Indiana Department of Environmental Management is allowing local fire departments to give residents permission to burn debris from the August 11th derecho. Favorable weather conditions must be present, with no high winds, excessively dry conditions or other unfavorable weather. Burns must be safe and controlled, with adequate means to extinguish the fire immediately available (garden hose, fire extinguisher, etc,.) No debris will be burnt near structures, utility lines, or roadways. Burning trash, plastic and hazardous material remains illegal.

Unemployment stayed steady in July for NWI. Lake County ranked second in the state for unemployment in July, with the jobless rate remaining at 4.4% in the Gary Metro area, but down from last year’s 5% at the same timeframe. Starke County ranked 4th, Laporte County 13th, Porter County 16th, Jasper County 24th, and Newton County 28th.

Valpo Community Schools Board approved the waiving of textbook rentals and associated fees for the 2026-27 school year. Allowable fees are still able to be charged through the course of the school year, pending guidance from the Indiana Department of Education.

FEMA and the Indiana DHS will be hosting intake centers across Lake County this week to help residents apply for federal assistance in the wake of the August 11th derecho. See the locations and times for these Individual Assistance program intake centers below

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana announced this past week that they had acquired their next-door neighbor facility which will allow them to take on a 15,000 sq. ft. freezer- more than doubling their capacity for frozen foods. In the wake of the August 11th derecho, Food Bank’s plans to expand their capabilities in the future will ensure they are even more prepared for any disaster situation upcoming.

NIPSCO has said that customers can expect the prolonged outages following the August 11th derecho to be reflected in next month’s bill. More than 380,000 customers were without power for days, including 95% of Lake County at the peak of the outages. As a result, September’s bill will be based on meter reading and reflect actual energy use instead of estimating the bill on past usage and forecasted usage for the time of year.

Hammond Professional Firefighters Association Local 556 has purchased the site of the former South Shore Arts Substation No. 9 in hopes to turn the building into a special events venue with a rooftop dining spot. The union acquired the building with participation from the Hammond Redevelopment Commission as part of the development project broadly focused on downtown Hammond. The hope is that the new museum and restaurant will be a unique entertainment and cultural hub in Downtown Hammond.

BP has announced that they are seeking out federal mediation in hopes to resolve the still ongoing worker lockout at the BP Whiting Refinery. More than 800 workers at the Whiting Refinery have been without work or paychecks since March after BP locked out the union laborers who have been fighting for a new contract. The United Steelworkers have called this latest request for mediation a publicity stunt, taking away from the fact that the company has refused to budge on any of the union’s requests and have not come to the bargaining table in good faith.

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

Caught on Cline @ Shoreline Brewery (September 6th)

The Fortunate Sons @ Theatre at the Center (September 11th)

Popcorn Festival Kick-Off Concert w/ Small Town @ Central Park Plaza (September 10th)

After Popcorn Fest Afterparty (Dueling Pianos @ Porter County Expo Center) on September 12th, 6-10pm

Chester Brown @ Shoreline Brewery (September 13th)

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.