Today: The Valparaiso-based Center for Workforce Innovations' adult education program is helping northwest Indiana residents who don't have high school diplomas work toward their High School Equivalency certificates. We talk to one of the program's latest graduates and with her teacher on "Regionally Speaking." The young woman's led a tough life, but is working hard to turn it all around now. We bring back our conversation with U.S. Army (Afghan War) veteran and Dyer resident Chris McClanathan

Today: Karina Donayre with the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants, advocates for immigrants and their families, is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about the shift of some detainees from Illinois county jails serving as ICE detention centers. Some immigrants are being released, but others are merely shifted from one county jail into another and remain in detention. Neil Samahon, the president and CEO of Opportunity Enterprises in Porter County, talks about the organization's expansion

Today: Bill Moreau, the co-founder of the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation and publisher of "The Indiana Citizen" online newsletter, is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-partisan platform that is dedicated to inceasing the number of Hoosiers engaged and informed about civic matters. The "Citizen's" main topic right now is political boundary redistricting. We also revisit our conversation with activist and film producer Peter Samuelsen, the organizer of a

Today: On this special edition of "Regionally Speaking," we have three conversations on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. State Rep. Ed Soliday of Valparaiso was an executive with United Airlines when the terrorists commandeered and flew aircraft into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a jetliner that crashed into a field outside Shanksville, PA on 9-11-01. He recalls the events which followed. Two of the four hijacked aircraft were United Airlines flights.

Today: Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about Thursday evening's Hohman Avenue Redesign Project public meeting at the HUB of Innovation. The first phase of the project will slow down traffic on Hohman Avenue and make the historic downtown district more conducive for future development. (pictured is a planners' conception of part of the Hohman Avenue area, from the city's historic downtown Hammond master plan). Mayor McDermott will also talk about other city

Today: Heather Ennis with the Northwest Indiana Forum is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about the economic development initiatives that her organization is conducting along with the READI program supported by Governor Eric Holcomb (he's seen here being escorted into the Indiana Dunes State Park Pavilion for his visit on Aug. 24). We also bring back our conversation with the leaders of the Lake Area United Way and the United Way of Porter County about their impending merger. And we have another

Today: Ivy Tech Community College Valparaiso campus Chancellor Aco Sikoski is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about the launch of a broadband SEAL program which will give students an opportunity to learn skills that can lead to new jobs in new technologies in fiber optics and related fields. Indiana state officials are promoting programs like this one, to boost high-tech employment in northwest Indiana. The state of Indiana's Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship Certificates is

Today: Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy is back on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about his city: the latest action by the City Council to deal with issues like properties which become public nuisances -- in particular, too many police calls -- and establishment of the new Youth Council, along with updates on street repaving projects. We also bring back our conversation with Foster Success president-CEO Maggie Stevens about a recent study and its report issued in partnership with the Indiana

Today: We speak with Dyer resident and U.S. Army veteran Chris McClanathan who – like many veterans – is doing his best to get an Afghan, who was an interpreter with him while on-duty in northern Afghanistan in 2011, out of the country (along with his family) as the Taliban take over the country. We have another conversation from the Welcome Project at Valparaiso University, with another viewpoint on the city of Gary. And we also talk with Gary attorney Tracy Coleman, and two of her clients,

Today: Gary Community School Corp. manager Dr. Paige McNulty is on "Regionally Speaking" with an update on how the school district has done as the new school year gets underway, including on the needed repairs to some buildings to deal with the (physcially) hot beginning to a new year. The creators of a new documentary on the late PBS painter Bob Ross talk about the new program, now streaming online. And Julia Vaughn with the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission talks about the public