Hebron approves 5-year master plan for parks

HEBRON | After taking a year to prepare the town's five-year park and recreation master plan, Steve Sibbrell can now try to find the money to implement it.

Veterans to speak at Valpo Memorial Day service

VALPARAISO | World War II veterans Bill Wellman and John Wolf will be the guest speakers at Friday's annual Memorial Day service at the Foundation Meadows service memorial.

Memorial honors World War II vet

MUNSTER | Snapshots of George T. Okamoto's life — from his time as a soldier to being a grandfather — lined a blackboard at his memorial Monday.

OFFBEAT: Chicago premiere of 'Pianist' a key stage ticket

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

"The Pianist of Willesden" starring Mona Golabek

"The Pianist of Willesden," now extended until May 25, 2013 at Royal George Theatre in Chicago stars Mona Golabek narrating a tale of music and a child's brave spirit during Nazi Germany in World War II.

Actor Nick Stockwell and Actress Kyrie Anderson in the World Stage Premiere of "Under the Rainbow Flag"

Actor Nick Stockwell and actress Kyrie Anderson play a conflicted married couple in the world stage premiere of the new musical "Under the Rainbow Flag" at Main Stage in Chicago through April 21, 2013.

OFFBEAT: World premiere 'Rainbow Flag' a moving musical with added humor

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

Holocaust survivor talks about heroism

QUINCY, Ill. | Walter Reed's matter-of-fact tone did not seem to provide his soft-spoken proclamation its proper justice.

Holocaust survivor talks about heroism

Holocaust survivor Walter Reed speaks to the Rotary Club of Quincy meeting in Quincy, Ill. As a young teenager, Reed was jailed on Kristallnacht in 1938. Reed told the crowd of the "heroes" from both within Germany and neighboring countries who helped thousands of Jewish children escape the …

Book documents man's WW II experiences

Jackie Stengel, of Decatur, Ill., holds a a book dedicated to her late husband's service in the U.S. Army during World War II. Jackie and her husband, Leo, grew up in Decatur and were married in 1950. The book is called "Leo Stengel — Letters & Remembrances from World War II" and was com…

YOUNG VOICES: Books have power to transform readers' lives

The young people of today’s society are forgetting how important it is to read books for the basic benefit of expanding their minds.

Current cold snap brings back old problem: main breaks

VALPARAISO | The return of the first real cold spell in more than a year is resulting in the first real spate of water line problems, both for the city's water utility and for home owners.

WWII vet receives piece of his history

MERRILLVILLE | In December 1944, William Kadar left his Army duffel bag behind as he headed into battle on the frontline in Mittelwihr, France, entering a building to take shelter.

Comedienne Martha Raye entertains servicemen of the U.S. Army 12th Air Force in 1943

Comedienne Martha Raye entertains servicemen of the U.S. Army 12th Air Force on a makeshift stage on the edge of the Sahara Desert in North Africa in 1943.

OFFBEAT: Time to share early memories of WW II and Urschel Air Field

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

WWII vet visits Oak Glen

LANSING | World War II Veteran Rudy Hartge visited Oak Glen School in Lansing recently to talk to fifth grade students about his experiences serving in Europe. View photos from his visit at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.496624817049487.112498.180495781995727&type=3.

Memories of days in the miltary and the medical field

The headlines of the past week or so have caused me to reflect on my past and conclude that a good deal of my adult life has been spent in matters medical. I had basic training in Washington state and, after finishing, was transferred to, of all places, an installation on Lake Shore Drive in…

Munster man recalls time in World War II

Friday marked 71 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor that led us into World War II, killing more than 2,400 servicemen and civilians and wounding close to 1,200 more. It’s a day that needs to be remembered just as much now as it was back then.

WWII vet talks to Lansing students

LANSING | World War II veteran Rudy Hartge, of Crown Point, visited Oak Glen School recently to talk about his experiences serving in the U.S. Army in Africa, Italy, France and Germany during the war.

WWII vet talks to Lansing students

World War II veteran Rudy Hartge, of Crown Point, shows a scrapbook of his time during the war to Lansing schoolchidlren. His wife, Joanne, is with him. Hartge emigrated from Germany to Lansing as an 8-year-old.