Times wins 6 Lisagor Awards

CHICAGO | The Times captured six Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism on Friday.

A life and legacy

Ruth Pelke was murdered in 1985, and her family says her legacy of love lives on through today.

Pelke's devotion to family, faith resonates decades after murder

Ruth Pelke's family has fond memories of holidays in her Gary home, complete with crocheted gifts, colored cookies and "Nana salad," Pelke's macaroni salad mixed with watermelon pickles.

Cooper should serve every day of her 60-year sentence

Paula Cooper should do every day of her 60-year sentence. So by the time she gets out of jail she would be around the same age as Ruth Pelke, who did not need to die after 33 stab wounds. Cooper should feel old by the time she gets out at age 75.

A second chance at life

Paula Cooper was sentenced to death for the murder of an elderly Bible school teacher in the 1980s. The state Supreme Court commuted her sentence to 60 years in prison, and now she shares her story and hopes for the future with The Times as the final year of her sentence winds down.

Paula Cooper: Convicted of murder at 15, a Gary woman prepares for her 2013 release

ROCKVILLE, Ind. | Paula Cooper mixed no-bake cookies, creating balls of sweet coconut and baking cocoa the size of a fist.

Paula Cooper

The mugshot of Paula Cooper, then 15, after her arrest for the May 14, 1985 murder of 78-year-old Ruth Pelke.

Paula Cooper: Convicted of murder at 15, a Gary woman prepares for her 2013 release

Paula Cooper was 15 years old when she was sentenced to death for stabbing an elderly Bible school teacher to death. The Indiana Supreme Court commuted her sentence to 60 years, and she is now counting down the days to her 2013 release.

Ruth Pelke

Ruth Pelke, an elderly Bible school teacher in Gary, was stabbed to death in her home on May 14, 1985. Four teenagers were convicted, and 15-year-old Paula Cooper was sentenced to death.

Paula Cooper: Convicted of murder at 15, a Gary woman prepares for her 2013 release

Paula Cooper was 15 years old when she was sentenced to death for the brutal stabbing murder of an elderly Bible school teacher. The Indiana Supreme Court commuted her sentence to 60 years, and she is now counting down the days to her 2013 release.

GUEST COMMENTARY: After 26 years, I've returned to my roots

It's been quite an interesting journey to be the public information officer at the Lake County prosecutor's office for 26 years. But alas, my position was eliminated, and now is the perfect time to return to my roots -- writing for The Times.