In Business

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Regional development district touted as key to getting millions in federal cash to NWI; tourism consultant offers branding ideas for Indiana Dunes and Porter County; Gary Mayor Clay promises Jackson museum in pop star’s hometown. No chance for Chicago casinos anytime soon; strength of economic recovery unclear; report shows stimulus funds have not yet translated into jobs in Indiana. And sluggish consumer spending will likely mean ho-hum holiday shopping season; court rules in favor of Indiana casino card counters and the world’s new largest cruise ship heads to Florida from Finland after $1.5 billion of construction costs.—Pat Colander, Editor and Associate Publisher, BusINess magazine, serving Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland

BusINess story of the week

• New NWI economic development group seeks federal cash
Local officials are touting the new “Northwest Indiana Economic Development District” as a powerful tool to get millions of dollars in funds for projects ranging from disaster relief to restoring brownfields for industrial development. nwi.com/inbusiness

what’s news

• Indiana Dunes ‘eighth wonder of the world’? Tourism consultant’s branding ideas
Town officials and public met last week to hear tourism branding ideas for Porter County and its eight towns. nwi.com

• Gary Mayor Clay promises Jackson museum, performing arts center
But details slim at Las Vegas press conference to announce $10,000 donation for $20-30 million project. Clay eyes 10-acre parcel next to City Hall, says city council “majority” supports use. nwi.com

• House kills Chicago casino plan
NWI casino operators—and the cities that depend on gambling revenue to balance budgets—can now breathe easier. Legislation authorizing a Chicago casino was amended out of existence late last week by an Illinois House committee. nwi.com

• Economy growing but recovery could be at risk
Fueled by government stimulus, the economy grew last quarter for the first time in more than a year. The question now is, can it last? nwi.com

this week on our website

• A plan’s success
Since the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk park opened for its first season in early April, it has had nearly 80,000 visits, said Costa Dillon, superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which owns the property. nwi.com/inbusiness

• No lack of applicants for RDA job
A job posting for a lakefront development coordinator’s job at the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority has drawn 223 applicants from across the nation, according to RDA Executive Director Bill Hanna. nwi.com/inbusiness

• National Guard armory ready to serve at Gary airport
The Indiana National Guard closed the deal on a $28 million project more than a decade in the making at Gary/Chicago International Airport on Monday. Major General R. Martin Umbarger, Indiana’s Adjutant General, officially opened a new 44,000-square-foot, state-of-the art armory on the airport’s south side that will help handle the rapid growth in the guard’s Northwest Indiana presence over the past decade. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Chesterton approves Oz dates for 2010
The Chesterton Town Council unanimously approved a request from the Duneland Business Initiative Group regarding next year’s Wizard of Oz Festival dates. DBIG, which brought the festival back to Chesterton this year, requested a three-day event again on Sept. 17, 18 and 19. nwi.com/inbusiness

beyond the region

• INDIANAPOLIS—Stimulus money creates few Indiana jobs
Report to feds shows state used most money to balance its budget; government spent $781 million in federal dollars to support equivalent of 16,310 jobs. nwi.com

• WASHINGTON—Flat incomes, weak consumer spending raise concern
Concerns about a ho-hum holiday shopping season and a sluggish economic recovery are reinforced by flat incomes suggesting more weakness ahead in consumer spending. One of the few bright spots? Inflation remains in check. nwi.com

upcoming and interesting

• Casinos can’t kick out card counters, court rules
Card counter wins suit filed after being banned from Grand Victoria Casino; court notes no law against card counting, and “exclusion rule” doesn’t apply to state-regulated casinos. nwi.com

• World’s largest cruise ship to sail for Florida on maiden voyage
Oasis of the Seas, which took two and a half years and $1.5 billion to build, has four swimming pools, an ice rink, an amphitheater and more. nwi.com