Today: Merrillville Town Councilman and Plan Commission member Shawn Pettit is in the studio to talk about White Lodging's $350 million mixed-use development that is now called "The Farms at Crossroad Commons." The company plans to build hotels, event spaces, restaurants and office space on the land at I-65 and U.S. 30 where the Radisson Hotel, Star Plaza Theatre and Twin Towers office complex stood. Hundreds of construction jobs and 1,000 direct and indirect jobs will reportedly be provided in the development. Shawn gives us some behind-the-scenes views on the work leading up to the big announcement -- including how the "public" in the public-private partnership will cover its share of the costs for such a major project.
We also bring you another conversation from the Welcome Project at Valparaiso University. The Welcome Project collects first-person stories and pairs these with intentional conversations to help forge stronger ties within and across our communities. Today, it's a personal view of a young Region resident. IPBS reporter Brandon Smith also continues his conversations with candidates for Indiana Secretary of State in the upcoming general election, and this time, it's Jim Harper of Valparaiso.
