House panel endorses $1M to assist workers, schools

WASHINGTON | A House Appropriations Subcommittee has approved $1 million for four programs in Northwest Indiana that promote productivity and work force participation, U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky, D-Ind., said Wednesday.

Retired and rehired goes by the book

Eight teachers and two administrators in the School Town of Munster have expressed a desire to retire and take advantage of a provision in the law that allows them to return to work after 30 days, collecting both their salary and a pension check.

Science Olympiad an opportunity to explore projects outside class

When Highland High School senior Leo Aldana entered his first Science Olympiad competition in eighth grade, he was hooked. Today, he has participated in the event five years, triggering a love for engineering, which he plans to study in college.

Munster continues to push completion of levee

MUNSTER | Town leaders continue to push their agenda at the Statehouse to finish the levee project.

Munster: A 'hodgepodge' comes together in times of need

MUNSTER | Munster residents say what makes their community a great place to live is the people.

Eastern Orthodox churches maintain link to 'old country'

Like the immigrants before them, scores of people came from European countries to work in the steel mills in Lake County, and they brought their cultures and religious customs with them.

West Side classmates coping with tragedy

GARY | Teary-eyed West Side High School students were left to figure out how to say goodbye to a pair of friends who died Wednesday following an accident less than a mile from school.

Education is Hoosiers' No. 1 issue

Hoosiers ranked education as a top priority, according to results from the sixth annual Public Opinion Survey on K-12 education in Indiana, ranking it higher than the economy and health care.

There's lots to celebrate in education

If you want to know what's good in education, you don't have to look any further than Lake and Porter counties.

Ivy Tech College chief talks about school's role

MERRILLVILLE | About 200 Ivy Tech educators from across the state have convened at the Radisson Hotel to focus on its mission and the road from good to great.

Whiting no longer under the gun

WHITING | While the Whiting school district continues to debate its open enrollment policy, the district dodged a bullet when the Indiana Senate education committee declined to vote last week on Senate Bill 521 for lack of support.

Don Barden: A living legend

Don Barden is one of the wealthiest black businessmen in America, and is the first to own casinos in Indiana, Mississippi, Colorado and Las Vegas.

Two make history as first black councilmen

When Richard Hardaway ran for Merrillville Town Council in 2003, he didn't have an inkling that he and Terrell Taylor would be making local history as the first two black men elected to represent the town.

Gary schools moves forward with consolidation

GARY | Interim Gary schools Superintendent Myrtle Campbell has big plans if the district gets a share of federal stimulus dollars.

E.C. school superintendent's future in question

EAST CHICAGO | School Superintendent Juan Anaya's job could be in jeopardy.

Lincoln Center renovations at issue in Highland

HIGHLAND | When the Highland Park Board meets Thursday night, it is expected to acknowledge receipt of a certified petition opposing a $10 million renovation of the Lincoln Center.

Team Hammond set for robotics competition

HAMMOND | It may look like a collection of metal, plexiglass and wires, but "The BEAST" is ready for regional robotics competition Feb. 26 to 28.

Does the election of Barack Obama affect how the media sees black people?

Although the wild and wacky comedic images of blacks on shows like "Martin" or "In Living Color" are no longer prominent on television, the stereotypical impression of black people as somewhat gullible and naive remains.

Green shirts wrap up flood assessment in the region

MUNSTER | A team of volunteers from across the country worked with a local agency to process hundreds of applications from Northwest Indiana residents who continue to struggle after the September floods.

Consolidation still on table in Hammond

HAMMOND | The Hammond School Board is looking at consolidation.

Gary students exercise knowledge of black history in annual competition

GARY | As each team faced a question in the "Jeopardy"-like contest, team members jumped to their feet holding their school name in front of them on a sheet of paper.

Munster police jail one student following fight

MUNSTER | One student was taken to jail and another was taken to the hospital following a fight during lunch hour Monday at Munster High School.

New hope emerges for Siena

MERRILLVILLE | St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School parents emerged from a closed-door meeting with Gary Bishop Dale Melczek on Tuesday with more optimism and a greater sense of urgency.

Whiting debates adding students

WHITING | School leaders agree in order to survive, they will have to have open enrollment. The question remains whether they will open that enrollment to students across Indiana or selectively to those only in a certain area.

Eads to eliminate program at year's end

MUNSTER | A project that Eads Elementary School started 15 years ago with primary-age children will conclude when the academic year ends in June.

Munster cops visiting residents at home

MUNSTER | Most people don't expect to see a team of police officers walking up and down the street, trudging through snow and between parked cars just to hear what they've got to say about the neighborhood.

Bullet grazes Lew Wallace principal

GARY | The principal of Lew Wallace High School was grazed by a bullet Wednesday night while in her car on Burr Street.

Gary schools' image, budget woe tied

The perception the Gary Community School Corp. is not providing a quality education has caused some parents to turn to charter schools, to the detriment of the district, School Board President Nellie Moore said.

Siena parents picket during school fair

HAMMOND | When school let out at 2:25 p.m. Wednesday, Jenny Pearson grabbed her coat and ran out the door to join her mother on the picket line in front of St. Catherine of Siena School.

E.C. schools focus on improvement plan

EAST CHICAGO | School administrators contend they hope to see some success from the school improvement process under way at its three secondary schools.

Siena parents picket during school fair

HAMMOND | When school let out at 2:25 p.m. Wednesday, Jenny Pearson grabbed her coat and ran out the door to join her mother on the picket line in front of St. Catherine of Siena School.

Ex-athlete discusses violence against women

HAMMOND | A College Football Hall of Fame inductee and former National Football League quarterback did not mince words when he talked about violence against women, and the need to talk openly about it and eliminate it.

Munster officials pushing to finish flood control project

MUNSTER | In an effort to lobby legislators for completion of the Little Calumet River levee, town officials are meeting with legislators and are planning to hire a powerhouse Indianapolis law firm to push their agenda.

Black history takes a new turn

The study of black leaders like Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker and Malcolm X always will be critical to the study of black history, but that history has been energized by the election of Barack Obama. It will forever change how the nation views black people.

Visclosky visits Food Bank

GARY | U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky got a chance to hear firsthand how the economic crisis is affecting the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and its member agencies.

Chicago school offers pointers

WHITING | School leaders are eying a manufacturing program at a Chicago high school that could be good for students in Whiting.

School consolidation work continues

GARY | As part of the reconfiguration of the Gary public schools, the board approved terminating all high school administrators Tuesday night.

Open enrollment policies get review

WHITING | Discussion continues in the School City of Whiting about developing an open enrollment policy to help the school district grow its enrollment and avoid closing and consolidating with another district.

Parents make use of school choice options

Scores of parents in Northwest Indiana have flocked to the suburbs or to private or parochial schools to get what they consider a better quality education. Enrollment's on the upswing at charter schools.

Whiting schools close or closed?

WHITING | Survival could become a numbers game for the Whiting School City.

C.P. School Board to vote on redistricting plan

CROWN POINT | Administrators will recommend an elementary school redistricting plan when the Crown Point School Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday.

Purdue chief applauds Calumet campus

HAMMOND | Despite the still sluggish economy, Purdue President France Cordova contends Purdue University is doing very well, and the Calumet campus, in particular, has made great strides.

Inauguration shown in classrooms throughout Northwest Indiana

MERRILLVILLE | There was an air of muted excitement as the Merrillville Intermediate School sixth-graders quietly waited for the first glimpse of Barack Obama during the inauguration ceremony Tuesday.

E.C. schools chief under review

EAST CHICAGO | School Board President Fernando Trevino contends rumors that Superintendent Juan Anaya has been fired or resigned are not true.

NWI students explore MLK's vision, reality of race relations

MERRILLVILLE | On the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president, members of Merrillville High School's student diversity club, STAND, said Monday that Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama forever will be linked in history.

Overall crime in Highland drops

HIGHLAND | Despite the dismal economy and budget constraints across Northwest Indiana, it was a good year for the Highland Police Department.

Obama represents future

Gary resident Dolly Millender remembers "running for her life" in Augusta, Ga., and having food "thrown at her" in Virginia as a young black woman riding a bus to South Carolina for her first job.

Highland woman exploring possibility of special-needs charter school

HIGHLAND | A Highland woman is looking at what it would take to establish a charter school for special-needs children.

Some C.P. parents argue against redistricting

CROWN POINT | A redistricting meeting at Solon Robinson Elementary School elicited plenty of comments and complaints from nearly 80 parents who showed up Tuesday night to discuss the issue.

Purdue Calumet hosts King celebration

HAMMOND | Purdue University Calumet opened its Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration Monday featuring an exhibit and convocation, which will include a musical drama, dance performance and recitation of King's "I Have a Dream" speech during the week.