Gaynette Ford remembers the day she danced in the street. After years of living next to a crumbling drug house, where strangers loitered, and needles littered the ground, she had all but given up on getting it torn down. Then, one afternoon, she came home to a sight she never expected: a demolition crew leveling […]
Rayonna Burton-Jernigan
Rayonna Burton-Jernigan is the Business and Economic Development reporter for Capital B Gary.
Posted inExtreme Weather, Public Safety, Utilities
Shaken Gary Residents Dig Out After Tornado Touches Down in Region
Toppled power lines. Caved-in roofs. Lumbering trees crashed into the Earth. And residents left stunned. These were just a few of the images greeting Gary this morning after a tornado whipped through the city Wednesday evening, devastating dozens of homes in the Tolleston neighborhood and leaving thousands of Northwest Indiana residents without power. By Thursday […]
Posted inArts, Community, Education
Gary Native PeQue Empowers Youth Through Art
As temperatures rise in Gary, so too is residents’ desire to push the city in a brighter direction. To that end, one avenue for change is being honed in our youngest citizens: through art. World-renowned artist PeQue, a Gary native whose murals have honored figures like Kobe Bryant and Kamala Harris, returned home — not […]
Posted inBusiness, Economic Development, Local Government
‘This Is the Right Time’: Melton Pushes for Convention Center in Gary
Chatter bounced off the high ceilings of St. Timothy’s Church on Thursday as hundreds of Lake County residents filled the pews, waiting for an answer to a question that has stirred both hope and doubt: Could Gary become home to the long-awaited Lake County Convention Center? With the decision narrowed to two locations, Hard Rock […]
Posted inCommunity, Culture, Education
Gary Students Learn From Harlem’s Finest at Dance Workshop
“And five, six, seven, eight!” Warming up to the tunes of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” and James Brown’s “Super Bad” with stretches and steps, a room full of Gary students gathered in the student of Indiana University Northwest to boogie down with a few of Harlem’s best dancers. The Dance Theatre of Harlem, a […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Politics & Policy
Gary’s $12M Revamp: Tearing Down the Past, Building the Future
Gary is tearing down the past to build its future. With $12 million in state, private, and federal funding, Gary’s demolition and redevelopment efforts are already underway, with the first structures coming this year as the city works to clear unsafe buildings, attract businesses, and reshape downtown. The first phase will target abandoned properties in […]
Posted inEducation, Youth
‘Good Guys Don’t Bully’: The Former Gary Teen Who’s Protecting Kids Online
At 13 years old, Terrence “TJ” Harvey has already learned how cruel the world can be. The taunts came first. Name-calling, teasing, the kind of juvenile insults meant to wound but possible to ignore. Then, the physical harassment. And then, the shame. One day, something private — something never meant to be shared — was […]
Posted inEconomic Development
What to Know About Commercial Flights Returning to Gary’s Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport is making strides toward bringing back commercial passenger flights. Since 2020, the airport has primarily served as a hub for cargo, corporate, and private flights. For many residents, commercial passenger service has been absent since 2013, forcing travelers to fly out of Chicago or other nearby cities — taking potential revenue away […]
Posted inBusiness, Money, Politics & Policy
As TikTok Faces Ban, Gary’s Creators Push to Keep the City in Focus
Erik Roberts films a TikTok video, his phone capturing the details of a refurbished home perched on a hill in Gary, as a hip-hop beat pulses in the background. Over the past three years, the real estate agent-turned-influencer has built a following by showcasing the city’s potential, connecting first-time buyers to affordable homes, and reshaping […]
Posted inBusiness, Community Spotlight, Economy
Shoe Repairman in Gary Restores Community, One Sole at a Time
A quiet, cold air settled over the nearly abandoned shopping center in Gary, broken only by the faint creak of a door and the muted sounds of its lone open shop. Down the hallway, the squeak of worn soles echoed as customers hurried toward Anthony Rayford’s shoe repair shop, where he worked alone. “It’s a […]
