The 60-second version
Elkhart's City Council voted unanimously Thursday night for a one-year moratorium on new data-center and battery-storage applications, running through Dec. 31, 2027.
Fort Wayne police say the Flock camera fight is not over: 36 cameras are still running and a smaller contract signed directly by the department would not need council approval.
Indiana may pull from cash reserves to cover a gas-tax suspension that could cost local governments and the State Highway Fund $1.1 billion.
Berrien County commissioners unanimously created a countywide PACE district letting developers repay energy-project loans through their property tax bills.
South Bend's Museum of Art has three years to leave the Century Center after a Civic Center Board vote ended a nearly 50-year tenancy.
Allen County
UPDATE: Is Fort Wayne's Flock fight actually over?
Fort Wayne's City Council voted Tuesday night to discontinue the city's Flock license-plate-reader contract, but the police department says the debate continues. FWPD spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Cutler said Chief P.J. Smith will decide next steps within a week, and one option is a smaller contract signed directly between the department and Flock that would not require council approval.
Thirty-six Flock cameras are still operating in the city, alongside Allen County cameras and readers run by private companies. Mayor Sharon Tucker said Thursday she had heard residents' concerns and would work to disable the technology, while noting the federal grant that paid for the cameras still has to be dealt with.
Source: WBOI
Show angle: A council can cancel a contract, but if a department can re-sign a smaller version without a vote, residents did not actually get the last word.
What does $1 million buy the 122nd Fighter Wing?
The Indiana State Budget Committee approved $1 million Thursday to help Fort Wayne's 122nd Fighter Wing compete for a future F-35A base. The package includes $517,000 for final design of a renovated squadron operations building — positioning the base to seek an $8.8 million federal construction investment — and $500,000 for an area development plan.
Brig. Gen. Matt Brown told lawmakers the 122nd is competing against eight other F-16 wings and that outdated infrastructure could hurt its score, noting Michigan recently approved $152 million for Selfridge Air National Guard Base. An Air Force basing decision is expected within 18 months, with aircraft delivery possible by 2034.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle
Show angle: This is the cheap part of the bid. The real question is whether Indiana is prepared to match what Michigan just put on the table.
Where can Fort Wayne honor Dolly Parton this weekend?
Cinema Center in Fort Wayne added two screenings of "Steel Magnolias" to honor Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at 80. The screenings are presented with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Allen County, which provides free books to children from birth through age five.
The first showing is Saturday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. in the Main Theater, with Allen County Public Library executive director Susan P. Baier attending to discuss support for young readers. A second screening follows Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.
Source: WOWO
Show angle: A local literacy program with a national name attached is worth more attention than one weekend of tributes.
St. Joseph County
Why did the South Bend Museum of Art lose its home?
The Civic Center Board of Managers approved a resolution Thursday ending the South Bend Museum of Art's lease at the Century Center in three years. The museum has been there nearly 50 years and keeps its space and programming during the search for a new location.
Officials discussed options for the Century Center ranging from demolition to a $100 million capital investment, against roughly half a billion dollars being invested downtown. Museum executive director Lisa Shaffer and city and Century Center officials will work on the relocation; no site or plan is set.
Source: WSBT 22
Show angle: A three-year clock without a destination is not a plan, and taxpayers should hear the Century Center's number before the museum's.
What knocked out power in southwest Mishawaka?
Mishawaka Utilities Electric restored power to a large part of the city shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday after an outage that began after 1 p.m. The affected area ran roughly from the 12th Street area south to Dragoon Trail in southwest Mishawaka.
A city spokesman said the outage involved the Logan Street substation. Officials did not state a cause.
Source: WSBT 22
Show angle: A municipal utility restoring power in under an hour is a good day — but residents are still owed the cause.
Elkhart County
UPDATE: How long is Elkhart's data-center pause?
The Elkhart City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to impose a one-year moratorium on new data-center and battery-energy-storage applications inside city limits, in effect through Dec. 31, 2027. The vote came at a special meeting devoted to the ordinance and public comment.
Data-center company Edge Compute Data Center has expressed interest in a vacant building such as the former Bayer facility, with plans to invest more than $120 million. Councilman Aaron Mishler (D) said residents' water and electricity have to be protected; Councilman David Henke (R) said he supports future data-center development because the facilities are necessary.
Show angle: Elkhart just bought itself time with a $120 million applicant standing at the door. The clock only matters if the council writes real standards before it runs out.
Berrien County, MI
What is Berrien County's new PACE district?
The Berrien County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved creating a countywide PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) district Thursday, letting developers borrow from private lenders and repay through a special assessment on the property tax bill. Community Development Director Dan Fette said eligible work includes HVAC, water improvements, electrical upgrades and solar.
Fette said comparable projects in Oakland, Wayne, Kalamazoo and Kent counties produced savings of $3 million to $5 million on some commercial redevelopments. The program will be administered by Lean and Green Michigan, LLC, and requires energy audits, quality assurance and contractor vetting.
Source: Moody on the Market · Herald-Palladium
Show angle: Financing tied to a property tax bill is still a lien. Residents should ask who is on the hook if a project fails.
UPDATE: Where would Amtrak move the St. Joseph station?
Amtrak presented three renderings to St. Joseph officials for moving its station off the shared Silver Beach Pizza building to the west side of the tracks. "Option C" is the consensus choice of Amtrak and the city; the restaurant's building, parking lot and traffic patterns would be left alone.
The stated goals are ADA compliance by 2029, pedestrian safety, accessible parking and shorter construction time, with fencing added along both sides of the tracks. Amtrak senior public relations manager Marc Magliari said remodeling is not expected to begin until 2028, with completion in 2029.
Source: WSBT 22
Show angle: A 2029 deadline set by federal accessibility rules is the actual driver here — not a local wish list.
UPDATE: Is Jean Klock Park beach open again?
The beach at Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor reopened Thursday after water tests showed bacteria levels had dropped significantly from the readings that closed it Wednesday. Nick Margaritis, environmental health services manager at the Berrien County Health Department, confirmed the reopening.
Berrien County beaches are tested once a week, usually on Mondays. That schedule means a spike can sit unmeasured for days between samples.
Source: Herald-Palladium
Show angle: One test a week on a Lake Michigan beach is a public-health policy question, not a weather story.
Are Berrien County overdose numbers finally falling?
Berrien County health officials say opioid-related overdose deaths have dropped from about 46 in 2022 to roughly half that in the most recent year with data. Health promotion and prevention supervisor Hannah Darr credited wider access to treatment and Narcan.
The county expects about $1.8 million from opioid settlements through 2040 and plans to put $1.5 million into prevention, treatment and support over the next three years. Prevention specialist Andrea Loveless flagged kratom, which is sold in gas stations and smoke shops, is not FDA-regulated and is legal to buy at any age.
Source: WSBT 22
Show angle: Settlement money is finite and traceable. Berrien should be able to name what the $1.5 million bought when the three years are up.
What did Buchanan get for Riverfront Park?
Buchanan was awarded a $385,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant to continue improvements at Riverfront Park off North Redbud Trail. City Manager Tony McGhee said it is the third consecutive year the city has landed Trust Fund support for the park.
The first two phases cover a new boat launch, a fully accessible ADA canoe and kayak launch and new parking. The next phase, planned for the city's next fiscal year, adds a fishing platform, pit toilets and more parking.
Source: Moody on the Market
Show angle: Three straight years of state park grants to one small city is worth asking about — what did Buchanan do that its neighbors did not?
What replaced the burned Ferry Street School in Niles?
Ferry Street Park held its grand opening in Niles on the site of the former Ferry Street School, which was destroyed by fire in 2023. The project preserves the school's only remaining facade.
The building was constructed in 1867 as the "Colored School" and later served children across the neighborhood after integration. The site is also where Sojourner Truth spoke in 1873.
Source: WSBT 22
Show angle: Keeping the facade instead of clearing the lot is the cheapest form of historical honesty a city can buy.
Indiana Statehouse & Statewide
Who pays for Indiana's $1.1 billion gas-tax hole?
Gov. Mike Braun's administration asked lawmakers to use state cash reserves to cover losses from Indiana's gas-tax suspension, which could total $1.1 billion for local governments and the State Highway Fund if the suspension runs through Dec. 4. The suspension began April 8 under Braun's energy emergency and is set to expire Sept. 5 unless renewed.
State Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Bremen, told the State Budget Committee that leaders would prioritize replenishing the money but are not committing to an appropriation. General-fund reserves were nearly $4 billion on June 30, while the State Highway Fund is projected to face a $427 million deficit by the end of fiscal 2027; INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist said interstate lane-mile costs rose from $8.4 million in 2015 to $46 million in 2026.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle
Show angle: A tax cut funded out of savings is a deferred bill. Somebody names the payer in January, and it will not be the reserve fund forever.
How many Indiana counties are still waiting on disaster aid?
A federal major disaster declaration was approved Tuesday for 21 Indiana counties after Braun requested coverage for 54. FEMA says nothing from the original request has been denied and review continues for the remaining counties.
The Aug. 11 storms, tornadoes, derecho and flooding caused more than 350,000 power outages in northwest Indiana and record White River levels in Indianapolis. More than 13,000 FEMA applications have been filed against estimated residential damage of roughly $550 million to more than $5 billion across at least 22,164 parcels; residents have 60 days to apply at disasterassistance.gov.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle
Show angle: The gap between 54 counties requested and 21 approved is the story, and every excluded county deserves the written reason.
What happens to school days lost to the storms?
Braun said the state is expanding storm recovery as schools reopen, with education support teams and specialized help for affected districts. The Indiana Department of Education is helping corporations build plans to recover lost instructional days, and those plans are due to the state by Sept. 18.
Options include scheduled makeup days, adding days during breaks or extending the school day. The state also plans to open grants for schools serving displaced students, potentially covering food, clothing, shelter and transportation; under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, displaced students keep their right to attend.
Source: WOWO
Show angle: Districts get three weeks to write the plan. Parents should see it before the calendar changes, not after.
What is RayzeBio building in Indiana?
Gov. Mike Braun announced that RayzeBio, a Bristol Myers Squibb company, will invest more than $173 million in a roughly 450,000-square-foot radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at the Anson Industrial Park in Boone County. The company also runs a 77,000-square-foot plant on the northeast side of Indianapolis.
The expansion is expected to create up to 100 advanced manufacturing jobs across both Indiana sites, with average annual wages expected to exceed $130,000. Construction is expected to begin this year; the facility will produce radioisotope-based cancer therapies. Braun has said he plans to invest $1 billion over ten years toward 100,000 new agricultural and life-sciences jobs.
Source: WOWO
Show angle: $130,000 average wages is the number that matters here, not the $173 million. Ask what incentives Indiana gave up to land it.
On the Calendar
Tonight — Friday, Aug. 28
7:00–8:00 p.m. — Friday Night Concert Series, St. Joseph, MI. A free show at the John E.N. Howard Bandshell as the summer event season closes out. → St. Joseph Today
Tomorrow — Saturday, Aug. 29
1:00 p.m. — "Steel Magnolias" screening, Cinema Center, Fort Wayne. The Dolly Parton tribute doubles as a fundraiser conversation for the Imagination Library of Allen County. → WOWO
Sunday, Aug. 30
2:00 p.m. — Second "Steel Magnolias" screening, Cinema Center, Fort Wayne. A repeat showing for anyone shut out Saturday, again tied to the local literacy program. → WOWO
Monday, Aug. 31
Free drive-through Narcan training, Benton Harbor. Berrien County pairs settlement-funded prevention money with a no-appointment way to pick up the overdose reversal drug. → WSBT 22
Tuesday, Sept. 1
Free drive-through Narcan training, Niles. The second county session gives Cass-side and Niles residents the same access without a trip to Benton Harbor. → WSBT 22
Saturday, Sept. 5
Braun's gas-tax suspension order expires. Unless it is renewed, the suspension ends — and the $1.1 billion replenishment question moves to the Statehouse. → Indiana Capital Chronicle
Friday, Sept. 18
School instructional-day recovery plans due to the state. Every storm-affected district has to tell Indiana how it will make up lost class days. → WOWO
No date set — watch these
Fort Wayne police decision on Flock cameras. Chief P.J. Smith is expected to announce next steps within a week, and a smaller direct contract would not need a council vote. → WBOI
South Bend Museum of Art relocation search. The museum has three years to find a home and no site has been identified. → WSBT 22
St. Joseph Amtrak station remodel. Work is not expected to start until 2028, with completion targeted for 2029 to meet accessibility rules. → WSBT 22
