Lowell High banquet honors top students and teachers

LOWELL | Pride filled the room May 5 as Lowell High School celebrated its top academic graduates of 2013 and the teachers that most influenced therm at the annual LHS PRIDE Banquet.

Spring arrives at Buds and Blossoms Evening

HOBART | While it was still too chilly for April outdoors, spring was definitely in the air inside Avalon Manor on Wednesday evening as BRIDGES Development Foundation and Friends of The Arc Northwest Indiana hosted the 10th annual Buds and Blossoms Evening to benefit The Arc Northwest Indiana.

Nothing new about Lowell heading to state finals

LOWELL | The New York Yankees missed the World Series last October, and the New England Patriots will be watching this Sunday's Super Bowl on TV, but as dynasties go, the Lowell High School Academic Decathlon team did not disappoint, winning the Kankakee Valley Regional on Jan. 19 to advance…

Thespians are state finalists

ST. JOHN | Lake Central High School headed to the state finals this weekend, but this time instead of athletic uniforms, they packed costumes.

Holiday event celebrates the symphony

MUNSTER | Bright lights, bright colors and holiday music greeted hundreds of guests as they arrived for the 24th annual Festival of Trees luncheon hosted by the Women's Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony on Dec. 5 at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

Literacy group honors Time Out for Reading winners

MERRILLVILLE | Pictures may tell a thousand words, but words are the reason for the pictures when the Northwest Indiana Literacy Coalition celebrates its Time Out for Reading program.

Be crafty at the library

CROWN POINT | Feeling crafty? Then the Crown Point Community Library is the place to be.

Helping youth grow in care

GARY | K-9 & Family Time, an organization started by Officer Mike Miller of the Gary Police Department Reserves, recently held a demonstration at Pittman Square Park in Gary.

Budding florists get creative at the fair

CROWN POINT | Marilyn Chynoweth, Flower Show superintendent at the Lake County Fair, watched children having fun creating flower arrangements Tuesday, and admitted she has an ulterior motive for hosting the Bloomin' Kids Contest.

Pies, flowers take center stage

CROWN POINT | Nobody could believe he ate the whole thing.

Changing hats, but not loyalties

CROWN POINT | Arlene Marcinek has changed hats, but not her dedication to the Lake County Fair.

Teen heads to NYC to pursue her Broadway dream

Selena VanBaber's dream is to perform in Broadway musicals, and this morning, she awoke to find herself just about as close as she can get.

Firefighters to the rescue

CEDAR LAKE | Drama gripped a Cedar Lake neighborhood last week as a mother frantically searched for her nine children after they all slipped into a storm drain.

Alumni honored for athletics Sunday at Lowell High

LOWELL | Lowell High School's Athletic Hall of Fame 2012 induction ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday in the school auditorium, 2051 E. Commercial Ave.

Expectant parents showered with valuable information

CROWN POINT | Expectant parents were treated to lunch, door prizes and plenty of valuable information when MDwise sponsored one of its Bluebelle Baby Showers for Prenatal Assistance Program clients at St. Clare Clinic last week.

ND club award honors service and leadership

SCHERERVILLE | Duane Dedelow, of Hammond, was presented with the Notre Dame Club of Northwest Indiana's Award of the Year when the group met Thursday for its annual UND Night banquet.

Supporters 'come together' for Crossroads YMCA

HOBART | Supporters from Crown Point, Griffith and Hammond "came together" Thursday for a first-time fundraiser aimed at making sure the doors are always open at Crossroads YMCA centers.

Beetle drives steelworkers to help out co-worker

WHEELER | There's a forlorn-looking 1970 Volkswagen Beetle in a Wheeler garage right now, but it will be a shiny new collectible in just a matter of days if Fred Nowlin's friends in the 14 Blast Furnace Department at U.S. Steel have their way.

Women (and men) Go Red for heart health

CROWN POINT | Red was the color of the day as 275 men and women gathered for the Crown Point Go Red luncheon Friday in support of the American Heart Association's National Wear Red Day.

Pink totes filled with goodies sold for cancer fundraiser

LOWELL | Pink is Nan Parente's favorite color, and the breast cancer survivor wants to share it with all of her friends in Lowell.

Family shares anniversary - and 9/11 memories

CROWN POINT | Carol and Wayne Allen have 46 years of memories to celebrate today, but for the past 10 years, their wedding anniversary has had a new memory crowding out the family vacations, birthdays and other special occasions they share.

Two agencies welcome guests to new offices on the square

CROWN POINT | Good partnerships can be tough to find, but there's a new one in the Hub City that just may lead to a long and successful relationship.

Foundation and children's agency welcome community to new offices

CROWN POINT | Home, sweet home.

From alpaca to zebu, see it at the fair

CROWN POINT | There's a little bit of Africa, Australia, Europe and South America at the Lake County Fair, and it comes by way of Nickerson, Kan.

Tri Kappa serves up wines and vines

LOWELL | Fine wines, finger food and sparkling conversation provided a triple threat as the Zeta Chi chapter of Tri Kappa sorority hosted its second summer wine tasting fundraiser Thursday evening at Gardens on the Prairie nursery.

Lowell High School honors top graduates and their teachers

LOWELL | How important are good teachers?

Students go green

MERRILLVILLE | Green was the color of the day Tuesday as second-graders from four Merrillville elementary schools earned a field trip to the town's Pruzin Park to celebrate nature and learn about recycling and the environment.

Relay for Life teams walk to battle cancer

Participants from Hobart, East Chicago, Hammond and Whiting will walk around the clock in the battle against cancer during American Cancer Society Relay For Life events this weekend.

Eighth-graders host mock tourism convention to "sell" U.S.

CEDAR LAKE | Looking for the perfect vacation spot?

Think spring at garden expo

CROWN POINT | Still waiting for spring to arrive?

Teachers recognized for conservation education efforts

SCHERERVILLE | If conservation efforts can save the Earth, the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District knows just the teachers to lead the way.

Conservation district hosts meeting to praise others' efforts

SCHERERVILLE | Honors and awards were on the agenda last month as the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District hosted its annual meeting and dinner for several hundred members and supporters at Teibel's Restaurant.

Nutrition program encourages healthy habits

CEDAR LAKE | Here's a wish list: someone to teach us how to save money and eat in a healthy way, serve as a personal fitness trainer and make a dish with ingredients we don't have to buy.

'Anything Goes' on Crown Point stage

CROWN POINT | Anything goes at Crown Point High School this weekend and next as the school's thespians sing and dance their way across the stage in a musical comedy featuring some of the most popular sings by Hoosier native Cole Porter.

Volunteer Fair offers a place for people and organizations to connect

CROWN POINT | Now is the time to Spring into Action - and there's no better place to start than Saturday's Volunteer Fair hosted by the Crown Point Community Foundation.

Literacy Symposium brings together early childhood advocates

MERRILLVILLE | Ninety percent of a person's brain growth takes place before the age of 3, which is why early childhood education is so important to Northwest Indiana families.

Pennies add up at Peifer

SCHERERVILLE | Pennies add up.

Students improve reading skills thanks to canine listeners

CROWN POINT | Students are improving their reading skills at Timothy Ball Elementary School thanks to some canine assistance.

Supporting our troops

CROWN POINT | It's no fun spending Christmas on a battlefield far from home, but a local real estate business made the season a little brighter for 57 U.S. soldiers and their comrades.

Merrillville family celebrates Christmas in their own village

MERRILLVILLE | Outside the cozy Independence Street home, it's Merrillville, but inside every year throughout the Christmas season, it's Malisville.

Businessman collects donations to provide kids with gifts

LOWELL | Santa Claus is alive and well in Lowell, and his name is JR Mitsch.

Schools provide food and cash for Citywide Food Drive

CROWN POINT | The city of Crown Point, Robert A. Taft Middle School and Timothy Ball Elementary School teamed up this holiday season to put food on the table for needy families in the community.

Women brighten the holiday for needy families while staying fit

CROWN POINT | The women of the Crown Point Curves "exercised" their Christmas spirit this season by reaching out to help families in need - and enjoyed some friendly competition as well.

Foundation endowment grows to $15M in 20 years

CROWN POINT | The Crown Point Community Foundation has been in the business of making people immortal for 20 years.

Literacy coalition presents Time Out For Reading awards

MERRILLVILLE | From the rooftop to the back of a pick-up truck, students and staff at schools throughout Northwest Indiana found unusual places to read - and sometimes unusual reading buddies - for this year's Time Out For Reading day last month.

What a ride for Special Olympian

CROWN POINT | Al Eldritch has wheels of his own, thanks to Crown Point Auto.

Schools help effort to send goods to troops

Operation SOS -- Support Our Service Members -- is in the process of collecting, sorting and packaging donations to send to U.S. military troops this holiday season.

Benefit pampers women and raises funds for breast cancer fight

LOWELL | With "a little help from her friends," Nan Parente showed what the Power of Pink can accomplish.

Local dentist co-sponsors Career-College Fair for area students

LOWELL | Looking for a college that offers a degree in child psychology? Thinking about a career in the arts but not sure you can handle years of rejection before you get that big break?

Restaurant celebrates 25 years of bringing Spain to Valparaiso

VALPARAISO | A little corner of Spain is celebrating 25 years of success in Valparaiso this year. Co-owners Carlos Rivero and Elena Jambrina hosted a 25th anniversary dinner party at Don Quijote Restaurante and Imports on Sunday.