Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr.

"The Hammond police have been sent on wild goose chases because of the internet news that's not right," Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. told the city council Monday.

"We've gotten to the point in Hammond now where the amount of maintenance we're doing on our roads is abysmal," Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. told the city council Monday.

During last month's Mayor's Night Out event, Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. said overdoses are Hammond's leading cause of death.

The proposed redevelopment of the Reaper's Realm site in Hammond has some residents worried about a possible increase in traffic.

"I'm a big believer in sidewalks," Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. said during Wednesday's Mayor's Night Out event. "I think everybody should have sidewalks. If we don't, we should prioritize it, but we do have financial constraints that we have to live with."

Hammond police and firefighters may soon be getting pay raises.

Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. says the outsourcing of billing is meant to improve efficiency, but some bills were delayed during the changeover.

Swanel Beverage is getting a tax abatement to expand its operations in Hammond. The company plans to spend about $7 million on a new building at the former Carpenter's Hall site on Highland Street, adding five new jobs in the process.

Dining out in Hammond may soon cost more. The city council voted Monday to adopt a one-percent food and beverage tax on restaurants.

A leadership shuffle has taken place in the city of Hammond.