Indiana
Indiana Dunes Tourism turns focus beyond the beach
Porter County tourism is in a good place in 2024. At its sixth State of Tourism event at Riley’s Railhouse in Chesterton Thursday afternoon Indiana Dunes Tourism staff spoke of focusing its efforts beyond the beach.
Indiana Dunes Tourism’s Interim CEO/President Christine Livingston told the crowd that Indiana Dunes National Park had 4.6 million visitors last year, compared to 3.2 million in 2018. Those who stopped by the Visitors Center more than doubled in that same time frame to 226,000 last year.
Livingston told the crowd that when the Indiana Dunes went from national lakeshore designation to a national park the visiting crowds “went from beachgoers to park goers.” And the positive thing about parkgoers is that they like to stay in the region a little longer and explore the surrounding offerings.
That’s good news for the county’s more than 500 businesses. “We take the responsibility of supporting local businesses very seriously and it drives everything that we do,” Livingston said.
She told the story of the 160-acre Broken Wagon Bison Farm at 563 W. 450 North in Hobart that blossomed from occasionally selling meat out of a meat locker in a garage to offering tours twice a week, and selling the meat from a new gift shop that has space for classes, all following guidance from the Indiana Dunes Tourism staff.
  John Smierciak/Post-Tribune
Wally Koeppen waits to close the field gate as his brother Bud drives out at the Broken Wagon Bison, a bison farm tucked away in Porter County on Wednesday, October 12, 2023. (John Smierciak/Post Tribune)
Such relationships, both with privately-held businesses, and Porter County’s other sister venues the Memorial Opera House, the Porter County Museum, Porter County Parks, and the Porter County Expo Center, are a focus.
Livingston gave another example of the special attention her staff gives to small businesses.
She said the owner of the Schoolhouse Shop in Chesterton is vocal in his appreciation. “He really credits the staff at the Visitors Center for taking time to explain how to get to his shop,” she said.
Partnerships with other natural destinations such as Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Gabis Arboretum and Kankakee Sands, and other tourism entities like the South Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau and the South Shore Line are also being nurtured, Livingston pointed out. After 20 years in its building the Visitors Center is also planning for a refresh.
An update on the Indigenous Cultural Trail, a joint effort between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the Pakagon Band of Potawatomi, the National Park Service, and Indiana Dunes Tourism, showed the new bridge over Dunes Creek. Trail signs that include Potawatomi and Miami translations are beginning to be installed and a 6-to-8-foot diameter limestone turtle by Chicago sculptor Roman Villareal is expected to be ready this year.
“We’re trying to get the biggest rock possible. I won’t know (the final size) until I get started,” said the artist, who has works at The Art Institute in Chicago.
“We were warned it was going to be so hard to do, no one was going to get along,” Livingston said of the Indigenous Trail partnership. “It’s been the complete opposite of that.”
And for those who loved Ranger Matt in his Dunes 101 Series several years ago educating hundreds of thousands of viewers on such topics as “What are the Indiana Dunes?” and “Where are the Dunes Beaches?,” the series will continue in 2024.

Indiana Dunes Tourism’s Production Director Dustin Ritchea told the crowd his staff has been working with elected officials to identify 120 locales that will appear in a new series of 11 videos.
“You have to remember, tourism is the first date of economic development,” he pointed out.
And then there’s good, old-fashioned Facetime. Indiana Dunes Tourism Partnership Coordinator Julie Brown said she’s still running “business blitzes” 10 years after joining the staff. Be it email, phone calls, or personal visits her job is to ensure business owners understand what Indiana Dunes Tourism offers from free listings to website and guide ads, coupons, display cases and sponsorship opportunities.
“They don’t really understand what Indiana Dunes Tourism can do, and is doing, for them,” she said. When the visit is over she’s corrected that.

Rob Albrecht-Mallinger of the Northwest Indiana Paddle Association was visibly raising his fists in cheers throughout the presentation. “Indiana Dunes Tourism is the people who have the vision of what this region is capable of,” he said when it was over.
“Sometimes the things are right in front of you and somebody has to show you, and Indiana Dunes Tourism does that.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Indiana
Young male dead after shooting on Indy’s northeast side
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police say one “young man” is dead after a shooting at the 1200 block of Rue Rabelais at about 7:19 p.m. according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
That is near the intersection of 56th Street and Binford Boulevard.
Police say the victim was taken to Riley Hospital where he later died. Investigators say they are still working to identify the victim.
There was no known information about a suspect. Police did say that they believe this is a targeted incident.
There was no other information immediately available.
This story has been updated with information from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Indiana
Mother and boyfriend accused in death of 4-year-old boy found in closet
This story contains descriptions of distressing circumstances involving children.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A mother and her boyfriend were accused of causing the death of a 4-year-old-boy found dead in a basement closet on Monday.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Angel Lovely, 37, and Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office by Friday had not filed formal charges.
A sibling found the 4-year-old dead on Monday, according to investigators. Lovely and Bergdoll were in the home at the time but told police they were asleep when he died.
Born premature with cerebral palsy, the 4-year old couldn’t walk, was nonverbal, and ate through a feeding tube. Lovely claimed she would rarely put the child in the closet, only “when he won’t stop screaming” or when she “needed a break.”
But when investigators interviewed Lovely’s three other children, they said that the boy “stays in the closet all day,” and that “mom locks him in the closet” and “does not pay attention to him.”
An exact cause of death hasn’t been determined, but the child was found with blood in his mouth. Lovely said he’d been aspirating.
One of Lovely’s children told investigators they heard the 4-year-old gagging but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t unusual.
A neighbor living on Monticello Drive, Michelle Johnson, told News 8, “It’s horrible. It breaks my heart.”
Johnson had seen the other children outside the home but never knew there was a boy in a wheelchair living there. She said if she suspected they were being neglected, she would have called police or the Indiana Department of Child Services.
“We’re supposed to be a village and raise kids together,” Johnson said. “That’s really heartbreaking.”
Bergdoll told police, according to the investigators’ report, that he didn’t agree with putting the child in the closet: “I am not going to tell her how to f****** raise her kids.”
“I’m sickened,” IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told News 8 in an interview.
“Think about putting yourself in that situation. Every day, do you want to be in a closet? Locked up, no light?”
Court records show the Department of Child Services had removed the boy from Lovely’s care because of medical neglect, but she regained custody last year against DCS recommendations.
Thompson, the neighbor, hopes the tragedy can be an opportunity for others to speak up when they see a child who can’t speak up for themselves. “Maybe you’ve got to make that tough phone call. Reach out. The city has resources.”
Johnson wishes she would have known what was happening so she could have said something. “Children don’t have a voice and we’re supposed to be their voice.”
Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local:
Indiana
Police arrest suspect in Westfield homicide
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Police have arrested someone in connection to a homicide earlier this month in the Hamilton County city.
In a Friday night social media post, the Westfield Police Department announced the arrest but gave no details, including who was arrested or what preliminary charges the person may face.
“Due to the active nature of this case, limited details are available for release at this time,” the post said.
As WISHTV.com previously reported, James “Matt” Lushin, 47, was found dead shortly after 7:25 p.m. March 12 with trauma at his home in the 3900 block of Westfield Road, also known as State Road 32.
Social media posts from the scene showed police tape and emergency vehicles at a red brick house between Shady Nook Road and Gray Road.
Lushin’s obituary said the Kokomo native was a key partner with the real estate investment company, FLF Property. The obituary also said, “Matt was also a respected and accomplished member of the international poker community. He traveled the world competing in tournaments and built an impressive and successful career.”
Police have previously said the death was believed to be isolated, posing no ongoing threat.
Officials have not released a specific cause or manner of death.
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