The annual World Cultural Festival in downtown Valparaiso welcomed visitors with diverse cultural experiences on Sunday. Sponsored by the Valparaiso International Center, the event showcased over 2000-year-old Chinese zithers, musicians, dancers, and artisans from various backgrounds. Musical Journey: Valparaiso’s Tiger Kumar, now 16, discovered a passion for the Chinese zither at age four during this […]
After a Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled again in Week 2, losing to the Cleveland Browns, 23-19. The Browns staged an impressive comeback. Mayfield had a chance to lead his team to victory but struggled to reach the end zone late in the fourth quarter, […]
“Write about a time when once just wasn’t enough,” I prompted my memoir students. This led me to reflect on my own life. What represents ‘not enough’ for me? Hiking the Swiss Alps at 18? Sailing the turquoise waters of Alaska? Eating steak frites in a hidden Parisian cafe? My mind drifted to cancer, a […]
Mary Smart from Aurora attended the sixth annual Moon Festival at Pacifica Square on Aurora’s East Side. She appreciated the event’s multicultural essence and its role in uniting the community. ‘It’s great that this is a multicultural event that helps bring people together,’ Smart expressed while waiting for a program to start. ‘Aurora takes pride […]
Ron Pitelka began his rock collection at age 23. Working on a construction site in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, he found an egg-shaped limestone boulder about 5 feet wide. Armed with his first dump truck, he transported the 10,000-pound stone home. Over the next twenty years, Pitelka amassed several hundred rocks. His mother’s place in New […]
Wedding photographer Katie Hunt faced an unexpected challenge upon arriving at a venue on September 10. Though experienced and accustomed to routine with her team at KD Hunt Photography, she encountered a surprise after purchasing film rolls online from Amazon. Hunt, primarily a digital photographer, bought two five-packs of Portra 400 35mm film from a […]
A recent analysis highlights the shift in youth sports from casual play to a commercialized, competitive arena. As traditional children’s play morphs into a high-stakes industry, the newfound emphasis on structured, supervised sports limits children’s opportunities for free play. This growing trend has left many parents longing for a return to simple, unsupervised activities that […]
The Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans still bears the marks of Hurricane Katrina, with vacant lots and boarded-up shops more than two decades later. Among these remnants stands a building that once housed a Family Dollar store, now transformed into the New Orleans Free Store. It appears abandoned with graffiti on the exterior, yet […]
Girl Scout Troop 35579 has introduced a unique initiative by constructing a pet pantry specifically for dogs and cats, inspired by the Little Free Library concept. The pantry now stands at Portage’s Woodland Park dog park. Troop leader Karen Naumann shared her motivation, stating, “People have been asking for help with animals. They can’t afford […]
When George Lucas invites you to a party, attendance is a must. The opening-night soirée at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was as star-studded as any major film awards after-party. As dusk settled, Oprah Winfrey greeted Robert De Niro warmly, while Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart sidestepped the red carpet after a chat with […]