Region's ecological history is etched in the landscape

Wild lupine stand in the foreground of a swale in the Ivanhoe Dune and Swale in Gary. The property, managed by The Nature Conservancy, is a prime example of the region's rich biodiversity.

Strengthening environmental ties across state line

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, addresses leaders gathered Tuesday for the Calumet Summit at the Marquette Park Pavilion in Gary.

New St. Thomas More cross placed on bell tower

Workers with Tonn and Blank Construction secure a new, 3,000-pound steel cross on the bell tower at St. Thomas More Church in Munster on Wednesday. The old cross was destroyed by high winds in November.

St. Thomas More cross placed on bell tower

Representatives from Tonn and Blank Construction watch as crews lift a 3,000-pound cross into place Wednesday on the bell tower at St. Thomas More Church in Munster. The old cross was destroyed by high winds in November.

Hammond fire officials asking for public's help in arson investigation

Hammond Chief Fire Inspector Michael Opinker, left, and EMT Bernie Grisolia hand out fliers Friday in the 800 block of Sibley Street asking for the public's help in arson investigations. Five buildings, including the one at 855 Sibley St. seen in the photo, have been hit by arson in the neig…

Civil War re-enactors spotlight personal side of war

Dave Crane, left, of Cedar Lake and Steve Batey of Hammond explain gear carried by Civil War soldiers Saturday at the Indiana Welcome Center. Crane and Batey portray local soldiers with the Indiana Regiment Volunteer Infantry Company B re-enactment group.

Civil War re-enactors spotlight personal side of war

Dave Crane, left, of Cedar Lake, discusses Civil War-era pieces with Nora Joan McDonagh, 7, Seamus McDonagh, 6, and J.J. Grealy, 8, all of Chicago, at the Indiana Welcome Center as part of the Region United, Nation Divided: Civil War in the South Shore exhibit. Crane portrays Capt. Charles B…

IDEM head says ozone suit against EPA could take years

Indiana Department of Environmental Management Commissioner Thomas Easterly talks Thursday about the state's lawsuit against the U.S. EPA. The suit over Lake and Porter counties being deemed out of compliance for ozone pollution could take years to resolve, he told the Northwestern Indiana R…

IDEM head says ozone suit against EPA could take years

Susan MiHalo, left, conservation coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, shares a laugh with Indiana Department of Environmental Management Commissioner Thomas Easterly on Thursday at the Northwestern Indiana Planning Commission office in Portage.

Champion show dogs killed in Calumet Township fire

Charred boards are all that remain of the side of a Calumet Township home that caught fire Monday night with champion show dogs inside.

Champion show dogs killed in Cal Twsp. fire

Vee Gallagher stands in front of the charred remains of the Calumet Township home where she raised her daughter. The daughter lived there with her champion show dogs for the last three years.

Champion show dogs killed in Cal Twsp. fire

Charred, water-logged furnishings sit inside a Calumet Township home destroyed by fire Monday night.

Employee seriously injured at Cargill plant in East Chicago

EAST CHICAGO | An employee at Cargill Inc. in East Chicago suffered serious injuries Wednesday night after a bundle of steel plates fell from a crane, trapping his legs underneath, officials said.

Highland man claims $1 million Powerball prize

HIGHLAND | A 34-year-old Highland man is $1 million richer after claiming his winning prize in Wednesday night's record-setting Powerball draw.

Black Friday crowds changing with Thanksgiving store openings

Shoppers at JC Penney at Westfield Southlake Mall in Hobart crowd around a table of colored skinny jeans shortly after the store opened at 6 a.m.

Black Friday crowds changing with Thanksgiving store openings

Shoppers crowd around a table of clothing at JCPenney at Westfield Southlake Mall on Friday morning.

Elections officials: Voter turnout appears steady, doesn't match fever of 2008

Ronald Williams walked nearly two miles in the 26-degree predawn hours to be one of the first in line to vote Tuesday.

NWI officials want safety assurances on new oil pipeline

Officials in three counties and an environmental conservation organization support the plan to replace Enbridge Energy Partners LP's aging Line 6B oil pipeline with a new state-of-the-art system.

Local residents pipe up with Enbridge concerns

Bill LaFever doesn't want to fight, but he isn't afraid to, either.

Dock wall collapses under cargo weight at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor

PORTAGE | An ArcelorMittal dock wall at the Port of Indiana Burns Harbor was crushed under the weight of cargo off-loaded from a ship early Tuesday morning, officials said.

Fire hits Cal City apartment, garages

A ComEd worker extinguishes flames from the top of an electrical pole behind 371 Mackinaw Avenue after a fire in a nearby garage spread to another garage, apartment building and the pole. Officials are probing resident claims of kids with firecrackers in the area as part of their investigati…

Fire hits Cal City apartment, garages

Firefighters work Saturday afternoon to extinguish a blaze that destroyed two garages and two cars and badly damaged a three-story apartment building in Calumet City. Officials are probing resident claims of kids with fireworks in the area in connection with their investigation into the caus…

Fire hits Cal City apartment, garages

Firefighters work Saturday afternoon to extinguish a blaze that destroyed two garages and two cars and badly damaged a three-story apartment building in Calumet City. Officials are probing resident claims of kids with fireworks in the area in connection with their investigation into the caus…

Three injured in BP Whiting Refinery flash fire

WHITING | Officials at the BP Whiting Refinery are leading an investigation to figure out the root cause of a "brief flash fire" that sent three contract workers to the hospital Tuesday night.

Multiple East Chicago fires under investigation

EAST CHICAGO | East Chicago fire and police investigators are probing a series of suspicious fires early Monday that left homes, garages, vehicles, NIPSCO lines and garbage cans in flames -- and residents of three city blocks awake and nervous.

Woman rescued from burning Hammond home

Hammond firefighters cool off Tuesday after striking a fire at a home in the 4700 block of Sheffield Avenue. Crews rescued and revived a female resident found unconscious inside the home.

Woman rescued from burning Hammond home

Firefighters work Tuesday morning at a home in the 4700 block of Sheffield Avenue following a blaze that sent one woman to the hospital.

Semi slams into Cal City home, killing driver

A car sits smashed under the trailer of a semi that slammed into a home at 1132 Michigan City Road in Calumet City early Thursday. The two occupants of the car and three residents of the home were not injured. The driver of the semi, a 37-year-old Georgia man, was killed. His daughter suffer…

Poll workers: 18.6 percent turnout shockingly low

Pat Kardos has been a precinct commiteewoman working the polls for more than 20 years. She saw something Tuesday morning she never has seen before.

Poll workers say early morning voter turnout shockingly low

MUNSTER | Republican candidate for Lake County Surveyor Eric Krieg stands alone outside of the Centennial Park Clubhouse in Munster early Tuesday morning. Only about a dozen voters came into the building to vote in the first hour of voting.

Man injured in Cal City trailer fire

Calumet City firefighters assess the damage at a trailer at 164 Jennifer Lane following a Saturday morning fire that sent a male resident to the hospital with smoke inhalation. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Portage steel plant construction to begin soon

PORTAGE | Roseville, Minn.-based Ratner Steel Supply Co. plans to invest about $14.3 million to build its first facility in the region and add 30 new jobs there by 2015.

USPS to close Gary processing center

GARY | The U.S. Postal Service is closing the Gary Processing and Distribution Center and moving the operations to a center in Bedford Park, Ill.

Hobart man killed in U.S. Steel rail accident

HOBART | Friends and neighbors of Michael M. Shoemaker remembered him Tuesday as a "down to earth great guy."

Former Hammond Mayor Edward Raskosky dies at age 89

Former Hammond Mayor Edward Raskosky died Monday after a brief illness. Raskosky, who graduated from the Indiana University School of Law, had been a practicing attorney for more than 60 years.

Man found dead behind Gary eatery that was robbed at gunpoint

GARY | The body of a 24-year-old man was found Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the stomach, lying in a vacant lot behind a Rally's restaurant that had been robbed at gunpoint earlier in the day, police said.

Little Calumet River levee repairs continue

MUNSTER | As the deadline for completion of the Little Calumet River levee project draws near, the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission continues to dole out dwindling funds for long-deferred maintenance in older portions of the levee system.

Izaak Walton League asks Little Cal commission to replace wetlands

MUNSTER | The Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America is urging the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission to replace wetlands as part of its flood control project.

Workers report low turnout at many Lake County polling places

Polling locations in Tri-Town and northern Hammond reported heavy voter turnout in Tuesday's election, elections officials said.

Workers report low turnout at many Lake County polling places

Lindsey Gullett casts his ballot at the Lake County Fairgrounds early Tuesday. Gullett is a campaign worker for Republican mayoral challenger Eldon Strong and said he believes that race will be close.

Workers report low turnout at many Lake County polling places

Brandon Jones, right, assists voters at the Lake County Fairgrounds early Tuesday. Jones said in spite of the low turnout when the polls opened, the mayoral race is expected to be tight.

Workers report low turnout at many Lake County polling places

Chris Pluta, left, talks with Mitch Onda at the corner of South and Court streets in Crown Point early Tuesday morning.

East Chicago man killed in Griffith shooting

A 21-year-old East Chicago man was shot and killed Tuesday night in Griffith, officials said.

E.C. man, 37, is found dead in burning car; autopsy looms

A 37-year-old East Chicago man was found dead inside a burning car there early Monday morning, officials said.

West Side High student shot and killed

GARY | A West Side High School administrator asked for a moment of silence Thursday to allow students to mourn their classmate Edwin Parker-Deloney Jr.

Adopt-A-Beach volunteers hit Hammond Marina

A volunteer displays some of the plastic debris cleared Saturday from the Hammond Marina Beach during the Adopt-A-Beach program.

Adopt-A-Beach volunteers hit Hammond Marina

Jerry Torres, right, speaks with Barb Schilling on Saturday during the Adopt-A-Beach cleanup at the Hammond Marina Beach. Torres and Schilling, both of Hammond, are members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood.

Adopt-A-Beach volunteers hit Hammond Marina

Margie Torres, left, logs the trash being collected Saturday by Chris Foor at the Hammond Marina beach as part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes' Adopt-A-Beach program. Torres and Foor, both of Hammond, are members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood.

Kankakee Valley superintendent calling it quits

Kankakee Valley School Corp. Superintendent Glenn Krueger says he plans to hand the School Board his resignation at the next meeting.

Explosion at Deep Tunnel rocks South Holland

Emergency crews and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago staff members stand Tuesday outside the gate to the Deep Tunnel project in South Holland. A methane gas explosion there sent debris flying early Tuesday and shook some residents awake. No one was injured in the blast.