Ivy Tech plants tree for 50th anniversary

Rick Soria, vice chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College's Michigan City campus, speaks at a tree planting ceremony while Mayor Ron Meer and Ivy Tech graduate Hazel Thomas of Michigan City listen. Thomas was one of the first nursing students to enroll when Ivy Tech began offering classes in…

Ivy Tech plants tree for 50th anniversary

Rick Soria, vice chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College's Michigan City campus; Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer; Ivy Tech Northwest Chancellor Thomas Cooey; and Mark Lopez, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, stand by a newly planted "tree of knowledge" Friday in celebration of Ivy T…

Porter uniting regional trail system

The Dunes Kankakee Trail runs north-south along Ind. 49 from Indiana Dunes State Park to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District's bridge at the Dune Park station on U.S. 12.

Porter uniting regional trail system

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Chellberg Farm in Porter will be better connected toNorthwest Indiana's regional trail network once the 2.9-mile Porter Brickyard Trail is completed. The new trail will connect the Prairie Duneland Trail in Chesterton to the Calumet Trail along Indiana Dune…

Porter uniting regional trail system

The Calumet Trail runs parallel to the South Shore Railroad tracks. This section in Porter will be more easily accessed when the Dunes Kankakee Trail is completed.

Portage enjoys both commerce, recreation

The remnants of Hurricane Sandy create strong winds and high waves in October at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Park. The park is a popular spot for photographers.

Kouts plans to enhance its small-town charm

The suspension bridge at Drazier Park in Kouts connects the park to the ballfields on the other side of the creek.

Kouts plans to enhance its small-town charm

The playground at Drazier Park in Kouts awaits warmer weather and children enjoying the small town's park.

Kouts plans to enhance its small-town charm

Thomas S. Drazier Memorial Park in Kouts is named for a Kouts soldier who died in the Vietnam War. The town is considering whether to add another park.

Kouts plans to enhance its small-town charm

The Kouts water tower stands tall over the downtown. Kouts officials are planning a new town well at a separate site.

Kouts plans to enhance its small-town charm

The Kouts Economic Development Commission's facade improvement program is intended to revive older buildings downtown while preserving their historical flair.

Job growth, Fitness Fridays, teamwork make LaPorte great

LaPorte's downtown architecture is a study in contrasts, including the original sandstone courthouse and the modern county government building just north of it. A highway ramp further adds contrast to the downtown. LaPorte's downtown joined the Indiana Main Street program last week.

Hebron continues to make improvements

New streetlights, designed to show an 1880s streetscape, were part of Hebron's Main Street infrastructure improvements.

Hebron continues to make improvements

The Scout Cabin at Alyea Park in Hebron is surrounded by other park amenities -- new playground equipment, picnic shelter, gazebo, skateboard area and basketball courts.

Hebron continues to make improvements

The Depot Railroad is one of Hebron's two historical museums. The other is the Stagecoach Inn.

Hebron continues to make improvements

New streetlights, designed to show an 1880s streetscape, were part of Hebron's Main Street infrastructure improvements.

Hebron continues to make improvements

Hebron High School opened in fall 2005.

Hebron continues to make improvements

Hebron's Clock Tower Plaza adds to the 1880s look on downtown Main Street.

William Foy

William Foy is pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Valparaiso.

Thoughts on life from the branch office

Srong storms like this one Tuesday morning knock down branches and rearrange existing fallen limbs, creating a metaphor for life.

Competition stiff for bike train funding

The renovation of the former historic train depot in downtown LaPorte into Central Station Plaza, which currently houses the the Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce and the Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp., was funded by transportation enhancement money.

Competition stiff for bike trail funding

The renovation of the former historic train depot in downtown LaPorte into Central Station Plaza, which currently houses the the Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce and the Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp., was funded by transportation enhancement money.

WPA marker at Michigan City's Washington Park

Along the beach at Michigan City's Washington Park is a small cornerstone in the wall, beside the walkway, that reminds visitors of how the park was developed.

EDITORIAL: Safety first during severe weather

This cemetery in the far southeast corner of Washington Township puts the risks of hazardous roads in perspective for traffic on U.S. 30. Drivers are reminded to exercise extreme caution during extreme weather like the snowstorm that socked Northwest Indiana on Sunday and Monday.

Different visions for downtown Hammond

The LaSalle Hotel in downtown Hammond is owned by Louis Karubas. The hotel, built in 1908 and operated as a hotel since the 1930s, offers a private bathroom in some guest rooms and a communal bathroom on each floor to serve guests in other rooms.

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The former St. John's Hospital at 28 E. 22nd Ave., Gary, in on Indiana Landmark's list of the 10 most endangered structures in Indiana. When it began admitting patients in 1930, the hospital was the only one in Gary to serve African Americans.

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The Gary East Chicago Hammond Empowerment Zone hopes to turn the dilapidated St. John's Hospital into a youth center. The $1.5 million project includes restoring the building for its new use.

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The former City Methodist Church in downtown Gary was used in the filming of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which was released April 30, 2010. The former church served as Freddy Krueger's lair, through which he pursued his victims.

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The former City Methodist Church, at 577 Washington St. in Gary, looks out at the modern 21st Century Charter School to the west and the new Horace Mann Renaissance Apartments to the south.

Comparisons indicate where Indiana is rank

House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer asked Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to suspend the state sales on gasoline. Politically speaking, it's a great request for Bauer to make last week.

A penny for your thoughts? Try 80 cents

Wednesday's open house at a biodiesel production facility in Hammond gave those of us who attended a warm glow -- and not just because of the heat and humidity.

College Bound is concrete action, not Sidewalk Six

I've been saying lately that politics is a bigger sport in Lake County than baseball. Sorry about the mixed metaphor, but even baseball sometimes becomes a political football.

Promoting literacy is essential in modern society

Promoting literacy is very important to me -- and not just because my career depends on having a large percentage of the region's population reading what I write.

Looking for some real, live action heroes

Maybe you'll think I drank Gov. Mitch Daniels' Kool-Aid, but I agree with him about spending too many resources studying problems and not enough on actually solving them.

Mars a tax: A story of the Internet

It seems odd for a visitors bureau to seem inhospitable, but the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau does have a valid point about companies that sell hotel rooms over the Internet not paying their share.

Compassion should have been shown at graduation

I understand why educators tend to be such big fans of zero tolerance. It's easier to get students to follow the rules when no one is given a break, no matter what the circumstances.

Private airport operation isn't a flighty idea

Could Gary/Chicago International Airport be leased to a private operator? That answer's easy. Yes.

Shared resources ought to be standard for emergencies

The response to a construction worker caught in a collapsed trench at the Bass Pro Shops site in Portage this week has raised many questions about safety.

Any suggestions on a scorecard for government?

Hoosiers have developed a love-hate relationship with Gov. Mitch Daniels. But however you feel about him, you should appreciate the performance reports he has started doing for the citizens.