Today: Northwest Indiana activist Ruth Needleman is back in the studio to talk about a Friday mid-morning vigil at the parking lot of the Gary-Chicago International Airport to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights of undocumented immigrants out of the region. ICE brings them into the Airport from Kankakee, under a compact with the city signed years ago by two former mayors. Needleman also talks about plans by the Gary Common Council to support those affected by ICE's efforts to lead detainees toward deportation.
Ruth also has an update about the efforts in the Indiana General Assembly to deal with the Gary Community Schools's financial problems -- and another change proposed to the bill authored by Senator Eddie Melton (D-Merrillville).
Lakeshore Public Radio's Steven Lattimore has a look at the ArtHouse culinary incubator in Gary. It's a project started by Theaster Gates, and supported by a Knight Cities Challenge grant, that gives Gary residents a chance to learn how to start a business and to succeed at it.
Tom Pappas with the city of Portage veterans' committee is also in the studio to talk about the next committee meeting, scheduled for Tuesday evening, and the topics of discussion. One of the topics is homeless veterans in Porter County and the need to support the organizations that can, in turn, help find homes for the homeless. Tom also talks more about the impact of the Veterans Choice program on northwest Indiana veterans who need health care but live too far from the VA facilities in Crown Point and Chicago.
