🧭 On Today’s issue of NWI Explored🧭

  • The Latest News for NWI

  • The Latest from the NWIE Instagram

  • Every event this weekend you need to know about

Welcome back explorers!

It’s been an incredibly strange week of weather and happenings, but we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Where else can you get a foot of snow, great views of the Northern Lights, and an absolutely beautiful weekend forecasts all in the same week? Nowhere else but Northwest Indiana.

We also want to continue to encourage our subscribers and followers to offer feedback! The only way we can properly serve the readers is if we know what the readers want, so let us know! Comment, email, DM: however you want to do it, please do!

Lastly, thank you so much for continuing to read NWI Explored. We’re on track to blow past our most conservative expectations of where we’d be less than a month in, so thank you!

Today in NWI

🌎 Today’s Weather:
Here’s your forecast for this lovely fall Thursday.

And here is the weekend forecast.

Today in NWI History

On occasion, we like to dig through the archives to find out what the residents of Northwest Indiana were talking about in decades past. Below you’ll find the front pages of some of NWI’s historic newspapers from this very date in the past.

The Front Page of the Lake County Times from Monday, November 13th, 1916

The Front Page of the Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger, from Tuesday, November 13th, 1962

🏘The Lowdown 🏘

Every Thursday, We give you the best happenings during the week in Northwest Indiana

  • A Valparaiso man is celebrating after winning $50,000 on a Powerball ticket. Resident Camilo Garza stopped to get gas at the Speedway off Lincoln Highway in Merrillville and decided, on a whim, to grab a Powerball ticket. After scanning the ticket and getting a message that said “Contact your local lottery office”, Garza knew he must’ve won something. Garza has said that he will use the winnings to purchase a fishing boat to use once he retires soon.

  • A petition opposing the construction of a massive data center in Hobart has reached over 1,800 signatures, with protests being staged as the project advances. The proposed data center at 61st Avenue and Colorado St. has been the subject of many residents ire for months now, but the project has met little resistance in the city government. A fill permit has been approved by the Hobart City Council, with contingencies holding up any development past the removal of dirt for the time being.

  • Region rats looking to show off their local alma mater finally have an option as the State of Indiana has released a Purdue Northwest themed license plate. The new plate will cost an additional $40 when renewing your plates, or $25 for PNW alumni.

  • Three carpenters unions in Northwest Indiana have decided to consolidate in order to more holistically represent the whole of the Calumet region. The three unions in question are Carpenters Local 599, 1005, and 1485, which have merged to form Local Union #2950.

  • The Hanover Board of School Trustees held a vote on Tuesday to approve plans to launch a new virtual academy, alongside approving raises for teachers. Both measures passed during said meeting. The Hanover Excellence in Digital Education Virtual School will launch some time soon and will serve students in grades 6-12. It is unclear at the moment whether students outside of the district will be able to enroll. Teachers in the Hanover School District will maintain a minimum salary of $48,000, but the maximum salary has been raised to $81,833 this year and $83,833 next year. Veteran teachers will see a raise of $1,500 pending new contracts, and newer teachers are eligible for a $100 raise if they applied for the state’s early literacy endorsement.

  • Crown Point School Systems have announced job cuts, totaling 26 jobs, and an end to the early childhood program Birth to School. The CP School Board passed these measures in response to potential falling property tax revenues in the next year, with future cuts still on the table.

  • Merrillville Police Department will see a pay raise and benefits expanded under a new contract passed by the Merrillville Town Council. MPD officers pay will be increased by 10% in 2026 thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement, with expansions to longevity pay, specialty pay, and take-home vehicle benefits rounding out the package. Other Northwest Indiana police departments have adopted similar provisions as well, to decent success.

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The Weekend Digest

Here is the smattering of events taking place across this whole weekend here in Northwest Indiana

Be a Good Neighbor

During the ongoing government shutdown, SNAP benefits have been suspended for the majority of the country. In the interest of protecting our neighbors and loved ones, we are going to keep a handy rundown of how you can help out.

  • The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

  • The Food Bank of Northern Indiana

  • Project Neighbors, a Valparaiso-based non-profit centered around building affordable rental properties for the unhoused, has started an initiative to get those impacted by SNAP cuts gift cards for groceries

  • NWI No Child Hungry, dedicated to fighting local food insecurity

There are also other ways you can help out your neighbors during uncertain times. Linked below are some of the outstanding charities and non-profits here in NWI that could always use your help.

The Latest From the NWI Explored Instagram

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What’d We Miss?

Did we forget to include an event from your bar/restaurant/space? Have a hot tip on where the party is happening? Want to know more about the news in your area of the Region?

Send us an email at [email protected] to let us know!

Happy Exploring,

Eric & Luke

The NWI Explored Team

❝

I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss.

-Ransom Riggs

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