Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. presented the city’s budget for the next fiscal year this week, with a similar budget of $170 million compared to last year’s $160 million budget. McDermott says that economic development in the city will help to offset anticipated property tax cuts coming from Senate Enrolled Act 1, emphasizing that those tax cuts are the reason the Chicago Bears are so attracted to a Hammond relocation. The city’s assessed value is estimated to be ~$3.94 billion.

In the proposed budget for the city, employees of the city will be getting a $2,500 pay bump. Investments in new sidewalks and pathways, local grants for school-aged people, public safety equipment, and more were highlighted as well. Overall, the city budget will jump by 5.2% under this proposal. A final proposal will be read at the next city council meeting. In the same meeting, Valpo City Council backed Local 12755’s push for local municipalities to urge NIPSCO for higher staffing and more robust disaster preparedness - citing the affordability crisis with utilities as a reason to expect higher level of service from the utility company.

•  Shultz Floral, a Valpo mainstay, has relocated to a new location in the more trafficked downtown area after over 50 years at their spot on Calumet Ave.

•  Ashley Stewart, a plus-sized womens clothing store, has relocated from Gary’s Village Mall to Southlake Mall in Hobart. Five other stores will be opening in Southlake Mall through the end of the year, which include: Fashion Q (women’s fashion retailer); Chi Wellness (massage and wellness center); Awkward Family Photos (a photography experience); and, Toys R Us making its return to the retail space after years of dormancy.

•  Rio’s Indoor Golf has moved locations in Valpo to their new spot at 1555 Lincolnway.

•  Hub Footwear is reopening for business in downtown Crown Point at 120 S. Main St. this weekend. Hub Footwear served the town for over 70 years, formerly known as Hub Bootery.

•  Dunes Highway landmark Depot Dogs is up for sale by its owner, who cited extensive damage suffered from the August 11th derecho as the reason he needs to step away from business. Depot Dog has served the area since 1989 and owner Derrick Bass hopes a new owner will continue to do so for many years to come.

Representatives and laborers from USW Local 1066, USW Local 2695 and USW Local 6103 rallied at the corner of 4th Ave. and Malcolm X Drive in Gary yesterday, making noise for their fight for a fair contract with U.S. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs. Contract negotiations have been ongoing since their contracts expired on September 1st, with a rolling extension keeping deliberation on the table into the future. Both parties remain distant on certain key issues, like healthcare costs passed onto the employee and working conditions.

At a gathering at Andorra Banquets on Tuesday, former South Bend mayor and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited with local Democratic leaders and activists - providing encouragement for those working to bolster voter performance ahead of November 3rd (aka, Election Day). Buttigieg said that he was amazed by how energized and active NWI potential voters were, claiming that much like others across the country, Northwest Indiana is fed up. His statements to this crowd of around 300 were echoed by local candidates like Frank J. Mrvan and Scott Houldieson.

Our news summaries are aggregated through local Facebook posts, as well as articles from local publications like the NWITimes, Chicago Tribune, GreatNewsLife and more. Our summaries are not a substitute for reading the full article. Seek out the whole picture on their websites.

On Oct. 30, 1916, National Park Service Director Stephen T. Mather held public hearings in a Chicago federal courthouse on a proposed 'Sand Dunes National Park' — a roughly 25-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline running from Miller to Michigan City. More than 400 people attended, and all 42 speakers — including landscape architect Jens Jensen and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald — spoke in favor, with no opponents. World War I shelved the plan, and it would take another 50 years before the dunes finally won federal protection as a national lakeshore.

Downtown Crown Point’s “Grand Root Mansion” is looking for its first new owners in more than 130 years. Lumberman David A. Root built the turreted Queen Anne in 1892 — the same year he founded Root Lumber Co. — for his wife Carrie and son Clayton, and the house became a setting for some of the young city’s finest social gatherings, all while staying in the Root family ever since. A five-year restoration has brought back its four-wood parquet floors (oak, maple, walnut and cherry), original 1892 copper door hardware and crystal chandeliers, and paired them with a modern chef’s kitchen. The 5-bed, ~6,800 sq ft home on 0.58 acres just off the Square is offered at $1,307,000, for sale by owner.