The Vidette Times is a local newspaper in Porter County, Indiana. It began in 1842 as an occasional, the Republican. In 1866 it came under new ownership as the Porter County Vidette. In 1871, a rival, the Valparaiso Democratic Messenger emerged. In the 1920s, the Vidette and the Messenger merged to form the Vidette-Messenger. In 1994, Howard Publications purchased the Vidette-Messenger, renamed it “the Vidette Times” in 1995, and attempted unsuccessfully to give it more regional content, but eventually returned it to a local focus.