Doug Ross

Doug Ross ia a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.

A South Shore Line train pulls into the Hammond Gateway station, where riders from the new Monon Corridor route will transfer to go east or west along the railroad’s Lakeshore route. (Doug Ross/for Post-Tribune)

NICTD approves plans for the future that include new rail cars, routes

August 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Replacing rolling stock and extending service are among the big projects included in the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s new 20-year plan for the South Shore Line.

Portage High School could get solar panels with roof work

July 29, 2026 at 11:51 a.m.

Portage Township Schools is looking at putting solar panels atop Portage High School when a portion of the roof is replaced.

Scott Moore uses a ladder to check damage to a home he was planning on renting as his next door neighbors roof shows considerably more damage following Monday’s storms on Francis Street in Porter, Indiana on Tuesday, July, 28, 2026. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

Downed trees, power outages stretch across NWI after Monday’s storms

July 30, 2026 at 9:25 a.m.

Lake and Porter counties were hit hard by two back-to-back storms Monday afternoon that resulted in a lot of wind damage, most notably at the Indiana Dunes State Park in...

Valparaiso City Hall is pictured. (Philip Potempa/for the Post-Tribune)

Valparaiso councilman lashes out over HRC chair’s comments

July 28, 2026 at 12:06 p.m.

Valparaiso’s Human Relations Council came under attack by Councilman Jack Pupillo, who said he is concerned about the group’s political neutrality.

Crews clean up the extensive damage from a 13-car freight train derailment on June 24, 2026. Straight-line winds caused the derailment, officials said. (South Shore Line/provided)

Straight-line winds blamed for June 24 freight train derailment

July 27, 2026 at 2:44 p.m.

Severe weather has been determined the cause of a June 24 derailment that cost the South Shore Line “several million dollars.”

Kevin, 9, points to Australia on a world map to show where some of the Peace Run participants visiting the Portage Boys & Girls Club on Friday, July 24, 2026, are from. (Doug Ross/for the Post-Tribune)

Peace Run stops in Portage on 10,000-mile journey across USA

July 27, 2026 at 1:51 p.m.

Members of the Portage Boys & Girls Club learned that peace isn’t just something that happens between nations. It begins within each of us.

Heavy equipment sits in the background near the employee parking site at a data center construction site on Royal Road in Michigan City Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. A new study on data center economics funded by the Northwest Indiana Forum shows hyperscale data centers have an outsized impact on the local economy. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

New study: Data centers have big economic impact on area

July 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

A new study on data center economics shows hyperscale data centers have outsized impact on the local economy.

Portage’s Founders Square, pictured on Friday, June 7, 2024. (Doug Ross/for the Post-Tribune)

Portage RDC to repackage Halas Harbor site on city’s north side

July 25, 2026 at 2:09 p.m.

Now that the Chicago Bears have scorned Portage’s bid to build a stadium, the Redevelopment Commission will repackage the site for other developers.

Valparaiso Community Schools administration building, 3801 N. Campbell St. (Amy Lavalley/Post-Tribune)

Valparaiso school contract puts former superintendent on retainer

July 24, 2026 at 11:01 a.m.

Former Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Jim McCall is on a $3,000-a-month contract to advise new Superintendent Brian Smith.

Illinois Railway Museum President Zachary Ehlers, left, discusses Illinois Central car 1380, built by Pullman in 1926, to Cesar Guajardo, of Calumet City, Illinois state legislative representative for the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. “This is the only intact set from the electrification in 1926,” Ehlers said. The museum plans to run the cars in September. They were purchased for $3,000 in summer 1972 after they were retired that March. (Doug Ross/for the Post-Tribune)

South Shore Line energized by Illinois Central’s electrification 100 years ago

July 23, 2026 at 1:31 p.m.

This weekend’s Pullman Railroad Days marks a celebration of a century-old decision that brought about a boom in ridership for the South Shore Line.

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