Students dive in for spring play

WHEATFIELD | Life is the bubbles under the sea at Kankakee Valley High School this month.

Polar bears take a swim for cancer support

WHITING | The waves whipped onto Whihala Beach like knives on Tuesday morning. The wind above caused Lake Michigan to crash with white tops into the sand and rock.

Sweet time on KV stage

WHEATFIELD | Roald Dahl's "Willy Wonka" will sweeten the Kankakee Valley High School stage as the KV Theatre Kompany's fall musical, opening Friday.

Retired educator brings history alive for Kankakee students

WHEATFIELD | Students in government at Kankakee Valley High School had a lesson in local history when Halleck historian Jerry Hoover visited classes Friday.

Retired educator brings history alive for Kankakee students

Jerry Hoover, a retired teacher and Halleck historian, talks Friday to students in Paul Norwine's government class at Kankakee Valley High School about the late Congressman Charlie Halleck, a native son of Rensselaer. Sept. 13 marked the 50th anniversary of Charlie Halleck Day in Rensselaer.

Teen urges peers to "Volunteer and Pass It On"

Tara Beere seeks to urge other teenagers to volunteer with the creation of her "Volunteer And Pass It On" blog and Facebook page. Formed in April, the organization encourages teens to pair up with local groups seeking help.

Dancing for Riley patients

CROWN POINT | More than 130 Crown Point and Kankakee Valley high school students danced for a cause recently in the CPHS field house.

Andrean blanks Kougars

WHEATFIELD | Andrean and star pitcher Nicole Steinbach were still riding the wave of momentum of Friday's perfect game win at LaPorte.

Department of Education commends area schools on AP exams

Six Northwest Indiana schools were among those recognized by the Indiana Department of Education for high numbers of 2011 graduates passing Advanced Placement tests or for dramatically increasing the number of graduates passing the exams.

23 area schools named Four Star Schools

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Department of Education named 23 region schools Four Star Schools on Wednesday for their superior student achievement in math and English.

Army medic honored during funeral in Wheatfield

WHEATFIELD | Tears mixed with laughter as friends and family recalled the life of U.S. Army Sgt. Ronald Evans Taylor during funeral services Saturday at the Boersma Funeral Home.

Funeral services set for soldier raised in Wheatfield

WHEATFIELD | Funeral services will be Saturday for U.S. Army Sgt. Ronald Evans Taylor.

Wheatfield soldier dies in apparent homicide in Kansas

WHEATFIELD | Alex Taylor said his family worried about his older brother Ronald during his two tours in Iraq. But they couldn't imagine the 28-year-old U.S. Army sergeant would end up in harm's way after returning stateside.

C-SPAN bus stops at Kankakee Valley High School

WHEATFIELD | A group of Kankakee Valley High School seniors put Wheatfield on the map in a big way when they appeared Thursday morning on a live segment of cable TV network C-SPAN.

Governing their education

Students from Kankakee Valley High School sit in the C-SPAN bus and watch as one of their classmates calls into the cable show "Washington Journal" on Thursday morning to pose a question to Cliff Guffey, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO president.

Governing their education

Jessie Klemp, a senior at Kankakee Valley High School in Wheatfield, calls into a C-SPAN showThursday morning during a visit from the C-Span bus.

Kankakee Valley rewarded for improving graduation rate

INDIANAPOLIS | A schoolwide focus on improving its graduation rate paid off Wednesday for Kankakee Valley High School to the tune of $20,000.

All In for 'T-Cav'

The Kankakee Valley High School softball team honored their former teammate Taylor "T-Cav" Cavinder during senior night at the school in Wheatfield last week. This Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of Cavinder's death in an automobile accident.

Lives of two teens killed in crash not forgotten on anniversary of deaths

DEMOTTE | Rachel Fisher, 5, won't let go of "Eric's bunny." The stuffed toy is named in honor of her big brother, Eric Sims, who was killed in a car crash a year ago today. Taylor Cavinder, killed in the same crash, also is remembered by shouts of "T-Cav" at softball games.

Tillema receives two six-year sentences in fatal crash outside DeMotte

RENSSELAER | Events surrounding the May 22 fiery crash that killed two teens were termed a "tragedy of mistakes" by Jasper Circuit Court Judge John Potter.