In the News
Energy costs, tariffs and other financial issues are putting the squeeze on farmers, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan was told Wednesday.
Mrvan, D-Highland, convened his newly created Agriculture Advisory Council in Crown Point to get input from experts in their fields.
“I wanted to have real-life conversations on the fed government and how it’s impacting farming and the ability to produce,” Mrvan said.
President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China caused China to buy soybeans elsewhere, a major blow to U.S. farmers.
Indiana farmers have been heavily impacted by rising costs, trade disputes and the Trump administration's tariffs.
On Wednesday, they explained their concerns to Rep. Frank Mrvan, seeking help in thinking about policies that could make a difference.
In Crown Point, Mrvan hosted the first meeting of the Agriculture Advisory Council for his district, which spans the northwestern corner of Indiana. The council brings together a variety of farmers, producing foodstuffs from corn to pork to vegetables.
Mayor Eddie Melton issued a strong endorsement of U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan’s legislative efforts on Tuesday, January 27, crediting the congressman with securing nearly $2 million in critical federal investments for the City of Gary in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement with BP and the Atlantic Richfield Company to clean up two sections of the heavily contaminated Grand Calumet River in East Chicago.
The EPA, BP, Atlantic Richfield and the East Chicago Waterway Management District will work on a $200 million project to remove more than 24,000 cubic yards of sediment from the bottom of the river, which runs through the heavy industry in East Chicago's Indiana Harbor neighborhood.
Abandoned school buildings have been among the biggest thorns in Gary’s side, standing as hulking reminders of decline.
While some buildings have been torn down, the scale of the problem has continued to grow faster than funding to address it.
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-1st, has announced the inclusion of his Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Community Project Funding requests for Indiana’s First Congressional District for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 in the final House-approved appropriations measure.
The measure is now expected to be approved by the Senate and signed into law by the President in the coming days.
Mrvan stated that he believes the federal government has a responsibility to stand with all communities across Northwest Indiana.
Two Gary projects, including the demolition of an elementary school that’s been closed for 17 years, were included in U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan’s Transportation and Housing Community Project Funding requests approved Thursday by the U.S. House.
The measure moves next to the U.S. Senate for consideration and then to President Trump’s desk, if it’s passed.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on Thursday, announced that it has agreed to commit more than $200 million to clean up two sites in the Grand Calumet River area of concern.
The EPA will be joined by Atlantic Richfield Company, BP Products North America and the East Chicago Waterway Management District, according to a news release. The organizations will clean up contaminated sediments at Lake George Canal and Junction Reaches project areas in Northwest Indiana.
Congressmen, steel company CEOs, union leaders and others in the steel industry outlined threats they believe the steel industry continues to face at the Congressional Steel Caucus's State of the Steel Industry hearing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Industry leaders and politicians from both parties discussed the importance of maintaining tariffs and other trade protections amid a global glut of steelmaking overcapacity.
In northwest Indiana, Indiana U.S. Representative Frank J. Mrvan on Friday January 9, 2026, announced the inclusion of his law enforcement Community Project Funding requests for Indiana’s First Congressional District for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 in the final House-approved appropriations measure. They include police departments across Lake, Porter, and La Porte counties.