ILLINOIS PREP ROUNDUP: deSales' Hunt has monster day in regional opener

St. Francis deSales' Jensen Hunt had a big day in the Class A Morgan Park Academy Regional opener as the Pioneers pounded Holy Trinity 15-4 on Monday.

RAILCATS: Former Japanese pitcher joins roster

The RailCats will be the first American home to right-handed pitcher Takahiro Matsuka, a reliever with Japanese Major League experience.

Spring Kids Closet sale planned

VALPARAISO | The Porter County chapter of Mothers & More will again offer the public a chance to buy and sell gently used children's clothing, toys, and gear. This year’s spring Kids Closet sale will be from 8 a.m. to noon April 13 at the Butterfield Pavilion, corner of Evans and Calumet…

PNC rolls out an on-line degree-audit system for students

WESTVILLE | Purdue University North Central now offers students another tool to help ensure their academic success - Degree Works. This is one of the student-centered programs PNC has available through its "Student Success the Purdue Way" initiative.

RailCats host May 2 open tryout, $50 fee

The RailCats will host their annual Open Player Tryout at U. S. Steel Yard on Thursday, May 2. The tryout costs $50, which must be paid in cash only on the day of the tryout. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. for position players and 11:30 a.m. for pitchers.

WEDNESDAY'S ILLINOIS PREP ROUNDUP: Ill. lawmaker pushes IHSA to adopt tackle limits

A bill that would have required high school football teams to limit tackling in practices to one day a week didn't make it through the Illinois General Assembly. But its sponsor hopes the state's prep sports governing body adopts the measure aimed at concussion prevention.

Valparaiso Family YMCA summer camp enrolling now

VALPARAISO | Get ready for a summer filled with field trips, swimming, sports and fitness, cooking, crafts and more. Registration is now open for preschool and school-age camp at the Valparaiso Family YMCA.

Warm Hearts = Warm Socks

Kiwanis Easter Bunny Breakfast and Real Life Church Easter Egg Hunt planned

Since I’ve been writing this column some 11 years now I’ve met some very interesting people along the way. There are so many things I’ve discovered that go on behind the scenes in this great city by many faceless and nameless people. So many people volunteer their time, it’s hard to keep track.

CHS Japanese Olympiad teams win state championship

CHESTERTON | Chesterton High School won the state championship in the second-year and third-year divisions and was runner-up in the fourth-year division at the Japanese Olympiad of Indiana on Saturday at Ball State University in Muncie.

Pantry receives donation from Sons of the American Legion

Members of the Portage Food Pantry Board wish to express their appreciation for the $1,000 donation from the Sons of the American Legion. In accepting the money, board members expressed that it was given at a much-needed time. With high gas, energy, and food costs, coupled with the impending…

Moretton becomes Eagle Scout

VALPARAISO | Alan Moretton became an Eagle Scout in 2012 from Troop 907 based in Valparaiso.

'Let's get Crackin' today

VALPARAISO | Dr. Brian Hold is holding a Cracking Bones for Leanne fundraiser today from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m. at Hoosier Chiropractor, 705 Calumet Ave., Valparaiso.

Concessionaire leases available at two Valpo Parks sites

VALPARAISO | Concessions areas are available for lease from the Valparaiso Parks Department for the spring and summer seasons. Interested vendors are asked to submit a proposal for concessionaire services for Fairgrounds and Westside parks.

Yost Elementary second-graders learn economics

CHESTERTON | Second-grade students at Yost Elementary have been learning about economics by studying about wants, goods, services, consumers, producers and resources. As a way to apply these learned skills, second-grade teachers Jade Navarre, Heather Dunkle and Amanda Scully created the Yost…

Winter storm blows through region

It might not seem like spring is only two weeks away after the area received heavy snowfall Tuesday.

Opportunity Enterprises sets open interviews for DSPs

VALPARAISO | Opportunity Enterprises will hold open interviews for direct support professionals at its main facility at 2801 Evans Ave. Dates and times are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and March 23, April 20, 22 and 23.

Taltree Arboretum & Gardens offers Music in Nature Concert Series

VALPARAISO | Taltree is ramping up its concert program for 2013. Along with music there will be food and beverage service at each event.

Crown Point to begin taking full-time firefighter applications

CROWN POINT | A depleted hiring list for full-time firefighters will be rebuilt in the face of potential retirements from the department, Crown Point Fire Chief Greg DeLor said.

Schedule for Portage Summer Music in the Park Concert series announced

PORTAGE | Through collaboration between Portage Parks and Recreation, Portage Chamber of Commerce and Portage Live Entertainment, a 13-concert series of Summer Music in the Park will be presented from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, June 4 through Aug. 27. All concerts will be held indoors at eithe…

PNC hosts LaPorte, Elkhart, White County schools at Academic Super Bowl Invitational

WESTVILLE | Purdue University North Central will host seven area high school teams as they compete in the fifth annual LaPorte County Senior Academic Super Bowl Invitational on March 7 in the Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02, located on the PNC Westville campus. Regist…

Taltree Arboretum & Gardens offers summer camps

VALPARAISO | This summer Taltree will offer a series of summer camps specifically geared toward rising third through sixth-graders. The goal in creating these camps is for participants to enjoy a holistic and fun environment where they will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and …

Tickets available for Opportunity Enterprises celebration

VALPARAISO | Tickets are available for the 2013 Opportunity Enterprises Celebration of Achievement Breakfast, planned for March 7 at Strongbow Inn. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m., with breakfast and a program from 8 to 9:30.

PNC American Sign Language Club to host coffeehouse

WESTVILLE | The Purdue University North Central American Sign Language Club will host an ASL Coffeehouse from 6 to 9 p.m. March 15 at Cornucopia Coffee Co., 210 Lincolnway.

American Red Cross offers blood drives

PORTER COUNTY | The American Red Cross offers blood drives in Porter County.

Valparaiso Lions Club collects used eyeglasses

VALPARAISO | The Valparaiso Lions Club will help put old used eyeglasses to good use through the Lions Eyeglass Recycling program. Collection boxes are located around town with the Lions logo on them.

VU seeks host families for international students

VALPARAISO | Valparaiso University is seeking host families for students studying English at its Interlink Language Center. Home stays range from nine weeks to one year.

South Haven youth wins Midwest Regional Digital Arts Festival

SOUTH HAVEN | Boys & Girls Clubs of America named Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County-South Haven Unit Member Dakota Bickett the regional winner in its 11th annual Digital Arts Festivals competition for his entry in the photography category. As a winner in the Midwest region, Bickett…

Chesterton Art Center offers jewelry classes

CHESTERTON | Mara Wible will offer a different jewelry class each Tuesday during March at the Chesterton Art Center.

Winter classes offered at Taltree

UNION TOWNSHIP | Taltree Arboretum & Gardens offers a variety of winter classes. Taltree is at 450 W. County Road 100 North. Call (219) 462-0025.

PNC returns to study abroad in Peru in 2013

WESTVILLE | Purdue University North Central will offer the opportunity to study abroad this summer with a trip to Peru. Students may earn classroom credits, or the trip may be taken for pleasure. Community members are encouraged to consider joining this program, full of experiences and lear…

Students of the month honored

PORTAGE | The Portage Exchange Club welcomed four outstanding Portage High School seniors as Students of the Month at a breakfast meeting at Miller’s Assisted Living Meeting Room.

Brownie Girl Scouts hold food drive for Housing Opportunities

VALPARAISO | Brownie Girl Scout Troop 149 headed up a food drive in the third grade classrooms at Hayes Leonard Elementary school in Valparaiso last month. On Jan. 30 the girls then delivered the donated food to Housing Opportunities Food Bank, a division of Opportunity Enterprises in Valparaiso

Electricians union provides volunteer work for Shirley Heinze Land Trust

VALPARAISO | Members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 531 in LaPorte spent a Saturday changing out switches and receptacles at Shirley Heinze Land Trust’s new headquarters building. The trust purchased the former Meadowbrook Girl Scout Camp near Valparaiso and is prep…

Dancers perform at Central Elementary School

VALPARAISO | The Gloria Dei Hispanic dancers performed for the students of Central School as part of the school's monthly assembly.

Vendor applications available for Portage Township SummerFest

SOUTH HAVEN | Vendor applications are available for the second annual Portage Township SummerFest, June 13 to 16, at Haven Hollow Park, 330 W. County Road 700 North.

Random acts of kindness week celebration

CHESTERTON | Chesterton Middle School celebrated its second annual Random Acts of Kindness Week. The Chesterton Middle School seventh grade C team came up with the idea to participate in a Random Acts of Kindness activity to provide middle school students with an opportunity to work together…

Local nonprofits collaborate to help homeless

PORTER COUNTY | Local nonprofit Friends Assisting Women in Need, Inc. (FAWN), presented a check for $45,000 to Housing Opportunities (HO) from the proceeds of FAWN’s annual Fashion Show, Dinner and Silent Auction. FAWN, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help women and children in ne…

Think spring at National Lakeshore’s Maple Sugar Time

PORTER | Get a sweet taste of spring at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s annual Maple Sugar Time. The historic Chellberg Farm will be bustling with the activities of maple sugaring from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends of March 2 and 3 and March 9 and 1013.

Master Gardener course offered

VALPARAISO | Purdue Extension – Porter County is announcing its Spring 2013 Master Gardener Course. The program runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays Feb. 25 through May 20 at the Sunset Hill Farm County Park Education Center, U.S 6 and Meridian Road.

CHS show choir invitational planned

CHESTERTON | On Saturday, the Chesterton High School Choral Department will host its inaugural show choir competition, the Chesterton High School Trojan Classic. There will be show choirs from across the Midwest competing for the honor to be crowned Grand Champions. Doors open at 8 a.m. The …

Camp FUNset registration day set for April 13

VALPARAISO | Registration opens April 13 with Porter County Parks and Recreation Summer Camps for children grades one to seven held at Sunset Hills Farm. Registration will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Sunset Hills Farm.

Spring co-ed basketball leagues planned

VALPARAISO | Parents of youth ages 5-14 interested in instructional athletic leagues for their children can register for spring co-ed youth basketball leagues beginning Monday at Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County’s Valparaiso Unit. The basketball league focuses on skill development, go…

Members Advantage Credit Union donates $2,500 to Salvation Army

MICHIGAN CITY | Members Advantage Credit Union recently made a donation of $2,500 to the Michigan City Salvation Army’s holiday fundraising campaign.

PNC students plan Habitat for Humanity trip

WESTVILLE | Purdue University North Central students in the Dean's Leadership Group are planning a trip to Appalachia to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity during the week of May 12 through 18. All PNC students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to volunteer. At least 10 volu…

Vendors needed for summer market

PORTAGE | The Portage Parks Department is looking for vendors for the community farmers market.

LaPorte county Historical Society Museum presents black History Month program

LAPORTE | “The Underground Railroad in LaPorte County” will be presented by Fern Eddy Schultz, LaPorte County historian, at the LaPorte County Historical Society Museum meeting room at 1 p.m. Saturday. This was originally planned for Feb. 9. This will be in conjunction with the celebration o…

Valentine's Day dance tonight

PORTAGE | Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County-Forrest “Dusty” Rhode Portage Unit is hosting a Valentine's Day Dance for members and a guest tonight. The dance will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for youth in grades kindergarten to fourth and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. for youth in grades 5 and up.…

Artwork contest for Valpo Parks Dicovery Camps 2013 brochure

VALPARAISO | Discovery Camp at Rogers-Lakewood offers summer camp. But right now it is offering a contest for kids. Kids can send their artwork of the summer fun and a lucky winner's artwork will be printed on the front of the 2013 Discovery Camp brochure.