Historic Memorial Opera House is worth checking out
Since being appointed the new business director of Memorial Opera House in Porter County, I have found that many people are completely unaware of its existence. This historic theater, a living memorial to the Civil War built by the Grand Army of the Republic, is …
Finally, an airport deal that helps the Gary area
Today I am proud to be a Gary resident! The Gary community has scored a first victory in the never-ending struggle for jobs for area residents. On May 7, the Gary Common Council voted 7-0 and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson pledged to support a new Community …
Regular exercise is key to a long and healthy life
The excuses many people — Hoosier women in particular — use to avoid exercise are seemingly endless: Children take all my free time, work leaves me exhausted, it’s not any fun anyway and I’d prefer to sit and watch television. Yet we all know that …
Hard decisions necessary to improve Gary
Life’s changes often play to mixed reviews. Most of us embrace changes that result in positive outcomes. The paving of Fourth, Fifth and 25th avenues and the exploration of a public/private partnership at the Gary/Chicago International Airport are such examples. Although these changes have led …
Undocumented kids need legal representation
Last week, a federal judge in California ordered immigration courts in three states to provide legal representation for immigrants with mental disabilities who are in detention or facing deportation. This happened the day after federal immigration officials issued a new policy that would effectively expand …
Munster residents shouldn’t vote for higher school taxes
On Tuesday, the School Town of Munster is asking residents to vote on an increase of our property taxes to fund its school districts. According to school corporation officials and its superintendent, homeowners can expect to pay approximately an extra $200 a year in property …
Lessons from the legacy media – get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out. I saw the spirit of that timeless journalistic warning used in the Boston Marathon case. Boston police were closing in on Suspect No. 2 and the people at my table went on high …
Workplace volunteering improves employee morale, bottom line
National Volunteer Week was April 21 to 27. In its 40th year, National Volunteer Week serves to remind everyone of the power and impact of volunteering. While everyone knows that volunteering makes people feel better about themselves and their communities, few consider the measurable impact. …
The aftermath of terror is chaos, uncertainty
You know the feeling. You wake up filled with dread but, still groggy, you can’t put your finger on the reason. Possibilities flitter across the landscape of near-consciousness: An exam? A deadline? A speech? What day is it? Oh my God, Boston. For longer than …
Program gets kids READY for life after schooling
Growing up as I did in an inner city can be isolating. For a long time, in fact, I did not know there were cows, or that there are many religions. I did not know that highways cross our nation, that there were people who …
Obama, Democrats at odds on spending cuts
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, red in the face, took off his jacket and rolled up a shirt sleeve — but there was no relief from the discomfort of his affliction. The poor guy is suffering from triangulation. The man triangulating him, President Obama, has …
Time to lean on society to make help women, girls
The striking juxtaposition of the preternaturally perfect Angelina Jolie, waifish and wispy in a ghostly gown, and the punchy Pakistani schoolgirl Malala, her face cruelly misshapen by the effects of a Taliban bullet to the head, captures the confluence of feminine power assembled here to …
Retirement cash crunch is looming
The U.S. is facing a retirement crisis. The simple fact is that most workers are saving too little to retire, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI), which tracks pension issues. And workers are acutely aware of this. An institute study found that the …
Mysteries of superior technology
The burst of electronic technology in the 21st century has produced at least two connected but unexpected results. First, technology has made life better except in the equal number of cases where it seems to make life harder. Second, the world is packed with more …
Voucher plan hits brick wall
The plow-ahead mindset for Indiana’s two-year-old school voucher plan met its brick wall when the chairman of the Indiana Senate’s Appropriations Committee signaled his objections. Boiled down, Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, asked: Can’t we just slow down? There have been plenty of Hoosiers encouraging the …
