Below, find a rundown of the local school boards that will be meeting this week, as well as what’s on their agendas

National Night Out is the first Tuesday of August, so here is what NWI communities and police departments are doing to celebrate local law enforcement this year.

A new study by the PowerLines energy consumer education nonprofit has found that electricity prices in Indiana have risen by 21% since 2021, with residential households rising by 11% on average alone. Former Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission member Sarah Freeman said in relation to the study that Indiana has become the epicenter of the conversation surrounding utility affordability across the country. This all comes on the heels of Indiana utility companies requesting around $200 million in rate increases in the last year, with another $30 million requested for this year alone. $48.9 billion is forecasted to be spent by the end of the decade on power infrastructure by Indiana utilities in order to keep up with demand - mostly caused by data center projects and large users of energy of their ilk.

United Steelworkers Local 12775 has launched a formal grievance against NIPSCO over prolonged outages to residents and local businesses after this year’s multiple bouts of severe weather have continually left thousands of locals without power for multiple days - some, multiple times in the past few months. USW Local 12775 says that they believe these delays in return of service to locals are due to management choosing to limit hours of union members, reducing available workforce in the event of sudden outages. NIPSCO claims that prolonged outages are due to workers not accepting overtime requests during storms, leading them to hiring outside contractors to take care of restoration efforts. The union will be pursuing grievance procedure in order to hold NIPSCO accountable for their willful avoidance tactics, directly citing their new contract which limited workers to 16 straight hours of work instead of 32 consecutive hours (in their previous contract) as one of the core reasons these outages have persisted longer than they should have.

A meeting was conducted late last week between Republican Governor Mike Braun, BP and the United Steelworkers Local 7-1 workers who are still locked out of work at the BP Whiting Refinery. Braun brought these groups together in order to discuss the state of their contract talks, as the lockout enters its fifth month and laborers have been without pay for that whole duration. USW Local 7-1 released a statement saying that they were appreciative of the opportunity to get in front of the Governor and present their perspective, but no major developments have happened and they are still fighting for a fair agreement with BP. More than 60 meetings have happened between the union and BP, with no agreement being reached yet.

Purdue University Northwest will be hosting two school supply giveaway events ahead of the 2026-27 school year. Their “Roaring Back to School” events will taking place on August 6th & 7th. The August 6th event will be from 4-6pm on the first level of the 169 St Parking garage at the Hammond campus, with the August 7th event taking place at the Westville campus at the H.D. Kesling Gymnasium from 2:30-4:30pm. Families with children K-12 can collect supplies, like writing utensils, notebooks, folders, art supplies, and other back-to-school essentials. Refreshments and games are available as well, with community service organizations on site. Bring a bag and get what you need for the upcoming school year!

Demolition of the Gary Broadway Manor public housing complex has begun, making way for a commercial retail space in its wake. The housing complex has sat dilapidated for years, with the units deteriorating beyond repair and federal funding efforts no longer possible. The Housing and Urban Development Commission plans to revitalize the areas footprint with new commercial and retail space.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has said that his office filed a lawsuit against Merrillville Town Council, claiming that the town and its leaders willfully intervened in the purchase of local real estate by ICE - an action that Rokita claims is against Indiana law. A resolution passed by the Town Council in January expressing disdain for ICE’s planned acquisition of warehouse space within town limits was the kicking off point for a multi-month spat between the town leaders and Todd Rokita. Rokita offered up new evidence that the town had communicated with a private real estate company - who had been propositioned by ICE to purchase a warehouse at 8719 Mississippi St. - to not commit to a detention facility in town. Shortly thereafter, the company informed an intermediary between ICE and them that there would be no negotiations for sale of the property. Rokita continues to claim that the Town Council acted on their own volition, representing only a “small and loud minority” of constituents who opposed ICE’s presence in the town. He is under the impression that a majority of the town of Merrillville -a town that is 45.1% Black and 15.6% Hispanic - would support an ICE facility in their town. The Town of Merrillville has not commented on the lawsuit at the time of writing.

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

Assorted Other Live Performances in July/August

Craft & Farmers Market at Apple Blossom Trails

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.