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Leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District, the City of Portage, and U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01) gathered July 29 to celebrate the completion of the Portage Interceptor Rehabilitation Project – Phase II.

The $3.47 million project, completed under Section 219 of the Water Resources Development Act, rehabilitated more than 1,900 feet of existing sewer infrastructure to reduce excess flow and the risk of sanitary sewer overflows near wetlands and residential areas.

When U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Portage officials cut the ribbon Tuesday for a newly completed project, the evidence of that work was nowhere in sight.

“There’s nothing flashy about it,” Corps of Engineers Col. Kenneth Rockwell said. He is commander of the Corps’ Chicago district.

But then, sewers belong underground. They should be unseen and not heard — nor smelled.

In Portage, officials are celebrating the completion of a project they say will reduce excess flow and the risk of sanitary sewer overflows near wetlands and residential areas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chicago District, Indiana U.S. Representative Frank J. Mrvan, and city of Portage held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday July 29, 2025. A news release says the project rehabilitated more than 1,900 feet of existing sewer infrastructure. The event was held at American Legion Post 260 on Mulberry Avenue.

Federal and local officials cut a ribbon this week to mark the completion of the second phase of a $3.5 million sewer rehabilitation project in Portage.

Under the guidance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Grimmer Construction, of Highland, relined or replaced more than 1,900 feet of existing sewer infrastructure located just east of Willowdale Road between Stone Avenue and Central Avenue.

Indiana wounded by last year's $1 billion shortfall in covering Medicaid costs

The future of Medicaid serving the health needs in northwest Indiana got a hearing from leaders of 8 community health centers in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties.

The outlook was grim from those healthcare executives in U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, Jr.’s First Congressional District who had gathered for a roundtable discussion at the Porter-Starke Health Center in Valparaiso.

Health care providers warned of dire consequences for patients, including those with commercial insurance, from Medicaid cuts enacted by Congress in what President Donald Trump refers to as his “big beautiful bill.”

Their remarks came from a Medicaid roundtable held Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan at Porter-Starke Services in Valparaiso. Providers from across Northwest Indiana designated as community mental health centers or federally qualified health centers were represented.