In late July, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin appeared at an auto dealership in Indianapolis, just three hours away from the smoke stacks of the nation’s largest integrated steel mill, to unveil “one of the largest deregulation efforts in U.S. history.” It’s just one of the latest slashes to environmental safeguards affecting industrial communities […]
Jenae Barnes
Jenae Barnes is Capital B Gary's health and environment reporter. You can reach Jenae at jenae.barnes@capitalbnews.org.
Posted inHealth
West Nile Virus Found in Lake County, Health Department Confirms
The Lake County Health Department announced Thursday it had received confirmation of West Nile virus in Northwest Indiana. The news comes a few days after the state’s first West Nile virus case this year, found in a Vanderburgh County resident. The Indiana Department of Health said that several of its mosquito surveillance trap samples tested […]
Posted inUnsafe Water
E. Coli Found in Gary Beaches, but Officials Say Risk Is Low
Kenyon Pool spent a recent July afternoon at Gary’s Lake Street Beach with his two children, having made the drive from Hammond to enjoy the summer weather. “It’s a nice day, so I wanted to let them get out and enjoy the water,” he said. But Pool said he doesn’t know how to check for […]
Posted inExtreme Weather
Hotter Days, Higher Electric Bills: How Climate Change Is Impacting Gary
Climate change is causing significant and far-reaching impacts on the Great Lakes region, a new study finds. Gary is no exception. As triple-digit temperatures bring record-breaking heatwaves to the area, and higher electricity bills, a new report shows how hot it is now and predicts how much worse things could get. Since 1951, annual average […]
Posted inCommunity, Health
With Food Aid at Risk, Meals on Wheels Steps Up in Gary
Bap, bap ba ba bap – bap bap. Around 1 p.m. on a recent Thursday afternoon, 90-year-old Sophia Vann heard a knock on her front door. Standing on the steps of the longtime Gary resident’s Miller home was a very familiar face: former Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, holding a lunch bag filled with food. This […]
Posted inPublic Services, Utilities
Electric Bills Rise Again, and Northwest Indiana Residents Say They’ve Had Enough
As triple-digit temperatures gripped Northwest Indiana this summer during a national heatwave, cities opened cooling centers and residents cranked up their air conditioners to stay safe. Days later, the region’s primary utility company hiked its electricity rates to a record high. Northern Indiana Public Service Co., the state’s largest natural gas and second-largest electric company, […]
Posted inArts, Community, Culture
Gary’s Jackson 5 Mural: It’s Bigger. It’s Better. And It’s Back.
In 2013, when the first Jackson 5 mural was unveiled in downtown Gary, it became one of the most beloved pieces of public art in the city. But over time, it gradually deteriorated and the building was torn down in 2018. Now, over a decade later, the mural has been reborn on Lake Street. Commissioned […]
Posted inHealth
Lake County’s Free HIV Testing Effort Aims to Reduce Stigma & Save Lives
Talking about HIV – It’s uncomfortable. It’s necessary. It’s lifesaving. The Lake County Health Department, in partnership with HIV awareness group The Aliveness Project, is offering free HIV testing to Lake County residents in recognition of National HIV Testing Day on June 27. The effort comes at a time when testing remains uneven, stigma persists […]
Posted inExtreme Weather
Where to Find Gary Cooling Centers During This Weekend’s Heat Wave
As the city enjoys Juneteenth celebrations and block parties, residents are urged to take precaution during a regional heat wave that is expected to last through the weekend’s festivities. A heat wave poised to smother the region with near-triple-digit heat could make weekend events hazardous for anyone outdoors too long. The National Weather Service issued […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight
She Was Born and Raised in Gary. Now, She’s Bound for the Skies.
Trinity Hobbs, a 24-year-old flight attendant from Gary, remembers the excitement she felt when she got her conditional job offer from American Airlines. “I feel very accomplished, because now I have an actual career where I get to enjoy life and get to help others enjoy life as well. So I’m very blessed. I feel […]