Editing Gary, Indiana (section)

===Recent history===
Gary has closed 21 public schools.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.salina.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/19/21-abandoned-gary-schools-add/21158859007/|title=21 abandoned Gary schools add to urban decay|work=Salina Journal|date=July 19, 2015|author=Marc Chase}}</ref> While some school buildings have been reused, most remain unused since closing. As of 2014, Gary is considering closing additional schools in response to budget deficits.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carlson|first=Carole|title=Gary ponders closing schools to save money|url=http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/25659467-418/gary-ponders-closing-schools-to-save-money.html|access-date=April 1, 2014|newspaper=Post Tribute|date=February 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714104642/http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/25659467-418/gary-ponders-closing-schools-to-save-money.html|archive-date=July 14, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="For sale: 11 schools, slightly used in Gary">{{cite web|last=Kirk|first=Chelsea|title=For sale: 11 schools, slightly used in Gary|url=http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=77&ArticleID=54914|publisher=Indiana Economic Digest|access-date=April 1, 2014|archive-date=June 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624190902/http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=77&ArticleID=54914|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Gary Chief of Police Thomas Houston was convicted of excessive force and abuse of authority in 2008; he died in 2010 while serving a three-year, five-month federal prison sentence.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/September/08-crt-870.html #08-870: Gary, Indiana Former Police Chief Convicted on Federal Civil Rights Violation (September 30, 2008)]. Justice.gov. Retrieved on March 22, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Former Gary police chief dies |first=Marisa|last=Kwiatkowski |newspaper=[[The Times of Northwest Indiana]] |date=November 27, 2010 |url=http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/former-gary-police-chief-dies/article_0461522b-fd2b-5caa-ae27-664ac54da596.html |access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref>

In April 2011, 75-year-old mayor [[Rudolph M. Clay]] announced that he would suspend his campaign for reelection as he was being treated for prostate cancer. He endorsed rival [[Karen Freeman-Wilson]], who won the Democratic mayoral primary in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/gary-indiana-mayor-rudy-c_n_846785.html |title=Gary, Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay Not Seeking Re-Election Due To Illness |publisher=HuffPost |access-date=April 25, 2012 |first=Will |last=Guzzardi |date=April 8, 2011}}</ref> Freeman-Wilson won election with 87 percent of the vote and her term began in January 2012; she is the first woman elected mayor in the city's history.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/freeman-wilson-wins-handily-in-race-for-gary-mayor/|title=Freeman-Wilson Wins Handily In Race For Gary Mayor|work=CBS News|date=November 9, 2011}}</ref> She was reelected in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianavoters.in.gov/ENRHistorical/ElectionResults?year=2015|title=Indiana Voters|website=indianavoters.in.gov|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> She was defeated in her bid for a third term in the 2019 Democratic primary by Lake County Assessor [[Jerome Prince (politician)|Jerome Prince]]. Since no challengers filed for the November 2019 general election, Prince's nomination was effectively tantamount to election. He officially succeeded Freeman-Wilson on January 1, 2020, two days after being sworn in as the city's 21st mayor on December 30, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jerome Prince Defeats Incumbent to Win Gary, Indiana in Democratic Primary |website=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 13, 2019 |url=https://apnews.com/da3bb1f486fbe75e830554d1a93270ca |access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Prince sworn in as city's 21st mayor; Gary's problems are 'fixable,' he says|date=December 30, 2019 |url=https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prince-sworn-in-as-city-s-st-mayor-gary-s/article_2e78d1ca-5c30-530a-9201-32d1105173f3.html |access-date=December 31, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2021, a $300 million [[Hard Rock Cafe#Casinos and hotels|Hard Rock Casino]] location opened in the city. Branded as Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the location includes memorabilia from local natives [[Jackson 5]] and a 1,950-seat Hard Rock Live performance hall.<ref>{{cite news |title=New $300 million casino opens in northwestern Indiana |url=https://apnews.com/article/il-state-wire-indiana-business-entertainment-music-353705ba604099ec7e2cd834f9e5bd05 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |work=Associated Press |date=May 15, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>