In the News

Rep. Frank J. Mrvan announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded a grant to the Indiana Department of Transportation for the Flex Road Project to improve conditions on the Borman Expressway in the Northwest Indiana region.

According to the Department of Transportation, the $127 million federal investment will implement Traffic System Management and Operations strategies to enhance travel time, reliability, safety, and decrease carbon emissions from the I-65 interchange in Gary, Indiana, to the I-294/I-80 and I-94 interchange in Illinois.

When scheduling classes for his junior year, Ronald Jackson was asked if he would like to enroll in Portage’s JAG program instead of having a study hall.

“Why not,” he thought to himself.

Jackson was unaware of the impact Jobs for America’s Graduates would have on the remainder of his high school career.

"I was a quiet, kind of skittish kid when I first started this program — I've really been able to explode my mind," said Jackson, the Portage JAG President.

Gary is a long way from being one of those charming Midwest burbs social media gushes about — but supporters can’t help imagining it will be someday.

“I believe in the Gary of the future,” said Vanessa Allen-McCloud, president of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and a longtime city resident.

“It will have nice beaches, a marina full of boats, an airport with lots of passenger and cargo air traffic, new apartments for young professionals and crowds arriving for a local festival, as well as downtown shops and restaurants,” she said.

Tyrell Frieson is described by Hammond Central's football coach Adam Hudak as a quiet leader who is a role model on and off the field.

"His leadership skills are symbolic of the person he is," Hudak said. "I'm very proud to have been his coach."

Although Frieson was the Wolves' best offensive and defensive lineman in his coach's eyes this past season, he personally prides himself for his success in the classroom. Frieson ranks in the top three of his class and proudly represents Hammond Central through the state and national program: Jobs for America's Graduates Indiana.

Indiana University Northwest celebrated its latest campus addition with a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 29.

The university’s new STEM Center, in Anderson library, serves IU Northwest and Ivy Tech students. It’s a hub designed to connect students to internships, peer mentoring and leadership roles. The center’s role is to help equip students for success in STEM fields.

The center was made possible by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic Serving Institution Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and Articulation Program.

Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) along with industrial, education, federal, and elected leaders gathered to recognize a significant grant of nearly $10 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office to support decarbonization research, development, and demonstration in the steel industry.

Northern Indiana business leaders have been working hard over the past several years to attract new, 21st century businesses and industries to our region in order to create local jobs and strengthen local economies — and with great success. Our high-quality workforce, proximity to Chicago, business-friendly tax environment, and robust existing infrastructure have all helped make this vision of economic and environmental revitalization a reality.

Rep. Frank J. Mrvan announced that a federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been awarded to the Northwest Indiana Community Action Agency (NWICA).