Labor pains save Valpo native, family from tornado

Picking through the debris of his tornado-demolished home Wednesday in Moore, Okla., Valparaiso native Jacob Schroeder hoped he might find things like baby books, the computer with the family's stored pictures or his daughter's favorite stuffed toy.

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.

Kouts ponders front yard parking ban

KOUTS | The Town Council is expected to vote on an ordinance at its June meeting to prohibit residents from parking vehicles in their front yards.

Laborers union getting new office, training space

VALPARAISO | After operating out of a historic house near downtown Valparaiso for more than 35 years, the Laborers' International Union of North America Local 81 is ready to expand.

Valpo board unhappy about paying for sidewalk

VALPARAISO | A proposed sidewalk to provide public access to view the Thorgren Basin detention pond on Roosevelt Road brought questions from the city's Utilities Board as to who should pay for sidewalks.

Hebron schools unhappy ISTEP will continue

HEBRON | Hebron school officials were still upset Wednesday about the snafus with the state's ISTEP test and the legislature's move that will doom schools to one or two more years of giving the test.

On the road to preventing pavement ruin

VALPARAISO | The city's Public Works Department expects to kick off its annual street resurfacing program June 27 on Montdale Drive in the Montdale Industrial Park.

Porter County museum raises money for facade work

VALPARAISO | The Porter County Museum Foundation has reached one milestone in its quest to transform the former Valparaiso City Hall into the new Porter County Museum.

Officials: Don't trash those grass clippings

VALPARAISO | The city's Public Works Department would like a word with those residents planning on putting their grass clippings in with the trash: Don't.

Boone Twp. considers calling for recount

HEBRON | A decision whether to seek a recount of the four-vote defeat of the May 7 Boone Township Schools referendum will be made in the next couple of days.

Valpo lines up new helicopter landing sites

VALPARAISO | The departure of Porter hospital from Valparaiso has created a different kind of parking problem. Not for cars, but for emergency medical helicopters.

Valpo public works project proceeds

VALPARAISO | A collective sigh of relief from the Valparaiso Public Works Department crew could probably be heard for miles Thursday as the deadline passed for anyone to remonstrate against the proposed bond issue to building a new public works campus.

Owners refuse offers for detention basin land ... again

VALPARAISO | It's a case of detention basin deja vu.

Valpo council urged to support anti-bullying efforts

VALPARAISO | In the battle against bullies, a growing number of people are getting involved, ranging from the U.S. Army to a Valparaiso middle school student.

Valpo buses can now be tracked on cellphone

VALPARAISO | You're waiting at the Village Station parking lot for a loved one to arrive on the ChicaGo Dash, but it appears the bus is late and you want to know when it will arrive. What do you do?

Mother, daughter getting double dose of doctorates

Nadine Burns and her daughter, Amie Burns-Scharnke, are taking the family's nursing tradition to the next level next week.

5-points roundabout construction starts Monday

VALPARAISO | The five-points roundabout was five years in the making and will take about five months for the building.

Study to determine Valpo water's future

VALPARAISO | The future of water and, indeed, the future of life in Valparaiso and the rest of the planet is a combination of finding an adequate supply, conserving water to make the supply last and restoring the infrastructure needed to bring the water to homes and businesses.

New art walk sculptures arrive in Valpo

VALPARAISO | William Walther watched with some concern as workmen carefully placed his sculpture "To Hope" on the concrete pads next to Cumberland Drive on Thursday.

PHIL WIELAND: Taking care of the deer-ly departed

One of the joys of commuting along more-or-less rural roads is watching as the bodies of roadkills slowly swell to explosive proportions. (My apologies if you are reading this over breakfast. You might want to turn to the comics page instead.)

Water fluoridation debate rages on after 70 years

Fluoride in the water, introduced in the 1940s, continues to be a controversial topic. No one is calling it a Communist plot anymore, but the two sides still can be heated about it.

Valpo parks honor legendary supporters

VALPARAISO | Three people with long-time and generous connections to the city's parks were honored Thursday during a reception at the Butterfield Pavilion at Fairgrounds Park.

Valpo eager to try new federal funds swap law

VALPARAISO | The city could be one of the first to try to take advantage of a new state law that allows it to trade federal funds for state dollars to reduce costs and speed up projects.

Valparaiso tests water often to ensure purity

VALPARAISO | Testing to make sure the city's water supply is safe and meets all the state and federal standards is a full-time job. Literally.

Putting the brakes on water main breaks

VALPARAISO | It's not all fun and games at Valparaiso's Water Department during National Drinking Water Week, but some of it is.

Valpo diner plans new kind of car grill

VALPARAISO | After taking her food truck to festivals, car shows and other events, including the Popcorn Festival, Laine Kasarda is ready for a more permanent dining facility in Valparaiso.

Food Tank offers strategies on saving water

The United States suffered its worst drought in at least 25 years in 2012, in an event that affected 80 percent of the country's agricultural land.

Raising cash for Thirst Project wells

For most Americans, getting all the clean water needed for everyday living involves walking only as far as the kitchen or bathroom.

States squaring off over water 'haves,' 'have-nots'

Water fights used to be a fun thing to do on hot summer days. These days, they are deadly serious and can go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

PHIL WIELAND: Still a soft spot for softball season

The Valparaiso Parks Department men's softball season opener was Wednesday, which explains the sobbing you might have heard coming from me late that afternoon.

Valpo's disinfection facility passes its first big test

VALPARAISO | The seemingly incessant rain last week provided the first test of Valparaiso's combined sewer overflow disinfection facility.

Major changes planned at VU in coming years

VALPARAISO | Valparaiso University expects to break its enrollment record in the fall, but it's a prelude to continuing growth at both its Valparaiso and Hyde Park campuses, President Mark Heckler said.

Easement delays Valpo storm sewer bids

VALPARAISO | Plans for a storm sewer connecting the retention pond behind the Willows Rehabilitation Center to the Thorgren basin had to be put on hold Tuesday.

PHIL WIELAND: Population map shows dots all, folks

Everyone in North America is more than a number. Thanks to an MIT grad student, apparently with lots of time on his hands, everyone in the United States, Canada and Mexico now is also a dot.

Park Board votes to remove tennis courts

VALPARAISO | The city's Park Board voted Tuesday to remove the tennis courts at Bicentennial Park and plant it as grass.

Public sets parameters for School Board appointee

VALPARAISO | The Valparaiso Community Schools district used to be the New York Yankees of the education world, and it needs a School Board appointee that can return the district to that level of excellence.

Valpo introduces limits for funeral protests

VALPARAISO | The city may become one of next local communities to approve an ordinance banning protests within 300 feet of a funeral.

Area Tree City USA recipients

Other communities in Lake and Porter Counties that received the Tree City USA award for 2012 were:

Valpo Tree City USA honor made in the shade

VALPARAISO | For several years the city has earned the Tree City USA designation from the state's Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, but in 2012 it went one step farther.

VU to discuss plans for chapel addition

VALPARAISO | Now that the renovation of the historic Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection is complete, plans for a major addition to it are ramping up.

New state law could impact Silhavy Road project

VALPARAISO | The state of plans to improve Silhavy Road from LaPorte Avenue to Evans Avenue could be decided at Valparaiso's Redevelopment Commission meeting in May.

Election Board seeks legal advice on Biggs complaint

VALPARAISO | The Porter County Election Board wants more information before deciding how to deal with the anonymous complaints filed about county Councilman Jim Biggs's campaign finance reports.

Hebron seeks new trash hauling bids

HEBRON | The town will open bids at its May 21 meeting for trash pickup for the coming year and hopes to reduce costs by only picking up recycling every other week.

Hebron OKs contract for fire station design

HEBRON | With money commitments from Porter County and the town's Redevelopment Commission, the council decided to plunge ahead with plans for building an addition to the fire station.

Costas appointed to Higher Education Commission

VALPARAISO | Gov. Mike Pence named Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas to the 14-member state Higher Education Commission on Thursday. It's the second time Costas has been appointed to the board, which defines the education missions of the states colleges and universities.

Kouts' "cloud" makes it easier to pay bills

KOUTS | "We're finally in the 21st century," Kouts Council President Tim Jones said Monday after the council approved installation of an electronic invoice cloud for handling its billing services.

Hebron restricts use of off-road vehicles

HEBRON | An ordinance passed last fall that made it legal for golf carts to operate on town streets resulted in unexpected problems.

Valparaiso School Board chided again for improper meeting notice

VALPARAISO | For the second time in about eight months, the Valparaiso School Board received a mild rebuke from the state's public access counselor for violating the open meetings law.