Thursday, December 18
Hi 47° Low 21° | 🌧 Rain, Turning Colder at Night
Windy conditions bring rain showers throughout the day, with temperatures reaching near 47°F and gusty west southwest winds. Rain may taper off in the evening as colder air moves in. Overnight turns partly cloudy and much colder, with lows dropping to around 21°F and brisk west winds continuing.

💧 Water Main Break Floods Southeast Fort Wayne Neighborhood

💬 Mayor Tucker Talks Google, Casino And North River Fieldhouse

🪖 Senate Military Funding Brings $23M To Fort Wayne

🏛️ Fort Wayne City Council Makes Legacy Changes To Preserve Corpus

🏥 Lutheran Hospital Names New Chief Medical Officer

🍗 Wayne Township Trustee Hosts Sixth Annual Ham And Turkey Giveaway

🔬 Science Central To Host First Holiday Event, Winter WonderLab

🏀 Blackhawk, South Side Boys & Warsaw Girls Win Tuesday

💧 A water main break flooded multiple front yards on the 5600 block of Standish Drive in southeast Fort Wayne early Wednesday morning, December 17. The Fort Wayne Fire Department and Fort Wayne City Utilities responded to the scene around 2 a.m. The cause, repair timeline, and neighborhood impact are currently unknown. Read more from WANE 15 here.

💬 Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker discussed the Google data center, a potential new local casino, and plans for a Fieldhouse on the North River Property in a year-end interview. The mayor showed TV cameras the Fritz Road land she believes could host a tribal casino, though the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has denied those plans. She also addressed funding concerns for the Fieldhouse amid reduced state property tax collections following SB-1. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🪖 A U.S. Senate vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act approved $23 million for two Fort Wayne military-related projects. The funding includes $5 million for Trine University’s Artificial Intelligence for Maritime Maneuver program in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center–Crane, and $18 million to build an F-16 Mission Training Facility at the 122nd Fighter Wing at the Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base. The bill passed 77–20 and secured 13 total provisions for Indiana. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏛️ Fort Wayne City Council finalized year-end changes to the Legacy fund on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The fund, originating from a $39.2 million 2010 settlement with I&M, will now maintain a $30 million minimum balance. Changes include removing the “transformative” requirement for projects, limiting requests over $2 million (except emergencies), ending the loan program, adjusting board appointments, and prioritizing impactful projects without other funding sources. Two eligible uses were added: debt service reserve for city bonds and emergencies as defined by the Mayor. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏥 Lutheran Hospital announced the appointment of Dillon Bannis, MD as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Bannis brings extensive experience from Chicago, where he served in multiple leadership roles, including Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Insight Hospital and Medical Center. Beyond clinical care, Bannis emphasized a strong focus on addressing “drivers of health” such as food insecurity, economic stability, chronic disease management, and mental health through community collaboration. He previously led large-scale health equity initiatives in Chicago and said he looks forward to working closely with Fort Wayne residents, stressing that patients deserve excellent, compassionate care at every visit. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🍗 The Wayne Township Trustee Office hosted its sixth annual Ham and Turkey Giveaway on Wednesday, December 17. Over 350 meat items were distributed to attendees arriving by car, foot, or bike. Donations from local businesses and community members made the event possible. The giveaway took place at the Arts United Center, 303 East Main Street, starting at noon and continued while supplies lasted. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🔬 Science Central is hosting its first holiday event, Winter WonderLab, from December 18–20, 5–7 p.m. Visitors can enjoy festive treats, crafts, demonstrations, and meet Santa. Tickets are $15 per person, with discounts for members. Read more from WANE 15 here.

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🏀 Blackhawk Christian defeated Heritage 78–45, using a strong third quarter, with Jaeden O’Neal and Payton Rhinehart scoring 23 points each. South Side stayed unbeaten at 6–0 with a 93–68 win over Peru, led by Terrance Jordan’s 21 points and five players scoring in double figures. In Warsaw, the No. 5 4A Warsaw girls beat Columbia City 70–46 to improve to 11–1, behind Joslyn Bricker’s 28 points. Read more from WANE 15 here.

Fri, Dec 19 🏒
Indy vs Fort Wayne — 7:35 PM EST

Sat, Dec 20 🏒
Cincinnati vs Fort Wayne — 7:35 PM EST