Fort Wayne news

• You can get into over 100 national parks for free on Saturday: What to know

  15-04-2025 23:58 via wane.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Of the more than 400 sites overseen by the National Park Service, slightly more than 100 charge an entrance fee. For one day this weekend, none of those parks will require you to pay to get in.Every year, the National Park Service waives the entrance fee at the 107 parks that charge one in honor of a significant day.
  One such day already occurred this year: January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (a second, unplanned free day was on January 9, the National Day of Mourning for P
  
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• New tax law promises relief: Schools, city leaders say it comes at a cost

  15-04-2025 23:45 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 1 into law Tuesday, finalizing a property tax reform that offers relief to homeowners while raising concerns among local officials and educators.Under the law, most Hoosiers will receive a property tax credit that could save up to $300 per year, but with property tax collections set to decrease under the new law, some local officials said they’re now bracing for the possibility of increased income taxes to make up the diffe
  
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• New tax law promises relief: local schools, city leaders say it comes at a cost

  15-04-2025 23:45 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Governor Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 1 into law Tuesday, finalizing a property tax reform that offers relief to homeowners while raising concerns among local officials and educators.Under the law, most Hoosiers will receive a property tax credit that could save up to $300 per year and with property tax collections set to decrease under the new law, some local officials say they’re now bracing for the possibility of increased income taxes to make up the dif
  
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• Winners and losers to be sorted out in property tax revenue rollback

  15-04-2025 22:40 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS -- It was after midnight before State Senate republicans, despite losing some support on their own side of the aisle, approved and sent to Gov. Mike Braun SB 1, which will provide $1.3 billion in tax relief to Hoosier property owners.The bill also sets the stage for local governments to raise their own local income taxes to make up for the revenue shortfall. Gov. Braun signed the bill into law this afternoon. Senate passes property tax relief bill after marathon sessionThe bill prov
  
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• Fort Wayne City Controller Garry Morr to retire in May

  15-04-2025 22:19 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) -- For the first time since the middle of George H.W. Bush's presidency, Garry Morr will not be involved in the City of Fort Wayne's finances.On Tuesday, city officials announced Morr, who serves as the city controller, will retire in May after holding the position since April 2018. Prior to that, Morr serves as deputy director of Finance and Administration for Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation starting in 1991.In the press release, city officials also thanked Morr for his
  
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• Fort Wayne Zoo protects animals from Bird Flu

  15-04-2025 22:12 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Bird flu cases across the country and around Indiana have been in the news a lot lately. Fort Wayne Zoo is home to many birds and it's always taking extra steps to keep all the animals safe and healthy.
  The zoo hasn't had any cases of bird flu.
  "The highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been in the United States since 2014. It's not going anywhere. It's here all the time. It's just not top-of-mind until it's in the news that a farm had to shut down or euthanize birds
  
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• Warmer days coming

  15-04-2025 22:01 via wane.com
  
  Cold, northwesterly winds have been adding a big chill to the air today with temps only in the 40s. What a change from yesterday's 70s!Wear your layers, if you're headed out to tonight's TinCaps game and remember a few scattered sprinkles are still possible this evening.
  There's a chill in the air for tonight's TinCaps game and the chance for a few showers is in the forecast, too.After plenty of cloudy moments today, the area of low pressure that brought the clouds heads east tonight. High press
  
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• Northern lights viewing chance Tuesday night

  15-04-2025 22:00 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (NEXSTAR) - Skywatchers across at least 18 states may have the chance to see the northern lights Tuesday night as a coronal mass ejection impacts Earth. That does include here in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio... What is the Kármán line that Blue Origin’s newest astronauts crossed?NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has been tracking a coronal mass ejection, or CME, since Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, signs are pointing this CME has arrived."This
  
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• Northern lights viewing chance early Wednesday

  15-04-2025 22:00 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (NEXSTAR) - Skywatchers across at least 18 states may have the chance to see the northern lights early Wednesday as a coronal mass ejection impacts Earth. That does include here in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio... What is the Kármán line that Blue Origin’s newest astronauts crossed?NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has been tracking a coronal mass ejection, or CME, since Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, signs are pointing this CME has arrived."Thi
  
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• Beech Grove cop killer's execution set for May 20

  15-04-2025 21:26 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS — For more than 20 years, Benjamin Ritchie has been sitting on death row after being convicted of gunning down Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney in September 2000.Ritchie has filed direct appeals, post-conviction appeals, and even sought a federal habeas proceeding. But none of these legal maneuvers spared Ritchie from his conviction.
  On April 15, the Indiana Supreme Court shut the book on Ritchie's latest attempt to avoid the death sentence by denying his petition for
  
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• Police looking for suspects who damaged property at Auburn shooting range

  15-04-2025 21:09 via wane.com
  
  AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) - The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help to identify a group of people linked to an investigation at the Auburn Conservation Club.On Sunday and Monday evenings, people were caught on surveillance footage at the shooting range firing shots that hit a structure on the property, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff's department.Anyone with information on the people or cars shown in the photos should call the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office at
  
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• Arkansas and Indiana ask USDA to let them ban soda and candy from SNAP

  15-04-2025 20:28 via wane.com
  
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Officials in Arkansas and Indiana moved Tuesday to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries, becoming the first states to ask the Trump administration to let them remove such items from the program long known as food stamps.Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said her state's request is aimed at improving the health of nearly 350,000 residents who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progra
  
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• Man allegedly held captive by stepmother in Connecticut releases first public statement

  15-04-2025 20:27 via wane.com
  
  The video above aired on March 31, when photos showing the conditions at the family's Waterbury home were released.
  WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — In his first public statement, the man allegedly held captive in his Connecticut home for over 20 years by his stepmother says he's growing stronger as he begins the process of reclaiming his life.His full statement, released Tuesday by his representation, David Guarino of Survivors Say, can be read below:“Please call me ‘S.’ This i
  
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• Braun unveils 9 executive orders to help 'Make Indiana Healthy Again'

  15-04-2025 18:37 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS -- With a backdrop featuring the motto "Make Indiana Healthy Again," Indiana Gov. Mike Braun stood side by side with Robert F. Kennedy and Mehmet Oz, emphasizing their collective intention to make Indiana a healthier state while further promoting health and wellness at the federal level.Braun signed a series of nine executive orders on Tuesday, promoting Hoosier health and the state's well-being. During his remarks, Oz said that this "breaks the record by far" surrounding the "Make
  
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• Additional Big Lots stores to reopen in May: Here's where

  15-04-2025 17:03 via wane.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — The return of Big Lots began last week as nine stores — now under new ownership as part of the brand's 2024 bankruptcy filing — opened across six states. Now, a second wave of Big Lots stores are preparing to reopen.It's all part of a deal Big Lots closed with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners earlier this year. The deal outlined that Variety Wholesalers would acquire hundreds of Big Lots stores, which would retain the original branding.Nine of those stores reopened l
  
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• Fort Wayne police search for homicide suspect considered armed and dangerous

  15-04-2025 16:03 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A man was killed early Sunday morning in a shooting that took place near the intersection of Wayne and Monroe in downtown Fort Wayne and police have identified a suspect.Isaiah Wilson
  The Fort Wayne Police Department is looking for Isaiah Wilson and is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to his arrest. Wilson, 26, is 6' 3" tall with a slender build. He has a tattoo on his right arm that reads "family."
  He's considered armed and dangerous and shoul
  
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• Man convicted of battery now charged with murder following northeast Fort Wayne shooting

  15-04-2025 15:49 via wane.com
  
  The video above shows initial coverage of the shooting.FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A man was arrested Monday and faces charges in a shooting on Hobson Road that left one man dead and another in life-threatening condition.Shontrel Bright, 33, is now being held in the Allen County Jail, according to a release from the Fort Wayne Police Department.Bright is accused of murder and attempted murder in a Sunday shooting in the 2100 block of Hobson Road. Not long after midnight, police responded to the sc
  
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• Man charged with murder following northeast Fort Wayne shooting

  15-04-2025 15:49 via wane.com
  
  The video above shows initial coverage of the shooting.FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A man was arrested Monday and faces charges in a shooting on Hobson Road that left one man dead and another in life-threatening condition.Shontrel Bright, 33, is now being held in the Allen County Jail, according to a release from the Fort Wayne Police Department.Bright is accused of murder and attempted murder in a Sunday shooting in the 2100 block of Hobson Road. Not long after midnight, police responded to the sc
  
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• DNR lifts idle speed restriction on Sylvan Lake

  15-04-2025 14:11 via wane.com
  
  NOBLE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) An emergency order issued by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) earlier this month restricting watercraft to idle speed on Sylvan Lake in Noble County has been lifted. A press release issued Monday by the DNR indicates normal boating operations may resume.The emergency order restricting the operation of motorized watercraft on the Indian Lakes Chain in LaGrange County, which consists of Dallas, Witmer, Hackenberg, Westler and Messick lakes, as well as on
  
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• Trump considers pausing his auto tariffs as the world economy endures whiplash

  15-04-2025 13:14 via wane.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he might temporarily exempt the auto industry from tariffs he previously imposed on the sector, to give carmakers time to adjust their supply chains.“I’m looking at something to help some of the car companies with it,” Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. The Republican president said automakers needed time to relocate production from Canada, Mexico and other places, "And they need a little bit
  
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• Gusty winds bring cooler temperatures today

  15-04-2025 09:55 via wane.com
  
  Early spring weather returns today with gusty winds and cooler temperatures. It will be slightly warmer on Wednesday, and we are back to very warm air by the end of the week.
  Temperatures will only be in the mid-40s this afternoonTake the coat and the umbrella along with you. Temperatures will fall into the lower 40s by noon with a few showers possible before noon.Temperatures will only be in the mid-40s this afternoon with wind gusts up to 40 mph.
  It will be a cold night with skies clearing as
  
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• Indiana Senate sends property tax bill to Gov. Braun

  15-04-2025 06:55 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WANE) -- Early Tuesday morning, the Indiana Senate concurred with changes the House made to Senate Bill 1, sending the property tax legislation to Gov. Mike Braun. The vote was 27 to 22.The House passed its version last week, by a vote of 65 to 29. Republicans said it will save Hoosier homeowners $1.4 billion in property taxes over the next three years. Roughly two-thirds will pay less in property taxes in 2026 than they would in 2025, with an average household saving $300.De
  
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• Gov. Braun signs property tax relief bill

  15-04-2025 06:55 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WANE) -- Early Tuesday morning, the Indiana Senate concurred with changes the House made to Senate Bill 1, sending the property tax legislation to Gov. Mike Braun. The vote was 27 to 22.Braun signed the bill once it hit his desk that afternoon.The House passed its version Thursday, by a vote of 65 to 29. Republicans said it will save Hoosier homeowners $1.4 billion in property taxes over the next three years. Roughly two-thirds will pay less in property taxes in 2026 than the
  
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• 'We don't leave anyone behind': Family finally home after 6 year federal adoption battle

  15-04-2025 04:08 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) -- "She slayed giants."
  That was what Ted Blanford had to say about his wife Laura, after a six-year-long process to get their children Cyrus and sister Anointed home after adopting them from Liberia.Laura and Ted Blanford were granted custody by a Liberian court of then 8-year-old Cyrus and his sister Anointed, who was then 5, on Jan. 29, 2019. Monday, they were finally able to bring their kids into the United States after a years-long battle with United States Citizensh
  
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• Vape disposal boxes to hit FWCS next school year

  15-04-2025 03:06 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) -- Shawnee Middle School students, parents and teachers crowded the school gym to celebrate artists' hard work after submitting anti-vaping artwork and videos.The event is part of the National Parent Teacher Association: the Healthy Bodies – Tobacco Prevention Campaign. Shawnee Middle School received the grant, $1,500, for the second year in a row. Money was put towards prizes, motivating 40 to 50 student artists to craft their own fliers and six student videog
  
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• Vape disposable boxes to hit FWCS next school year

  15-04-2025 03:06 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) -- Shawnee Middle School students, parents and teachers crowded the school gym to celebrate artists' hard work after submitting anti-vaping artwork and videos.The event is part of the National Parent Teacher Association: the Healthy Bodies – Tobacco Prevention Campaign. Shawnee Middle School received the grant, $1,500, for the second year in a row. Money was put towards prizes, motivating 40 to 50 student artists to craft their own fliers and six student videog
  
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• Senate Bill 1 decision looms over Northwest Allen County Schools

  15-04-2025 02:57 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)- As Senate Bill 1 continues to be discussed at the statehouse, Northwest Allen County Schools (NACS) continue to wait and see what will be signed into law.
  WANE 15 spoke with NACS Superintendent, Wayne Barker, about how this new version of the bill could affect NACS.
  "We are very concerned about what we are seeing," said Barker. "This issue for us is we are more of a residential based tax base then any other school district probably almost in the state. Any property refor
  
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• More windy days after the windiest March ever

  15-04-2025 02:50 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - It seems as though a nice day where it is not windy has become a rarity across the area lately... In fact, March 2025 was the windiest March ever by average wind gust in the Summit City. Spring 2022 has been one of the windiestOur average wind gust in March was 33.53 mph in Fort Wayne. This is well above our March average, with reliable wind data dating back to 1941. What a big difference compared to average!This year, Fort Wayne experienced its windiest March ever by a
  
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• Hundreds of teachers protest SB 1 at the Statehouse during 'Day of Action' rally

  15-04-2025 01:50 via wane.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS -- At least 500 Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) members, students and activists protested legislation at the Statehouse during the union’s last “Day of Action” rally of the legislative session — specifically calling on lawmakers to pump the brakes on SB 1.”This seems to be the biggest one I’ve been to, and I think that demonstrates just how important this legislation is," Nathan Ferguson, a Washington Township teacher, said.If passed, SB
  
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• Colder for Tuesday and windy, again

  15-04-2025 00:55 via wane.com
  
  When a warm front moved through during the day Monday, our temperatures surged and highs reached the 70s in many places.Wind gusts approached as high as around 40 mph Monday, due to the strong area of low pressure tracking across the region. Wind gust speeds subside a little during the early morning, but pick back up, again, during the daytime TuesdayTuesday's early morning temps drop as low as the low 40s.Chances for a few scattered rain showers arrive overnight and continue during the daytime
  
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• What to do if you haven't filed your taxes yet

  15-04-2025 00:37 via wane.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— With the last day to file your 2024 taxes being Tuesday, there's a few last-minute options for those who haven't done the paperwork yet.While there are free websites where people can file through Tuesday, Wes Phelps, an investment adviser representative with TradeWell Tax & Financial in Fort Wayne, recommended filing an extension rather than rushing the forms. Less-lethal firearm maker based in Fort Wayne opens local retailer"I wouldn't necessarily rush it," Ph
  
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