Posted inElections, Health, Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, Mental Health, Politics & Policy

New Indiana Laws Could Strip Health Coverage, Voting Access in Gary

New state laws that took effect July 1 are drawing attention across Indiana, particularly in places like Gary, where access to health care and the ballot box is already uneven.  In a city like Gary, where voter turnout is often low and civic trust is fragile, the new laws raise the stakes ahead of the […]

Posted inHealth, Mental Health, News

Gary Launches Behavioral Health Division, Awarding $900K to 10 Local Health Organizations

Gary is launching a new Behavioral Health Division and awarding $900,000 in grants to local organizations, marking a major step in the city’s effort to expand access to mental health and addiction services. At a press conference on Thursday, Mayor Eddie Melton announced the new division along with the recipients of the funding while highlighting […]

Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy

Gary Residents Could Soon Be Free From Vehicle Emissions Testing

After years of debate, Gary residents may soon see an end to the every-other-year vehicle emissions testing that’s long been required in Lake and Porter counties, thanks to a push state lawmakers are making to end it.  The policy, a holdover from decades-old federal air quality regulations, has disproportionately impacted working-class residents in Northwest Indiana. […]

Posted inEducation, Youth

Pre-K Access Shrinks in Lake County and Gary as State Cuts Budget 

Lake County families are bracing for the fallout of major cuts to Indiana’s On My Way Pre-K, the state’s first full-scale preschool program for low-income 4-year-olds, which advocates warn could severely limit access to early childhood education in communities already struggling with inequity. The program allows families to use state vouchers at participating public and […]

Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy

July 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary

Gary officials will tackle zoning changes, paid parking at the lakefront, and long-planned park upgrades during meetings throughout July. The city’s infrastructure remains a focus as officials advance upgrades to pump stations and other critical systems.The Common Council’s first meeting of July will be held at the Gary Public Library on Fifth Avenue, temporarily moving […]

Posted inEconomic Development, Housing, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment

A Walkable, Mixed-Use Future : Inside the Plan to Rebuild Gary’s Downtown

What began as an opportunity last summer for Gary residents to share their hopes and conceptions for a reimagined downtown has become an in-depth master plan produced by the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture in partnership with the city.  After weeks of talking with neighbors and months of behind-the-scenes preparations, the final blueprint […]

Posted inEconomy, Politics & Policy

$15B Nippon Steel Deal Is Completed, Bringing Hope and Uncertainty to Gary

After more than a year of off-again, on-again negotiation talks, Nippon Steel’s $15 billion acquisition of American staple U.S. Steel has officially been completed, according to releases from both companies.  The details for Gary could be transformative. Nippon’s leadership has already earmarked at least $1 billion for Gary Works, including a rebuild of the aging […]

Posted inCommunity Spotlight

Restoration Project Brings New Life to Hatcher Park and Marshalltown Marsh

Glimmers of the evening sun shining through the trees gave Vertis Shirley all the light she needed to catch a glimpse of a gray catbird through her binoculars.  “Right there on that tiny little branch,” said Kayla Lindsey-Fisher, senior stewardship associate for Audubon Great Lakes, as she directed Shirley’s attention to the spot where the […]

Gift this article