Today’s Weather

Thursday, May 8
Hi - 63° | Low - 38° | 🌥️20% | Wind ENE 13 mph
Today will start off cloudy with a chance of stray showers but expect partial sunshine later. The high will be around 63°F with moderate winds from the east-northeast at 10–20 mph. Tonight, skies will clear with a low of 38°F and light winds from the northeast at 10–15 mph.

In today’s edition:

🍻 Kekionga Craft Company Honors Teachers and Nurses

🍕 How Johnny Perez Builds a Fort Wayne Restaurant Empire

📉 Central Noble School Referendum Rejected by Voters

🏡 Habitat for Humanity Launches New Build Season

🎶 Fort Wayne Area Community Band Celebrates 45 Years

🦜 Fort Wayne Zoo's Global Conservation Efforts

💰 $45K Hoosier Lottery Ticket Sold in Fort Wayne

🔥 House Fire Across from Leo Elementary Kills Two Pets

⚖️ Army Holds Hearing in Fort Leonard Wood Murder Case

🔫 Coroner Rules North Side Deaths Homicide-Suicide

Sports

⚾ TinCaps' Dominant 14-9 Victory Over South Bend

📰News

🍻 Kekionga Craft Company celebrated National Teachers’ Day and National Nurses Day by giving $5 gift cards to educators and nurses who showed their ID. Staff expressed gratitude for often underappreciated work. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🍕 Starting with a food truck, Johnny Perez scaled Te Gustó Hospitality into a thriving group with concepts like Mercado, Spoke + Ivy, and Papi’s Pizza. He credits community focus, staff investment, and creative problem-solving for sustainable growth. Read more from Input Fort Wayne here.

📉 Central Noble residents voted down a school referendum that would have raised taxes by nearly $200 annually. With 704 opposed and 569 in favor, officials now face staff, program, and school cuts. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏡Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne kicked off its 2025-2026 season with plans to build 21 new homes, mostly in Southeast Fort Wayne. The project promotes affordable homeownership and includes fresh home designs and volunteer opportunities. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🎶The Fort Wayne Area Community Band celebrated 45 years with a concert at Purdue Fort Wayne. Highlights included a world premiere piece and a city proclamation. The next performance is June 10 at Foellinger Theatre. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🦜 The Fort Wayne Zoo is dedicated to global conservation, highlighted by a February trip to the Northern Mariana Islands. Staff studied the rare Nosa’ Luta bird, contributing to efforts to preserve this species and engage with the local community. Read more from WANE 15 here.

💰Two winning CA$H 5 lottery tickets matched all five numbers in the May 6 drawing, including one sold at Phil’s One Stop in northeast Fort Wayne. Winners are advised to secure their tickets and contact Hoosier Lottery. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🔥A morning house fire in Leo-Cedarville heavily damaged a home and killed two pets. Fire crews responded quickly, and two cats were rescued. The home was empty at the time of the fire, and the elementary school across the street was not affected. Read more from WANE 15 here.

⚖️ Spc. Wooster Rancy faces charges in the October 2024 death of Sgt. Sarah Roque. A military hearing this week evaluated evidence to determine if the case proceeds to court-martial. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🔫 The Allen County Coroner ruled the deaths of Leanne Gonzalez and Sean Baer a homicide-suicide. Gonzalez was fatally shot in the chest; Baer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Details on what led to shooting have not been released. Read more from WANE 15 here.

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Events 

Thursday, May 8th

🎨 Arts

• PFW Summer Selections Exhibition
  8:00 am – 9:00 pm @ PFW Visual Arts Gallery
  Art from freshmen to senior majors in Art and Design
  Free admission

• Suzie Emley’s Oil Paintings & Julie Langensiepen’s Soft Sculpture
  10:00 am – 6:00 pm @ The Orchard Gallery of Fine Art
  A joyful dual exhibit of oil paintings and whimsical soft sculpture
  Free admission

• Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes: New Views of the Universe
  10:00 am – 4:00 pm @ Science Central
  A NASA exhibit showcasing new astronomical discoveries
  $10 – $12

• Ancient Methods, Modern Visions
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  Exploring ancient artistic techniques reinterpreted through a modern lens
  $5 – $10

• Truthful Illusions: Realism in the Age of Abstraction
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  A dialogue between abstract and realistic approaches to art
  $5 – $10

• My PURSEonal Favorites
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  A creative showcase of purse-themed artworks
  $5 – $10

• FAILE: A Riot of Existence, Wishing on You
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  An immersive, interactive installation by the artist collective FAILE
  $5 – $10

• Color in Motion
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
  A colorful floral and light exhibit celebrating movement and vibrancy
  $1 – $7

• Grace Yencer: Gentle Turning
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
  A contemplative series of botanical-themed paintings
  $1 – $7

• Matt Plett: Too Big To Hold
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Artlink
  Bold, imaginative works exploring emotion and scale
  Free admission

• Heads Up: Current Approaches to Portraiture
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Artlink
  A contemporary look at the art of portraiture
  Free admission

• Whitney Sage: Traces, Remnants & Recollections
  10:00 am – 8:00 pm @ Artlink
  Reflective mixed media pieces dealing with memory and place
  Free admission

🎵 Music

• Joe Justice (Variety)
  9:30 am @ Kendallville Community Learning Center
  A versatile musical performance for all ages
  Free

• Fort Wayne Philharmonic: Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (Coffee Concert Series)
  11:00 am @ PFW Auer Performance Hall
  A morning concert of lush orchestral music by Rachmaninoff
  $25

• Aleena York (Variety)
  5:30 pm @ Vinland Reserve Winery
  Live tunes paired with great wine and atmosphere
  Free

• Deja Rendevous (Variety)
  6:00 pm @ Cricket’s 7th St. Bar & Grille
  An energetic evening of eclectic covers and originals
  No cover

• Bob Thompson (Variety)
  6:30 pm @ Sylvan Cellars
  Enjoy soulful music in a scenic venue
  No cover

• Tommy Miller (Acoustic)
  6:30 pm @ Lakelife Bar & Grill
  Acoustic classics lakeside
  No cover

• Carolyn Martin Band (Country)
  7:00 pm @ The Club Room at The Clyde
  Award-winning Western swing and country
  No cover

• Exodus (Rock – National Show)
  7:00 pm @ Piere’s
  Legendary thrash metal band live on tour
  $30 – $75

• Chris Hambrick (Power Pop)
  8:00 pm @ Wrigley Field Bar & Grill
  High-energy pop rock with catchy melodies
  No cover

• Old Pup w/Peachtree, Thumbrider (Honky Tonk)
  9:00 pm @ The Brass Rail
  A night of rootsy country and gritty Americana
  $7

🗺️ Tours

• Historic Chief Richardville House Tour
  9:00 am – 11:30 am @ Chief Richardville House
  Guided tour through the home of a Miami chief and fur trader
  $20

• Black Pine Sanctuary
  1:00 pm – 4:00 pm @ Black Pine Animal Sanctuary
  Visit rescued exotic animals in a safe, natural environment
  $10 – $17.50

• Glo Wild
  6:30 pm – 9:30 pm @ Fort Wayne Zoo
  An illuminated nighttime journey through the zoo
  $20 – $25

🛍️ Shopping

• Leo-Cedarville Farmers Market
  4:00 pm – 7:00 pm @ Leo-Cedarville Downtown Plaza
  Locally grown produce and handmade goods
  Free

🧁 Workshops

• Mother’s Day Cookie Decorating Class
  6:00 pm @ Vinland Reserve Winery
  Learn to design beautiful cookies in time for Mother’s Day
  $60

🎤 Special Events

• 2Toms Trivia Night
  7:00 pm @ 2Toms Brewing Company
  Test your knowledge over craft beer
  Free

🎭 Theater

• Psychic Medium Travis Holp
  7:00 pm @ Summit City Comedy Club
  A night of messages from beyond with humor and heart
  $37 – $47

🏒 Sports

• Central Division Finals, Game 5: Komets vs. Toledo
  7:35 pm @ Memorial Coliseum
  The playoff heat is on – support the Komets!
  $10 – $32

🏀🏈Sports🏒⚾

⚾ The Fort Wayne TinCaps crushed the South Bend Cubs 14-9, highlighted by a nine-run first inning. With 14 hits, nine walks, and three hit batters, the 'Caps extended their recent success, winning seven of the last eight games. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🗓️ Tincaps Schedule

Thu, May 8
⚾ @ South Bend — 7:05 PM EDT

Fri, May 9
⚾ @ South Bend — 7:05 PM EDT

Sat, May 10
⚾ @ South Bend — 4:05 PM EDT

Sun, May 11
⚾ @ South Bend — 2:05 PM EDT

Komets Playoffs

Game 5
📍 @ Fort Wayne – Memorial Coliseum
🗓️ Thu, May 8 | 🕢 7:35 PM

Game 6
📍 @ Toledo – Huntington Center
🗓️ Sat, May 10 | 🕢 7:15 PM

Game 7 
📍 @ Toledo – Huntington Center
🗓️ Mon, May 12 | 🕢 7:15 PM