A school canceled classes and environmental officials monitored the air for hazardous chemicals after a fire destroyed a small plastics factory Friday. Authorities went to about 25 homes, many of them inside a mobile home park, to warn residents the air could contain dangerous chemicals and that they should consider evacuations, said Ellis and Russ Grunden, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Shipping industry propels the region.
As mayors of the cities that line the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway band together to support protection of the waterway, John Jamian said they need to be mindful that shipping is the economic engine that propels the region. That was his message to about 150 officials convened in Gary on Thursday to discuss issues critical to the states and provinces that depend on the five Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway for their lives and livelihoods. Environmental leaders from Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces shared information Thursday about projects in their communities. The event at the Hammond Marina was part of the International Great Lakes St. Lawrence Mayors' Conference in Gary this week. The mayors here are really showing that type of commitment and I find that really impressive.