NFC championship: 2 teams, different perspectives

ATLANTA | The Falcons are well aware of just how desperate this city is for its first Super Bowl championship.

Carnival season kicks off along the Gulf Coast

Christmas wreaths and holiday parties gave way to king cakes and street parades as the Carnival season kicked off this weekend along the Gulf Coast.

Seniors weigh in on AARP survey on Social Security, Medicare

HOBART | Robert Lamken, 89, said he has few worries about receiving his fair share of Medicare and Social Security benefits.

Mardi Gras celebration weighs heavy on many people's diets

Emil and Elaine Mosca, of Schererville, check out the paczki Monday at Strack & Van Til's in Schererville. The deep-fried Polish pastry, a Fat Tuesday staple, weighs in at more than 300 calories and 11 grams of fat.

Mardi Gras celebration weighs heavy on many people's diets

Paczki are on display Monday at Strack & Van Til's in Schererville. The doughy treat is stuffed with sweet filling — typically fruit varieties — before being fried and rolled in powdered sugar. The Polish delicacy, which dates to the Middle Ages, traditionally was made prior to Lent as a…

Rolling out the delicacies

Ann Listar, right, of Griffith, adds spices, some from Croatia, to the meat Tuesday while making sarma, stuffed cabbage leaves. The women of Croatian Fraternal Union of America Lodge 170 made the rolls in preparation for the lodge's picnic Aug. 29.

Rolling out the delicacies

A volunteer stuffs a tray Tuesday with sarma rolls, or stuffed cabbage, in preparation for the annual Croatian Fraternal Union of America Lodge 170 picnic on Aug. 29. Sarma consists of spiced meat and sauerkraut baked inside a cabbage leaf.

Cline Avenue

Kimberly Rodriguez and Judy Hicks, of East Chicago's Marktown neighborhood, listen as state officials present options for replacing the condemned Cline Avenue bridge. The Indiana Department of Transportation held the public meeting Tuesday night at East Chicago City Hall.

Cline Avenue meeting

William Meeks, a technical services director with Indiana Department of Transportation, discusses replacement options for the Cline Avenue bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal with Rob Pastore, of Hammond. INDOT held a public meeting Tuesday evening at East Chicago City Hall to pres…

Have a seat

Ascension and Jose Tristan have a seat on the new bench installed in front of their home on Homerlee Avenue in East Chicago. The bench was one of 13 unveiled Tuesday by Neighborhoods Inc. with funding from the Foundations of East Chicago. Neighborhoods Inc.'s Please Have a Seat Program creat…

Have a seat

Steve Bankes, of Oak Park, Ill., started the idea for the Please Have a Seat Prograrm by sitting in his front yard while his children played outside. This grew into a patio installation on his front lawn where friends stroll by and hang out.

Have a seat

Keith Speaks, executive director of Neighborhoods Inc., talks Tuesday about expanding the bench program into Hammond, Calumet City and beyond.

Have a seat

The benches in the Please Have a Seat Program must be maintained by homeowners and accessible to the public.

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080310tvmPORTNITEOUT_2 Tony V. Martin VALPARAISO-(L to R) Perry Lagina and his neighbor Lilly Suriano, 2, visit with police dog "Britta." The Valparaiso Police make the rounds starting at the Essex Park Subdivision on Tuesday evening for the National Night Out program to allow citizens and l…

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080310tvmPORTNITEOUT_4 Tony V. Martin VALPARAISO-A large crowd turned out to meet with the Valparaiso Police officers. The Valparaiso Police make the rounds starting at the Essex Park Subdivision on Tuesday evening for the National Night Out program to allow citizens and law enforcement to m…

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080310tvmPORTNITEOUT_3 Tony V. Martin VALPARAISO-(L to R) Essex Park resident Markus Jenning gets to know officer Brian Bobczak. The Valparaiso Police make the rounds starting at the Essex Park Subdivision on Tuesday evening for the National Night Out program to allow citizens and law enforc…

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080310tvmPORTNITEOUT_5 Tony V. Martin VALPARAISO-Fifteen squad cars and several bicycle officers roll into the Essex Park Subdivision with lights flashing. The Valparaiso Police make the rounds starting at the Essex Park Subdivision on Tuesday evening for the National Night Out program to al…

Firefighters hold training exercise

072710tvmHIFIRE_2 TONY V. MARTIN | THE TIMES HIGHLAND-A tower truck sprays the remaining roof of a vacant residence the Highland Fire Department used Tuesday for a training exercise.

Firefighters hold training exercise

072710tvmHIFIRE_1 TONY V. MARTIN | THE TIMES A firefighter hoses down a section of debris as the snorkel truck sprays the remaining roof of the structure used in a Highland Fire Department training exercise on Ridge Road just west of the police station.