American Rescue Plan

The Valparaiso City Council has approved the first round of American Rescue Plan spending. The bulk of the $750,000 appropriation will cover premium pay for city employees who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Architects continue working on renovation plans for the Memorial Opera House, but funding remains uncertain. Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney says she's met virtually with the architect and hopes to have renderings to present soon.

Gary City Council members continue to voice concerns with Mayor Jerome Prince's administration's plans for federal COVID-19 money. The Ways and Means Committee recently reviewed a proposed ordinance allocating American Rescue Plan funds for various equipment needs. But council members questioned whether some of the items — like half a million dollars to upgrade the mayor's office — really provided the biggest benefit for Gary residents.

Merrillville property owners can get up to $10,000 to upgrade their buildings. The town is using funding from the American Rescue Plan to offer Residential & Business Improvement grants.

The Portage City Council is narrowing the list of projects to receive American Rescue Plan funding. The city has already spent more than $364,000 dollars and allocated another $800,000. On Tuesday, Council Member Scott Williams presented a plan for the other $7.2 million Portage expects to get.

The Valparaiso City Council has approved a plan for the city's American Rescue Plan funds. But the fact that more than 60-percent of the $7.7 million would go toward acquiring land for future park facilities drew opposition from residents.

Who gets to decide how to spend St. John's share of federal COVID money was the topic of a debate during Wednesday's town council meeting. St. John expects to get about $4 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. is touting the city's efforts to add housing and clean up the environment, thanks to federal COVID-19 money.

"Times" chief political reporter Dan Carden is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about his stories on the end of the 2022 General Assembly session. A city councilmember from South Bend was the only northern Indiana city official to participate in the National League of Cities "Congressional City Conference" in Washington, D.C. and we'll learn more from Lori Hamman about the details of the American Rescue Plan Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — funds which are coming back into communities to help recover from the pandemic. And we'll hear from a former TV news anchor who is living with epilepsy and is helping others these days.

"Times" chief political reporter Dan Carden is on "Regionally Speaking" to talk about his stories on the end of the 2022 General Assembly session. A city councilmember from South Bend was the only northern Indiana city official to participate in the National League of Cities "Congressional City Conference" in Washington, D.C. and we'll learn more from Lori Hamman about the details of the American Rescue Plan Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — funds which are coming back into communities to help recover from the pandemic. And we'll hear from a former TV news anchor who is living with epilepsy and is helping others these days.