Megan Tymorek, Chesterton

Megan Tymorek jumps into her teammates at home plate last year after hitting a home run against Lake Central in the Class 4A regional. The state tournament draw was released on Thursday and Chesterton will open against Crown Point in the sectional.

Alyssa Matson, Kankakee Valley

K.V. third baseman Alyssa Matson makes the throw against Andrean last season. The senior three-year starter at third is also the Kougars' leadoff hitter. She will walk-on at IUPUI next school year.

Crown Point's Siena Gyure ready for new beginning

Crown Point's Siena Gyure throws a pitch during last year's high school season. Monday was the first day of softball practice and Gyure and her teammates were pleased to have Ginger Britton as their new coach, after a very tough season last year.

Porter County benefits from 'random acts of excellence'

Kouts residents welcome home Scott Herma, a Marine and graduate of Kouts High School, with flags and a banner in the middle of Main Street in Kouts last year.

Education's goal is to see students flourish in life

Joanne DeFries talks to her Hebron Elementary School third-grade class and gets them involved with solving a math problem.

Porter County's festive life

The Kouts High School marching band performs last summer at the annual Pork Fest Parade in Kouts.

Groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings

Dr. Michael Nemeth cuts a ribbon in April to officially open the new Shoreline Surgery Center at Portage Hospital.

Hebron starts year with new businesses, major sewer project

Spencer Sheets, a senior at Hebron High School, loads up the local food pantry's freezer full of pork last August.

Kouts downtown putting on pretty face

Visitors to the annual Kouts Pork Fest swarm Main Street in downtown Kouts last August. Kouts is working to bolster the town's downtown image.

Kouts downtown putting on a pretty face

The Pork Fest mascot waves to the children last August during the annual Pork Fest parade in Kouts.

Lowell jump-starts growth initiatives

Residents line up along Main Street in downtown Lowell to watch the annual Labor Day Kid Parade.

Winfield focuses on quality residential growth

Trisha Devenport, of Winfield, stops by one of the vendors at the farmers market at Town Hall last summer to pick up some fresh produce.

Hebron's Spencer Sheets

Hebron's Spencer Sheets drives past Kouts' Cody Nelson in a PCC game early this season. Sheets is one of the few experienced holdovers from the Hawks' Class 2A sectional champion team of last season

Michigan City ready for business, recreation

The Nina and Pinta, replicas of two of the three ships that Christopher Columbus sailed, docked in Michigan City as part of their worldwide tour.

Chesterton's Matt Holba

Chesterton's Matt Holba rebounds a missed shot in a game earlier this season against Merrillville. The 6-foot-6 sophomore leads the Trojans in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocked shots and minutes played.

Jake Raspopovich

Jake Raspopovich drives against the Michigan City defense in last year's Michigan City Sectional championship.

Bridget Brendza dives

Chesterton’s Bridget Brendza goes flying after getting hip checked by Merrillville's keeper Alysaa Bailey in a game earlier in the season. Brendza had a hat trick and assist in the win for the Trojans (10-4-1).

Valpo schools regroup

Members of the Valparaiso graduatiing class of 2012 clap as they listen to speakers during the June graduation.

Brian Kolb

RailCats third baseman Brian Kolb said that he and his teammates have joked that he was probably the only clean-up hitter in the American Association with more steals than home runs. Against Wichita catcher Kevin Whitehead in June, Kolb slides into home, beating the throw.

Boys Prep Basketball

Homewood-Flossmoor's Tim Williams signed a letter of intent Monday to play basketball at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.He originally committed to play for Isiah Thomas at Florida International, but decided to look around after Thomas was fired. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 11.8 poin…

Steinbach is even better with Baker-Runyon in the dugout

Nikki Steinbach throws a pitch during the regular season. The Andrean senior pitcher is putting together a season for the ages. The Ball State-bound ace will take her 59ers to Griffith on Tuesday for the Class 3A Regional title.

Boys Prep Basketball

Munster's Mike Schlotman was selected to the north Indiana junior all-star team.

School dance teams compete Saturday

The Hanover High School dance team goes wild during its Advance Hip Hop routine at last year's Munster Dance Invitational in the high school's field house. This year's invitational sponsored by the Indiana High School Dance Team Association begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the school's field hou…

Josh James

Josh James' phone has been ringing off the hook with colleges wanting the Andrean player's talents.

Andrean vs Roosevelt

Roosevelt's Devon King shoots late in the first quarter of Nov. 21's game against Andrean.

Andrean vs Roosevelt

Andrean's Nick Davidson was selected to the north Indiana junior all-star team.

Riding Down The Yellow Brick Road

Characters from "The Wizard of Oz" are heralded by parade-goers as they travel by carriage during the annual Saturday morning parade which is one of the highlights of Chesterton's annual Wizard of Oz Festival, which is celebrating 30 years in 2011.

Heart of the community -- Hobart

People line up for steak during the Hobart Lions Club Steak Fry last summer at the Hobart Lakefront festival downtown.

RailCats

Rascal the RailCat interacts with the crowd in between innings at a RailCats game at the U.S. Steel Yard in Gary. Ticket broker FanFound works with many clients in Northwest Indiana, including the RailCats.

Cedar Lake business community keeps growing

Runners compete July 30 in the Cedar Lake Enhancement Association Expo's 5K race. The CLEA Expo, a two-day fundraiser, seeks to raise awareness of the town's attractions.

Cedar Lake business community keeps growing

Mike and Sarah Poncin, of Cedar Lake, and their 3-year-old daughter, Katie, enjoy a pontoon boat ride on Cedar Lake during the Cedar Lake Enhancement Association's two-day expo in July.

Major fun: Try a minor league baseball game for an affordable family outing

Rascal the RailCat plays with a little boy between innings at U.S. Steel Yard.

European Market

People crowd the Chesterton European Market in the downtown area as it recently opened for the 2011 season.

State Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary.

Rudy Ruettiger stands in front a crowd

Dan "Rudy" Ruettiger speaks to a crowd at St. Bridget School in Hobart on Feb. 5.

PCC_CC_Meet

Jon Hogg runs for Hebron in the PCC meet this fall. After his family moved into the Boone Grove district during the winter, Jon Hogg was ruled eligible by the IHSAA while his sister, Julie, was not.

October unemployment

Job applicants sit with one another during an industrial job fair last month at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond. The employment report released Tuesday by the state Department of Workforce Development showed Indiana's jobless rate down to 9.9 percent in October from 10.1 percent in September.

Mike and Carin Avery, Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University coaches Mike and Carin Avery have adopted a son and hope to have him with them by late summer.

Griffith senior tight end Derek Revis

Griffith senior tight end Derek Revis (5), who was injured last week, is the Panthers' second-leading receiver with six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.