Anna Ortiz

Anna Ortiz is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.

Gary bishop to migrant workers: ‘We love you and will continue to pray for you’

July 30, 2025 at 2:11 p.m.

Surrounded by corn stalks and soybeans, priests and parish members throughout Northwest Indiana gathered at Herr Farms in Lowell to bring an outdoor mass to the migrant workers who are...

Ben Kodicek plays with a train set underneath a bench inside Crown Point's mobile sensory center. (Anna Ortiz/Post-Tribune)

Crown Point unveils Mobile Sensory Hub

July 22, 2025 at 1:51 p.m.

The City of Crown Point opened the doors of its brand new Mobile Sensory Hub for the first time during The Taste of Crown Point, offering a climate-controlled 300-square-foot mobile...

Scott and Cheryl Filler have worked to clear the brush and overgrowth that once crowded the grottos at the 61-acre former Lourdes Franciscan Friary in Cedar Lake since purchasing it last year. (Photo courtesy of Brendan Ryan)

Buyers of the former Cedar Lake monastery work to restore grottos, history

June 3, 2025 at 1:18 p.m.

Scott and Cheryl Filler have made many discoveries as they delved into restoring the 61-acre former Lourdes Franciscan Friary in Cedar Lake since purchasing the property in January 2024.

Brian Neale (left) and Ann Neale of Smoke Freaks are seasoned barbeque competitors. (Jeff Hirsch Photography/Photo courtesy of Brian and Ann Neale)

Cedar Lake man wins World Champion of ribs title

April 2, 2025 at 2:43 p.m.

As 50 mph winds whipped through the Texas Motor Speedway, Brian and Ann Neale kept their eye on the prize: The perfect barbecue. Dust battered their faces while they toiled...

From left, Brian Greer and Earl Gundelach discuss paranormal equipment at a booth in Paracon Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Cedar Lake. (Anna Ortiz/for Post-Tribune)

‘Ghost hunters’ of the future: NWI Paracon 2025 continues momentum

March 25, 2025 at 11:27 a.m.

From long-empty jail cells to a restored 1940’s theater, Indiana’s ghost stories came alive with the second annual NWI Paracon in Cedar Lake.

From left, Eileen Claybough takes a photo of Becky Ravesloot, Micah Ravesloot and Mary Dennis during a stop by the Wienermobile on Friday, March 14, 2025, in St. John. (Anna Ortiz/for Post-Tribune)

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobile rolls through region, spreading whistles, cheer wherever it goes

March 17, 2025 at 2:52 p.m.

It’s not every day a 27-foot-long hot dog zips down U.S. 41, but when it does, it spreads a special kind of joy, said “hotdogger” Bridget “BBQ” Berens.

Region residents line Main Street in Crown to protest ahead of President Donald Trump’s Congressional address Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Anna Ortiz/for Post-Tribune)

Region residents join nationwide demonstrations on eve of Trump speech in Congress

March 5, 2025 at 2:45 p.m.

The historic Crown Point Courthouse saw one of several demonstrations organized across 50 states ahead of President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday evening.

Crown Point’s 138-year-old Trinity Lutheran Church in the Eastside Historic District could face demolition now that the city has issued an unsafe building order. (Anna Ortiz/Post-Tribune)

Crown Point’s 1886 Church declared unsafe, halting sale, renovations

December 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

As the sale was closing on one of Crown Point’s oldest standing churches, plans were halted when the Crown Point Board of Works deemed the structure an unsafe building.

Adrell Mable (far right) takes a photo with students in Southern Albania. (Photo courtesy of Adrell Mable)

Crown Point woman works across the globe for Peace Corps

November 3, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

For 25-year-old Adrell Mable, life has taken some interesting turns. Currently, her career has led her to Albania, where she has served for the last year as a Peace Corps...

Crown Point’s 138-year-old Trinity Lutheran Church in the Eastside Historic District is up for sale at the price of $7,500 to a preservation-minded buyer. (Anna Ortiz/Post-Tribune)

Former Crown Point sanctuary seeks saving grace, new life

September 29, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

When the 138-year-old church and schoolhouse was publicized for sale, John Heidbreder didn't know what to expect. “We’ve been getting very interesting responses as a result of this,” Heidbreder, of...

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