Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana has made two sizable donations to the City of Gary and the Calumet Township Trustee Office - both to the amount of $100,000. These donations are in service of the areas that the Casino largely serves, aiding in storm relief efforts and helping the area to build back after large amounts of damage and continued recovery challenges. Huge shout out to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana!

Lake Central School Corp. Board has approved emergency pay for district employees who were without work during the school closures endured as a result of the August 11th derecho. All district buildings were without power for multiple days, with issues with internet, HVAC and fire alarms prevailing even past power restoration.

The historic Indiana Botanic Gardens mansion, and once home to Reaper’s Realm, just off the Borman Expressway in Hammond has begun to be demolished by the city of Hammond. The city seized the property some time ago via eminent domain, citing the building’s dilapidated state, and plans to redevelop the land it sits on into prime real estate right by the first Indiana exit off the Borman. A mixed-use development project along the Little Calumet River is envisioned for the site, with proposals currently being heard from developers.

Major disaster declaration for Northwest Indiana following the August 11th derecho has been approved by President Trump, freeing up federal aid from FEMA to help those who need assistance in the act of recovering from profound storm damage and flooding. Individuals and households across 21 counties in the state can apply for federal dollars, with NWI and eight other counties receiving public assistance on emergency work and repairs. Those affected by the storms are advised to file claims with their insurance and then apply for FEMA assistance via www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA App.

The former Hotel La Salle in Hammond has been the focal point of a Munster developer’s plan to convert the vacant hotel into a mixed-use development. That plan has gotten the green light now from Hammond’s zoning board as of this week, converting the old hotel into 28 apartments on its top four floors and two retail businesses on the ground floor.

NIPSCO has said that they have restored power to 99% of the affected customers from the August 11th derecho. 80% of NIPSCO’s electric customers lost power as a result of the storms. The majority of homes and businesses that could have their power restored safely have been taken care of, with remaining property requiring extra effort or cleanup work or requiring the property owners to fix necessary equipment before service can be restored.

Since August 11th, when a derecho knocked out the power for over 300,000 NWI residents and caused untold amounts of property damage, NIPSCO asked the state for three different rate hikes for their services. On August 11th, the day of the destructive storms, NIPSCO filed a rate increase request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Three days later, in the middle of profound emergency recovery efforts and with hundreds of thousands still without power, they filed yet another rate increase request. The following week, on August 20th, yet another rate increase request was filed with the IURC. Representatives from the company have said that these rate adjustments were due to necessary expense recouperations due to market efficiency projects and infrastructure expansion and that the filings were routine and not reflective of the current moment. These filings would amount to an average of $7 extra a month in charges for each customer, which is certainly rich considering the experience that we’ve all just had in dealing with NIPSCO the last couple of weeks.

Related to the previous story, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland has called on NIPSCO to provide financial relief to the NWI residents who were without power and suffered profound, unexpected expenses as a result of the August 11th storms. Prolonged power outages meant that groceries went bad, forcing individuals and households to dine out for every meal (if they could even find a place with power nearby), as well as driving extra cost for fuel for generators to keep what they could running and safe until power could be restored. This request also comes on the back of approved electric rate hikes that would raise residential customers bills by about $23 a month. People around here deserve answers and to be treated like human beings, not numbers on a spreadsheet.

A nationwide settlement with Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta will be netting the State of Indiana as much as $419 million. The settlement comes as a result of claims that Meta’s platforms harmed children through creating addictive products that captured their attention, collecting and selling their user data and negatively impacting an entire generation of children’s mental health and general well being.

The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office has announced that Winfield Police Department has joined its Homicide Task Force. Winfield’s participation will strengthen communication and coordination among agencies actively working to solve homicides in the county.

Hammond Public Library (564 State St., Hammond)

Salvation Army of Hammond-Munster Corps (8225 Columbia Ave., Munster)

Calumet College of St. Joseph (2400 New York Ave., Whiting)

Lincoln Community Center (2450 Lincoln St., Highland)

Indiana Welcome Center (7770 Corinne Drive, Hammond)

Heritage Hall (4506 Tod Ave., East Chicago).

Center Township Trustee Food Pantry (1450 E. South St, Crown Point)

Ross Township Trustee Office (26 W. 73rd Ave, Crown Point)

Nunez, Callahan, Roxana, Washington, Riley, Kennedy Jones, and Leon Kendrick Parks in East Chicago

Riley Hall (1005 State Road 312, East Chicago)

Unity Center (3623 Guthrie St., East Chicago)

Jean Shepard Community Center (3031 JF Mahoney Dr., Hammond)

Hammond Sportsplex (6330 Indianapolis Blvd., Hammond)

Munster Lions Social Center (8751 Lions Club Dr., Munster)

Woodland Village (5757 Melton Road, Portage)

Portage Police Department Public Parking Lot (6260 Central Ave, Portage)

Free Events are highlighted in GREEN

Hard Rock Cafe & Council Oak Bar Schedule (Free performances at Hard Rock Casino)

Hard Rock Casino Upcoming Performances

Horseshoe Casino Upcoming Performances

Hobart Art Theater Upcoming Performances

Wicker Memorial Park Summer Concert Series

Crazy Train at the PAV (Pavilion at Wolf Lake) (August 29th) FREE

Heartthrob 3.0 @ Founders Square Park (August 29th)

Los Banditos @ White Rhino (August 29th)

Hometown Jams: Scotty McCreery @ Central Park Plaza (August 30th)

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening @ Hard Rock Live (August 30th)

Crown Point Farmer’s Market

Cedar Lake Farmer’s Market

Miller Beach Farmers Market

The Sunday Vibe Market

Coffee Creek Farmers Market

Griffith Central Market

Farmed and Forged Market

The Edge of Liberty Craft Fair

Chesterton European Market

Valparaiso Farmers Market

Market on the Square

Hobart Summer Market on the Lake

Summer Market on Main

The Market on the Plaza

Demotte Market in The Park

Here we will try to aggregate all of the weekly specials available to Explorers around the Region. If you own a local business and want people to be aware of your weekly specials or events, let us know by sending an email to [email protected]!

Every Thursday this summer is Music on the Porch Day at Fair Oaks Farms. Clock in for some live tunes while looking out at the scenic farmland of Fair Oaks Farms. Click here for a schedule and more info.

Every Tuesday, from 4-8 pm, is Crown Point Car Cruise Night this summer. Meeting at Bulldog Park each week, take in some classic cars and take a classy drive around town!

Tuesday is Trivia day at White Rhino in Dyer. Find out more about this weekly event at the link here. Wednesday at White Rhino is Bingo night, starting at 6:30pm.

18th Street Brewery has its weekly Music Trivia and Karaoke night every Wednesday. Doors open at 4pm, with trivia starting at 6pm. Find out more here. On Thursday nights, they also host a weekly Line Dancing night with host Mizz Coco. Find out more here.

Shady Creek Winery hosts a weekly live music event each and every Sunday. Find a schedule of upcoming artists at the link here.

Anderson’s Winery in Valpo hosts weekly live music each and every weekend. Find a schedule of upcoming performances at the link right here.

Find out info about the classes and everything the Chesterton Art Center has going on here. The Center constantly has events for beginners, young artists, and apprentices alike, so anyone looking to build their skills and learn new ones should keep tabs on what the Chesterton Art Center has going on.

Off Square Brewing in Crown Point hosts a weekly Bingo Night on Thursdays, running from 7-9 pm each and every week. One lucky number can make you the big winner of the night! Find further info here. They also host a weekly Trivia Night on Wednesdays from 7pm.

Up Your Alley in Schererville has regular specials all week, perfect for families and groups of friends. Monday is a bowling special, Tuesday is Laser Tag, Wednesday is Dark Rides, and Thursday is the Arcade. Find more info and the specific deals available each week right here.

Every Monday, from 7-9 pm, Journeyman Distillery in Valpo hosts a Trivia Night. Three rounds of trivia keep the night alive, with teams of up to six people fight to win the grand prize every week. Find more info right here.

Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake has a weekly wine special running through dinner service. Happy hour specials and heavily discounted bottles every single Wednesday!

Every second Saturday each month, Beale Pottery in Westville hosts a “Make Cool Stuff Club”. This is a group that meets to, well, make cool stuff in the form of pottery! Find more info about the spot and their events right here.

On the last Tuesday of every month, Downtown Highland hosts a restaurant crawl. This community event always features a bunch of the local spots offering specials and deals, so its a great way to spend an evening hopping from meal to meal. Find more info right here.

Tiny’s Coffee Bar in Miller Beach has recurrent events every single week. Check out their page to find the full slate of events.

Marina Shores Yacht Club in Portage has Live Music Thursdays every 3rd Thursday of the Month! Find more info right here about lineups and performances.

Sip Coffee House in Highland has a Wednesday Game Night every single week from 6-9pm. In partnership with the Northwest Indiana Board Game Association.

Valparaiso Pathways Committee holds Free community rides once a month during the warmer months. Click here to look at their schedule of group rides across the city.

Conway Observatory in Lowell hosts open houses once a month for all ages to come in and take a look into the deep stretches of space. Totally free and with different focuses at each open house, you can learn about a host of cool space topics across the year. Find their schedule at the link right here.

Getting into photography or a seasoned vet looking to get out there and shoot more? Lake County Parks Photo Club has regular meetings every 2nd Wednesday at Turkey Creek Golf Course, with regular field trips out in the NWI expanse. Find more info and the full schedule at the link right here.

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve in Hammond holds a weekly Hike through nature every Wednesday. Find their full schedule right here. Pre-registration is required.

Miller Beach Arts and Creative District holds a free community yoga session every Sunday, beginning at 10am at the District building. Find info and other event listings here.

For all the fellow writers out there, Tiny’s Coffee Bar in Miller Beach holds a weekly writing group each and every Saturday, starting at 10:15am. Sometimes all it takes to spark inspiration is being around fellow creatives. Find more info about the group right here

The Dig the Dunes Beer Run & Wine Walk will be starting up on April 23rd, running once a month through the summer and early fall. A new spot in the Dunes area will be selected each month, with a 2-3 mile walk/run taking place before the group kicks back to enjoy a drink along the lakeshore. Find full information at the link right here and find the schedule right below.

Starting on April 25th, and running every Saturday through August, Indiana Dunes National Park’s 1966 Hiking Challenge begins! 19 hikes that cover 66 miles of the Dunes Park trails, celebrating the foundation of the park in 1966. Every Saturday at 8:00 am, hokes will take place in different areas of the park ranging from 1-7 miles. Complete them all and you earn a free 1966 Hiking Challenge sticker to show off to the world. For more details and specifics, click here.

Whiting Cruise Night runs every month on the 3rd Wednesday, starting on May 20th and running through the summer. Find more information about the event right here.