🌱 Patch AM: How Merrillville’s growth and Gary’s blackout reveal decades of regional neglect

Hello Merrillville! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How Merrillville's growth and Gary's blackout reveal decades of regional neglect

Also on today's calendar: September Community Blood Drive at Southlake Mall and 1 more event.

Today's riddle: What has a neck but no head? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

• Saturday: Humid with clouds and sun, with a high of 82 and low of 66 degrees.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, warm and humid, temps: high: 86, low: 68. 🌶 Hot!
• Monday: Clouds and sun; hot and humid, with a high of 92 and low of 70 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Gary, Indiana, Is America's Latest Climate Victim (prospect.org) — Massive August storms left Gary residents, especially low-income and elderly neighbors, enduring up to two weeks without power, refrigeration, or medical equipment. The piece also explains how nearby Merrillville's 1970s expansion to Gary's border reflected white flight and long-term regional disinvestment, tying today's prolonged outages to climate change, utility decisions, and decades of structural neglect across Northwest Indiana.
   

📸 Around Merrillville

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Merrillville

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Thursday September 24
• Influential Women Awards →
  Avalon Manor Banquet Center, 3550 E Lincoln Hwy, Merrillville
  4:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Sunday August 30
• Jackson St Block Party
  Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch Gary, IN 46407
  11:00 am
Tuesday September 1
• Tech Tuesday
  Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch Gary, IN 46407
  11:00 am
Thursday September 3
• September Community Blood Drive at Southlake Mall →
  2109 Southlake Mall, Merrillville
  3:00 pm

📣 Merrillville Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Saturday August 29
• Farmers Market →
  Crown Point, IN Calendar, 183 S. West St., Crown Point
  8:00 am
• AZRAEL FEST (Special Education Fundraiser) →
  Art Theater, 230 Main St, Hobart
  2:00 pm
Tuesday September 1
• Car Cruise →
  Crown Point, IN Calendar, 183 S. West St., Crown Point
  4:00 pm
Wednesday September 2
• Board of Public Works & Safety Meeting →
  Crown Point, IN Calendar, 101 N. East St., Crown Point
  11:00 am
• Board of Public Works →
  Hobart City Hall Meetings - Hobart IN 46342
  3:30 pm
• Common Council →
  Hobart City Hall Meetings - Hobart IN 46342
  6:00 pm
Thursday September 3
• Board of Zoning Appeals →
  Hobart City Hall Meetings - Hobart IN 46342
  5:30 pm
• Plan Commission →
  Hobart City Hall Meetings - Hobart IN 46342
  6:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Jont Offers a Warm Embrace to the Confused and Weary on Uplifting New Single —Sarah Wagner-Montes Read on Patch

• Chuck E. Cheese - CEC Entertainment, Inc. posted a job opening for Assistant Restaurant Manager in Merrillville. Apply here.
• Local Drayage, Inc. posted a job opening for Intermodal Biller in Merrillville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Merrillville here.

🗞 Nearby News

Hobart

• Two Hobart Men Charged After Police Allegedly Find Meth, Mice and Scattered Garbage in Home With Odor of Human Feces (regionnewssource.org)
• Valpo Unveils 2026-27 Swimming Schedule (valpoathletics.com)
• FEMA establishing disaster recovery centers in northwest Indiana (abc7chicago.com)

Crown Point

• Rockopelli Brings Music, Community and a White-Hot Night to Crown Point (gratefulweb.com)
• McColly Real Estate Featured Listing: 7535 E 103rd Avenue, Crown Point, IN 46307 (greatnews.life)

Ok Merrillville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A bottle (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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