Brian A. Howey

MICHIGAN CITY — When my sons were little, we used to climb Mount Baldy, where I advised them of two choices in life. Look north, and there's 380 miles of deep blue Lake Michigan representing unfettered freedom. Look south, and there's the Indiana State Penitentiary with much starker options.

Last December Gov. Eric Holcomb joined Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch on stage before the Northwest Indiana Forum to begin a historic transfer. The state would be giving the city the land where the prison had stood since 1860.

“The letter states that once the correctional facility is closed, that land will go back to Michigan City, and the mayor has agreed to sign on to that joint letter of intent to receive that land,” Holcomb said to a burst of applause as the mayor looked on. “That wil

See Full Page