In the News
Students interested in attending one or more of the nation's service academies for a no-cost college education and military career are running out of time to apply for nomination by Northwest Indiana's representative in Congress.
The office of U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, has set a 5 p.m. Nov. 3 deadline for Region high school seniors and college students to request the congressman's endorsement of their military academy application.
Congressman Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, wants U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel to receive their regular paychecks even though the federal government is otherwise shut down.
The Northwest Indiana lawmaker recently declared his support for the "Pay Our Troops Act" that would guarantee an ongoing appropriation to cover military pay and benefits until the Republican-controlled Congress and Republican President Donald Trump approve the federal spending measures required to reopen the government.
The United States is now imposing tariffs of 50% on most foreign-made steel as well as reviewing additional targeted duties.
Steelmakers and the United Steelworkers union continue to pursue trade cases to ensure that foreign steelmakers are not circumventing existing tariffs by routing the steel through other countries, or violating international trade laws, such as dumping steel at less than market value.
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 of local government, including most of the Gary Common Council, as well as U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, and Gov. Mike Braun.
As he prepared to help break ground on a new $60 million FedEx facility in Gary, Gov. Mike Braun acknowledged how important Northwest Indiana is to the rest of the state.
“The region often gets overlooked,” Braun said. “But this is going to inspire a lot of people to invest here, and it’s going to give a lot of confidence to our state government to make sure it’s a comeback, and it’s a renaissance. … We’re just getting started.”
“We’ve been seeing tremendous growth here in the North American market,” Daifuku Intralogistics America COO Clint Lasher said. “The original facility here was opened in 2019. While we always had plans to expand it, we reached maximum capacity in just a few years and needed to immediately begin planning that expansion. We had many partners that needed our services, goods, and systems for e-commerce during COVID-19 which kicked off this boom, and that growth has continued.”
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, called the expansion of Daifuku Intralogistics America Corp. “a proud day” for the area given the work and wealth the business will continue to create.
“If you look at the big picture of what this does for Hobart and Northwest Indiana, it’s a proud day,” Mrvan said.
Daifuku poured more than $35 million into expanding its Hobart factory, doubling its production capacity.
The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s comprehensive economic development strategy has been given a $70,000 boost from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
The plan, posted at nirpc.org, was adopted in May following public input sessions late last year.
According to the EDA, the funding will promote the strategy for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties by bringing the public and private sectors together to strengthen the regional economy and create more job opportunities.
Following a tour of Carmeuse’s Buffington campus in Gary, Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, expressed his gratitude for local steelworkers.
As vice-chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Mrvan said he’s dedicated to keeping the steel industry alive in Northwest Indiana.