Music flowed through the hallway at Indiana University Northwest’s Savannah Center as residents walked in with folders in hand and questions on their minds. As the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Drumline played classic hits to introduce the evening’s speakers, Gary welcomed a program with a clear objective: to bridge the housing gap in the Black […]
Money
Posted inBusiness, Community Spotlight
Biscuits and Breaking Barriers: How J’s Breakfast Club Brings People Together
This story originally published Oct. 31, 2025 The restaurant was still. Midday light slipped through the windows of J’s Breakfast Club on 26th Avenue and Broadway Avenue. In the back office, Joslyn Kelly sat at her desk, as the soft rustle of her staff moving in and out of the kitchen carried through the restaurant. […]
Posted inBusiness, Money
Council Passes City Budget, Hits Pause on Sewer Rate Hike
Gary’s 2026 budget is slightly smaller than last year’s, but it shifts more money into key departments and adds new workers as part of a broader reorganization of city services. The $65.5 million general fund, the city’s primary fund for day-to-day operations, is down about $725,000 from 2025, yet income, public safety, and infrastructure funds […]
Posted inBusiness, Economic Development
‘Just The Beginning’: Gary Breaks Ground on $60 Million FedEx Distribution Center
Less than six months after announcing its arrival during his State of the City address, Mayor Eddie Melton christened what will become Gary’s new FedEx distribution center. Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony at 1 Buffington Harbor, which took place even as crews were at work on the 317,000-square foot facility, was attended by officials from every level […]
Posted inBusiness, Health
Fears Swirl in Gary as Post Suggests Only Walgreens Could Be Closing
When a Facebook video suggested that Gary’s only Walgreens pharmacy might be closing, alarm spread quickly in the comments. Residents fretted about where they would fill prescriptions if the store at West 25th Avenue and Grant Street disappeared. Capital B Gary reached out to the chain’s parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, about the rumor, and […]
Posted inEconomy
How Gary Decides Its City Budget and When Residents Get a Say
Every fall, Gary leaders hash out one of the most important plans of the year: the city budget. It decides how much money goes to things like police, fire, streets, parks, and keeping the lights on at City Hall. For the past three years, the city’s budget has been inflated by American Rescue Plan Act […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, Local Government
Health Inspectors Threatened as Gary Cracks Down on Unsafe Food Businesses
In the wake of multiple temporary store closures following a wave of citywide health inspections, the City of Gary and the Gary Police Department confirmed today that the Gary Health Department received a threatening phone call directed toward its inspectors. “This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Gary Police Chief […]
Posted inBusiness, Health
Mold, Mice, and Dirty Floors: Inside Gary’s Food Inspection Records
When Gary shut down neighborhood groceries and restaurants in recent weeks, city officials described the move as a sweeping crackdown to raise health and safety standards. Residents applauded the crackdown as a long overdue step toward holding local stores and restaurants to higher standards, while some expressed concern about losing food access. Now, inspection records […]
Posted inBusiness, Economic Development
Broadway’s Historic Fabric Store Still Thriving After Four Decades
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. The bell above the door rang as customers walked through the large fabric store that offered everything from buttons for a suit to T-shirts for a dance team. “How […]
Posted inBusiness, Community, Culture
From One Chair to a City Staple: This Gary Barbershop Is Keeping Tradition Alive
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 […]