Stacy Adams, E.C. Central

E.C. Central football coach Stacy Adams, second from left, stands with players Michael Henney, left, Demetrius Cousins, right center, and Jalen Alston. Adams, The Times Coach of the Year, credits these seniors for buying into his system.

Stacy Adams, E.C. Central

E.C. Central football coach Stacy Adams led his Cardinals to a 9-2 record and is The Times Coach of the Year. After resigning as Valparaiso University's head coach, Adams has gone 21-11 in three years in East Chicago.

Stacy Adams, E.C. Central

E.C. Central football coach Stacy Adams led his Cardinals to a 9-2 record and is The Times Coach of the Year. After resigning as Valparaiso University's head coach, Adams has gone 21-11 in three years in East Chicago.

Stacy Adams, E.C. Central

E.C. Central football coach Stacy Adams led his Cardinals to a 9-2 record and is The Times Coach of the Year. After resigning as Valparaiso University's head coach, Adams has gone 21-11 in three years in East Chicago.

Illiana Expressway will need NIRPC approval

Terry Gasaway, of Cedar Lake, asks questions about the timeline of the proposed Illiana Expressway during a meeting Wednesday with the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission at the Cedar Lake Town Clubhouse.

Illiana Expressway will need NIRPC approval

Transportation Planning Manager Bill Brown, of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, gives a presentation on progress of the Illiana Expressway during a meeting Wednesday at the Cedar Lake Town Clubhouse.

Illiana Expressway will need NIRPC approval

Lowell resident Marilyn Dockstader asks questions of representatives of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission during a presentation Wednesday on progress of the Illiana Expressway at the Cedar Lake Town Clubhouse.

MACARTHUR - MacArthur Elementary Wins Blue Ribbon Award

MacArthur Elementary School Principal Marian Buchko, left, watches students line up for a group photo outside the school in Cedar Lake. The school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education.

MACARTHUR - MacArthur Elementary Wins Blue Ribbon Award

MacArthur Elementary School students release blue balloons into the air after a group photo outside of the school in Cedar Lake. The school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education.

MACARTHUR - MacArthur Elementary Wins Blue Ribbon Award

MacArthur Elementary School staff and students cheer after a group photo outside the school in Cedar Lake. MacArthur Elementary has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education.

MACARTHUR - MacArthur Elementary Wins Blue Ribbon Award

MacArthur Elementary School students line up for a group photo outside the school in Cedar Lake. The school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education.

MACARTHUR - MacArthur Elementary Wins Blue Ribbon Award

MacArthur Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jennifer Hochstetler helps move students together for a group photo outside the school in Cedar Lake. The school has been awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S. Department of Education.

Green thumbs: Teaching Garden project hopes to instill good habits at an early age

Liberty Elementary School 1st grade students put their hands in the dirt in one of the school's new raised bed planters as the school celebrates the kickoff of the Teaching Garden program.

Classmates remember Chloe Burks

Friends and Hanover Central High School classmates of Chloe Burks on Thursday visit the railroad tracks in Cedar Lake where 15-year-old Burks was struck and killed by a freight train Wednesday. A small group of classmates carried a sign with messages from friends and classmates and nailed it…

Classmates remember Chloe Burks

Samantha Barnes waits to place flowers Thursday at a makeshift memorial for Chloe Burks while Thomas Powers, left, Jared Klassen and Bryan Hale secure a sign honoring Burks. Burks, a 15-year-old Hanover High School student, was struck and killed Wednesday afternoon by a freight train near 13…

Classmates remember Chloe Burks

Friends and classmates of Chloe Burks visit the scene where she was struck and killed Wednesday by a freight train.

Classmates remember Chloe Burks

Skye Oswald, left, and Sara Reeves, both seniors at Hanover Central High School, stand Thursday on the railroad tracks at 133rd Avenue in Cedar Lake near the site where classmate Chloe Burks was killed by a freight train Wednesday afternoon. The teens wore neon green shirts in honor of Burks…