Eighty years ago this spring, the Nazi regime in Germany, already in the throes of its genocide against millions of people it deemed undesirable and a World War it instigated, began conducting perverse pseudoscientific medical experiments on sets of twins. Among those pulled from the population bound to the concentration camps in the spring of… Continue reading.

Sharing Indiana’s 45 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline are three counties: La Porte, Porter and Lake. And while La Porte County has the fewest miles of lakefront property, it derives much of its character and even its name from its location on the lake. La Porte County takes its name from the French term meaning… Continue reading.

It’s time to unpack the holiday lights and dress the house up for Christmas.  Between Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, party planning, school concerts and work, however, you might be tempted to deck your halls in a hurry. Slow down. The winter holidays can be the best time of the year — as long as you and… Continue reading.

Though you may be seriously considering not putting up outdoor lights this holiday season (to shorten your to-do list!), do you REALLY want to forego the festive and bright display which brightens the neighborhood and everyone’s spirits?  Here are some tips for safely and sanely hanging lights outdoors this season — and making your light… Continue reading.

It’s hard enough to reign in the stress when you’ve got a house full of company to entertain and you’ve been slaving over a hot oven all day. These 10 tips will help you keep your cool — at least in the kitchen. Get up a little earlier  The house and the outdoor temperature usually… Continue reading.

Just because you have a lot to do during the holidays doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time for yourself. In fact, it’s especially crucial for you to pause amid the hustle and bustle to destress and focus on your emotional and mental health. Here are six things you should add to your holiday to-do list… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling I’m obsessed with gingerbread houses. I love how, by judiciously purposing gumdrops, candy canes, M&Ms, and royal icing as architectural and landscaping details, a cookie can become so much more than baked dough (albeit delicious baked dough!). Of course, I’m totally intimidated by creating my own gingerbread house (maybe I’ll finally try… Continue reading.

Something magical happens when trains couple with Christmas. Be it a model electric train circling the base of a Christmas tree firing up a child’s imagination or a genuine old-fashioned steam or diesel engine chugging through a winter’s night to real holiday delights, trains add to the nostalgia and memories of the holidays like no other… Continue reading.

After college, Jason Clemmons worked as a high school guidance counselor in his hometown of Rushville. He also facilitated a young mothers’ group and worked with at-risk youth through the Mayor’s Youth Council at the Boys and Girls Club. He had a full plate.  These were 80-hour weeks, he said, giving him little time to… Continue reading.

Creating the northeast corner of Indiana, Steuben County is a border county touching two other states, Michigan and Ohio. The county’s natural beauty of lakes and forests truly makes it a transition county as Indiana gives way to the more naturally majestic Great Lakes landscapes of Michigan. And, to underscore its outdoorsy wintry feel, it’s… Continue reading.

Five minutes into one of their first sessions of the season answering Santa’s mail, Santa’s Elves were stumped by a child’s undecipherable scrawl. “Boy, I’m having trouble with this name,” said Joyce Robinson, a volunteer elf of 20 years. She handed the letter to Pat Koch, the chief elf who’s been answering Santa’s mail for… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling Here’s the thing about being a writer in a deadline-oriented job: Sometimes your deadlines and your brain don’t see eye to eye. Words don’t always travel from the cortex to the fingertips and finally to the computer screen as quickly as I’d like. (Hello, writer’s block!) Sometimes I waste precious time staring… Continue reading.