Monday, September 22
Hi – 74° Low – 62° | 🌦 Scattered Showers/Storms → ☁️ Cloudy
Spotty morning thunderstorms give way to cloudy skies and more showers through the afternoon, with highs around 74°F and a breezy SSW wind. Keep an umbrella handy if you’re out and about. Tonight stays overcast and mild with a low near 62°F.

🌊 Celebrate Fort Wayne’s Rivers On World Rivers Day

🚗 Cruise-In For A Cause To Benefit Fragile X & Autism

🕯️ Out Of The Darkness Walk Set For Headwaters Park

🎉 Say Goodbye To Summer At The End Of Summer Family Fest

💻 Experts Warn Free Speech Online Could Cost Hoosiers Jobs

🌱 IDEM Grants Wetland Permit For Google Data Center Expansion

🦆 Rezoning For Property With Ducks Denied In Fort Wayne

🎃 Giant Pumpkins Grow Despite Challenges This Year

🏈 Long Snapping Ace Diepenbrock Dominating With Dwenger’s Special Teams

🌊 Fort Wayne will celebrate World Rivers Day at Promenade Park on Saturday, September 27, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Special Events Coordinator Jesús Rosario of Riverfront Fort Wayne highlighting the event’s focus on learning about and enjoying the city’s waterways. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🚗 Cruise-In for a Cause will take place on Saturday, September 27, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Children’s Autism Center at Coventry, featuring classic cars, trucks, a Touch-A-Truck experience, food trucks, music, raffles, and community partners, with Mayor Sharon Tucker helping kick off the event; admission is free, and donations will support Solomon’s Strength Foundation in providing service dogs for children with Fragile X Syndrome and autism. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🕯️ The Out of the Darkness Walk will take place on Sunday, September 28, at Headwaters Park, with check-in starting at 12 p.m. and the walk beginning at 2 p.m.; the event honors lives lost to suicide, provides hope to those struggling, and raises funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention through research, education, and awareness efforts, with free registration and donations accepted through the end of the year. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🎉 The End of Summer Family Fest, sponsored by Anderson Heating and Air, will be held on Sunday, September 28, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Memorial Park, with organizers Kachell Smith of 4-eight-1, Phillip Gibson, and Jason Robinson inviting the community to celebrate the season’s close. Read more from WANE 15 here.

💻 Following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Indiana attorneys and workplace experts caution that social media comments can lead to job loss, as Indiana is an at-will employment state where private employers may fire workers for almost any reason not protected by federal law; attorney Nathaniel Hubley noted a rise in calls from employees after online posts, while Anthony Juliano of Asher Agency emphasized how social media blurs personal expression and workplace expectations, with both urging people to communicate more civilly and think before posting. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🌱 IDEM granted developers of the $2 billion Google data center in Fort Wayne a permit to fill more than two acres of protected wetlands to build five additional buildings and infrastructure, with Hatchworks, LLC set to offset the loss by purchasing 2.48 acres of unforested wetlands and 1.58 acres of forested wetlands from The Openings Wetland Mitigation Bank; the permit, issued on September 16 after a 30-day public comment period, drew dozens of objections over concerns about flooding, water quality, and wildlife habitat, though plans for the project which first revealed in 2023 as “Project Zodiac” were confirmed by Google in January 2024. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🦆 The Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals denied Susan Lackey’s request to rezone her property to allow ducks she has raised since May for educational “Duck Days” with homeschool students, after noise complaints led Animal Care and Control to enforce the city ordinance that bans livestock within city limits; despite neighbor support, officials from Animal Care and Control and the Allen County Board of Health cited public health, nuisance, and wildlife concerns, and the board ruled the ducks must be relocated. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🎃 Despite cold in May, extreme heat in June and July, and drought through August, Fort Wayne’s “Giant Pumpkin Guy,” Dave Rogers, managed to grow two large pumpkins and one giant one, which he believes could have been even heavier with more rain; his biggest pumpkin this year may surpass last year’s 700-pounder, and he plans to display them outside Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic School for families to enjoy while continuing to apply new growing techniques for future seasons. If you’d like to contact Rogers to learn how to grow giant pumpkins yourself, give him a call at 260-437-4520. Read more from WANE 15 here.

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🏈 Bishop Dwenger senior Vance Diepenbrock is excelling as one of Indiana’s top long snappers, helping kicker Tommy Coffman and punter Lucas Nguyen shine on special teams, including a school-record 52-yard field goal that beat Carroll; taught by his father Ryan, a former Bowling Green and Buffalo Bills long snapper, Vance has even turned snapping into a family travel tradition and is now committed to continue his career at Bowling Green as the Saints push through the second half of their season. Read more from WANE 15 here.