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.
CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WKRC) – Authorities in Indiana found a semi trailer loaded up with hundreds of pounds of suspected cocaine.
According to a statement issued by the Indiana State Police (ISP), 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California was taken into custody after nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine were reportedly found in the trailer of a commercial truck.
Per the statement, an ISP trooper seized the suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, authorities said.
The stop occurred Tuesday morning near the 37-mile marker, just east of Cloverdale, after a commercial motor vehicle was observed exceeding the posted speed limit.
Police said Singh displayed several indicators of possible criminal activity during the encounter. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, troopers discovered multiple duffel bags and cardboard boxes in the trailer containing approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at about $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and taken to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond.
He faces the following preliminary charges, per the post:
- Possession of a narcotic drug
Formal charges will be determined by the Putnam County prosecutor.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Indiana State Police said drug interdiction remains a priority, with troopers focusing on major highways to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics into the state.
For many Hoosiers living in rural Indiana, accessing health care can mean driving 30 minutes or even an hour to see a doctor or reach the nearest hospital. As workforce shortages and financial pressures challenge rural hospitals across the country, ensuring access to care close to home has become one of the most important health-care issues facing our state.
About one in four Indiana residents live in a rural community, yet access to health-care services in many of these communities continues to shrink. Across the nation, rural hospitals and clinics report extremely thin operating margins and often say workforce shortages and rising costs make it difficult to sustain services such as primary care, maternity care and behavioral health.
When rural communities struggle to maintain health-care access, the impact doesn’t stay confined to small towns. It ripples across the entire health-care system, contributing to increases in chronic conditions, reduced preventative care for children, and worsening outcomes for the sickest patients.
Communities such as Greater Lafayette serve as a regional hub for care, with hospitals like IU Health Arnett caring for patients from surrounding counties across north-central and west-central Indiana. That role is something we are proud to fulfill. But when rural residents must travel long distances for care that should be available closer to home, it places increasing pressure on emergency departments, specialty clinics and inpatient services at larger regional hospitals.
In many cases, what might have been a routine appointment, preventive screening or early diagnosis in a local clinic becomes far more serious by the time a patient reaches a larger hospital. A missed screening can escalate into a medical emergency.
That reality makes strengthening rural health care more important than ever — not just for rural communities, but for the health of the entire state.
One of the most important steps we can take is investing in the next generation of health-care professionals who will care for these communities.
At IU Health, we are working directly with local schools and community partners to help build that workforce pipeline. Across the region, IU Health has partnered with the Greater Lafayette Career Academy and area school districts to introduce students to health-care careers earlier and provide hands-on learning opportunities that bring those careers to life.
Through these programs, students explore health-care pathways and earn certifications such as certified nursing assistant, medical assistant or emergency medical technician while still in high school. Many participate in job shadowing opportunities, clinical experiences and mentorship programs, giving them valuable exposure to the field before they graduate. In fact, since the first cohort in 2023, IU Health has extended job offers to more than 70 students.
The goal is simple but powerful: help students see that meaningful careers in health care exist in their own communities and create pathways that allow them to stay and serve those communities.
For rural health care, this approach is critical. Students who train and develop personal mentorship connections locally are far more likely to remain in the region after completing their education. By helping young people build skills and connections early, we can create a sustainable workforce that strengthens health-care access in both rural communities and regional centers, including Greater Lafayette.
Since launching the $200 million Community Impact Investment Fund in 2018, IU Health has invested more than $40 million in community grants supporting workforce development, education and school-based programs that build Indiana’s health-care talent pipeline. This includes funding for the Indiana Latino Institute, which placed Latino students in health-care internships, supported career pathways, and provided medical interpreter training and college coaching to communities across the state.
Our goal is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is one way we work toward that in partnership with our communities.
But workforce development is only part of the solution.
Strengthening rural health care will also require continued collaboration between health-care providers, educators, community leaders and policymakers. Expanding telehealth access, supporting rural hospitals and investing in primary care and behavioral health services are all critical steps toward ensuring patients can receive care close to home.
Greater Lafayette will always play an important role as a regional health-care center, providing specialized care and advanced services for patients across a broad region. But the long-term health of Indiana’s health-care system depends on maintaining strong local access points for care in rural communities.
When rural clinics and hospitals can provide preventive care, manage chronic conditions and connect patients with the services they need early, the entire system works better.
Patients receive care sooner, communities stay healthier and larger hospitals can focus on the complex cases they are designed to treat.
Healthy rural communities do not just benefit the towns where they are. They strengthen Indiana’s entire health-care system by ensuring that every Hoosier — no matter where they live — has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.
When rural health care succeeds, all of Indiana benefits.
Gary Henriott is a lifelong resident of Lafayette and the retired CEO and Chairman of Henriott Group. He is the chair of the IU Health West Region board of directors and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, and president of Lafayette’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — An Indianapolis mother is now facing criminal charges after her 2-month-old baby died in an apparent improper co-sleeping environment, according to investigators.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by FOX 59/CBS 4, police were called to an area hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, following the death of 27-year-old Brooklyn Davis’ son. The boy had been found unresponsive in his family’s home early that morning, and Davis attempted CPR before he was rushed to the hospital.
The affidavit says the boy had been sleeping on Davis’ bed with his 6-year-old brother. Davis later showed investigators a video showing the baby sleeping chest down on the 6-year-old’s chest.
An autopsy concluded the baby’s cause of death was “sudden explained death of an infant” with an intrinsic factor, which included being “placed to sleep in a queen-sized mattress being shared with a 6-year-old sibling, along with numerous blankets and other miscellaneous items; discovered unresponsive in a prone position with his face turned to the side and partially covered with a blanket.”
A report from the Department of Child Services (DCS) indicated the boy had no known health issues and that Davis ran an FSSA-licensed day care and has “extensive training on child care and safe sleeping environments.”
Davis had been known to DCS prior to the baby’s death. The boy had been born marijuana-positive and, on July 2, 2024, Davis had reportedly signed a “Safe Sleep Safety Plan,” acknowledging she understood that the safest places for her baby to sleep were in a crib, pack-and-play or bassinet and warned that co-sleeping places the baby at risk of suffocation and sleeping areas should be kept free of blankets, pillows and other items. The plan also included a provision that Davis not use marijuana while caring for her children, but she told investigators during an interview that, the morning of her baby’s death, she had gone downstairs to smoke marijuana and left the children alone upstairs.
Davis’ two other children were removed from the home, and interviews with them revealed that co-sleeping with the infant happened often.
Investigators say they attempted to contact Davis several times after talking to her children.
“She called me on February 18, 2025, and said she didn’t do anything wrong, her baby died of SIDS,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “Brooklyn never came in for an additional interview.”
Court records indicate the case was filed in March 2026. Davis was booked into jail on April 1 on three counts of neglect of a dependent. An initial hearing was held on April 7, and a bail review hearing is planned for Monday.
-
Detroit, MI18 minutes agoMan jumps into action to save girlfriend in crash involving teen driver fleeing MSP
-
San Francisco, CA30 minutes agoSanta Rosa: The 1906 earthquake almost lost to history
-
Dallas, TX37 minutes agoJohnston scores twice, Stars hold off Wild in Game 2 to even West 1st Round | NHL.com
-
Boston, MA50 minutes agoBetween Providence And Boston Is A Vibrant Massachusetts Town Bursting With Diverse Entertainment – Islands
-
Denver, CO56 minutes agoMinnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Apr 20, 2026 Game Summary
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoAthletics Beat Mariners in Seattle 6-4
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoEl Cajon crisis unit opens, bringing county’s total to eight
-
Milwaukee, WI1 hour agoWhat to know about Michael Lock as police execute warrant on his former home