This month, in celebration of Black Business Month, Capital B Gary is publishing a series of stories highlighting businesses, business owners, and entrepreneurs in the city. At 12 years old, William “Bill” Coker came home from the barber college with a haircut he hated. Disappointed, he grabbed the clippers his mother kept in the house […]
Rayonna Burton-Jernigan
Rayonna Burton-Jernigan is the Business and Economic Development reporter for Capital B Gary.
Posted inBusiness, Community
How This Gary 4-Year-Old Turned Her Summer Dream Into Thriving Lemonade Stand
This month, in celebration of Black Business Month, Capital B Gary is publishing a series of stories highlighting businesses, business owners, and entrepreneurs in the city. Tabbitha Bogard didn’t realize her connection to the statement, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade,” until one cold February day. That’s when her 4-year-old daughter MiKailee Bogard, […]
Posted inCommunity, Events
Gary Air Show Weekend Guide: Free Shuttle, Bar Crawl, and Fighter Jets
As summer slowly comes to a close, a season full of festivals, farmers’ markets, and all-day sun, a community tradition returns this weekend. The Gary Air Show will take place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9–10, at Marquette Park. The event, which is free to the public, is expected to draw thousands of people and will […]
Posted inCommunity, Education
Gary’s Back-to-School Events: Free Supplies and Resources
As summer comes to a close and parents eagerly await the first ring of the school bell, multiple locations around Gary are hosting back-to-school events to alleviate concerns. The Gary School Corp. welcomes staff back on Aug. 1, and students return to school on Aug. 7. “Class is in session, and this lesson is all […]
Posted inCommunity, Housing
Miller Beach Short-Term Rentals Spark Concern Across Gary
On a quiet stretch of North Union Street in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood, Jason and Tanya Platt see a retirement dream. The Chicago-based couple, a pastor and his wife, hope to move in full-time eventually. But until then, they want to rent out their beachside home as a short-term rental. Their request, which was recently […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Housing
Gary Nurse Helps Bring New Life to Former Colonial Gardens Site
Leah Lewis stepped carefully over a crack in the pavement as she pointed to the remains of a crumbling home — one of several still standing on the old Colonial Gardens site. “We need to knock that one down next,” she said, motioning toward a house about 800 feet away. Six years ago, when the […]
Posted inArts, Community, History
Gary Youth Bring History to Life Through Art in ‘Greatness of Gary’ Project
The smell of pancakes filled J’s Breakfast Club as people crowded in, hoping to grab a bite to eat and catch the commotion unfolding in the back of the restaurant. A crowd of people huddled together around tables, artworks, and snacks on Sunday as Gary native and world-renowed artist PeQue prepared to unveil the monthslong […]
Posted inBusiness, Community Spotlight
A Taste of Home: Sistas with Soul Brings Soul Food to Broadway
At the corner of 13th Avenue and Broadway, the smell of a home-cooked meal wafts to the sidewalk as the doors to Sistas with Soul open. Inside, Pamela Junior stands behind the counter, greeting regulars, welcoming newcomers, and serving food. Her sister, Alici’a Junior, slips between the kitchen and dining room, frying fish in the […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Gary Pride Parade Ended Years Ago. Residents Still Feel Its Absence.
Tyona Jackson Wesley-Stitt still recalls the hot June day in 2008 when marchers swung from 25th and Adams Street onto Taft Street and claimed Gary’s first Pride parade, capping it with a family picnic at Marquette Park. She had formed Rainbow Days, a local grassroots group, two years earlier, laying the foundation for what would […]
Posted inCommunity, History
‘You Can’t Take This Melanin Away’: Gary Celebrates Juneteenth
On a hot and sunny Thursday, Gary’s Midtown neighborhood welcomed a flurry of Juneteenth flags, shirts, and camaraderie as community members gathered to celebrate the holiday. Chants, laughter, and music filled the air as the parade celebrated the Black holiday. “It’s so nice that the weather opened up,” said one parade attendee as she danced […]