Fort Wayne Update June 12th

The latest news & upcoming events in Fort Wayne Indiana

- Jenny Sumangid, Jordan Bechtel

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Good morning, Fort Wayne! Here is today’s update.

Today’s Weather

Thursday, June 12
Hi – 87° Low – 62° | 🌤️ Sun Early, Clouds Later | Wind SW 5–10 mph (day), Light Winds (night)
Thursday starts off sunny, then turns partly cloudy in the afternoon. A stray shower or storm is possible, with a warm high of 87°F. Winds stay light from the southwest. The UV index is very high, so don’t forget sunscreen. Thursday night will be cloudy with a low of 62°F and calm winds. The Waning Gibbous Moon rises at 11:01 PM.

In today’s edition:

💪 Free Outdoor Fitness with YMCA's Group Ex on the Go

🚧 I-69 Exit Closing Near GM Plant

🛢️ Volleyball Court Sand Used in Fort Wayne Oil Spill Cleanup

🚒 Mayor & Fire Chief Address Firefighter Union Concerns

⚾ 95-Year-Old Fan Throws First Pitch at TinCaps Game

🏞️ Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne Gifted 13 Acres of Historic Land

🦊 Meet the Fort Wayne Zoo’s Bat-Eared Foxes

⚖️ Sheriff, Commissioners Sued Over Inmate Suicide

Sports

⚾ TinCaps Top Reliever Promoted to Double-A San Antonio

Events and Live Music Schedule

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📰News

💪The YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne is offering Group Ex on the Go, a free group fitness program running through June. Open to all and no membership required, these classes include yoga, cardio, line dancing, and stroller walking groups. Each session is led by an expert instructor and takes place in Fort Wayne, Bluffton, Churubusco, and Columbia City. The program aims to help people discover fun ways to stay active while connecting with others. Classes can be found on the Ex on the Go calendar. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🚧 Northbound I-69 Exit 296B, which leads to westbound Lafayette Center Road near the GM Fort Wayne Assembly Plant, will close for about three weeks starting on or after June 18. INDOT crews will replace a culvert during this time. The recommended detour is to take Exit 299 at Lower Huntington Road and Airport Expressway, then return south on I-69. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🛢️A semi-truck spilled soybean oil along a three-mile stretches of U.S. 27 in Fort Wayne Monday evening, causing slick roads and multiple crashes, including one that left a motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries. Cleanup crews used sand from a nearby fire station volleyball court at Lafayette and Main to help absorb the spill when traditional materials ran short. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management confirmed there was no environmental contamination, as the oil did not reach any surface waters. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🚒Mayor Sharon Tucker and Fire Chief Eric Lahey addressed concerns from the Fort Wayne Professional Firefighters Local 124 during contract talks. The union raised issues of “mismanagement” and public safety, citing 50 apparatus being taken out of service from May 2024 to May 2025. City officials responded that response times remain strong, averaging 3 minutes and 18 seconds in 2025. Staffing and sick pay are key negotiation points, along with pay for the union president. Chief Lahey and the mayor emphasized their commitment to public safety and ongoing mediation. Union president Jeremy Bush insists the concerns are about safety, not just contract terms, and promised further details soon. Read more from WANE 15 here.

George Timm, a 95-year-old lifelong baseball fan, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Tuesday night's TinCaps game at Parkview Field. Timm has loved baseball since age five and has shared his passion across generations, especially with his granddaughter Jackie. A devoted Cubs fan and Fort Wayne resident since 1971, Timm founded Swim Pools Incorporated and co-founded Broadway Christian Church. Even from his wheelchair, he remains full of joy and sharp baseball knowledge. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏞️ The Lutheran Foundation has donated 13 acres of land, the former Lutheran Hospital site on Fairfield Avenue to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne. After struggling to find the right future for the land, Foundation President Mark Dixon decided the club was the perfect fit. Boys & Girls Clubs President Joe Jordan called it a “lasting legacy” and promised to honor the gift with purpose and service to the community. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🦊 The Fort Wayne Zoo is home to two bat-eared foxes, Mak and Ripley, in the African Journey exhibit. Mak is a 7-year-old male with a greyer head, and Ripley is a 3-year-old female with browner fur. These nocturnal foxes are known for their large ears, which help them locate insects underground and regulate their body temperature. They eat crickets, mealworms, chicks, and mice. Ripley is especially skilled at digging and often creates dens in their habitat. The zoo hopes the pair will breed in the future, as they are part of a species survival plan. Read more from WANE 15 here.

⚖️ A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court against Allen County Sheriff Troy Hershberger, the Board of Commissioners, and five officers, following the January 2024 suicide of 33-year-old inmate James Robert Shaffer. The suit claims jail staff were “deliberately indifferent” to Shaffer’s known suicide risk, failing to follow suicide watch protocols. It also cites the jail’s conditions as a contributing factor. The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial and damages. Officials declined to comment due to ongoing litigation. Read more from WANE 15 here.

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Events 

Thursday, June 12th

🎨 Arts

  • Charles Yang: Fermata
    8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ Clark Gallery, Honeywell Center, Wabash
    Free admission

  • PFW Summer Selections Exhibition
    8:00 am – 9:00 pm @ PFW Visual Arts Gallery, Fort Wayne
    Free admission

  • Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes: New Views of the Universe
    10:00 am – 4:00 pm @ Science Central, Fort Wayne
    $10 – $12

  • Truthful Illusions: Realism in the Age of Abstraction
    10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
    $5 – $10

  • My PURSEonal Favorites
    10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
    $5 – $10

  • FAILE: A Riot of Existence, Wishing on You
    10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
    $5 – $10

  • Color in Motion
    10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Fort Wayne
    $1 – $7

  • Grace Yencer: Gentle Turning
    10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Fort Wayne
    $1 – $7

🎶 Music

  • Los Electro (Psychedelic Cumbia)
    11:30 am – 1:30 pm @ Freimann Square, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • BigMeow (80s)
    4:00 pm – 7:00 pm @ Downtown Leo-Cedarville
    Free

  • Chris Worth (Variety)
    5:00 pm @ Monument Pizza Pub, Angola
    No cover

  • Rylie Lynn Band (Country/Americana)
    5:30 pm @ Ossian Health Communities
    Free

  • The Hubie Ashcraft Band (Country)
    5:30 pm @ Vinland Reserve Winery, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • Todd Harrold Band (Jazz)
    5:30 pm – 7:30 pm @ Honeywell Center, Wabash
    Free

  • Angel Reborn (Rock)
    6:00 pm @ Paige’s Crossing, Columbia City
    Free

  • The Wingmen (Classic Rock)
    6:00 pm @ Cricket’s 7th St. Bar & Grille, Auburn
    No cover

  • Peachtree (Country/Folk)
    6:00 pm @ Churubusco Community Park
    Free

  • OK, Boomer! (Variety)
    6:05 pm @ Parkview Field, Fort Wayne
    $9 – $21

  • Ron Rumbaugh (Jazz)
    6:30 pm @ Nick’s, Fort Wayne
    No cover

  • Nostalgia Entertains: Vintage Songs of Love (Pop)
    7:00 pm @ Honeywell House, Wabash
    Free

  • The Cold Hearts (Country)
    7:00 pm @ The Club Room at The Clyde, Fort Wayne
    No cover

  • Tom Koenig (Acoustic Variety)
    7:00 pm @ Black Canyon, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • Tronic Thursdays (Electronic)
    10:00 pm @ O’Sullivan’s, Fort Wayne
    No cover

🐾 Tours

  • Black Pine Animal Sanctuary
    1:00 pm – 4:00 pm @ Albion
    $10 – $17.50

 🎉Festivals

  • Lunch on the Square w/Los Electro
    11:30 am – 1:30 pm @ Freimann Square, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • BBQ Ribfest
    11:30 am – 11:30 pm @ Headwaters Park, Fort Wayne
    $5 – $30

  • Turtle Days Festival: Day 2
    5:00 pm – 10:00 pm @ Churubusco Community Park
    Free

  • Freedom Fest
    5:30 pm – 10:00 pm @ Ossian Health Communities
    Free

  • Concerts at The Crossing: Local Hero/USA Night w/Angel Reborn
    6:00 pm – 9:00 pm @ Paige’s Crossing, Columbia City
    Free

🎭Theater

  • Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    2:00 pm & 8:00 pm @ Wagon Wheel Theatre, Warsaw
    $21 – $51

🛍️Shopping

  • Leo-Cedarville Farmers Market
    4:00 pm – 7:00 pm @ Downtown Plaza, Leo-Cedarville
    Free

🎶 Special Events

  • Tread the Trails
    6:00 pm @ Moser Park, New Haven
    Free

  • 2Toms Trivia Night
    7:00 pm @ 2Toms Brewing Company, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • David Lucas
    7:00 pm @ Summit City Comedy Club, Fort Wayne
    $27 – $57

  • Back to the 80’s Karaoke
    7:00 pm – 10:00 pm @ The Fairfield, Fort Wayne
    Free

  • Karaoke Night w/PK Houston
    9:30 pm @ Latch String Bar & Grill, Fort Wayne
    No cover

🏀🏈Sports🏒

Tyson Neighbors, Fort Wayne’s top bullpen performer this summer, has been promoted to Double-A San Antonio. The No. 15 prospect in the San Diego Padres system, Neighbors held a 1.19 ERA, earned 5 saves, and struck out 39 batters in 22.2 innings across 18 games. The 6-foot-2 right-hander was a 4th-round pick out of Kansas State in the 2024 MLB Draft. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🗓️ Tincaps Schedule

Thu, June 12
⚾ vs South Bend— 7:05 PM EDT

Fri, June 13
⚾ vs South Bend— 7:05 PM EDT

Sat, June 14
⚾ vs South Bend— 6:35 PM EDT

Sun, June 15
⚾ vs South Bend— 1:05 PM EDT

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A Message from The Fort Wayne Update

Members make it possible.

The Fort Wayne Update helps readers like you stay in the know quickly and clearly.

If you love what we do, becoming a Member is the best way to support it.

You will help us cover more of the city, and give back to the community.
Members also get exclusive perks along the way.

Thanks for reading The Fort Wayne Update! Together, we can make Fort Wayne an even better place to live!