LOWELL – The Indiana Grand Kankakee Marsh Restoration Project has been named the November Innovator of the Month by the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana. The project has acquire, restored and enhanced 22,786 acres across eight counties. About 100 years ago, the Kankakee River in Indiana was dredged and the Grande Marsh wetlands drained. […]

VALPARAISO – Two Northwest Indiana environmental organizations, the Hoosier Environmental Council and the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation, have merged. The two will operate at the Hoosier Environmental Council. Executive Director Jesse Kharbanda said the merger made sense because there was a lot of overlap in what the two organizations did. The organization works to educate

PORTAGE – William H. Cummins has been named president and CEO of HealtheACCESS Clinics LLC. Cummins is currently chief executive officer for Regency Hospitals in Northwest Indiana, which has facilities in Portage and East Chicago. Previously, he was CEO for Porter Hospital in Valparaiso. He takes over for Donald E. Kiger, who becomes chairman of

MERRILLVILLE – The Regional Development Co. held its annual meeting recently at Gamba’s Ristorante in Merrillville. The meeting, the RDC reported that its fiscal year ended with 32 approved loans for $11.7 million. The loans helped produce $33.6 million in project dollars in leveraged investment and created 224 jobs. “We have seen great growth in

MICHIGAN CITY – During the annual meeting of the Save the Dunes Council, long-time board member Charlotte Read announced her retirement. She was the organization’s first executive director. “Charlotte Read is a legend in the environmental community in Northwest Indiana,” said Executive Director Nicole Barker. “She and her husband Herb have accomplished more for the

PORTAGE – John Swanson, executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, has been named president of the Indiana Association of Regional Councils. The IARC provides a statewide voice for Indiana’s 14 regional planning agencies. Swanson is the first from Northwest Indiana to head the state organization. NIRPC represents government agencies and municipalities in

GARY – Tony Walker, a lawyer practicing in Gary, has been named to the Indiana State Board of Education by Gov. Mitch Daniels. Walker’s term expires in 2014. The board includes members from each of the state’s congressional districts. Walker also is president of the Gary Library Board.