Indiana
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to speak in NW Indiana Thursday
CHICAGO (WLS) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will visit northwest Indiana Thursday.
She’s expected to bring updates on the immigration enforcement that’s happening across the area.
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Secretary Kristi Noem will give an update on recent immigration enforcement deemed “Operation Midway Blitz,” which Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino has called “wildly successful” in an interview with ABC News earlier this week.
She will be joined by Indiana governor Mike Braun in Gary along with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, among others.
SEE ALSO: Court pauses order requiring CBP Chief Bovino to meet with judge daily on immigration operations
Her visit has been met with some criticism, though, from other local northwest Indiana leaders.
Gary’s Mayor Eddie Melton said his office was not involved with planning the event and is not participating.
Hammond’s Mayor Thomas McDermott also posting on Facebook, criticizing how the press conference was announced.
Counter-protests are expected later Thursday morning.
RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates
Bovino says nearly 3,000 people have been arrested in the Chicago area, as part of “Midway Blitz.”
The expanded immigration enforcement started in September.
Wednesday night, Governor Pritzker sent a letter to Secretary Noem, requesting a pause in ICE enforcement this weekend in and around homes, schools, hospitals, parks and place of worship, so children can safely celebrate Halloween.
The governor referenced an incident in his letter this past weekend in Old Irving Park – in which he says, federal agents reportedly interrupted a children’s Halloween parade and deployed tear gas without warning – on residents peacefully celebrating the holiday.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Officials with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles are warning Indiana residents of a new scam that is being sent to Hoosiers via text.
According to a news release from the Indiana BMV, the scam asks the user for overdue payments over text, including traffic violations or unpaid tolls. The text reportedly “strongly” mimics the BMV’s mobile website and improperly cites Indiana code.
Officials said the messages should be considered fraudulent. The BMV is urging people who receive the message to delete it immediately and not click on any links.
This is not the first time that the Indiana BMV has been the subject of scam texts. According to previous reports, a scam was sent out to some Indiana residents from the “Indiana Department of Vehicles” regarding outstanding traffic tickets in early June.
“We want to make it clear that these messages are not from the Indiana BMV,” the release said. “The BMV does not send SMS text messages about outstanding penalties. In fact, the fees outlined in the messages are not ones that the agency actually collects.”
For a list of known BMV-related scams, click here.
Police have launched a search for two stolen endangered tortoises after the Indianapolis Zoo waited 11 days to report them missing.
An Egyptian tortoise and a Northern Spider tortoise, both of which are on the critically endangered species list, were taken from their enclosure in the zoo’s desert exhibit between 10 a.m. local time on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, Indiana State Police say.
Captain Ron Galaviz with the Indiana State Police confirmed to Fox 59 that the tortoises were not reported missing until last Thursday.
On Monday, authorities asked for the public’s help in finding the two tortoises in a Facebook post.
Facebook users questioned how the theft could’ve happened.
“I’m curious how exactly you steal not one but TWO tortoises from a Zoo?” one user wrote.
To which another replied, “We recently went to the Indianapolis zoo and they’re not in a really closed encounter. They’re just smack in the middle with very accessible fence type thing you could reach in and pick it up.”
“How do you walk out of the zoo with 2 turtles? That must be a big rain coat,” a third user commented.
But Galaviz explained the tortoises stolen were rather small.
“The tortoises are not the large giant tortoises that you see people sitting on and riding around on,” he told Fox 59. “These are actually very small, probably fit in the palm of your hand.”
Galaviz said the tortoises can be anywhere by now.
“They could end up in a pet store. They could be in somebody’s personal aquarium somewhere that obviously we don’t know, [the] black market. I think the possibilities run the gamut,” he said.
The Independent has reached out to the zoo for comment and Indiana State Police for updates on the tortoises’ whereabouts.
According to the zoo’s website, the Egyptian tortoises are typically four inches long and weigh one pound, and are endangered due to habitat loss and pet trade. Northern Spider tortoises, which are five inches long and weigh one pound, suffer from habitat loss and poaching.
Jake Oakman, a spokesperson for the zoo, said in a statement shared by ABC News, it is “working closely with law enforcement to investigate the theft.”
“We continue to hope for their safe return and we appreciate the community’s support during this time,” Oakman said.
Indiana State Police asked anyone with information that could help them in the search for the tortoises to contact police.
The 2025 Indiana high school football playoffs began with the Class 5A through Class 1A sectionals on October 24. The Class 6A sectionals begin on October 31.
High School On SI has brackets for every classification in the Indiana high school football playoffs. The playoffs culminate with the state championships on November 28 and 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 1A Football Bracket (select to view full bracket details)
October 31, 2025 at 7 p.m.
North Judson-San Pierre at LaVille
Bowman Academy at West Central
Pioneer at Frontier
Taylor at Carroll
North Miami at Southwood
Triton at Fremont
Hagerstown at Monroe Central
South Adams at Tri
South Putnam at Fountain Central
North Central at Riverton Parke
Clinton Prairie at Sheridan
Cloverdale at Tindley
Eastern Greene at Milan
Knightstown at North Decatur
Springs Valley at Providence
Tecumseh at North Daviess
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 2A Football Bracket
Friday, October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Andrean at Wheeler
Rensselaer Central at Bremen
Southmont at Western Boone
Seeger at Cass
Manchester at Eastside
Adams Central at Bluffton
Eastbrook at Rochester
Eastern at Tipton
Park Tudor at Indianapolis Lutheran
Heritage Christian at Monrovia
Northeastern at Triton Central
Lapel at Eastern Hancock
Sullivan at North Posey
Greencastle at Linton-Stockton
Clarksville at Switzerland County
Brownstown Central at Paoli
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 3A Football Bracket
Friday, October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Calumet New Tech at Mishawaka Marian
Griffith at Knox
Garrett at Lakeland
Angola at West Noble
Peru at Twin Lakes
Western at Frankton
Mississinewa at Jay County
Norwell at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
Cascade at Tri-West Hendricks
Crawfordsville at Guerin Catholic
Lawrenceburg at Franklin County
Greensburg at South Dearborn
Indian Creek at Madison
North Harrison at Scottsburg
Evansville Memorial at Gibson Southern
Southridge at Evansville Mater Dei
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 4A Football Bracket
Friday, October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
East Chicago Central vs Lowell
Hobart vs Kankakee Valley
Mishawaka vs Plymouth
South Bend St. Joseph vs Northridge
East Noble vs Fort Wayne South Side
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger vs Columbia City
Lebanon vs Frankfort
Logansport vs Muncie Central
Beech Grove vs Yorktown
Greenfield-Central vs Pendleton Heights
Roncalli vs Danville
Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory vs Indianapolis Bishop Chatard
Shelbyville vs Bedford North Lawrence
Charlestown vs Martinsville
Heritage Hills vs Reitz
Evansville Harrison vs Jasper
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 5A Football Bracket
October 31, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Munster at Hammond Central
Merrillville at Hammond Morton
Michigan City at Valparaiso
LaPorte at Chesterton
Warsaw at Concord
Fort Wayne North Side at Goshen
Jefferson at McCutcheon
Kokomo at South Bend Adams
Cathedral at Anderson
New Palestine at Plainfield
Franklin Community at East Central
Columbus East at Whiteland
Terre Haute North Vigo at Bloomington North
Terre Haute South Vigo at Bloomington South
Evansville North at New Albany
Floyd Central at Castle
2025 Indiana (IHSAA) Class 6A Football Bracket
October 31, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Lake Central at Crown Point
Penn at Portage
Carroll at Elkhart
Snider at Fort Wayne Northrop
Zionsville at Westfield
Harrison at Carmel
Hamilton Southeastern at Homestead
Fishers at Noblesville
Ben Davis at Avon
Pike at Brownsburg
North Central at Decatur Central
Lawrence Central at Lawrence North
Southport at Arsenal Technical
Warren Central at Perry Meridian
Jeffersonville at Center Grove
Columbus North at Franklin Central
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