The 60-second version
Fort Wayne‘s proposed Anchor Resource Center funding package failed 5-3 at City Council, leaving the downtown homeless-services plan without approval.
South Bend residents in Lafayette Falls are watching roughly 115 more homes move toward a neighborhood with one official entrance and exit.
Elkhart Christian Academy has raised $2.6 million toward a $4 million first phase on its 62-acre campus.
Berrien County‘s Kinexus board still has no interim director, while a fiery I-94 crash killed a 22-year-old Chicago truck driver.
Indiana regulators voted 3-1 to rehear AES Indiana’s rate case, putting a bill increase affecting more than 533,000 customers back under scrutiny.
Allen County
Why did Fort Wayne’s Anchor funding fail?
Fort Wayne City Council Republicans voted against the funding package for the proposed Anchor Resource Center at 333 E. Washington Blvd. on Tuesday. The proposal failed 5-3 after weeks of debate over the downtown homeless-services site, according to WBOI.
Source: WBOI
Show angle: A failed vote is not a homelessness strategy; the next proposal should show the location safeguards, operating plan and measurable results before asking taxpayers to try again.
What did a New Haven AED program prove?
An AED placed in a New Haven police patrol vehicle helped an officer revive a worker in sudden cardiac arrest last week. Officer Pope used the device for one shock and performed CPR until paramedics arrived; the patient regained a pulse and was taken to a hospital, with a return to baseline expected.
Source: 96.3XKE
Show angle: This is a practical public-safety investment with a measurable result: the question is how many other patrol cars and public buildings have the same capability.
How much did Fort Wayne’s summer event economy produce?
Visit Fort Wayne says 86 conventions, shows and tournaments were held in the city between May and September, with the organization booking 28 of them. The events generated an estimated $14.8 million in local economic impact and about 25,000 hotel room nights, more than double last summer’s $7.2 million; the organization expects about $20.5 million in 2026 impact.
Source: WOWO
Show angle: The headline is growth, but the useful follow-up is what public incentives, infrastructure costs and local businesses paid to capture those visitor dollars.
St. Joseph County
Could one entrance serve nearly 400 Lafayette Falls homes?
Residents of South Bend’s Lafayette Falls neighborhood are raising safety concerns as construction moves ahead on roughly 115 new homes. That would bring the subdivision to nearly 400 homes with one official entrance and exit; South Bend fire officials said a second entrance is a critical issue, while any added response coverage would require an agreement between separate fire departments.
Source: WSBT
Show angle: Approving density before locking in emergency access reverses the order of operations; the safety plan should come before the next house rises.
What is South Bend reviewing in its 2027 budget?
South Bend began its 2027 budget hearing sessions with a look at innovation and technology for the city. ABC57 reports the hearings continue until the final budget vote scheduled for October 12 at 7 p.m.
Source: ABC57
Show angle: “Innovation” is a label, not a line item; residents should press for the price, performance target and maintenance bill behind every new technology request.
What opened on South Bend’s west side?
Community members and city leaders gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting at Memo’s chicken and store on Western Avenue. The new restaurant and neighborhood business marks a fresh investment on the city’s west side.
Source: WSBT
Show angle: New storefronts matter because they turn a development promise into a place residents can actually use; the next test is whether the corridor can keep that momentum.
Elkhart County
How far is Elkhart Christian Academy’s campus plan?
Elkhart Christian Academy has begun the construction phase of a three-year legacy campaign on its 62-acre property. Phase one includes a second entrance, a new main office and a learning resource center; phase two calls for 11 classrooms, with eight renovated and three new, while the school has raised $2.6 million toward a $4 million phase-one goal.
Source: WSBT
Show angle: Expansion is a vote of confidence in enrollment, but donors and families should track the full construction timeline, traffic plan and operating costs.
What will Elkhart’s new testing lab change?
A new 65,000-square-foot ICC Evaluation Services facility is open in Elkhart to test construction materials and vehicles including RVs and ambulances. The lab consolidates work previously done at three sites in Goshen and Nappanee, allowing larger samples and multiple projects at once while potentially creating local jobs.
Source: WSBT
Show angle: This is the kind of industrial investment that can be measured: faster testing, stronger standards and how many durable jobs follow the new footprint.
What sentence did a Goshen man receive in an infant-death case?
Nick Hunsberger, 35, was sentenced after being convicted of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury. ABC57 reports a sentence of three years in prison, followed by five years in the Elkhart County Jail and six years of probation; the underlying case began after a two-week-old infant was found unresponsive in May 2022, and the baby’s mother is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 17.
Source: ABC57
Show angle: The sentence is now part of the record, but the court’s findings also raise the enduring question of how drug exposure and unsafe sleeping conditions were allowed to converge.
Where is Jason Lippert going next?
Former Lippert president and CEO Jason Lippert has been named CEO of Fun Town RV, a Texas-based dealership company with 32 locations. He retired from Lippert in June after serving as its president and CEO.
Source: WSBT
Show angle: Elkhart County’s RV economy is tied to executive moves far beyond the county line; the business question is what this means for local suppliers and jobs.
Berrien County, MI
UPDATE: Why does Kinexus still have no interim leader?
The Kinexus board did not name an interim director Tuesday. President and CEO Todd Gustafson’s stated last day is September 8, although the board was told he was relieved of his duties Aug. 24; a committee will search for an interim replacement, and its interviews will be closed to the public.
Source: WSJM
Show angle: This is a governance and transparency test: the public needs the committee’s membership, authority and a clear explanation of who is accountable during the handoff.
What happened on I-94 near Watervliet?
A 22-year-old Chicago man died after a rolled-over semi caught fire in eastbound I-94 near mile marker 40.5 in Watervliet Township shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The truck was hauling bottled water, no hazardous materials were reported, and the crash closed the eastbound lanes between mile markers 39 and 41 for about seven hours while the investigation continued.
Show angle: The immediate facts are clear; the follow-up is what investigators learn about the rollover, the closure and the emergency response on a major freight route.
Who received the Low Foundation’s new grants?
The Joseph and Rosemary Low Family Foundation announced $100,000 in grants for 16 Southwest Michigan organizations. The Berrien Community Foundation administers the program, which supports work ranging from arts and education to housing stability, food security, disability services and neighborhood development.
Source: WSJM
Show angle: Private giving can move quickly, but the recipient list is also a map of needs public budgets and local institutions have not fully solved.
Will Niles Township rewrite its dispensary rules?
Niles Charter Township voters will decide again in November whether marijuana dispensaries should be allowed, while officials consider new zoning restrictions if the current ban is lifted. The township prohibited dispensaries after approving 21 licenses in a roughly 1.5-mile area near the state line, a decision that triggered continuing resident opposition.
Source: ABC57
Show angle: The November vote is about more than yes or no; zoning will determine whether local control means a workable standard or another round of ad hoc approvals.
Indiana Statehouse & Statewide
Could AES Indiana’s rate hike be reopened?
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday to rehear a case it approved in June, putting parts of AES Indiana’s rate increase back under scrutiny. The increase affects more than 533,000 Central Indiana customers, and the rehearing petitions also raise questions about a proposed Google data center’s power demand and the pending sale of AES’s parent company to a BlackRock-led group.
Source: WFYI
Show angle: A rehearing is not a refund; ratepayers should watch the evidence, the schedule and whether data-center demand shifts costs onto ordinary households.
Who is Todd Rokita targeting after Indiana’s storms?
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said his office has launched lawsuits and investigations into contractors accused of overcharging people in communities hit by flooding and storms. He cited one woman pressured to spend roughly $40,000 to remove trees; the office is primarily pursuing civil fines and restitution but has not ruled out criminal charges.
Source: WFYI
Show angle: Disaster fraud deserves aggressive enforcement, and the public should see how quickly restitution reaches victims rather than stopping at a press conference.
How much did weather cost the Indiana State Fair’s attendance?
The Indiana State Fair drew 800,641 people over its 15-day run, a 7% drop from last year. Severe storms caused temporary closures and sheltering periods, according to a fair news release cited by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle
Show angle: Weather explains the decline, but the attendance number also gives organizers a baseline for whether future safety interruptions change the fair’s operating model.
On the Calendar
Tomorrow — Friday, Sept. 4
Sunset — Jumanji outdoor movie at Promenade Park. Riverfront Fort Wayne opens its September free-event slate with a movie on the Auer Lawn, giving families a low-cost downtown option before the fall calendar fills up. → WOWO
Sunday, Sept. 13
Noon–5:00 p.m. — Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown at Promenade Park. Up to 23 downtown and nearby attractions are expected to participate, so the useful question is whether the event converts visitors into repeat local customers. → WOWO
Monday, Sept. 14
10:30–11:30 a.m. — Free Zumba in the Park. The Riverfront series keeps public space active on a weekday morning and tests whether free programming reaches residents beyond special-event crowds. → WOWO
Friday, Sept. 18
6:30 p.m. — Ecstatic Dance at Promenade Park. The free Auer Lawn event adds another evening use for the riverfront, with no registration or prior dance experience required. → WOWO
Saturday, Sept. 26
12:00–3:00 p.m. — Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library 60th anniversary. The St. Joseph library will mark its 1966 move to 500 Market Street with a 1960s theme, food trucks, lawn games and a book-relay contest. → WSJM
Monday, Oct. 12
7:00 p.m. — South Bend final 2027 budget vote. The city budget hearings continue until the final vote, giving residents a deadline for asking what innovation and technology spending will deliver. → ABC57
No date set — watch these
Kinexus interim-leader search. The board has created a search committee, but the members are not named and interviews will be closed to the public. → WSJM
Anchor Resource Center funding. Fort Wayne’s 5-3 rejection leaves the downtown project without an approved funding package or a stated next vote. → WBOI
Niles Township dispensary zoning. The November referendum is coming, while the Planning and Zoning Commission works through rules that could govern businesses if the ban is lifted. → ABC57
