Rounding Up Everyone’s Good News

What we do best at Ideas in Motion Media is spread the “good news” in Northwest Indiana through our hyper-local news sites, ValpoLife.com, PortageLife.com, LaPorteCountyLife.com and NWIndianaLife.com.

But we know that not all good news in the region comes from us, as several other news organizations are able to highlight different aspects of the communities they serve through unique content. We may only be five-and-a-half months into the year, but the “good news” is already accumulating. It’s the tales about interesting people, places and events that make Northwest Indiana a vibrant region, and we’d like to continue our “good news roundup” by sharing a few of those stories.

In Michigan City, sports fans of all schools seemed to come together in March to support the Marquette High School boys basketball team, who not only won their first-ever state championship, but the first boys basketball title in Michigan City since the famed 1966 Elston High School Red Devils. Following the team throughout their historic playoff run was the Arena Sports Network, an outlet new to Northwest Indiana that is dedicated to transforming amateur sports coverage to new levels. Founder Brian Snow provided the broadcast of their title-winning triumph over Barr-Reeve High School and wrote a piece describing the Blazers’ fourth quarter comeback.

The staff of The Cityzen, the monthly newspaper run by Michigan City High School journalism students, provided us quite a few stories that highlighted the “good” at their school and in the city. Those stories include an interview between editor-in-chief Faris Daikhi and Mayor Ron Meer, who took his turn in “facing the pack;” a rundown of influential residents of Michigan City; a focus on the school’s anti-bullying club; an informational bit on Michigan City being the “Coho Capital of the World” and a profile of School Resource Officer Dion Campbell, who received the “Spirit of Leadership” award by Leadership La Porte County.

Over in Lake County, the Chicago Tribune compiled a thorough story on Chicagoans who are now more often than ever selecting Northwest Indiana cities and towns as their new homes. The Tribune's Mary Ellen Podmolik reported that two of the top five Chicagoland communities in terms of new homes being built from April, 2013 to March, 2014 were in Lake County: St. John and Crown Point.

Jerry Davich, metro columnist for The Post-Tribune, submitted stories on Northwest Indiana’s “unsung heroes,” a family honoring the life of Army Spc. John Douglas ten years after his death while serving the United States in Iraq, and a successful Vietnamese refugee getting a sample of the American dream.

The Beacher Weekly Newspaper provided their readers in late-February with an inspiring story from Editor Andrew Tallackson on a man who, after needing his leg amputated, found courage through ‘Winter’ - a world famous dolphin.

ECTV, the government channel serving the city of East Chicago, submitted a nice video highlighting MacArthur Golf Course, a spot multimedia director Steve Segura calls “a hidden gem” in the city.

The Crown Point High School student newspaper, The Inklings, was recognized statewide for their young journalism students. Sports Editor Alaa Abedeldaiem sent us several examples of good news, including pieces on a Bulldog swimmer who broke a state record, high school students getting hands-on teaching experience at the area’s elementary schools and a first place finish and state qualifier for the High School’s academic decathlon team.

We are aware these aren’t all the positive stories from this year, but it is a good sampling. We encourage all other media outlets in Northwest Indiana, Southwest Michigan and Chicago to take part in this “roundup of good” next time.