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 […]
Money
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Congressional Visit to Gary Spotlights Urgent Need for Workforce Training in Northwest Indiana
U.S. Reps. Frank Mrvan, Gary’s representative in the U.S. House, and Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, hosted a workforce development roundtable Wednesday in Gary focused on expanding federal investment in job training and education. Held at the United Steelworkers Local 1066 union hall, the discussion brought together union leaders, educators, and nonprofits from across Northwest Indiana to […]
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 […]
$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 […]

