a party going on when Felker threw a woman to the floor in a bedroom then fired a shot into an air mattress.

Police said the woman is the mother of his five month old child, who was at the home at the time. According to authorities, Felker told investigators he was upset about another man staying in the home as her guest and being present during the gathering. Fortunately, no one was wounded by the gunshot.

Felker is charged with criminal recklessness, domestic battery and minor consuming alcohol.

(La Porte County, IN) - Drug overdose deaths in La Porte County have dropped significantly in recent years.

La Porte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said 14 people have died from drug use, so far, this year.  That’s down from 22 overdose deaths last year and the two previous years when the number was in the low 30’s.

Swanson feels one factor is the anti-drug programs in the local schools.

“I definitely think that’s having an impact on at least the overdose deaths,” she said.

The number of deaths are going down at a time when the federal government is reporting fewer overdose fatalities nationwide since the flow of drugs in the country has slowed since the southern border was made more secure.

Swanson said the number of overdose deaths in recent years would likely be higher if not for Narcan, which reverses the effects of heroin and other opioids.   

(Lansing, MI) - Michigan has joined Indiana and Ohio in allowing farmers to burn tax-free diesel fuel in their semi-trucks hauling grain during this year’s harvest to provide relief from record high prices at the pumps.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer on October 12 issued the tax waiver order, which will save farmers in her state 52 cents a gallon at a time of rising costs for other inputs like fertilizer and seed. 

Her order declaring a statewide energy emergency, which also extends tax free diesel fuel to loggers, is set to expire on December 31.

“Michigan farmers and loggers face unprecedented financial strain from record high fuel prices, tight margins and significant market volatility.  Therefore, granting eligible highway-licensed vehicles temporary access to this fuel would provide immediate relief,” she wrote in her order.

While food producers in the state appreciate the savings, farmers like Jay Williams of Waldron wish the order would have come a few weeks sooner to provide relief at the very beginning of this year’s harvest.

“I think, overall, in the farm community it’s a positive that something is being done.  I think it would have been received better had it not been delayed for quite as long as it was,” he said.

According to AAA, diesel fuel prices on average nationwide set a record in September at $6.53 per gallon, an increase of more than 70-percent from a year ago.

Michigan Farm Bureau was among the organizations in the industry calling for the tax waiver about two weeks prior to the governor’s decision.

Williams, who serves on the board for the Michigan Soybean Association, said the savings will not be a make or break for growers and his savings will be less since markets for his corn and soybeans are within relatively short distances from his fields.

His 1,600 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat are in fields in Michigan and nearby Ohio, where farmers are saving 47 cents a gallon on tax free diesel fuel in their grain hauling trucks during the harvest under an order from Governor Mike DeWine that went into effect on October 4.  

Governor Mike Braun’s waiver of the diesel fuel tax for harvesting farmers hauling grain in Indiana began on October 6.

(La Porte County, IN) - An industrial type fire in the Michigan City area caused considerable damage last night.

Firefighters from multiple departments responded to County Road 400 North near Hitchcock St. on a report of flames coming from the back of a facility that repairs large electric motors.

Coolspring Township firefighter Warren Smith said it appears the fire began in the area of a furnace used in cleaning industrial sized electric motors.

“Most of the fire was contained to the furnace area on the side of the building,” he said.

Smith estimated the damage at no less than $100,000.

“They’re definitely going to have to do some repairs,” he said.

There were no injuries.  Firefighters were on the scene for over three hours.

Smith said the cause of the fire is not known but it’s under investigation with help from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office.  He believes the company will be able to continue operations until the necessary repairs are completed.

(La Porte County, IN) - A proposed new income tax in La Porte County has moved another step forward in the decision making process.

The La Porte County Council voted unanimously Wednesday to take a vote on the proposed tax during its regularly scheduled meeting on October 26.

Less than a dozen citizens showed up for a public hearing conducted prior to the decision to move forward on the proposal.

Kingsbury area resident Bob Garrelts, who collects Social Security payments, said his costs are going up and another tax won’t make things any easier.

“There’s got to be a better way,” he said.

Trista Hudson, a contracted financial advisor on the proposal, estimated the average wage earner would pay about $140 a year if the income tax is adopted.  She also said the proposed tax would generate close to $7 million annually to fund strictly the county government owned ambulance service.

The tax is being proposed to replace lost revenue from statewide property tax reductions forcing local governments to impose or at least consider adopting higher local taxes.

(La Porte County, IN) - The driver of a pick-up truck with heavy front end damage is facing allegations of drunk driving in La Porte County.

Mario Reyes, 21, of Ligioner is charged with Class A misdemeanor operating while intoxicated. According to La Porte County Police, a confused looking Reyes early on October 9 was standing outside his Dodge Dakota stopped in the center lane of U.S. 20 near U.S. 35.

Police said Reyes explained he struck a deer but he didn’t know exactly where the crash occurred.  The investigating officer reported there was no evidence of a collision with a deer and the major damage to his front end was not consistent with striking an animal.

Reyes also said he began his trip in Porter County but the GPS device in his vehicle showed he had traveled here from Berrien County, Michigan, according to police. 

Reyes had a blood alcohol level of .179-percent, which is more than double the legal limit.

He was not injured.

(La Porte, IN) - The graduation rate at La Porte High School is more than 90 percent for the third straight year.

In comparison, the percentage of LPHS students graduating was in the mid-80’s the two previous years.

Zach Huber, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, told the school board this week the only other time in the last 25 years the graduation rate was above 90-percent was in 2018.

“A shout out to our high school friends who are working really hard in understanding how to get students to that graduation rate,” he said.

He said the target is 95-percent.

“We’re super close.  We’ll get there,” Huber said.

The graduation rate was 93.6-percent or just below the 94-percent rate the previous year and the 91-percent rate from 2024.

(Hammond and Westville, IN) - Purdue University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College statewide are strengthening accessibility and affordability for college students pursuing hospitality and tourism careers through several academic transfer pathways.

The institutions have introduced three transfer pathways that provide opportunities for Ivy Tech students completing hospitality and culinary arts-focused technical certificates to apply and transfer eligible credit hours toward PNW’s Hospitality and Tourism Management bachelor’s degree program.

Officials said the partnership provides college students a seamless track for flexibly earning stackable credentials, gaining valuable hands-on, career-focused learning experience and preparing for hospitality workforce needs.

“We understand students seek flexibility and affordability in navigating a college education experience that provides them both relevant skills for their chosen fields and opportunities for practical experiences through classwork and outside employment. PNW and Ivy Tech share a commitment to helping students earn credentials that set them up for success,” said David Taylor, Dean of the PNW College of Business.

Holy Gould, Department Chair for the School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management at the Ivy Tech campus in Lake County said the pathways position students to take advantage of career opportunities helped by a growing tourist and hospitality industry in the region.

“We want our students to develop valuable skills, focus on their career goals and earn credentials that make them employable in Northwest Indiana without having to leave the area to pursue their education,” she said.  

(La Porte, IN) - Enrollment is down again in the La Porte School Corporation.

The number of students is 112 less than the previous year at this point, said Superintendent Dr. Sandra Wood.  There’s been a gradual decline in the number of students here over roughly the past decade.

Wood said much of the drop this year was from losing a large senior class to graduation.

“We expected a larger than usual decrease in enrollment this year just because of that large class that graduated last year,” she said.

On the bright side, Wood said the number of students in grades 5 through 8 at the Kesling school campus increased from 827 to 851.

Other school districts throughout the area and nationwide are experiencing challenges with maintaining enrollment largely from lower birth rates.