(La Porte County, IN) - A pedestrian killed by a hit and run vehicle Monday near Westville has been identified as homeless.

Keith Eastwood, 67, was hit on U.S. 6 just west of the town limits.  His body was discovered by a motorist about 6 a.m. between the westbound lane and a ditch, according to La Porte County Police.

La Porte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said the collision likely happened less than 30 minutes before emergency responders were called.

“Judging by the condition and temperature of the body, he had not been dead for very long.  It had recently happened,” she said.

Swanson said the investigation showed Eastwood stayed off and on with friends in Hobart.

In March, she said Eastwood went to a hospital in Elkhart to have a head injury looked at following an apparent accident of some sort.

“He kind of just traveled around wherever he could get rides,” she said.

Swanson said a sister living in Chesterton revealed he was homeless for quite some time and an alcoholic, who turned down offers of help.

“He just wanted to live his life the way he had been living it,” she said.

Swanson said a blood test was taken to determine if he had any alcohol or drugs in his system but the results won’t be known for a couple of weeks.

La Porte County Police Capt. Derek Allen said efforts were still being made to try and identify the driver.

(Michigan City, IN) - Another juvenile allegedly caught with a gun in Michigan City has been charged as an adult.

The latest case involves a 17-year-old boy with a prior firearms-related offense in juvenile court, allegedly having a handgun converted so as to be able to fire it like a machine gun.

La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said his more aggressive stance in recent months is aimed at helping to reduce gun violence among youth in Michigan City.

“We can’t deal with everything involving youth and guns, but we can at least make a small step. This is part of that small step,” he said.

Brandon Haynes has been charged in La Porte Superior Court 1 with Dangerous Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Machine Gun, both Level 5 felonies.

According to court documents, on April 19th Haynes was a passenger in a vehicle being followed by police, due to suspicious activity in a known drug neighborhood, to a gas station at 1204 Franklin St.

Another young person in the vehicle took off running and, during a foot chase, dropped the gun he was carrying in his hand. Per authorities, the gun belonged to Haynes, who was adjudicated in juvenile court for Dangerous Possession of a Firearm in 2022.

Haynes could face anywhere from a one-year to six-year sentence on each count.     

(Michigan City, IN) - Major upgrades will begin soon at a park in Michigan City as, according to park department officials, Water Tower Park will be renovated thanks to slightly more than $1 million in grants.

The project will include the installation of new inclusive play equipment, a steel slide for those with cochlear implants, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, ground-level tactile play panels, a new picnic shelter, an ADA-accessible drinking fountain, a new basketball court, and an off-street parking lot with 12 parking spaces. Three of those spaces will also be ADA-accessible. 

In addition, an ADA-accessible route will be constructed connecting the parking lot to the drinking fountain, picnic shelter, and all play areas.

The project will include repairs to the fencing on the east ball diamond and removal of the fencing and backstop on the west diamond, which will serve as the new parking lot.

The Michigan City Park Department will use Community Development Block Grant funds of $775,000 and a federally funded Land and Water Conservation Fund grant of $250,000 for the improvements.

Construction will begin the first week of May and should be completed by Labor Day, officials said. For more information, contact the Parks & Recreation Department at 219-873-1506 or at www.emichigancity.com

(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County Police are investigating the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle which then fled the scene.

Just after 6 a.m. earlier today, emergency responders were called to the 11000 block of West U.S. 6 near Westville by a motorist who located a man's body reportedly lying off the westbound lane near a ditch.

U.S. 6 was closed for over three hours to allow for an investigation of the scene.  The identity of the man is being withheld until family members are located and notified about the death.

Anyone who may have been traveling on U.S. 6 prior to 6 a.m. and has further information or residents with video surveillance systems in the area are encouraged to contact Chief of Detectives Capt. Andy Hynek at (219) 326-7700 extension 2401 or at ahynek@lcso.in.gov.

La Porte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said the victim was in his 60s.

(Merrillville, IN) - In celebration of Earth Day, NIPSCO announced 21 nonprofit organizations that had won the 2024 Environmental Action Grant, to be used to support their environmental restoration projects and education efforts across northern Indiana.

Funding is provided by NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation.

“We are honored to partner with these organizations and contribute to their innovative restoration and education projects across northern Indiana,” said Rick Calinski, NIPSCO Director of Public Affairs and Economic Development.

This year’s projects focus on native habitat restoration, wildlife research, youth nature programming, pollinator projects, water quality monitoring, rainscaping education, and woods worker safety training.

Many funded projects and programs include community engagement components, encouraging residents to give back and experience nature through stewardship and fellowship.

This year’s grant recipients include:
•The Nature Conservancy in Indiana, Festival de la Monarcha, East Chicago
•Saint Mary’s College, Campus Canopy Project’s Living Exhibition
•LaPorte County Park Foundation, Habitat Restoration Project
•Indiana Audubon Society, Chasing Melody, Lake and Jasper Counties
•Blue Heron Ministries, Lupine Meadow Expansion at Headacres Farm, Steuben County
•Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center, Nat’s Nature Club
•ACRES Land Trust, Lee Family Perfect Lake Nature Preserve Habitat Restoration, Steuben County
•The Outlet Youth Center, Youth Programming, Fulton County
•The Morning Bishop Theatre Playhouse, Summer Youth Environmental Education, Gary
•Indiana Land Protection Alliance, Safety and Woods Worker Training Course
•Sisters of the Holy Cross, Pollinator and Monarch Waystation Habitat Establishment
•Town of Chesterton, Coffee Creek Park Pond Improvements
•DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District, Invasive Species Education and Removal
•East Chicago Sanitary District-Stormwater Dept., Rain off McShane, Rain Barrel Project
•Monarch Joint Venture, Cedar Swamp Pollinator Project, Steuben County
•Little River Wetlands, Native Habitat Restoration, Allen County
•Noble County Public Library, Rainscaping Education
•Speaks for the Trees and More, Summer Nature Camp, Allen County
•St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, Flow the St. Joe
•NICHES Land Trust, Sustainability Outreach
•Augsburg Lutheran Church, Pollinator Habitat, Porter.

In its ninth year, NIPSCO’s Environmental Action Grant has helped 143 environmental restoration and education projects come to fruition across northern Indiana, donating $577,700 to date. This year’s grants provide between $500 to $5,000 to each organization selected, for a total of $78,700 awarded.

In addition to its Environmental Action Grant program, NIPSCO works to establish early successional habitat on rights of way, forges partnerships with community organizations for restoration efforts, and supports the planting of thousands of trees in northern Indiana each year. As a result, NIPSCO has been recognized as a Tree Line USA utility by the Arbor Day Foundation.

To learn more about what NIPSCO is doing to support the environment, visit NIPSCO.com/Environment.

(La Porte County, IN) - A stretch of U.S. 6 is closed after a pedestrian was found deceased this morning in the Westville area.

Just after 6 a.m., emergency responders went to the 11 thousand block of W. U.S. 6.  A woman discovered a person described as a pedestrian who appeared to have been struck by a hit and run vehicle.

Soon, the male individual was reported to be deceased.

A representative from the La Porte County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene.  We’ll provide more details once they’re released by local authorities.

(La Porte, IN) - An Indianapolis woman whose personal ministry is to give proper respect to the deceased is coming to La Porte County this week.

In 2009 Linda Znachko founded He Knows Your Name, a nonprofit that provides proper burial for unclaimed remains.

Surprisingly, perhaps, it is quite a problem.

Znachko says she has buried 50 infants over the past 15 years. Most of them are miscarried or stillborn in the hospital. But in the past two years, she has buried almost 700 adults. Most of her work has been done in Marion and Hamilton Counties, but she has helped people across the country give a proper burial to a loved one.

According to Znachko, many people assume that unclaimed remains are homeless or unidentified. But in reality, she says often family members simply don’t claim them from hospitals, coroner’s offices, or funeral homes.

Znachko says cremation is up over 60% over the last five years. Often the ashen remains are neglected. “I’m not looking for someone to blame,” she explained, “but I think funeral homes need to do a better job teaching people that when they choose cremation, that is not the final and only decision. The next decision is: who’s picking up? And then the next decision is: now how are we going to lay this person to rest?”

In Znachko’s experience, the task of laying remains to rest sometimes falls through the cracks. She said, “Coroner’s offices are government-run—they don’t have budgets for this kind of thing, generally. And funeral homes are business owners. They don’t want to get sued.”

Znachko works a lot with death, but her message is pro-life. “What I’ve realized is that as we talk about being pro-life, we have to be pro-life from birth to tomb and everything in between," she says. "Whether you die young from a tragedy or old from old age, or you die alone in your apartment, or you die at a nursing home, or with your family, or whatever, there’s a beginning and there’s and end. We celebrate the one, and we celebrate the other.”

Znachko’s ministry gained momentum after an abandoned infant was found dead in an Indianapolis park in 2014. She gave the baby a name, Amelia, and a final resting place. Thanks to legislation and advocacy, Znachko said, “We have not had a deceased baby found in the state of Indiana in nine years since her finding.” Znachko works closely with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the newest of which was just installed in La Porte. To date, 43 babies have been safely surrendered in a baby box.

Znachko will be sharing her message in La Porte County this week. She’ll be the featured speaker at the Right to Life of Northwest Indiana Spring Gala on Thursday evening at the Heston Event Center.

(Berrien County, MI) - A vacant elementary school in Berrien County, Michigan may be turned into affordable housing. That’s according to a report from Moody on the Market.

A bid of $385,000 has been received by the River Valley School District for Chikaming Elementary School just north of Three Oaks. The building has been empty since a consolidation last year.

The buyer is Rob Buono, Chicago bussinessman and owner of nearby Granor Farm, a certified organic farm. He says he intends to convert the property into affordable apartments.

A similar proposal to construct housing on school property is under consideration in New Buffalo.

(La Porte County, IN) - The local Sheriff’s Department is passing along a fraud warning from the FBI.

They call it “smishing” – a combination of short message service, or texting, with phishing, which usually happens over the internet.

In this particular scam, folks receive a text allegedly from a toll road collection service claiming that they owe unpaid tolls.

According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, over 2,000 reports of this scam have come to them since early last month. They believe the scam is moving from state to state and may be affecting Hoosiers.

If you receive one of these texts, the following is suggested:

1. File a complaint with the IC3, www.ic3.gov, be sure to include:
   1. The phone number from where the text originated.
   2. The website listed within the text
2. Check your account using the toll service's legitimate website.
3. Contact the toll service's customer service phone number.
4. Delete any smishing texts received.
5. If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.

(Michigan City, IN) - Registration is now open for The Michigan City Salvation Army’s annual free summer camp opportunities.

Children, aged 6 to 17 and residing in Michigan City, are eligible to attend camp through The Salvation Army, including five different camps that will take place at the Hidden Falls Camp in Bedford, IN.

The experience will be a four- to six-day overnight visit, depending on the camp.

Teen Camp will be held June 10th-14th for campers ages 13-17; Jr. Kids Camp, for children ages 6-8, will take place June 17th-20th; Kids Camp will be held June 24th-28th for children ages 9-11; and STEAM Camp, for children ages 9-14, will take place July 8th-12th.

To register, a parent or guardian must contact The Salvation Army at (219) 874-6885 ext. 1006, available on Mondays and Wednesdays between 9 am and noon, by Monday, May 13th. Space is limited to the first 100 children to sign up.

There is no cost to attend, which includes transportation to and from camp, meals, lodging, and activities. However, a $10 deposit per child is required to hold that child’s spot, which will be refunded when the camp takes place.

Major Dale Simmons, who operates The Salvation Army of Michigan City along with his wife, Major Becky Simmons, said this camping experience is a great opportunity for all children, especially those who have not yet experienced going away to summer camp.

“Time spent at summer camp is all about having fun and meeting new people, but we also focus on leadership, teamwork, and other character-building skills so it’s a great overall experience for children, Mr. Simmons said.

The Salvation Army summer camp program in Michigan City is made possible by a grant provided by the Duneland Health Council.

More information about summer camp and other Salvation Army programs is available by calling (219) 874-6885, visiting www.SAmichigancity.org, or by following The Salvation Army of Michigan City on Facebook.

(La Porte, IN) - The Pax Center in La Porte is hosting an upcoming event dubbed "Locally Sourced: A Night of Food, Art, and Music."

The gathering aims to celebrate and support the spirit of La Porte by showcasing a combination of locally produced food, art, and music.

It is scheduled to take place on May 10th from 6-9 PM at the Civic Auditorium and will showcase local artistic and culinary talents, with some of the offerings to come from local restaurants and food vendors such as Enzo's and Mucho Mas.

Art will also be available to purchase from children and adults at Paladin, Inc., which helps people overcome physical and other challenges to live more independently. 

The upcoming event will feature live and silent auctions on a variety of products, alongside a cash bar.

Each ticket costs $40 per person and includes $20 in food purchase tickets from participating local vendors.  All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the various initiatives of the Pax Center.

"At the Pax Center, we are dedicated to ensuring that the people of LaPorte County are well-fed and well-loved, which includes creating events for the community to know and be known by others,” explained Nate Loucks, President and CEO of The PAX Center.

Among other community resources, the Pax Center also manages weekly food pantries and community meals, in addition to overseeing the Brighton Street Green Space and Jackson Street Community Garden projects, which provide healthy and nutritious food offerings.

(Michigan City, IN) - The Michigan City Human Rights Commission is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Humanitarian of the Year.

This award was first presented by the Michigan City Human Rights Commission in 1981 to Charles Westcott. The most recent award recognized Nila Williams in 2019 and had not been presented in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this year the MCHRC has decided to reinstate it.

Nomination forms are available by visiting www.emichgiancity.com/253/Human-Rights-Commission. Paper copies of the nomination form are available at City Hall. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, May 17th.

Nomination forms must be returned to: City Hall, Michigan City Human Rights Commission, 100 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, IN 46360.

The Humanitarian of the Year Award will be presented to someone who has significantly impacted the Michigan City community through volunteerism, leadership, and philanthropy. The nominee must also be dedicated to advocating for social justice.

(La Porte, IN) - A fundraising pancake breakfast has been scheduled for tomorrow in La Porte, with the fire station at 809 West 18^th Street to host an all-you-can-eat breakfast featuring sausage, bacon, and eggs among other morning delicacies.

La Porte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said there will also be drawings for various merchandise, such as a 65” TV, power washer, and a free month of NIPSCO service.

“One of the neat things about this event is it brings the community together. Just a good cause to be able to donate to on top of it,” he said.

The proceeds will go to the Arnold J. Devereaux scholarship fund, which was created shortly after its namesake, a La Porte firefighter in the early 1980s, was electrocuted while on duty and ultimately passed away.

“We’ve been able to help out a number of students looking to further their educations,” Snyder said.

The pancake breakfast on Saturday will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The cost to eat is $10 a person.

(La Porte County, IN) - Police arrested an individual suspected of drunk driving who was headed the wrong way on a four-lane state highway last night in the Rolling Prairie area.

Before 8 p.m., La Porte County Police received multiple reports of a Chevy Tahoe headed westbound in the eastbound lanes of Indiana 2, with the investigation also noting that the driver went through a yard, struck a mailbox, and fled on 350 East.

Within minutes, a sheriff’s deputy located and stopped the vehicle in the area of Scholl Road and 150 North. The driver, identified as Jose Maldonado-Collado, 50, of Rolling Prairie was often combative and quickly was handcuffed as a precaution for the safety of officers.

After being placed into the front passenger of a police vehicle, he allegedly kicked the windshield several times, banging his head against the passenger side window according to the sheriff’s office.

He refused to submit to a certified breathalyzer test, which led to his automatic arrest under state law for Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated. At the time of the incident, he allegedly had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and two unopened Fireball cinnamon whiskey bottles in his possession.

(La Porte, IN) - This week, two school board members for the La Porte Community School Corporation have been recognized by the Indiana School Boards Association with the Exemplary Governance Award for calendar year 2023.

Ryan Seaburg, Board President, and Jim Arnold, Board Member, and Past President, received the distinction for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to professional learning and student success.

The Exemplary Governance Awards (EGA) are conferred annually by the Indiana School Boards Association to school boards and school board members who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to professional learning and student success.

Awards are conferred across four levels of distinction. This year’s honors include 109 Commendable Awards (Level 1), 78 Advanced Awards (Level 2), 54 Distinguished Awards (Level 3), and 29 Exemplary Awards (Level 4).

“On behalf of ISBA, I would like to commend this most exceptional group of school board members,” said ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin.

Honorees will formally receive their awards at ISBA’s Spring Regional Meetings during the month of April.

“These individuals are leading the way as models who strive for effective school board governance, and they should be proud of their accomplishments,” said ISBA President Rebecca Gardenour.

(La Porte County, IN) - The LaPorte County Commissioners are again suing the La Porte County Auditor’s Office for ignoring their orders not to pay a legal bill.

Commissioners Connie Gramarossa and Rich Mrozinski voted on Wednesday night to file the lawsuit over a non-payment of a roughly $20,000 bill owed to Eichhorn & Eichhorn, Attorneys at Law out of Indianapolis.

Commissioner Joe Haney opposed the motion by Mrozinski to sue the Auditor’s Office.

“More money for the lawyers, less following of the rules,” Haney said.

The legal bill is for time spent on a still-undecided wrongful termination suit brought against the La Porte County government by former La Porte County Highway Department Superintendent and current La Porte County Republican Party Chairman Allen Stevens, alongside two other employees let go from their positions.

Gramarossa said the commissioners approved payment over three months ago, but La Porte County Auditor Tim Stabosz has not released a check to cover the bill. She said Stabosz is obligated to issue checks on any payments authorized by the commissioners and has been sued by several vendors of county government for non-payment or partial payment since becoming auditor in 2021.

“It’s very clear what you’re supposed to do. If we sign off on a bill you’re supposed to pay it,” she told him during the meeting.

Gramarossa also said the non-payment by Stabosz is just because the commissioners have not paid his legal expenses from a lawsuit filed against him in 2021 by former county attorney Shaw Friedman. The former county attorney sued him personally, claiming Stabosz withheld payments on some of the legal work he performed for the county because of his dislike for him and to score political points.

Initially, over $12,000 in legal expenses for Stabosz were paid for by taxpayers, but any future payments were stopped until that case was decided to avoid the potential of public monies going for an elected official’s personal actions.

In this matter, the LaPorte County government, along with Gramarossa and Mrozinski, are named in the wrongful termination lawsuit.

Stabosz said the two commissioners are being sued personally on some of the counts and that he’s withholding payment because it’s a conflict of interest for them to approve spending on something they are a party to. He also said he’s only following the policy established when payment of his legal expenses was suspended.  Now, he alleges, the commissioners don’t want to follow the precedent that was set.

“They approved the payment of their own bill from their own budget when they were sued personally. They should have recused themselves and sent it to the council,” he said.

Several weeks ago, Stabosz said that he offered to pay the bill if it was presented to the LaPorte County Council and approved, so as to avoid the appearance of any impropriety on behalf of the commissioners.

“I went the extra mile,” he said.

Gramarossa said only the county government is being sued in the wrongful termination case, and that the placement of her and Mrozinski’s names on the paperwork is just a formality. However, the LaPorte County government, along with Gramarossa and Mrozinski, are listed as “defendants” on the front page of the lawsuit documents filed at the U.S. District Court in South Bend.

One of the allegations in the lawsuit is that “Mrozinski and Gramarossa exceeded the scope of their authority as public officials and are, therefore, individually liable for their unlawful actions.”

A previous lawsuit by the commissioners against the auditor ended with a settlement in 2022, where Stabosz agreed to make due on about 90 percent of the close-to-$30,000 he owed Friedman.

(Michigan City, IN) - Completion of the double track from Michigan City to Gary is now in full focus.

The South Shore Line has announced the implementation of a new train schedule effective Tuesday, May 14th.  Officials said the new schedule is the result of the capital improvements made to the South Shore Line infrastructure by the Double Track NWI project.

“The final completion of Double Track allows for the addition of 14 weekday trains, revised times, reduced travel times, and new, limited-stop express service,” said Michael Noland, President of South Shore Line.

“In addition to new weekday trains, portions of weekend train times have also been modified to reflect improved travel times.”

Highlights of the new service include:

• Increased origination service out of the new Miller Station and new 11th Street

(Michigan City) Station.

• Increased morning and afternoon rush hour train time options.

• New limited-stop express train service.

• High-level platform ADA access at 11th Street, Portage/Ogden Dunes, and Miller

train stations.

• Bikes on Trains has been expanded to include all trains, all year long, at existing

bike stations. With the completion of Double Track and the conclusion of long-term

busing substitution, the following stations are now also bike stations: 11th St.,

Portage/Ogden Dunes, and Miller.

The new schedule provides 53 trains to and from Chicago, with both express and local improvements. The new limited-stop express train service will offer the following travel times to Chicago:

• Michigan City – 67 min.

• Dune Park – 57 min.

• Portage/Ogden Dunes – 51 min.

• Gary (Miller) – 46 min.

 South Bend – 109 min.

“We sincerely appreciate passengers’ patience and understanding throughout the construction, temporary busing, and schedule revisions required in order to reach substantial completion of the Double Track Project,” said Nicole Barker, Director of Capital Investment and Implementation/Double Track NWI Project Manager.

To view the full schedule of train times, visit: https://mysouthshoreline.com/south-shore-line-announces-implementation-of-new-double-track-train-schedule/.

The South Shore Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and South Bend International Airport.

(Michigan City, IN) - There are plans in motion for a new playground and outdoor fitness area at the lakefront in Michigan City.

$4 million in federal funds have been secured to build it at Fedder’s Alley at Washington Park, with efforts ongoing to raise another $1 million to cover the balance of the cost.

City Councilman Don Przybylinski said the facility will be for all individuals regardless of their physical abilities. “There will be playground equipment there for anyone with any abilities.  Individuals with disabilities, whether it’s visual, whether it’s hearing impaired, whether your child is restricted to a wheelchair for whatever reason,” he said.

Pyzybylinski also noted that there will also be a walking track with a soft surface constructed for people to use instead of walking in the parking lot or somewhere else on the property, along with outdoor physical fitness equipment designed to weather the elements.

The hope is to raise enough money to begin construction in the spring of next year.  Przybylinski said he believes the all-inclusive facility will have enough offerings to be a regional destination.

(Michigan City, IN) - A teenager from Michigan City is being tried as an adult for sex crimes against a younger child, as 16-year-old Barry Lewis, III has been charged with Rape, Child Molestation, and two counts of Sexual Battery.

According to court documents, the alleged acts occurred against a 13-year-old girl in October, when he was home on a pass from an alternative school in Elkhart County.

La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan says it’s best for an adult court to preside over the case given the allegations, because of the potential for harsher consequences compared to what a juvenile court can hand down if there’s a conviction. He also noted that the case met state requirements for him to directly file the case in adult court instead of a third party making that decision.

“In this case, the elements were there where there was an age threshold, accusations of a certain crime, and certain other things, so, in my determination, it was better that this case was appropriate for direct file in adult court than being within the juvenile system,” he said.

Lewis is being held in the La Porte County Juvenile Services Center to await the outcome of the case.

(La Porte, IN) - La Porte man pulled out a gun to force an intruder from his home on Monday, the alleged intruder, Francisco Camarillo, now having been charged in La Porte Circuit Court with Residential Entry and Public Intoxication.

According to court documents, the victim was working on a vehicle in the driveway of his residence on Grandview Avenue when he observed the 28-year-old suspect yelling from down the street. Eventually, Camarillo approached the victim and walked inside his attached garage acting as if he was looking for something.

The victim, worried about the safety of his nearby child, drew a firearm and ordered Camarillo out of his garage. Camarillo obeyed his orders and laid down on the sidewalk as requested until police arrived, court documents showed.

Responding officers said it appeared Camarillo had taken some type of hallucinogenic, judging by his behavior at the time. 

The La Porte Community School Corporation has expanded its online programming, with La Porte Online School being launched in collaboration with Edmentum, a leading provider of educational technology solutions,

According to school officials, La Porte Online School will offer a well-rounded and fully supported homeschooling program to students in K-12. It will also provide an online learning environment where state-certified teachers deliver personalized, curriculum-aligned education.

Key features of La Porte Online School include:

1) Personalized Learning Approaches: Utilizing Edmentum’s programming to customize educational experiences to match individual student needs and learning styles.

2) State-Certified Teachers: Educational support provided by experienced, certified teachers skilled in online instruction.

3) Regular Communication: Strong communication channels, including video conferencing, phone, and email.

4) Active Parental Involvement: The program encourages significant parental involvement in facilitating and supporting their children’s education.

5) Access to Co- and Extracurricular Activities: Most students enrolled in La Porte Online School will be eligible to participate in all co- and extracurricular activities offered by the district, ensuring they receive a holistic educational experience that extends beyond academics.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Peggy Hinckley said more online school options and a more tailor-made plan for students based on their needs will be provided for families under the expanded program. 

"This initiative is a direct response to the evolving needs of our families to have access to an educational option that combines flexibility with a comprehensive, high-quality learning experience," said Dr. Peggy Hinckley, Interim Superintendent.

"The limitations of our previous online program led to restrictions that will no longer be a barrier for families interested in pursuing an online education with the ability for continued school community engagement," she said.

(Michigan City, IN) - A person following a stolen vehicle belonging to a friend in Michigan City was shot by an occupant of the latter, which crashed during a high-speed pursuit earlier this week.

Those are the latest details released by authorities today in connection with a Monday night chase on Interstate 94, which began with, according to Michigan City Police, a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta being reported stolen by its owner. About one hour later, a friend of the owner located the stolen vehicle, started following it toward Gardena Park, and called 911.

One of four people inside the stolen vehicle shot the driver behind them in the torso. Roughly three hours later, it was located on Franklin Street near Meijer, which triggered a pursuit that ended when the stolen vehicle, traveling the wrong way on an entrance ramp, ran into a concrete barrier at Indiana 49 near Chesterton.

Per authorities, three children, ages 17, 15, and 12, remained inside the stolen vehicle and were taken into custody. A fourth individual fled on foot and managed to elude officers during a search. The person who got away, also a juvenile, has since been identified, yet whether that person had been arrested has not yet been revealed.

The shooting victim reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Any witnesses or people with information or video surveillance are asked to contact Michigan City Police at (219) 874-3221 ext. 1086 or email kpliske@emichigancity.com.

(Michigan City, IN) - Change is coming for riders of South Shore Railroad commuter trains, as officials have stated that the ticket offices at the Carroll Avenue station in Michigan City and Millennium Station in Chicago will be closing permanently on April 26th.

After that, people can go to any train station vending machine or use the South Shore mobile app to obtain tickets.

Railroad officials explained that the decision to close those ticket offices was made because nearly 85 percent of ticket purchases nowadays are digital.

(La Porte, IN) - A Flock camera in La Porte has now led to the arrest of a man who allegedly had some methamphetamine, as Jason Smyers, 44, was taken into custody this past Sunday.

According to police, the La Porte man was in a car detected by a Fllock camera in the area of State Road 39 and 18^th Street.  Soon after, officers, scouring the area, spotted the car outside the Speedway station on State Road 2 on the city’s west side.

There, nearly eight grams of methamphetamine inside a glass jar was located on the passenger side floorboard.  Also seized was a glass pipe allegedly with the substance inside it.

Smyers could face an up to six-year sentence on a Level 5 felony Possession of Methamphetamine charge.

Authorities report that the license plate-reading camera picked up on the car due to it belonging to someone else who had a warrant out for their arrest.

(Michigan City, IN) - Two teenagers and a 12-year-old were arrested last night following a high-speed chase from Michigan City to Porter County at around 10 p.m. following a description being given of a vehicle possibly connected to a shooting, according to Indiana State Police.

A Volkswagen Jetta was also reported stolen.

A state police trooper spotted the vehicle on Franklin Street near the Meijer and attempted to stop it, but the driver accelerated before veering onto Interstate 94 a short time later. Upon making it to the Indiana 49 overpass near Chesterton, the driver performed a U-turn and began traveling the wrong way up an entrance ramp when their vehicle was disabled upon ultimately hitting a concrete barrier.

Three of the individuals remained in the vehicle and were taken into custody. Police said the fourth took off running and managed to elude officers despite a search of the area.

A handgun was allegedly recovered from the backseat floorboard of the vehicle. However, no information has been released about the report of a shooting, which remains under investigation by Michigan City Police.

The juveniles are being held on several charges including Auto Theft, Theft of a Firearm, and Resisting Law Enforcement.