Influentional women of NWI honored

HOBART │Women who are a positive influence in local businesses, industries and communities were recognized with a celebration on Thursday.

Elected officials discuss 2013 State Legislative Session

GARY │ A wrap-up of the 2013 state legislative session and how it will affect Gary was provided on Thursday by elected representatives at Ivy Tech Community College.

South Suburban College, Thornton Township team up for job fair

SOUTH HOLLAND │ More than 30 hiring companies welcomed throngs of job seekers to the South Suburban College and Thornton Township community career fair Tuesday.

Gary residents help tally grass-roots revitalization data

GARY │ Graduate students from Chicago, local residents, city workers and technology from Detroit were part of an effort Saturday to revitalize Gary.

Excellence in construction and safety honored

HOBART │ Safety and construction excellence in Northwest Indiana was recognized Thursday at Avalon Manor.

Lakeshore Public Television celebrates 25th anniversary

MERRILLVILLE │ Lakeshore Public Television celebrated its 25th anniversary with the introduction of new CEO James Muhammad on Thursday at the Radisson Hotel.

Gas prices could drop in next few days

After reports of an increase in Northwest Indiana on Tuesday, retail gas prices are expected to drop by the weekend.

NIRPC moves forward to improve public participation

PORTAGE │ A committee of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission has approved the agency’s new public participation plan.

NIRPC director discusses region investment

SCHERERVILLE │ The new director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission discussed sustaining a regional vision during Friday’s monthly Lake County Advancement Committee meeting at Teibel’s Restaurant.

INDOT provides 'blueprint' of plans for next few years

LAPORTE | Residents of Northwest Indiana interested in upcoming transportation plans in the region were invited Thursday to an open house hosted by the LaPorte District of the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Call for creative thinkers begins

MERRILLVILLE │ Another year of discovering the most creative thinkers and innovators of Northwest Indiana begins Friday.

Former Horseshoe GM offers lessons from Vegas

HAMMOND │ There is a $500 million project underway in Las Vegas and none of it involves gaming.

East Chicago discusses harborfront plans

EAST CHICAGO │ Added jobs and services for residents, increased property values and improved ground routes were some of the goals addressed by officials during the city’s second waterfront revitalization initiative public meeting on Tuesday.

Lt. Gov. hopes region’s downstate relationship will improve

Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann hopes the Lake County stop on her 92-county "Listen and Learn" tour will help temper the uneasy relationship the region has with downstate.

ArcelorMittal honored for innovative steel use in cars

EAST CHICAGO │ ArcelorMittal’s Global Research and Development Center was honored Thursday for its design and creation of steel for cars that will meet future higher fuel standards.

Hope is bottom line at financial literacy event

GARY │ Money Smart Week in Northwest Indiana was capped off Saturday with a financial literacy event at Indiana University Northwest.

CEO helps open new Culver's

HIGHLAND | The co-founder and CEO of Culver’s was in town Friday to help welcome the latest edition to the popular restaurant chain in Highland.

Job-seekers pack Hammond career fair

HAMMOND | The Jean Shepherd Community Center was packed Thursday with employers and job-seekers hoping to make a connection during Hammond’s 10th annual job fair hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso campus hosts career fair

VALPARAISO │ More than 20 employers welcomed job seekers Wednesday at a career fair at Ivy Tech Community College’s Valparaiso campus.

Hearing held on NIPSCO environmental projects

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission hosted a public hearing Monday on $59.2 million in environmental projects planned at NIPSCO generating plants and the additional customer charges that will pay for them.

Ivy Tech joins financial literacy drive during Money Smart Week

VALPARAISO │ Money Smart Week in Northwest Indiana kicked off Saturday with Designing Your Financial Future at Ivy Tech Community College.

Students receive serious pre-prom message

WASHINGTON TWP. │ Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris hopes students at Washington Township High School will make safe choices during their weekend prom activities following his presentation Friday on the fatal consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

Innovation event spurs out-of-box thinking

HOBART | An evening of out-of-the-box thinking among local leaders took place Thursday at Avalon Manor with Idea Ingine Ivent 2013, a presentation hosted by the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana, as part of Ivy Tech Northwest’s Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center.

IUN kicks off Money Smart Week

GARY │ A week of events designed to educate Northwest Indiana consumers about money management and create awareness of financial education programs kicked off Thursday at Indiana University Northwest.

NIPSCO CEO talks rates, new meters as infrastructure ages

NIPSCO residential rates will rise if the utility is to meet environmental regulations and modernize its systems, said Jim Stanley, the utility's executive vice president and group CEO.

REMC faces new challenges with declining population

VALPARAISO │ Kankakee Valley Rural Electric Membership Corp. CEO Dennis Weiss said electric cooperatives are entering a new era as more people migrate from rural areas back to the cities.

Job seekers descend on IUN for employment opportunities

GARY │ Nearly 50 employers were offering full-time, part-time and internship opportunities Friday at the 12th annual Indiana University Northwest job fair.

Jupiter steelworkers rally for better contract

HAMMOND │ Jupiter Aluminum Corp. steelworkers rallied in support of a new contract Wednesday outside the facility’s main gate.

IUN, Gary partner to bring positive change to community

GARY │ A partnership between Indiana University Northwest and the city of Gary has been developed to bring sustainable economic development to its shared community.

South Shore hopes plan benefits legislation

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board of trustees hopes a new strategic business plan will benefit House Bill 1450, legislation the General Assembly will look at during summer session on how the NICTD is governed.

North Township hosts annual job fair

HAMMOND │ The North Township trustee's office hosted its seventh annual Community Career Fair on Friday.

Team Toyota celebrates new dealership

SCHERERVILLE │Team Toyota officially unveiled its new dealership at 400 Indianapolis Blvd. on Thursday.

Crusader fans cheer on team

VALPARAISO │ Valparaiso students and fans from the community packed Harre Union on Thursday to watch the Crusaders basketball team face off against Michigan State University in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Workforce Summit highlights local jobs in demand

HOBART | Engineering is a field “starving for candidates” and joins manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and health care as the occupations in demand in the region in the next 10 years, according to the newly-released Northwest Indiana State of the Workforce Report.

Local responders learn from Joplin tornado experience

VALPARAISO │ More than 400 emergency managers, first responders and community, school, health and hospital emergency planners attended a program Friday focusing on the study of mass trauma and recovery.

Dawn Foods breaks ground

MERRILLVILLE | Dawn Food Products broke ground Friday on a new 116,000-square-foot distribution center in the AmeriPlex at the Crossroads near Broadway and 101st Avenue.

Enbridge seeks input on new pipeline impact

SCHERERVILLE │ Enbridge Energy held an information session on Thursday for Northwest Indiana landowners affected by its proposed 77-mile pipeline project.

Purdue alums bring technology back to campus

HAMMOND │Purdue University Calumet honored two former students, brothers Gary and Paul Duncanson, who donated cutting-edge industrial software to the campus for instructional purposes.

Porter County students compete in math bowl

PORTAGE │ A packed house watched local kids engage in a heated competition at a Portage High School gymnasium Thursday. And not a basketball was in sight.

Bankers offer advice for small-business clients

HAMMOND │ Content of a business plan is important, but so is its presentation when a client approaches a bank looking for a loan for that plan, according to local bankers at a forum Thursday at the Hammond INnovation Center.

Warehouse jobs draw hopefuls

HAMMOND | Job seekers were lined up outside the doors of Staff Source on Monday in hopes of being hired as a general laborer for Contract Services Group, a supplier to the automotive industry.

Bite and Sip: 18th Street Brewery could bring the craft beer renaissance to Gary

A sabbatical to Belgium, honing a craft in Chicago and an online Kickstarter campaign have led to one man's dream of becoming part of Gary's "renaissance."

Small businesses sound off against minimum wage increase

The state’s leading advocacy group from small business owners is against President Barack Obama’s call to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.

NIPSCO program introduces girls to engineering

MERRILLVILLE │ On Monday it was about creating an 8-inch structure to hold a bag of chocolate candy. In the future it could evolve to building bridges, buildings, gas or spacecrafts.

Practice pays off for regional spelling bee winners

VALPARAISO │ During a close basketball game, seventh-grader Dheven Unni admits to a bout of nervousness and “clammy hands” – similar to how he felt Saturday at Wheeler High School.

Purdue Job Fair welcomes more than 100 employers

HAMMOND | More than 100 companies and 250 representatives were looking to fill job openings and internships at Purdue University Calumet’s annual All Majors Career and Internship Fair on Friday.

Initiative asks how to make a diverse region work together

VALPARAISO | Uniting the diverse region of Northwest Indiana begins by focusing on the positives, an educator and global researcher said Thursday.

Gary rises in best-performing cities index

The city of Gary was one the biggest gainers in the Milken Institute’s annual index of Best-Performing Cities of 2012.

Music Lab closing after 35 years

Through its doors walked famous rock artists along with the kids who admired them and wanted to learn an instrument, as well as local musicians in need of a guitar fix or new drum kit.