NPS to conduct four prescribed fires this fall
The National Park Service is planning four prescribed fires this fall at Indiana Dunes National Park. Approximately 897 acres are expected to be burned. Fire is used as a tool for the park’s long-term restoration and hazard fuel reduction efforts. Two fires are planned in the west end of the park: a 158-acre area of Black Oak Savanah in the park’s Miller Woods area, north of the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education and west of North Lake Street in Gary; and the 562-acre Tolleston-East Prescribed Fire area along the south side of US highway 12, from the Lake-Porter County Line Road, east towards Ogden Dunes and Stagecoach Road. In the east half of the park, approximately 167 acres south of Oak Hill Road and west of Howe Road around the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center in Porter will be burned. Approximately 10 acres immediately surrounding the Central Beach parking lot in Beverly Shores also will be burned. An online map of the areas can be found at http://bit.ly/INDUFall2020. Porter County residents can sign up to receive free text, email or voice mail notifications of planned burns at http://www.portercounty911.org. Information also is available on Facebook at www.facebok.com/IndianaDunesNPS.
PNW offers virtual preview event for prospective students
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will hold a Virtual Preview PNW from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Prospective students and their families will have the opportunity to learn more about the undergraduate programs, the freshman admissions process, financial aid and scholarships. Breakout sessions will offer more information about student life, housing and campus safety, the PNW Honors College, athletics and an application workshop. Participants will hear first-hand from current students, faculty and admissions staff. The $25 application fee will be waived for students who apply during the event. Registration and more information can be found at pnw.edu/preview.
Tobacco coalition to host discussion on vaping
The Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County will host a free virtual community conversation, “Victims of Vaping: Protecting Our Youth,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. Registration is free and open to the public. The panel discussion will address: facts about vaping and tobacco use in Porter County; how and why the tobacco industry intentionally targets youth; and how early nicotine use affects brain development and hooks youth for a life-long habit. Register at www.valpo.edu/tepc/. More information is at valpo.edu/tepc/ or on Facebook at TEPCPorterCounty.
PNW announces 2020 Innovators Awards winners
The Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest (PNW) has announced the 2020 winners of its Innovators Awards. Recipients will be inducted into the Society during a virtual event to be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 19. Individual inductees include: Ken Barry, executive director, City Life Center, Gary; Magesh Chandramouli, associate professor of Computer Graphics Technology, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond and Westville; Emily Edwards, founder, Emily’s Foods/Paradise Icing, Schererville; Jamie Fankenhauser, owner, Bun’s Soapbox, Valparaiso; Matt Hanson, clinical assistant professor of marketing, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond and Westville; Jake Miller, owner, JEM Custom Shoes, La Porte; Jared Riddle, professor of English, department chair, Ivy Tech Community College, East Chicago; and Daniel Schultz, teacher, Hobart High School, Hobart. Team Inductees include: ArcelorMittal, team led by Richard Clausius, East Chicago; Centier Bank, team led by Chris Carpenter, Merrillville; Economic Development Corporation Michigan City with Michigan City Area Schools, team led by Clarence Hulse, Michigan City; Tonn and Blank Construction, team led by Jon Gilmore, Michigan City; and Top Flight Hockey, team lead by Quinton Olster and Dan Mikrut, St. John. Registration for the event is free. Those wishing to attend may call Jason Williams at 219-989-2805 or register online at www.pnw.edu/soi.
