Chesterton Town Council took a stand on Monday night, completely shutting down and immediately discontinuing its contract with the highly-controversial Flock license plate surveillance system. This decision comes after an investigation into a town police officer (who has resigned since the investigation began) who potentially misused the surveillance system. Exact reasoning as to why his use of the Flock system was illegal was never provided. Chesterton joins hundreds of towns across the country who have decided to cancel their contracts with the surveillance company over public privacy and human rights concerns - especially as stories about misuse by local law enforcement pile up across the nation. This decision also comes on the heels of the Starke County Sheriff’s Office terminating its renewal of its Flock Contract after a Porter County Sheriff’s office and a Michigan City police officer were accused of misusing the system for questionable reasons.

The Lake County Commissioner’s office has endorsed the establishment of an 850-acre development along I-65 near Lowell, both north and south of S.R. 2. The proposed development will bring a new economic corridor to the oft-traveled stretch which serves as a main north-south and east-west area for Lake County. As to what will be developed within this project has not been stated at this time.

Gary Community School Corporation has opened an “Angel Room” inside of the Gary Area Career Center, serving as a convenient way for both employees and the greater community to get hold of necessities like food, hygiene products and cleaning supplies. The Angel Room was thought up after the August 11th derecho, when relief efforts were paramount to helping the hundreds of thousands who were left without power and had unreliable access to critical resources. With the help of local agencies and individuals, GCSC superintendent Yvonne Stokes was able to put this initiative together to make sure that people who are in need always have a route to getting those fundamental goods - whether there’s a natural disaster, power outages, or extenuating circumstances or not.

Residents of Northwest Indiana who are hoping to receive federal disaster relief from FEMA have until October 25th to apply. Homeowners and renters located in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Pulaski counties are among those who qualify for recovery from expenses not covered by insurance. FEMA has, thus far, approved ~$80 million for Indiana residents in the wake of storms and flooding that decimated the state throughout the month of August, with more to come (funding, that is).

Hammond’s Pulaski Park will be seeing new additions later this year and into the early parts of 2027. City Council has approved additions to the park in the form of a permanent skate park and two fenced-in, artificial turf soccer pitches. Funds have also been allocated for upgrades to other Hammond parks, including new playground equipment, redoing parking lots, and upgrading accessibility features.

A few weeks back, we talked about the reconstruction of the once-iconic Frank-N-Stein statue that stood tall on Dunes Highway in Miller Beach. Now, the 21-foot tall statue has a new home with “American Pickers” star Robert Wolfe, who purchased the statue recently after builder Dave Distler exhibited the faithful reproduction at the former site of it’s namesake restaurant a couple weeks back. After that showing, Distler took the statue on a tour through Indiana, before dropping it off at Wolfe’s Iowa home for its final placement.

Talks between BP and USW Local 7-1 began once again this past Monday, with a new lead negotiator at the helm and hopes of a fresh start for both parties. More than 180 days into the lockout that has left over 800 laborers without work since March, the two parties are back at the bargaining table and taking on a more measured tone than when they last met in June. BP’s on-the-table offer, as far as we can tell, centers around offering workers $2,500 bonuses, a 13% increase in wages over four years, among other stipulations that USW representatives are not so pleased about. Chief among them, is the overall reduction of base wage rates, an extension of the required strike notice timeline from 24 hours to 150 days, and forcing the workers into a six-year contract term. Further cuts to union jobs are also still much feared by USW reps, especially considering BP has recorded record profits since the lockout began. The two parties plan to meet again this week at some time to further their bargaining talks.

At the same time, USW representatives are also in negotiation talks with U.S. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs for their new contract. USW’s current contracts expired on September 1st, but all parties agreed to extend the deadline while they remained at the bargaining table. Despite the needle moving in a positive direction on a lot of fronts, USW reps say that the companies have been unrelenting on the front of healthcare - wanting significant concessions from active employees and soon-to-be retirees. Higher out-of-pocket costs for the union workers were a non-starter, obviously, so those conversations are still in progress. Negotiations are still ongoing, however, and meaningful movements are expected in the next meetings.

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

Gabis Arboretum Acorn Concert Series

Hometown Jams Presents: Niko Moon @ Bulldog Park (September 19th)

Stop.Drop.Rewind @ The PAV (September 19th)

Hometown Jams Presents Mitchell Tenpenny @ Bulldog Park(September 27th)

DJ Pauly D @ Bulldog Park (October 2nd)

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

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.

The Golden Leaf in Chesterton hosts a recurrent, one-of-a-kind experience that shows you the art of cigar making from start to finish. “The Cigar Maker Experience at The Golden Leaf” is a walk through cigar history that puts you into the tradition and culture of a long-standing trade. They host this event often, but dates tend to sell out ahead of time!

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.