Porter County Board of Commissioners

"We're especially excited for this segment because it does connect the trail to the Dune Park [South Shore Line] station, as well as it connects to the Dunes-Kankakee Trail that goes to the National Park and the visitor's center," Porter County Development and Storm Water Management Director Mike Jabo told the county commissioners during their meeting Tuesday.

Upgrades continue at Porter County government facilities.

The board of works Friday approved a memorandum of understanding, letting the city begin a 60-day due diligence period.

"It's in the heart of our downtown," Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas told the city council Monday. "We do events. We have a significant staff to promote, manage, sell tickets, and we think it's an important facility for our citizens, certainly."

Porter County is looking to beef up its gratuity policies, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court found that a $13,000 payment to former Portage Mayor James Snyder was not prohibited under the federal bribery statute.

Porter County officials are among those speaking out against political violence.

Less than a year after stepping down as executive director of the Memorial Opera House, Scot MacDonald is back as its interim director.

A shelter for Porter County women and children facing housing insecurity is able to serve more people.

The Porter County Health Department is looking to improve public health by giving away bicycles. It's one of a number of programs the department hopes to implement with the infusion of Health First Indiana funding.

A new bike trail through the Indiana Dunes National Park may take a bit longer than expected. The Marquette Greenway Trail will provide a continuous, 60-mile trail from Chicago to Michigan. But it's actually made up of dozens of segments, with different funding sources and different government entities overseeing them.