Restoration work at Whiting Community Center expected this summer

Whiting Community Center members look for a rebound during a game of basketball on Tuesday in the gym.

E'Twaun Moore high school jersey

East Chicago Central grad E'Twaun Moore hoists his high school jersey during a ceremony to officially retire his number at the school on Feb. 25, 2011.

Fair's midway entertainment mecca

Members of the Divas Through the Decades musical tribute group dance with Dan Millette, of St. John, to Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" on Thursday during their performance at the Porter County Fair.

Keys to the City boosters

Valparaiso Two Men and a Truck worker Matt Kerns, from left, owner Jeff Brown, and worker Scott Shifflett, roll a piano across the street on Tuesday as pianos are placed around the Valparaiso town square as part of the Kiwanis yearly Keys to the City program.

Keys to the City boosters

Two Men and a Truck Valparaiso employees, from left, Scott Shifflett and Matt Kerns, and owner Jeff Brown unload a piano in front of Valparaiso's Memorial Hall Opera House on Tuesday. Pianos were placed around the town square as part of the Kiwanis yearly Keys to the City program.

Livin' It Up for athletes

Valparaiso vendor Scott Moon stirs popcorn in a kettle on Saturday as he cooks up treats for visitors to the Livin' It Up festival at Sunset Hill County Park in Liberty Township.

Four-alarm festivities

Enrico Ortega-Chick, 5, of Valparaiso, crawls through a tunnel in an inflatable obstacle course during the first day of the South Haven Volunteer Fire Department's annual Fire Fest at Haven Hollow Park. The three-day festival continues today from noon to midnight and is open from noon to 9 p…

Youth orchestral showcase

Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra musicians practice on Sunday before their South Shore Dance Alliance performance at Hobart High School.

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Members from the Crown Point Bulldogs youth softball team show off their dance moves on the Crown Point square during opening-day ceremonies of the 2009 National Softball Association Class B Girls Fast Pitch World Series. The event will return to Northwest Indiana in 2012 and 2014.

Local festivals offer activities for the whole family

A Valparaiso boy dressed up as a 49er Drive-In popcorn bucket takes part in the 2009 Valparaiso Popcorn Festival Parade.

Local festivals offer activities for the whole family

Locals have their pictures taken with characters from the Wizard of Oz during Chesterton's Wizard of Oz Festival.

Dog (and cat) days of summer

Gizmo, a pug, sits with owner Bill Budny, of Hobart, as Budny speaks to other pet lovers at the pavillion at Festival Park.

E'Twaun Moore, center, with his parents

E'Twaun Moore poses with his parents, Edna, left, and Ezell Sr., right, while having his high school basketball jersey retired last season at E.C. Central

E'Twaun Moore, EC Central jersey retirement

East Chicago Central grad E'Twaun Moore hoists his high school jersey during a ceremony last season to officially retire his number at the school.

Indoor devotional

Participants in the Good Friday praying of the Stations of the Cross sing during the service at St. John the Evangelist Church.

Image boost is in the bag

Bailey Cobin and Mikaela Terry pick up trash Saturday along the edge of Frank Gilbert Memorial Park in Portage as part of Take Pride in Portage Day. Volunteers from around the area gathered for the city's annual spring cleanup.

Mobile pantry serves hundreds in Hammond

Lateeah Parker, a Hammond McDonalds manager, hands a bag of rice to a visitor to the mobile food pantry at Jean Shepherd Community Center in Hammond.

Pooper-scooper designer strikes gold

Devin Dove pitches his product, an ergonomically designed saxophone, as one of his students, Marc Bouie, plays the instrument during Saturday's Big Sell entrepreneur competition at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville.

Pooper-scooper designer strikes gold

Judges Adriana Llames of WOM Hiring and Brian McShane, owner of McShane Business Products and Solutions, look on as entrepreneurs pitch their ideas Saturday during the Big Sell entrepreneur showcase in Merrillville.

A 'Millionaire' reveal

An audience watches at a private viewing party on Sunday as Toi Baylor of the Baylor Youth Foundation and Tony Branch, of Merrillville Youth Basketball, are featured on the ABC-TV series "Secret Millionare." James Malinchak, a millionaire motivational speaker from Las Vegas, gave Branch and …

Old School syrup

Re-enactor Rick Narjes, of Crown Point, stirs a pot of boiling maple sap to make maple sugar during a 2011 Maple Syrup Time event at Deep River County Park in Hobart.

Hammond Housing Authority unveils American Heartland Homes

Visitors mill outside a new housing unit Wednesday during a tour and celebration of the completed first phase of the American Heartland Homes development in Hammond.

Supporting Hispanic scholarships

Petra Faught, of Hammond, a 2010 recipient of the Hispanic Women's Forum of Northwest Indiana's scholarship, sits at her table with family at a dinner-dance fundraiser in Schererville.

Ground broken on Porter hospital site

Visitors watch during the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Porter hospital in July. The hospital will be located on U.S. 6 and Ind. 49.

MLK program at Dunes promotes stewardship

Ranger Cliff Goins speaks Saturday at the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Learning Center at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore during a presentation on Martin Luther King Jr. and National Park Services-owned landmarks that are important to the civil rights movement.

Mount Carmel junior center Luke Sherly

Mount Carmel junior center Luke Sherly, a St. John resident, shoots against teammate Matt Grzelak during a recent practice at the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena.

27th annual 'This Is Our Story' event

Art hangs on display Monday at Valparaiso High School during the 27th annual “This Is Our Story” event.

Rental inspections controversial

HOBART - Daniel Aumiller describes the wave of heat that hit him before he decided to jump out of his second-story window in October after a fire engulfed the apartment building he lived in. Fire safety is one of the primary reasons communities are discussing rental registrations and inspections.

Rental inspections controversial

Highland - A building at the Hampton-in-Highland apartment complex stands open in October after some of the former residents of the structure retrieved what they could from the charred rooms within. This is the type of scene area fire officials hope to avoid through rental inspections.

Tiffany Fortney

Sophomore Tiffany Fortney has been a top-10 finisher in all three post-season races for Valparaiso, which will run in Saturday's state finals.

Mt. Carmel's Chris Sujka

Mt. Carmel quarterback Chris Sujka, 4, runs past Simeon defensive back Kirk Young during the season opener at Soldier Field. Mt. Carmel is making an IHSA-record 25th straight playoff appearance.

Manufacturers 1

A worker welds parts together at the Tri-State Industries manufacturing plant in Hammond. Some manufacturers cannot fill their openings. The problem, companies say, is a mismatch between the kind of skilled workers needed and the ranks of the unemployed.

Nursing assistant draws blood from patient

Valparaiso University freshman Micah Harder has his blood drawn by nursing assistant Lynn Dickey in March during a Red Cross Blood Drive at the Harre Union in Valparaiso.

Girls Soccer, Chesterton's Ashton Balch

Chesterton senior forward Ashton Balch, right, is one of the Times No. 1 Trojans' leading players this season.

The region's national treasure

Waves, stirred by strong winds, crash onto the breakwall at Portage's Lakefront and Riverwalk Park earlier this month. The park, which opened two years ago, is part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Boys Soccer, Munster at Lake Central

Through Tuesday, Munster's Zarko Coric, right, has scored 14 goals in just nine games.

Popcorn Festival

A Valparaiso fire truck rolls past a line of spectators during the 2009 Popcorn Festival Parade.

Popcorn Festival

In last year's Popcorn Parade, Valparaiso resident Adam Needles modeled a 49er Drive-In popcorn bucket.

Popcorn Festival

Figures of Charlie Bowman and Orville Redenbacher, co-founders of Orville Redenbacher Popcorn, grace a float during last year's Popcorn Parade. The two businessmen launched the gourmet popcorn line in 1971 in Valparaiso, and the city has hosted a Popcorn Festival in their honor since 1979. …

Lowell at Crown Point football

Lowell senior fullback and linebacker Jordan Juarez (7) is out three to six weeks with an elbow injury.

Marchand's track future rests in second sample

Former Valparaiso High School star and Iowa All-American Racheal Marchand, who recently competed for Puerto Rico in international meets, runs Saturday in the Popcorn Panic for the first time since her days at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

Matt Blume

Chicago's Matt Blume, a 2004 Valparaiso University grad, will attempt to defend his Popcorn Panic title Saturday in Valparaiso.

Valparaiso volleyball player Jordan Snapp

Valparaiso volleyball player Jordan Snapp.

Porkfest

A pig relaxes in a pen at last year's Porkfest in Kouts.

RailCats Jeff Beachum

RailCats infielder Jeff Beachum must wear a mask after a bad hop found his left eye during a game July 18 at Schaumburg. Beachum suffered a minor concussion and said the pounding in his head felt like a migraine.

Reaction mixed to Bennett's address

Laura Roeske, of Hebron, looks over notes as she and her daughter Danielle watch a live webcast of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett’s speech on the future of education in Indiana. Hebron High School hosted the viewing.

Portage Perch Fest

Nearly 3,000 people visited Portage's Perch Fest last year.

Valpo Triathlon slated for Saturday

Crown Point's Chris Wickard gives high fives as she crosses the finish line to win the women's group at last year's Valpo Triathlon. Wickard will be going for her fourth straight title Saturday.