Nov 7th, 2008
Speaking of Hammond, Ind., here’s a great sound bite I stumbled upon while reporting a Miller-McCune story about cities paying for college tuition. The setup is simple: it’s April, and Tom McDermott, Jr., the young mayor of Hammond, is running for re-election. But Robert A. Markovich Jr., the 18-year old son of Councilman Bob Markovich, [...]
You’re the mayor of a small city that used to be a big city, the richest residents are flocking to the suburbs, and the industries that kept everyone employed have died. So what to do? Thomas McDermott, the Gavin Newsomesque mayor of Hammond, Ind., decided to use tax revenue from riverboat casinos to pay for [...]
Sep 16th, 2008
I’m working on a story involving Hammond, Indiana, one of many Midwestern cities that’s losing population and suffering hard economic times since the decline of manufacturing during the past few decades. I end up reading the Hammond police chief’s blog. I admire his interest in transparency, and the fact that he’s embracing new technology, but [...]