Gary’s Common Council dealt primarily with zoning issues during its meeting in July. As a result, two new auto dealerships have been greenlighted for Fifth Avenue on the city’s West Side. Starting today, the council will address short-term rentals in the Miller neighborhood as it issues a final vote today on the rezoning of a […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inElections, Health, Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, Mental Health, Politics & Policy
New Indiana Laws Could Strip Health Coverage, Voting Access in Gary
New state laws that took effect July 1 are drawing attention across Indiana, particularly in places like Gary, where access to health care and the ballot box is already uneven. In a city like Gary, where voter turnout is often low and civic trust is fragile, the new laws raise the stakes ahead of the […]
Posted inCommunity, Local Government
Love Your Block Grants Help Gary Residents Rebuild Their Neighborhoods
At 2109 Adams St. in Gary, a small community park is coming back to life not just with flowers and fences, but with purpose. A stage, once overlooked, will soon host spoken word events. A newly paved path leads into the city’s first handicap-accessible community garden, surrounded by a safety fence built with children and […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Gary Residents Could Soon Be Free From Vehicle Emissions Testing
After years of debate, Gary residents may soon see an end to the every-other-year vehicle emissions testing that’s long been required in Lake and Porter counties, thanks to a push state lawmakers are making to end it. The policy, a holdover from decades-old federal air quality regulations, has disproportionately impacted working-class residents in Northwest Indiana. […]
Posted inEducation, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
Money for Indiana After-School Programs, Professional Development in Limbo After Trump Freeze
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. An estimated $107 million in federal funds to support after-school programs, academic enrichment, English language learners, and more in Indiana are in limbo following a decision by the Trump administration to withhold the funding as it completes a program review. States […]
Posted inLocal Government, Politics & Policy
July 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
Gary officials will tackle zoning changes, paid parking at the lakefront, and long-planned park upgrades during meetings throughout July. The city’s infrastructure remains a focus as officials advance upgrades to pump stations and other critical systems.The Common Council’s first meeting of July will be held at the Gary Public Library on Fifth Avenue, temporarily moving […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Housing, Politics & Policy, Redevelopment
A Walkable, Mixed-Use Future : Inside the Plan to Rebuild Gary’s Downtown
What began as an opportunity last summer for Gary residents to share their hopes and conceptions for a reimagined downtown has become an in-depth master plan produced by the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture in partnership with the city. After weeks of talking with neighbors and months of behind-the-scenes preparations, the final blueprint […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics & Policy
$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 […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
AG Misinterprets Civil Rights Law in Request That Schools Turn Over DEI Data, Critics Say
This story was originally published by the Indiana Citizen. Last week, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita made public letters his office sent to Butler and DePauw universities alleging that the schools’ diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives may be violating state and federal civil rights statutes, but some legal experts say the state’s top lawyer is […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services
June 2025 Public Meeting Schedule for Gary
After voting in April to go forward with a zoning change to the Beckman School property, the Gary Common Council last month overrode a pocket veto from Mayor Eddie Melton that would have blocked the change. The 6-3 vote cleared the way for an industrial business to move into the Midtown neighborhood site near 23rd […]